Gov. Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency Thursday as tension between police and ‘Cop City’ protesters has brought international attention to Atlanta. Kemp has ordered 1,000 Georgia National Guard troops to be ready to intervene after Saturday’s vigil turned into a protest where some activists “threw rocks, launched fireworks, and burned a police vehicle […]
Madeline Thigpen
Madeline Thigpen is Capital B Atlanta's criminal justice reporter.
Posted inCity Politics, Criminal Justice, Policing
Deadly ‘Cop City’ Shooting Divides Residents, Activists, and Law Enforcement
Marcus Hunter bought a home near South River Forest in 2013. The IT consultant said he and many of his neighbors have become numb to hearing about the conflicts between protesters and law enforcement officers at the future site of a massive public safety training facility, dubbed “Cop City” by activists. “Everybody kinda saw it […]
Posted inCourts, Criminal Justice
How Young Thug’s Community Feels About His Upcoming Trial
Jury selection is underway for the trial of Young Thug and some members of his Young Stoner Life Records label. It will likely take weeks to find a jury for the trial, which is expected to take anywhere from six to nine months. Each of the 14 co-defendants lawyers will have the opportunity to ask […]
Posted inCourts, Criminal Justice
How to Get a Misdemeanor Expunged in Georgia
A criminal record can quickly become a nuisance that causes you to lose out on housing and job opportunities. If you’ve ever been arrested, even if you weren’t convicted of a crime, there is a public record that can be accessed by landlords and employers who do background checks on applicants. Arrest and/or misdemeanor charge […]
Posted inCourts, Criminal Justice
The Trial of Young Thug and YSL Starts This Month. Here’s What to Know.
All eyes will be on rapper Young Thug as he heads to trial on Jan. 9. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is trying to prove that Young Thug is the head of a criminal enterprise. The case, which is expected to take months in court, alleges that Young Thug and his associates engaged in […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
How To Get Your Felony Expunged in Georgia
Having a felony conviction on your record can make it difficult to find employment and housing, which contributes to higher rates of recidivism. The process to get a record expunged can be difficult to navigate. Organizations such as Georgia Justice Project offer free record expungement legal services for people with a criminal conviction. GJP staff […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Public Safety
Community Members Turn to Council to Address Youth Violence
Capital B Atlanta will host a discussion on Wednesday, Dec. 14, on the future of Atlanta’s police department and improving public safety in Black communities. Join us at Wild Heaven Brewery, 1010 White St., in Atlanta. Concerned parents and community members who gathered at an Atlanta public safety meeting Tuesday night called for more after-school […]
Posted inElections
These Black Residents Don’t Vote. Here’s Why.
Georgia residents have turned out in record numbers to vote early in the U.S. Senate runoff between Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock and his Republican challenger, Herschel Walker. In the historic election — the first statewide race between two Black major-party candidates — more than 1.8 million people cast in-person ballots during the early voting period, […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Public Safety
After the Shooting Death of Two Black Teens, Residents Are Looking for Answers
The Monday after Thanksgiving, seventh-graders at KIPP Soul Academy were reeling from the news that their classmate, 12-year-old Zyion Charles, had been shot and killed over the weekend. KIPP Soul had extra counselors from other area schools on site to support staff their own staff and mourning students. “From the time they arrived, we were […]
Posted inTransportation
Flying While Black at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport
On Oct. 21, Tabari Sturdivant was at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, waiting to board a flight to Los Angeles. The filmmaker was standing in front of the gate desk because he was flying standby and wanted a status update. When Sturdivant was approached by a person asking questions about his destination and travel plans, he […]