After several months of controversy, the brain-dead woman, who leaves behind two children, was laid to rest in Lithonia.
Madeline Thigpen
Madeline Thigpen is Capital B Atlanta's criminal justice reporter.
Posted inHousing
From Care Packs to 311 Calls: 5 Ways to Help the Unhoused Now
In a city grappling with an affordable housing crisis, within a state that’s banned rent control, Atlanta’s mostly Black homeless population continues to increase. The annual survey of homeless people in the metro area revealed a 1% rise in Atlanta’s overall homeless population. The city saw a 7% year-over-year increase in 2024, and a 33% […]
Posted inCapital B Atlanta, Everyday Heroes, History
MLK and Me: How a Young Freedom Fighter Helped Integrate Atlanta
As a freshman Spelmanite in 1960, Georgianne Thomas, then 18, was so committed to the Atlanta Student Movement that not even the burn of a klansman’s cigarette being pressed into her skin could make her lose her cool or deter her from protesting segregation. “We’re not supposed to stop the line. So you let the […]
Posted inHealth, Maternal Health, Politics & Policy
Baby Born to Brain-Dead Woman Spurs Nikema Williams’ Push against Abortion Law
Adriana Smith, the Georgia woman declared brain-dead in February and then kept on life support, has a new son. Chance, weighing just 1 pound and 13 ounces, arrived June 13. Smith’s family announced she was taken off life support on Tuesday. In the wake of the controversy surrounding Smith’s complex situation, U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Atlanta ‘No Kings’ Protests Draws Thousands Amid News of Lawmakers’ Assassination
As President Donald Trump prepared to host a military parade in Washington to mark the 250th anniversary of the Army and his 79th birthday, thousands of Atlanta residents took to the streets for “No Kings” protests across the metro area. Protests occurred on Saturday around the country to denounce the $45 million parade and to […]
Posted inCommunity, Criminal Justice
What Father’s Day Is Like When You’ve Lost Your Son
On the first Father’s Day since losing his 17-year-old son, Kenneth Collier Sr. said he plans to surround himself with family and love on what he knows will be a difficult day. “Kenn’s mom was murdered when he was 10, so after that I was raising him as a single dad,” Collier said about his […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Amid ICE Sweeps and Travel Bans, Here’s How to Support Black Immigrants in Atlanta
While non-Black Latino immigrants became the focus of many of the protests held in cities across the country in response to Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions this week, Atlanta’s Black immigrant community — the fourth largest in the country — is refusing to take a back seat. Pew Research estimates around 200,000 Black immigrants, mostly […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Incarceration, Policing
Atlanta Police Asked for a Diversion Option for Low-Level Arrests. They Rarely Use It.
When local officials first opened the Center for Diversion and Services, they touted its potential to divert nearly 15,000 bookings each year that would otherwise enter Fulton County jails or police custody at Grady Memorial Hospital’s psychiatric unit. “This more community-based approach is essential for creating a more effective and compassionate public safety ecosystem,” Atlanta […]
Posted inCourts, Criminal Justice
Fani Willis Responds to Critics after YSL Trial Ends with Zero Murder Convictions
After coming under fire for not securing any murder convictions in the YSL RICO case, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis stood her ground on the overall effectiveness of her team on Thursday. “Crime is down,” Willis said during an interview with 11Alive in the lobby of Atlanta City Hall. “What my constituents say, who […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Incarceration
Overcrowded, Understaffed and Unsafe: One Woman’s Night in Atlanta’s City Jail
Dominique Grant said she was in the middle of a mental health crisis when she was pulled over driving on Moreland Avenue by a Georgia State Trooper the Friday before Mother’s Day. Arrested under suspicion of DUI, the 32-year-old mother was booked into the Atlanta City Detention Center (ACDC) around 11 p.m. that night. Grant […]