Grove Park resident Andre Dennis — a self-described pro-life, religious conservative — is no fan of Barack Obama. But even he doesn’t think it was wise for President Donald Trump or Trump’s staff to share an AI video depicting the nation’s first Black president and first lady as apes. “Do I think that it was […]
Chauncey Alcorn
Chauncey Alcorn is Capital B Atlanta's state and local politics reporter.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Fulton County Commissioner Says Black Votes Are Under Threat
Fulton County Commissioner Dana Barrett is sounding the alarm for Black voters in Georgia amid calls by President Donald Trump to nationalize elections. Barrett, who announced her run for secretary of state in January, sounded exasperated over the phone last Wednesday shortly after learning the FBI had raided Fulton County’s Election Hub and Operation Center […]
Posted inCommunity, Housing, Politics & Policy, Public Services
Atlanta Spent $60 Million to Address Homelessness, but the Crisis Persists
As the temperature dropped to around 35 degrees last Wednesday night, Yered Israel wasn’t sure where he’d be sleeping — or whether he’d sleep at all. The 36-year-old, self-identified unhoused man was sitting in the entryway of a Georgia State University garage with his belongings around 9 p.m. last week when he was approached by […]
Posted inElections, Politics & Policy
FBI Seizes 2020 Ballots in Surprise Raid of Atlanta Election Office
Confusion swirled outside the Fulton County Elections Hub and Operation Center in Union City on Wednesday as FBI agents executed a search warrant, catching county commissioners and other elected leaders unaware. According to state Sen. Josh McLaurin, who told Capital B Atlanta he was briefed by a county official, the FBI’s Evidence Response Team showed […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Politics & Policy
College Park Leaders Seek Answers as ICE Activity Raises Community Fears
While much of the country has eyes trained on the unrest in Minneapolis after the shooting death of Alex Pretti by U.S. Border Patrol agents, some in metro Atlanta are concerned as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement leaders appear to be expanding operations in College Park. Elected officials in the southwest Atlanta suburb say the […]
Posted inHousing
Advocates Say ‘Landlord Friendly’ Laws Are Fueling Evictions, Homelessness in Atlanta
Monae Edgerson Pettaway was already in a state of “financial crisis” before she was forced to move out of her one-bedroom apartment at McAuley Station in Atlanta in December. The 55-year-old disabled Atlanta native says the management team at the 170-unit apartment complex — located near Selena S. Butler Park in the city’s Sweet Auburn […]
Posted inCity Politics, Housing, Politics & Policy
As Atlanta Prepares for MLK Day, Bernice King Urges Action on Homelessness
This year’s MLK Jr. Day celebration in Atlanta is on Monday, but last week King Center CEO Bernice A. King was reflecting on a recent tragic milestone. Friday marks the one-year anniversary of the killing of Cornelius Taylor. Witnesses said the 46-year-old unhoused Black man was sleeping in a tent across from Ebenezer Baptist Church on […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy
College Park Mayor Slams Council Over Developer Fee Waiver
College Park Mayor Bianca Motley Broom called out members of her own city council once again on Thursday — this time, for their decision to temporarily waive developer permitting fees in the southwest Atlanta suburb, where lawmakers have faced repeated corruption allegations in recent years. The City Council voted unanimously on Monday in favor of […]
Posted inLocal Politics, Politics & Policy
Fulton Commissioners Signal Budget Boost to Address ‘Crisis’ at Jail and Courts
The Fulton County Board of Commissioners appears poised to approve a major budget boost to help address horrific conditions at the county’s Rice Street jail and an ongoing backlog of criminal court cases that has frustrated judicial system staffers for years. The seven-member board on Wednesday delayed its vote on the latest fiscal year budget […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Atlanta Protests Erupt After U.S. Bombing and Takeover of Venezuela
The U.S. attack on Venezuela and abduction of its leader, Nicolas Maduro, and first lady, Cilia Flores, is drawing strong criticism from Georgia Democrats, Atlanta activists, and at least one prominent Republican as the world catches its breath following Saturday’s attack on the South American nation. Roughly 100 anti-war demonstrators marched and rallied in downtown […]