Five suspects have been arrested in the Sept. 23 fatal stabbing attack on former Clark Atlanta University student David Addo Wright inside the DeKalb County Jail. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said in a press release Thursday that Jayden King, 22, of Stockbridge, Treonte Brintley, 24, of Lithonia, Amir Andrews, 19, of Milledgeville, Dajuhn Bryant, […]
Criminal Justice
Posted inCulture, Public Safety
Black Women Are Joining Gun Groups in Atlanta Amid Political Tensions
The sporadic “pop!” of gunfire pierced the cool autumn air for hours at the South River Gun Club in Covington on Sept. 26 as Shante Stewart and her classmates took aim. Gold bullet casings decorated the gravel beneath their feet as the students lined up their shots. The targets were fluorescent orange sporting clays set […]
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 inCriminal Justice, History
The 1906 Atlanta Race Massacre Stole Black Lives Where Downtown Condos Now Stand
I hold your stories. I am Georgia’s red clay and black land. The silence that speaks beneath the roar of trains and traffic. I am a record. You call me soil, but I am memory. I remember how Black life rose after slavery’s end. How men and women carved businesses into my streets, lifted schools […]
Posted inCourts, Politics & Policy, Reproductive Health
Abortion Pill Case Could Restrict Access for Black Women in Georgia
Women in Georgia have had to navigate the state’s six week abortion ban for the past few years, but lawyers and advocates say a lawsuit coming out of another Southern state could further restrict access. On Sept. 9 oral arguments began for Louisiana v. the U.S Food and Drug Administration, a suit over telehealth and […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, History
A Series of Hanging Deaths Has Black Families Demanding Answers
This story discusses suicide, self-harm, and mental health crises. If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, help is available. You can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or use the chat feature at 988lifeline.org to connect with trained counselors 24/7. A Kentucky family still awaits […]
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 […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Two Black Comedians Challenged Police Stops at Atlanta’s Airport and Won
“I felt completely powerless. I felt violated. “I felt cornered.” Those were the words comedian Clayton English shared about his experience when plainclothes officers searched his bag at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in October 2020. They also asked if he had any cocaine or meth on him. Now, thanks to a lawsuit filed by […]
Posted inCourts, Juvenile Justice
DeKalb County Offers Teens an Alternative to Incarceration and a Criminal Record
Mason was pulling out of a parking lot not far from home this spring when he got stopped by a Stone Mountain police officer on suspicion of driving without his headlights on. The officer then searched the car and discovered a small bag of marijuana. But instead of being thrown in jail, the 17-year-old was […]
