Concerned citizens in opposition to the location of the new jail gather to voice their opposition

Plans are for the jail to be built at a property at 1125 E. Church St. behind the government buildings

As more people learn of the planned location for a new Walton County Jail, a petition for those in opposition gains signatures and people begin making plans to individually petition commissioners to consider other locations.

A meeting of concerned citizens took place in downtown Monroe Thursday and videographer and independent journalist Darrell Everidge of Darrell Productions was on hand to hear the concerns. The video he took of some of those concerns is below. Click or tap on the image to watch it on Youtube.

The planed location for the jail is at 1125 E Church Street which is inside the Monroe City Limits. Monroe Mayor John Howard has said he understands the need for a new jail and believes the community is safer with people who need to be in jail locked up instead of on the streets, but not all of the Monroe City Council members are happy with the location. Monroe City Councilmen Larry Bradley and David Dickinson, who both represent that district, voiced their opposition at the meeting Thursday.