As Black voters face a new wave of attacks on their right to cast ballots, the legacy of U.S. Rep. John Lewis serves as a source of inspiration for community organizers who are fighting back. On July 17, the sixth anniversary of the civil rights icon’s passing, Women on the Rise led a group of […]
Madeline Thigpen
Madeline Thigpen is Capital B Atlanta's criminal justice reporter.
Posted inCriminal Justice
Tyler Perry Offers Funeral Support to Nolan Wells’ Family Amid Investigation
Inspired by a loss in his own family, Tyler Perry said he will cover funeral costs for the family of Nolan Xavier Wells, the 18-year-old student athlete found dead off the Mississippi Gulf Coast after a boat trip with a group of white friends. According to authorities, Wells was last seen July 4, around 3 […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
DeKalb Police Officer Charged With Shooting Unarmed Teen in the Back
A DeKalb County police officer was arrested Thursday in connection with the fatal shooting of a Savannah teen. Derrick Harris Jr., 37, was charged with reckless conduct and felony involuntary manslaughter for killing Seth Jayden Eccles, 19, during an arrest on the evening of July 7. Harris was released Thursday morning after less than an […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Six Years Later, the FBI Is Still Investigating Georgia’s 2020 Election
It doesn’t seem to matter to FBI Director Kash Patel that there’s no credible evidence of Fulton County elected officials, employees, or volunteer poll workers tampering with the 2020 election results. Last week, the embattled Trump appointee reassigned 260 intelligence analysts from FBI field offices across the country to assist with the agency’s ongoing investigation. […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Policing
No Murder Charges for Off-Duty APD Officer Melvin Potter Despite Troubled History
Nearly two years after the shooting death of 38-year-old Devon Anderson, no criminal charges will be filed by the Fulton County district attorney’s office against Melvin Potter, the off-duty Atlanta police officer who killed the budding musician. Anderson’s mother, Valerie Lans-Anderson, learned of the decision last month. On June 22, she asked the Atlanta City […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy
For Atlanta Haitians, World Cup Pride Gives Way to Deportation Fears
When Haiti scored at the World Cup for the first time in more than 50 years, it was about so much more than goals in a soccer game. It was a chance for Haitian Americans to express their pride in a country that has been through hard times. Sergo Bellefleur drove 6½ hours from Orlando, […]
Posted inCulture, Sports
Atlanta Haitians Connected and Celebrated Historic World Cup Run
Less than 2 miles up the road from where the Haitian national team stepped onto the field for its final match of the 2026 World Cup, hundreds of Haitian Americans gathered to cheer on their team. Before the game against Morocco even kicked off Wednesday, Haiti knew this would be their last game of the […]
Posted inCourts, Criminal Justice
Legal Challenges Continue for Black Horseman in South Fulton
When Brandon Fulton bought the 27-acre property he plans to turn into a community ranch just outside Atlanta, he had no idea he’d end up spending as much time in a courtroom as he would developing his land. In the 10 years he has owned the property, Fulton has been in court dozens of times […]
Posted inCulture, LGBTQ
How One Nigerian Activist Is Building Community for Black LGBTQ+ Immigrants
As a gay kid growing up in southeastern Nigeria, Uchechukwu Onwa was aware living in his queer identity made him a target for violence. Instead of hiding his truth, he has been an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community since his teenage years and continues that work after immigrating to the United States in 2017. Onwa, […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy, Voting
Georgia Republicans Back Away From Redistricting Plan After Outcry
Efforts to begin redrawing Georgia’s voting district maps through a special session of the General Assembly have been canceled. The Republicans’ plan, which many feared would disenfranchise Black and brown voters, had already sparked multiple protests Wednesday at the Georgia State Capitol. “Changes to Georgia’s maps should take place only when members of the General […]
