Clark Atlanta University doctoral student Ladavious McNair was arrested after police used data from Flock Safety cameras to identify him as the suspect in a road rage shooting near the Atlanta University Center. After being held in Fulton County jail for 30 days, the Army veteran was released. Police had arrested the wrong man. McNair […]
Madeline Thigpen
Madeline Thigpen is Capital B Atlanta's criminal justice reporter.
Posted inElections, HBCUs, Politics & Policy
What’s Driving Black College Students in Atlanta to the Polls?
As Election Day quickly approaches, Georgia residents have come out in record numbers to cast their ballots, and the state leads the nation for early voter turnout. Over a million people have already voted so far, and around 31% of them are Black. One demographic that has been falling behind during the early voting period, […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, HBCUs
Morehouse College Assault Allegations Spark Spelman Student Protest
This story discusses sexual assault. If you or someone you know needs support, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at (800) 656-4673, or access online support at online.rainn.org. Accusations of sexual misconduct by a prominent Morehouse College fraternity member are roiling the Atlanta University Center, and now Spelman College students are speaking out. Earlier this […]
Posted inElections, Politics & Policy
Georgia’s Ballot Has Three Constitutional Amendments You Should Know About
Two weeks away from the midterm elections, the latest polling shows that 96% of Georgia voters know which gubernatorial candidate they’re going to support at the ballot box. Thanks to voter mobilization efforts and the barrage of campaign ads, many voters may also feel well informed about the U.S. Senate, House of Representatives, and the […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Incarceration
$68 Million ACDC Sale Approved Despite Calls for Other Reforms
Atlanta City Council cleared the way Monday for Fulton County to purchase the Atlanta City Detention Center for $68 million. Debate on the benefits and harm of the sale of the city’s detention center carried the council well into the evening before it eventually passed, 8 to 7. District 11 council member Wayne Martin, co-sponsor […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, HBCUs
Solidarity With Nolan Wells Inspires AUC Students to March
Shouts of “Justice for Nolan Wells” and “Black boys deserve to grow old” echoed across the Atlanta University Center campus Thursday evening as hundreds of students marched to show their solidarity with Wells and his family. The march was organized by the Spelman and Clark Atlanta chapters of the NAACP after a grand jury in […]
Posted inCapital B Atlanta, Incarceration
Criminal Records Keep People from Work in Atlanta. A Formerly Incarcerated Woman Is Lobbying to Change That.
A few months after her release from federal prison in 2017, Charlotte Garnes finally found a job that renewed her sense of purpose and allowed her to rebuild her life. But when her employer found out about her conviction, she was fired immediately. For 11 months, Garnes had been working with job centers that provide […]
Posted inCommunity, Politics & Policy
Fear Has Become Part of Daily Life for Many Haitian Immigrants in Metro Atlanta
When Ten Georges left Haiti for the United States in 2023, large portions of the country — including his hometown of Port-au-Prince — were under the control of armed gangs that were constantly trying to recruit or kill anyone who stood in their way. (Georges asked to be identified by a nickname instead of his […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Haitians in Metro Atlanta Frightened as U.S. Begins Immigrant Deportations
Enjyvely Senatus said his father’s Georgia restaurant has seen a major decline in business in the weeks since the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to end Temporary Protected Status for Haitian immigrants. “Both deliveries and walk-ins have been pretty much cut in half,” Senatus said. His father opened Manje Lakay Haitian Restaurant about […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
After 20 Years in Prison, Georgia Father Convicted in Death of Infant Son Granted Bond
Latasha Pyatt was jubilant outside a Gwinnett County courtroom Tuesday just moments after learning her fiancé, Danyel Smith, would be released on bond after 24 years in jail. In 2003, Smith was found guilty of murdering his infant son Chandler. The conviction was based on medical experts’ diagnosis that the baby’s death was a result […]
