Otis Nixon visits Warner Robins, promotes drug court programs, endorses LaRhonda Patrick

Eleven homeruns, 620 stolen bases, a professional outfielder for several MLB teams including the Atlanta Braves, and the executor of one of baseballs most incredible performances in the outfield, “The Catch.” Otis Junior Nixon has come to town.

Nixon paid Warner Robins a visit on Thursday, November 11. A crowd gathered outside of The Curtis Event Center, where Nixon set up a small table and was speaking to fans. A massive wooden tomahawk, large enough for thousands to sign, rested nearby in the back of Nixon’s truck. Children and adults alike gathered in the parking lot, getting hats, baseball cards, photos, and baseballs signed. The air was filled with chattering voices, remembering Nixon’s times with the Atlanta Braves. The air was electric.

However, Nixon also had friends of his own in attendance. Several members of his non-profit organization, The Otis Nixon Foundation, were present. Hannah Rozier, a former employee of the Houston County DA’s office, and a guide for Nixon’s Drug Court Campaign, was present, as well as Dr. K. Scott Malone, a physiatrist with Middle Georgia Orthopaedics and Nixon’s medical expert.

Rozier took a moment to express the goals of the Otis Nixon Foundation, explaining, “We want to bring attention to the fact that we have a Drug Court Program and a Mental Health Court Program, and see what we can do as far as bringing a Veterans Health Court here.”

Rozier explains these programs, drug courts, mental health courts and the like, are “accountability courts,” meant to “help people get out of the system.” Rozier expounded on the topic, saying, “If you don’t have a violent history or a sex crime or offense, we want to help you get out of the system if you have a drug or mental health issue, and stop the process of you going back to jail just because you did drugs or weren’t on your medicine.”

According to the Department of Justice, these are programs that emphasize treatment over punishment, and attempt to resolve these problems through alternate means outside of jails and prisons.

Mayoral Candidate LaRhonda Patrick announced at the event that she will be taking on the push of these specialized court programs as a part of her platform. “Before today, I did not know that Warner Robins has a drug court and a mental health court. They exist, they’re just not being operated. My initial intention was to create these types of courts, but now I know they already exist. We just have to revive them and add in a court for veterans and DUIs. I want to add those to programs as alternate sentencing programs for our city. That’s what I’ll be advocating for.”

Patrick believes this will have a positive impact on the city overall. “As a solicitor, I see repeat offenders doing small crimes, even if they’re repeatedly getting stopped for having an expired registration or a suspended license,” Patrick said. “A lot of people who come through municipal court have drug issue or mental illnesses, and those are the people you see over and over again in your courtroom. They’re committing crimes in our society, which hurts our community, but if you take those individuals and give them a program to actually rehabilitate them so that they’re actually getting treatment for their illness, and you’re not just throwing into cell, letting them come out, and then throwing them back in, that’s going to help our society.”

Councilman Derek Mack was at the event as well, and said that he’s supporting the campaign for specialty court programs. “I’m an advocate for drug court because, my wife and I are the CEOs of The Lending Hand, Inc. where we try to create a transition house. We need programs like this for our homeless veterans, to give them an address, and an opportunity to take advantage of the resources we have here in Georgia. Along with LaRhonda’s help and Dr. Malone’s help, I think it’ll be a hand in hand great situation for our city.”

Nixon hopes to help bring these court programs to Warner Robins as well. To do it though, Nixon said you have to have the right team. He believes that Patrick is the right person to be on the team. “I came down because LaRhonda and I were talking on the phone, and she shared with me her vision, and it caught me,” Nixon said. “It was just what I needed to hear. I’m down to embrace what she’s saying and doing down here in the city of Warner Robins.”

With their alignment of goals, Nixon endorsed Patrick for mayor. “I think she’s the right person. I think she’s going to do a wonderful job. I came here to meet her face to face, and I’m very pleased that I came down.”

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