 Good morning. Good afternoon. I think my name is Shane Sims. I'm the executive director of people living in recovery. We are a local 501c3 non-profit that assists individuals facing substance use mental health and homelessness challenges. I am chaplain of the Athens-Clarke County Police Department. After me more importantly I'm a friend of our newly elected district attorney Mrs. Deborah Gonzalez. This afternoon I have the distinct honor as well as privilege of welcoming you to an inauguration that would no doubt go down in history. That would stand as one of the greatest example of what can be accomplished when we have integrity, when we have resiliency, and when we're willing to fight for righteous change in the face of sometimes insurmountable odds. There's a quote that I would like to share with you by James Baldwin. He once said that not everything faced will be changed, but nothing can be changed until it's faced. When I first read this quote years ago it resonated deep within me, but when I thought about this quote in light of this election, when I thought about the seemingly insurmountable odds that Mrs. Gonzalez had to overcome, when I thought about who and what she represents, this election sit chills down my spine. The ideas and the hopes with which Ms. Gonzalez will inherit this office will change us all for the better. And I say this as a matter of personal experience, because it was these very ideas and hopes that have given me the opportunity to stand here before you today. You see word not for the ideas and hopes that she represents, I will be somewhere languishing riding away in a prison. During my senior year of high school, 1995, I unexpectedly lost my job. It was closed without any forewarning, any notice, any assistance. Now for the average teenager, the loss of a job is not detrimental. You see, for the average teenager, a job is something for extra cash. Put a little money in your pocket, maybe buy shoes, maybe even a starter vehicle. However, this was not the case for me. In 1995, my parents, like many of my peers, had succumbed to the crack cocaine epidemic that had swept across this nation. An addiction had not only ravaged our household, but it had taken away from me any sense of home, any sense of security. And for the most part, this epidemic left me to fend for myself and to provide for myself. So when I lost this job, I just didn't lose the ability to buy a pair of Nikes. I lost my identity. I lost my ability to exist. Within weeks of losing my job, I reunited with some old middle school and other elementary school classmates. And these individuals had long dropped out of school and were in the various criminal activities. And after learning of my plight, one night it was suggested that we connected, show you a harmless way of making some money to get the money that you need. And they suggested on robbery. Now, of course, me being who I was, I resisted. But it's true what they say association brings about assimilation. One evening after the bills had piled up, by this time I had a child that I was taking care of, I made the fateful decision to go along with the player. By that night, a store clerk was dead. A couple of weeks ago, I turned myself in, accepted responsibility for my role in the crime and was sentenced to life plus 15 years in prison. By the standards of what has become the norms, I should have died in prison. Although I was down within my spirit, I determined that I would not be out. That I would not let the death of that clerk go in vain. And I had no idea if I would ever make it out of prison again. But what I said, I will live my life in a redemptive manner. This soon gathered kind of a aura around me, a reputation bill. And after about 10 years in prison, the first warden noticed me. A warden who represented the same beliefs and hopes that Deborah Gonzalez would bring to office. The restorative approach to criminal justice as opposed to the purely punitive approach. And he told me, I don't know if I can, but I'm going to do everything that I can to get you out of here. You don't belong. It will be 10 years later, and two other wardens later with the same restorative approach to criminal justice that would assist me, ultimately petition the parole board, risk their careers and ultimately their job to say, hey, he's a more used out there society than he is in here. February 3rd, 2016, I returned home to my beloved family and my community. So what I say to you is that today is a mighty day. This victory is a mighty victory. For what Deborah Gonzalez would represent inside this office is a restorative component that we as a society have long ago lost sight of. And it should be an encouragement to all of us, those who are minorities, those who are women, those who have alternative lifestyles to know that not everything that we face will be changed, but nothing can be changed until we face it. And with this, I would like to welcome you to a historical, definitely historical inauguration of Ms. Deborah Gonzalez, a woman that holds as a mentor and as a personal friend. And with this, I ask that you bow your heads with me in a prayer. Oh, God, you're the creator of the heavens and the earth. You're the grantor of life and death. You decree our struggles as well as our successes. It is in the midst of the hardships that you develop our characters. It is in the midst of our hardships that you make yourself manifest in our lives. We ask that you give Ms. Gonzalez the strength, the ability to continue to be a changemaker in the face of opposition. We ask that you give a heart humility. We ask that you give a mind a sense of direction. And we ask that you make her a servant of the people and the people are serving of her office. Oh, God, we know that with every problem, there's a resolution and solution. And we know that all it proceeds from you. We humbly beseech you to make her appointment to office a solution for our community, a solution for our society, and a solution for our world. Please gather, please protect her. And we stand before you humbly and grateful for your graces. Amen. Mr. Deborah Gonzalez, the Bible and your left hand in the air. I mean, I'm sorry. Let's turn around your left. Let's say it goes on the Bible in your right hand in the air. And as opposed to saying I do, or do you have me to do it differently with the three different votes? Oh, I repeat. Okay. I Deborah Gonzalez. I Deborah Gonzalez, a citizen of the United States, a citizen of the United States and the state of Georgia and the state of Georgia and being an employee and being an employee of the state of Georgia of the state of Georgia and the recipient of public funds and the recipient of public funds for services rendered as such a for services rendered as such employee to hear by solemnly swear and affirm to hear by solemnly swear and affirm that I will support that I will support the Constitution of the United States, the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of Georgia and the Constitution of Georgia. So help me God. So help me God. Deborah Gonzalez. I Deborah Gonzalez to swear or affirm do swear or affirm that I will faithfully and impartially that I will faithfully and impartially and without fear, favor or affection without fear, favor or affection