Demetrus Coonrod
Demetrus Coonrod (born December 30, 1974) is a former felon who became a councilwoman in District 9 in Chattanooga, Tennessee after her voting rights were restored.[1]
Early Life[edit]
Demetrus Conrad of Chattanooga City Council District 9 was born in Chattanooga Tennessee December 30, 1974. Coonrod is the oldest of 4 siblings. Coonrod gave birth to her first daughter at the age of 12. By the age of 16 Coonrod was working, going to school, caring for her daughter, siblings and taking care of her parents.[2] In 2003 Coonrod was sentenced to 7 years in prison for conspiracy to commit armed robbery. Whilst in prison she was sexually assaulted by a corrections officer and as a result had her sentence reduced by nearly 2 years.[3]
Education[edit]
Coonrod graduated from Chattanooga High School class of 1993. Coonrod received her Associates Degree from Chattanooga State Community College in 2012 and became a first in her family to become a college graduate from The Univeristy of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 2015 with a degree in Sociology. [4]
Community and Political Background[edit]
Demetrus Coonrod was appointed as chair of the Council’s Youth and Family Development Committee for 2019-2020[5].
In 2017 Coonrod came in the race as an underdog as she came ahead of Yusef Hakeem earning her spot as a Councilwoman.
Coonrod has served as vice chair of Hamilton County Democratic Party, President of Eastdale Neighborhood Association, served the board of The Sports Barn, Community Development Block Grant, and Causeway. She campaigns so that convicted felons can have their voting rights restored as part of the Ban the Box movement. Coonrod is one of 11 people to have had their voting rights restored between 2014-2017 after being convicted of felony.[3]
In March 2019 she was appointed to the Race, Equity and Leadership Council by the National League of Cities.[6][7]
Employment Background[edit]
Demetrus Coonrod worked as a T mobile Employee during the weeks while running for Councilwoman, and has become a franchise owner.[3]
Public behaviour[edit]
In June 2017 she was a passenger in a car that was stopped by the police and the driver was cited for driving without a license. In footage from the officer's body-cam Coonrod insists that as a council representative she wanted the then chief of police to be contacted, the officer refused. Coonrod apologised for her behavoir praising the Chatanooga police force.[8]
In September 2018 she was involved in what was described as a "shouting match" with some constituants during which local activistes disrupted the meeting and accused the police of violence and the council of turning a blind eye to it. During the dispute Coonrod accused certain members of the inner-city community of "being complacent and lazy," and said they should "stop depending on these systems."[9] She later apologised for her remarks but along with another council member stated that disruptive behaviour during council meetings would not be tolerated in the future.[10]
References[edit]
- ↑ "Demetrus Coonrod, District 9". www.chattanooga.gov. Retrieved 2019-07-20.
- ↑ "Demetrus Coonrod rises from convict to councilwoman". timesfreepress.com. 2017-05-02. Retrieved 2019-07-20.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Demetrus Coonrod rises from convict to councilwoman". timesfreepress.com. 2017-05-02. Retrieved 2019-07-24.
- ↑ "Bio". Demetrus Coonrod, Chattanooga City Council. Retrieved 2019-07-20.
- ↑ "demetrus-coonrod-district-9". chattanooga.gov.
- ↑ "Hamilton County Herald - News". www.hamiltoncountyherald.com. Retrieved 2019-07-24.
- ↑ Murphey, Bailey (2019-02-12). "Chattanooga Councilwoman Coonrod appointed to National Equity Council". WTVC. Retrieved 2019-07-24.
- ↑ "Councilwoman apologizes for behavior during traffic stop". www.wrcbtv.com. Retrieved 2019-07-24.
- ↑ "Coonrod apologizes for calling inner-city residents 'complacent and lazy'". timesfreepress.com. 2018-10-02. Retrieved 2019-07-24.
- ↑ "Two Chattanooga City Council members say they won't put up with disruptions in 2019". timesfreepress.com. 2019-01-08. Retrieved 2019-07-24.
External links[edit]
Subject's bio as a coucilwoman.
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