Atlanta police officer Gerald Walker, who fatally shot rapper Linton Blackwell outside a Buckhead bar on the night of Oct. 11, was already under investigation for another shooting earlier in the year. Walker, who was working an off-duty security job during the October shooting, was on-duty the night of March 26, 2025, when he shot […]
Madeline Thigpen
Madeline Thigpen is Capital B Atlanta's criminal justice reporter.
Posted inLocal Politics, Politics & Policy, Social Welfare
Fani Willis Plans to Combat Domestic Violence With $2M Family Justice Center
By the spring of 2027, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis hopes to open a family justice center to serve survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking, sexual assault, and abuse. Since 2023, Willis has been clear about her vision for creating a hub for survivors to receive counseling, health care, legal advocacy, and other services […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Public Safety
Two Atlanta Mothers Fight for Justice After Deadly Hit-and-Runs Go Unpunished
Valerie Handy-Carey is no closer to finding her daughter Brittany’s killer today than she was when she got the call about her death over three years ago. “My daughter is dead, and nobody has been held accountable,” Handy-Carey told Capital B Atlanta from her home in Columbus, Ohio. A flight attendant for Spirit Airlines, 33-year-old […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Morehouse Student in Viral Assault Video Banned From Campus While awaiting Jury Trial
A Morehouse College student seen in a now-viral video in November allegedly assaulting a female Clark Atlanta University student will only be allowed to attend classes online when the spring semester begins next week. Matthew Gonzales Forestine, 21, is charged with one count each of aggravated assault and terroristic threats and acts. The senior computer […]
Posted inNews
From the World Cup to the Governor’s Race, How 2026 Will Test Black Atlanta’s Future
There’s never a dull moment in Atlanta or Georgia politics, and that reality definitely isn’t changing in 2026: The following is a breakdown of key questions as we head into 2026: Will FIFA World Cup be a boon or bust for Black Atlanta? The most high-profile stage for the world’s most popular sport is expected […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy
5 Times Fiery Fani Willis Didn’t Back Down in Contentious Senate Testimony
Dressed in all white, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ appeared defiant and unyielding Wednesday in front of the Georgia Senate Special Committee on Investigations that had sought to have her testify for over a year. The Republican-led committee is investigating Willis for her conduct during her office’s investigation and criminal case into election interference […]
Posted inCapital B Atlanta, Elections, News, Politics & Policy
LIVE UPDATES: A Defiant Fani Willis Testifies Before Georgia Senate Committee
Atlanta District Attorney Fani Willis is testifying today in front of a Georgia Senate committee regarding the conduct of her office during its investigation into phone calls President Donald Trump made asking Republican officials to overturn the 2020 election results. State lawmakers sought to subpoena Willis for more than a year to discuss her conduct […]
Posted inBlack Businesses
Shop Black in Atlanta: 2025 Holiday Gift Guide to Local Black-Owned Businesses
With Christmas and Kwanzaa right around the corner, it’s time to get started on those holiday shopping lists. In Georgia, 10% of all businesses are owned by people who identify as Black or African American, more than triple the nationwide average, according to Pew Research. It also found that 90% of Black-owned businesses operate in […]
Posted inHBCUs, Politics & Policy, Reproductive Health
Students at Clark Atlanta Are Organizing to Save Black Mothers’ Lives
Georgia has one of the worst maternal mortality rates in the country, according to data from the National Center for Health Statistics: Black women are twice as likely to die from pregnancy than a white woman. Systemic barriers to health care access and social marginalization are just some of the reasons public health experts cite […]
Posted inCommunity, LGBTQ
Black Trans Leaders in Atlanta Create Safety and Support Amid Growing Attacks
Amid the current political climate where it has become even more difficult to be Black and trans in the South, the Solutions Not Punishments Collaborative, known as SnapCo, are finding ways to carve out joy and normalcy for Atlanta’s community of queer people of color. Formed in 2013 out of an alliance between the Racial […]