discharge my duties discharge my duties as district attorney as district attorney and will take only my lawful compensation and will take only my lawful compensation. I do further solemnly swear or affirm I do further solemnly swear or affirm that I am not the holder that I am not the holder of any unaccounted for any unaccounted for public money do this state public money do this state or any political subdivision or any political subdivision or authority there are or authority they're up that I am not the holder that I am not the holder of any office of trust of any office of trust under the government of the United States under the government of the United States any other state any other state or any foreign state or any foreign state which I am prohibited from holding which I am prohibited from holding by the laws of the state of Georgia by the laws of the state of Georgia and that I am otherwise qualified, and that I am otherwise qualified to hold said office according to the Constitution, according to the Constitution Constitution and laws of Georgia and that I will support the Constitution and laws of Georgia and that I will support the Constitution of the United States and of this state and that I have been a resident and that I have been a resident of this circuit, of this circuit for the time required, for the time required by the Constitution, by the Constitution and the laws of this state, and the laws of this state. So help me God. So help me God. Wonderful. Congratulations. I just would like to thank you, future District Attorney Deborah Gonzalez on this historic win and congratulations to you. I wish you all the best as you undertake the duties of your office on January 1st. We look forward to your vision and your new approach of using restorative justice as well as the punitive parts of our criminal justice system to affect justice for the citizens of this circuit. Thank you. Okay. Good afternoon and thank you. Thank you, Shane, for sharing your story. It is one you shared with me a few years ago and it stayed with me. Thank you, Judge Tate, for officiating the oath. And thank you all for braving the cold today to stand here and bear witness to a historic moment in time. Our message of fairness, accountability, compassion and empathy resonated with thousands of voters in Athens and Ocone. I am honored and humbled to serve as your next DA. And I am so proud to be the first woman and first minority DA in this circuit, the first Latina DA in the state of Georgia, and the first female Puerto Rican DA in the entire country. We have made history together. Being part of this campaign to courage resilience and a fervent commitment to justice as well as persistence. Just a short time ago, we didn't even know if we would have a DA election. This campaign has not been an easy fight. When I first announced my candidacy just over one year ago, many viewed this campaign and this movement for reform as being too ambitious, too bold. We have proved them wrong. Thanks to your support, your hours of volunteering and voting, we stood up to the status quo and won. Thank you for believing in this movement and thank you for believing in me. I want to speak for a moment now just not to my supporters, but to people who are on the fence or may have even voted for my opponent. Because despite any differences in politics at the end of the day, we can all agree on one thing. We all want a safe and thriving community. We all want to live in a place where young people stay out of trouble with the law, where a small step off the straight and narrow isn't life-ending, where people feel safe in their homes and on the streets and where justice is just. We know the system as it is has not been working. We know there is significant racial bias present in our indictments, our convictions and our sentencing. We know the human cost and the economic cost of locking people up have been staggering and at the end of the day we know we must do better if we want to build the kind of community that keeps us all safer and gives everyone a fair chance at justice and life. Although I'm being sworn in this week, I do not officially take office until the stroke of midnight on January 1st. Between now and then I will be working with a team of people in the community and in the office to outline significant reforms and changes in policy that I will begin to implement on day one and throughout my tenure. You can expect a memo from me on January 1st announcing some specifics of some of those changes. Reforming and transforming any public institution is a labor of both hope and uncertainty. For the people in this community whose hearts have been broken because of a child or a parent or a neighbor unjustly locked away or killed or harmed. For the people in this community who are fearful or worried about how changes in the justice system may impact safety in our homes and on our streets. Even for the employees, attorneys and staff of the DA's office who all came out today, thank you, who wonder what impact a new boss will have on the workplace culture and mission. I hear you. I hear all of you. Your hopes, your fears, your concerns. And I will keep listening. Change is challenging. But I can promise you an open door and a transparent approach as we embark on this journey together. But in terms of where we will be in four years time, we don't have to wonder about whether reform can work or what change will mean because none of this is hypothetical. We are not experimenting or guessing. We are looking at what is working already, taking best practices from other cities and jurisdictions around the country and our state and applying them here. Very simply, we are following a proven path which justice, equity and safety are working hand in hand to build more thriving communities. Other communities have done it. And we will do it here. I would like to take a moment to address many of my supporters. But specifically to my father, watching from Sanford Florida in the language we share, Spanish. Buenos dias a todos y gracias por el apoyo durante la lucha para proteger nuestros derechos de votar y las elecciones. Con nombre hispana de Gonzales, quiero reconocer la importancia de este día para nuestra comunidad. Cuando por primera vez hay un latino eleccionado como fiscal de justicia en el estado de Georgia. Estoy orgullosa de parar aquí en frente de todos y representar los cienes de miles de latinos en este estado y por todo este país que luchan cada día por sus familias y sus comunidades. Te digo estoy a su lado y un nuevo día has amanecido en Georgia y en nuestra comunidad. Papi te pido la bendición para que yo puedo tener la fuerza del espíritu moral para hacer este trabajo tan duro. Soy su hija y calgo su apellido. Mi nombre es Deora Gonzales y te amo. The time for transformative changes now. I can't wait to start doing the work I promised I would do for you. Justice was on the ballot. Now justice is on the agenda. Thank you. I thank you all for being here. Please stay safe as we head into these holidays. Have a very happy holiday. Merry Christmas. However it is that you celebrate there are more than 14 holidays between now and new years and I'm happy to recognize them all and all of you. Please have a wonderful and safe day. Thank you.