President Donald Trump is moving forward with his plans to crack down on immigration, and Black Atlantans could soon find themselves targeted by a related bill Trump signed into law on Wednesday. The Laken Riley Act, which passed the House and Senate last week, requires the Department of Homeland Security to detain any undocumented immigrant […]
Madeline Thigpen
Madeline Thigpen is Capital B Atlanta's criminal justice reporter.
Posted inCriminal Justice, Local Politics, Politics & Policy
Fani Willis Threatens to Sue Fulton County Commissioners Over Budget
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis issued a seven-page letter to the Fulton County Board of Commissioners last month threatening to sue if her office is not sufficiently funded in 2025. Through an open records request, Capital B Atlanta obtained documents Willis’ office sent to the Board of Commissioners on Dec. 11 in response to […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Young Thug Is Free, but the YSL Trial Rages On
Young Thug accepted a plea deal last month in what has become the longest criminal trial in Georgia history — but the YSL case is not yet done. Pre-trial hearings began this week for the four remaining defendants in a controversial case that has fascinated people locally and beyond due to its duration, various hiccups, and […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Policing
How to Request Body Camera Footage from Atlanta Police
After Atlanta police officer Marquee Kelley fatally shot local activist Oscar Cain Jr. in the back in March 2019 — with his dashboard and body cameras turned off — the department sought ways to bring more transparency and accountability to policing in the city. The Atlanta Police Department had first deployed body cameras in 2016, however a […]
Posted inCop City, Courts, Politics & Policy, Public Safety
Family of Slain ‘Stop Cop City’ Activist Sues in Pursuit of Answers
The parents of an activist fatally shot by the Georgia State Patrol SWAT team in 2023 have filed a lawsuit against three law enforcement officers that they say violated their child’s First and Fourth Amendment rights. Manuel Esteban Paez Terán — better known as Tortuguita — was a 26-year-old nonbinary environmental activist who was protesting the […]
Posted inCourts, Incarceration
Overcrowded and Deadly: Fulton Jail Inmates Left Vulnerable as Aid Ends
Stanlecia Johnson is still dealing with the fallout of a brief stint in jail nearly six months ago, an ordeal that threw her life into disarray. The grandmother of four was brought to Fulton County Jail after being arrested for aggravated assault in May. Unable to post bail, she was held in jail for two […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Fani Willis Challenges Subpoena Over Trump Prosecution Misconduct Claims
A Fulton County judge is deciding whether District Attorney Fani Willis has to comply with a subpoena issued by a Georgia Senate subcommittee investigating her alleged misconduct during her prosecution of former President Donald Trump. The subpoena, issued in August, called on Willis to turn over dozens of documents related to the prosecution and to […]
Posted inIncarceration
‘This Is Not Normal’: Protesters Decry ‘Atrocious Conditions’ at Fulton County Jail
Protesters gathered outside Fulton County Jail and Fulton County Courthouse on Thursday demanding change and accountability in response to a 97-page report released by the U.S. Department of Justice last week that exposed inhumane conditions at the facility. “I want them to know and to hear that this is not normal. Not all jails operate […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Policing
Jimmy Atchison’s Family Hopes Justice Is Served Five Years After His Death
A preliminary hearing began Tuesday in the case against retired Atlanta police officer Sung Kim, who is charged in the 2019 shooting death of Adamsville resident Jimmy Atchison. Kim was one of multiple APD officers on an FBI fugitive task force that was pursuing Atchison for allegedly stealing a woman’s purse and cellphone at gunpoint. […]
Posted inClimate, Criminal Justice, Education, LGBTQ, Politics & Policy, Reproductive Health
The Dawn of a New Trump Era Begins. What It Means for Black Atlantans in 2025.
The dread many Black people in Atlanta feel about Donald Trump’s triumph in the 2024 presidential election isn’t misplaced: He organized his reelection campaign against Vice President Kamala Harris around revenge — around how he and his allies can inflict the greatest amount of suffering on vulnerable groups and on those he considers enemies. Making […]
