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 […]
Public Safety
Posted inPublic Safety, Transportation
State Investigation Finds Missing Belts As A Cause Of Escalator Collapse After Beyoncé Concert
After an escalator malfunction left at least 24 people injured at a MARTA station following a Beyoncé concert earlier this month, a state investigation found that missing parts on the escalator and an overload of passengers were the likely causes of the accident. On July 15, as people were leaving Mercedes-Benz Stadium after Beyoncé’s final […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Why Black Parents Need to Talk to Their Kids About Guns
When TeKesia Shields founded Mother’s Against Gang Violence in 2016, it was a group for parents to learn how to recognize signs that their child might be involved in gang activity. The organization was born out of Shields’ desire to reflect on her own mistakes. In 2016, she found out her 17-year-old son was in […]
Posted inCommunity Spotlight, Policing, Public Safety, Public Services
Atlanta’s Police Budget Could Increase by $54.6 Million
The Atlanta Police Department plans to spend $54.6 million more than they did last year, a 15% jump. The increase is part of the $3 billion total operating budget that Mayor Andre Dickens is asking the City Council to approve, a move that would raise the city’s general fund budget by 14% to $975.4 million. […]
Posted inIncarceration, Policing, Politics & Policy, Public Safety
Overcrowded and Understaffed: Fulton County Jail Gets Money to Hire More Deputies
Fulton County commissioners voted on Wednesday to allocate additional funding to staff Sheriff Patrick Labat’s office, following a scathing November U.S. Department of Justice report that cited understaffing as a cause of rampant, unchecked violence at Fulton County Jail. Vice Chair Bob Ellis introduced the resolution, which will support the hiring and retention of new […]
Posted inCity Politics, Cop City, Policing, Public Safety
Inside ‘Cop City’: What Atlanta’s Controversial Training Center Looks Like
The Atlanta Public Safety Training Center — the southern DeKalb County facility colloquially known as “Cop City” — officially opened its doors Tuesday after four contentious years of development. The 85-acre campus will serve as the training grounds for the city’s police and firefighters, yet it has received strong pushback due to its environmental impact, $67 million […]
Posted inCity Politics, Public Safety
Calls to End Encampment Sweeps Grow After Killing of Cornelius Taylor
Supporters of Cornelius Taylor — the Black man who officials say was killed on Jan. 17 by a construction vehicle clearing an encampment of unhoused people in Atlanta’s Auburn Avenue neighborhood — are demanding city policy changes following his horrific demise. Atlanta City Council member Liliana Bakhtiari introduced a resolution Thursday calling for officials to […]
Posted inCop City, Courts, Politics & Policy, Public Safety
Family of Slain ‘Stop Cop City’ Activist Sues in Pursuit of Answers
The parents of an activist fatally shot by the Georgia State Patrol SWAT team in 2023 have filed a lawsuit against three law enforcement officers that they say violated their child’s First and Fourth Amendment rights. Manuel Esteban Paez Terán — better known as Tortuguita — was a 26-year-old nonbinary environmental activist who was protesting the […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy, Public Safety, Voting
Some Black Georgians Fear What Could Happen After the Polls Close
Ace Bennett-Fludd has bad memories of what happened last time Donald Trump lost an election, and fears a similar aftermath in Georgia if the latest White House race doesn’t go the former president’s way. “I would not want to hear another story about riots happening and people being hurt,” Bennett-Fludd, a married resident of Hapeville, […]
Posted inEducation, Public Safety
Air Quality Concerns Prompt Virtual Learning for Rockdale County Students
Rockdale County Public Schools officials said the district will operate virtually through the first half of next week due to the aftermath of the BioLab chemical fire that displaced 17,000 residents in Conyers on Sunday. RCPS students were set to return to school this upcoming Monday after spending this week on recess for a pre-scheduled […]