It’s been about three years since Janice Ruff reported her former landlord to the Atlanta Police Department’s housing code enforcement division for refusing to make repairs to her old apartment. That landlord received an estimated $3,500 fine, according to Ruff, who said he evicted her a short time later for having a “smart mouth.” She’s […]
Chauncey Alcorn
Chauncey Alcorn is Capital B Atlanta's state and local politics reporter.
Posted inCity Politics, Public Safety
Calls to End Encampment Sweeps Grow After Killing of Cornelius Taylor
Supporters of Cornelius Taylor — the Black man who officials say was killed on Jan. 17 by a construction vehicle clearing an encampment of unhoused people in Atlanta’s Auburn Avenue neighborhood — are demanding city policy changes following his horrific demise. Atlanta City Council member Liliana Bakhtiari introduced a resolution Thursday calling for officials to […]
Posted inLGBTQ, Politics & Policy, State Politics
Black Atlantans Grapple with Political Divide Over Transgender Rights
College Park resident Tori Cooper says Black Georgians who support limiting the rights of transgender people like her are being manipulated by politicians who have little interest in helping any members of the Black community. Her comments came in response to President Donald Trump’s recent executive order scaling back the federal government’s recognition of gender […]
Posted inLocal Politics, Politics & Policy, State Politics
Revived Fani Willis Probe Is ‘a Complete Waste of Time,’ Democrats Say
Georgia Democrats were caught off guard Monday during the first day of legislative session when state Senate Republicans voted to reopen their investigation into alleged misdeeds committed by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis during her 2020 election interference case against Donald Trump. Sen. Harold Jones, D-Augusta, said day one of the General Assembly’s annual […]
Posted inEconomy, Education, Housing, Politics & Policy, State Politics
How Georgia Lawmakers Plan to Address the Needs of Black Voters in 2025
Addressing Black voters’ economic concerns, including the higher cost of housing and child care, is among the top priorities for state Democratic lawmakers ahead of the Georgia General Assembly’s upcoming legislative session, which begins Monday. Democratic Party leaders in the state legislature, including state Rep. Carolyn Hugley, D-Columbus, say their largely Black voting base made […]
Posted inJobs
The Push For More Black Pilots Gets Federal Funding Boost
Justin Mutawassim’s dream of becoming a pilot took flight 22 years ago when, at age 5, he stepped on a plane for the first time during a family trip to Disney World. “I just had a fascination with the airplane itself and how it flew,” Mutawassim recalled in a recent phone interview. That fascination took […]
Posted inCulture
Jimmy Carter’s Pivotal Role in Georgia’s Black Civil Rights Struggle
This story was originally published on February 25, 2023, and has been updated. Jimmy Carter wasn’t as outspoken about racial politics on the campaign trail during his second run for governor in 1970, but after winning the race, he made his then-controversial position on integration clear. “The time for racial discrimination is over,” Carter declared […]
Posted inHousing
Home for the Holidays: Former Residents of ‘Slum’ Housing Glow Up in New Apartments
The aroma of Fabuloso and other cleaning products brought smiles to the faces of Crystal Brown and her two young daughters on Saturday while they showed off their new two-bedroom home inside the Overlook Ridge Apartments complex in West Atlanta’s Harland Terrace neighborhood. The gated, luxury property features a sizable community pool, a fitness center, […]
Posted inFood Access
More Atlantans Are Going Hungry, and It Could Get Worse Next Year.
Vanessa Bowman reached her financial breaking point last year when her car broke down and she had to cut back on her family’s food budget to afford another one. The 62-year-old disabled grandmother and her sister, Elsie, were two of more than 800 people from across the region who visited a weekly food giveaway recently, […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy
How Georgia’s Black Republicans Are Capitalizing on Trump’s Election Victory
Black Republicans in Georgia are planning to capitalize on the small-but-significant gains that President-elect Donald Trump achieved with Black voters in this year’s election, as their party works to broaden its appeal to Black voters far beyond 2024. Data shows that Black folks who chose not to vote played a decisive role helping Trump win […]
