This story was published in partnership with Counterstream Media for The AI issue of Peace & Riot. ATLANTA — When he drives through his neighborhood now, Brian Page passes rows of police cars and AI‑powered cameras that track nearly every movement. For most of his life, Page, who goes by “Scapegoat Jones,” felt safest in […]
Policing
Posted inHigher Education, Policing
Emory Students Protest AI Surveillance on Campus
Emory University students, faculty, and workers gathered on campus Friday waving signs, beating drums, and chanting to pressure the institution’s administration to end AI-powered surveillance on its campus. Flock Safety, an Atlanta-based surveillance tech company with tens of thousands of its cameras located in cities across the country, is at the heart of the Emory […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Incarceration, Policing
World Cup Sparks Fears of Unhoused People Being Jailed
With just over 100 days remaining until Atlanta hosts its first World Cup match, activists and local officials are pushing the city not to repeat the same “cleanup the streets” program that led up to the 1996 Olympic Games. An estimated 30,000 Atlantans were displaced from their homes in the six years prior to the […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Policing
Clark Atlanta Student Speaks Out After ‘Humiliating’ Classroom Arrest
Sierra Morrison remembers the first time she stepped onto the campus of Clark Atlanta University. She traveled from her Minneapolis high school to tour colleges, and something just felt right about the Georgia HBCU. “Just being in Atlanta and seeing so many people that look like me, in so many different spaces, spaces that I […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Policing
History of Complaints Against Officer Who Shot Atlanta Rapper Highlights Culture of Tolerance, Critics Say
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 […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Policing
Family of Atlanta Deacon Killed by Police Releases Film to Challenge APD’s Account
In the hours after he was killed by Atlanta police officer Kiran Kimbrough, the police department released a statement describing Deacon Johnny Hollman as the aggressor in the incident that would lead to his death. Now, Hollman’s family is determined to reclaim the narrative which they believe the city has purposefully painted to portray him […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Policing
FBI Charges Georgia Sheriff in Fatal Shooting of Black Man Freed by Innocence Project
Buck William Aldridge, the sergeant with the Camden County Sheriff’s Office accused of turning a routine traffic stop in 2023 into a deadly altercation that killed 53-year-old Leonard Cure, has been indicted on civil rights violations by a federal grand jury. Just three years before he was killed, Cure, a client of the Innocence Project […]
Posted inCourts, Criminal Justice, Policing
Fani Willis Defends Her Record on Police Brutality Cases
Last week, as we conducted our interview with District Attorney Fani Willis, three grieving families were awaiting news from her office related to their loved ones’ deaths at the hands of Atlanta police officers. This week, the family of Deacon Johnny Hollman finally got their answer: A Fulton County grand jury has declined to bring […]
Posted inCourts, Policing, Public Safety
DA Doesn’t Appeal Judge’s Decision to Drop Charges Against Cop Who Killed Jimmy Atchison
An Atlanta father isn’t giving up after Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis did not appeal a federal judge’s ruling to dismiss the charges against the police officer who killed his son. Jimmy Hill said he is disappointed, but not surprised by the decision. On Jan. 22, 2019, Hill’s 21-year-old son, Jimmy Atchison, was shot […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, News, Policing
Calls for Mayor to Act After Witnesses Say Officer Who Shot Rayshard Brooks Punched Club Worker
Garrett Rolfe, the police officer who shot and killed Rayshard Brooks in 2020, was back in the news after a bar fight last Sunday. And the release of a 911 call is now shedding new light on the incident. Witnesses at X Midtown club described a chaotic scene to police where Rolfe reportedly punched one […]