Wednesday was Barney Simms Appreciation Day in Fulton County, a nod to the community activist who was killed last month.
Wiping away tears, Commissioner Joan Garner said Simms' legacy "shall remain and be cherished." At the Fulton County commission meeting, she described his measured demeanor, and said Simms often brought calmness to intense debates.
“We know in body, we lost a good friend, but we know in spirit, he will still be with us,” she said.
Commissioner Lee Morris said he and others should aspire to be more like Simms.
“I think of Barney with the term quiet passion because he cared deeply about the things he was involved with,” Morris said. “He was always measured and quiet and dignified.”
The 70-year-old Simms, who lived in Southwest Atlanta, was shot to death in April. Eric Banks, 17, was charged with killing him. Prosecutors said Simms' car, television and wallet were all missing.
Simms’ daughter, Natalie Jones, said the remembrance had been a ray of sunshine in an otherwise dark time.
“We will honor this and make sure my dad is always remembered,” she said.
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