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 […]
Public Safety
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 […]
Posted inPublic Safety
I’ve Lived Through Three BioLab Fires in 20 Years. I Fear the Impact.
In the midst of an environmental PR disaster, BioLab is quickly becoming a household name in America for all the wrong reasons, but I and other Conyers residents have long been familiar with the environmental hazards at the company. I’ve lived in Conyers for nearly 20 years, and for the past eight I’ve known of […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Atlanta Public Safety Groups to Join First Crime Survivors March on Washington
A near-death experience helped Aswad Thomas understand the connection between those who enact violence and their victims — and the many ways America is failing both. “There’s this false dichotomy that victims and quote-unquote perpetrators are different. No, we’re often in the same household,” Thomas said earlier this month, during a southwest Atlanta event for […]
Posted inEducation, Public Safety
Father of Suspected Apalachee High School Shooter Arrested as Atlanta Parents React
The father of the 14-year-old boy accused of opening fire at Apalachee High School in Winder and killing four people on Wednesday was arrested Thursday and charged with murder for allegedly allowing his son to possess a gun. Colin Gray, 54, has been charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder, […]
Posted inEducation, Public Safety
4 Killed in Apalachee Shooting; Local Atlanta School Districts Boost Safety Measures
Local school districts in Atlanta say they are preparing for the days ahead with heightened security after a deadly shooting at a Georgia high school 45 miles outside of Atlanta left four dead and nine injured Tuesday morning. A 14-year-old student has been identified as the shooter at Apalachee High School in Barrow County, according […]
Posted inHousing, Public Safety
‘You Are A Slumlord!’: Fairburn & Gordon Tenants Clash With Owners
Cherry Gary didn’t mince words Wednesday morning during a tense Municipal Court of Atlanta confrontation with one of her landlords. “You are a slumlord! … And everything y’all have needs to crumble!” Gary told Behzad “Ben” Beroukhai, one of the co-owners of A&B Apartments LLC, the parent company of the troubled Fairburn & Gordon I […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Should I Call 311 or 911?
Atlanta’s E911 system has faced public scrutiny in recent years for long wait times, but dialing 911 is still the quickest way to get the police or fire department dispatched to your location. While hiring more dispatchers is one part of the solution, the city has also said that non-emergency calls coming to 911 contributed […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Public Safety
Know Before You Vote: Duties of the Fulton County Sheriff
The Fulton County sheriff’s position is up for election this year in November. In a deep-blue county like Fulton, where President Joe Biden got more than 70% of votes in 2020, the race to watch this year may not be November’s general election, but instead the May 12 Democratic primary – for sheriff. The incumbent, […]
