When Mayor Andre Dickens steps to the podium to deliver his State of the City address, residents like Vanessa Turner hope he’ll talk about his administration’s progress on addressing crime and public safety. The 69-year-old retail sales clerk lives in the Wheat Street Towers retirement community, located in the city’s Sweet Auburn neighborhood. She keeps […]
City Politics
Posted inCity Politics, Criminal Justice, Policing
Deadly ‘Cop City’ Shooting Divides Residents, Activists, and Law Enforcement
Marcus Hunter bought a home near South River Forest in 2013. The IT consultant said he and many of his neighbors have become numb to hearing about the conflicts between protesters and law enforcement officers at the future site of a massive public safety training facility, dubbed “Cop City” by activists. “Everybody kinda saw it […]
Posted inCity Politics
Black Atlantans Keep Getting Hit By Cars. This City Lawmaker Is Trying to Change That.
Getting hit by a car is a personal experience that Atlanta City Council member Jason Dozier doesn’t want any of his constituents to endure the way he did years ago. On Jan. 3, Dozier, who represents District 4, introduced a set of proposed changes to zoning laws around the Atlanta BeltLine. If the zoning changes […]
Posted inCity Politics
Black Atlantans Rate Dickens on His First Year As Mayor
Joyland resident Christopher Hill is a retired insurance and real estate professional who has lived in Atlanta since 1992. When Hill got to the southeast Atlanta neighborhood, Maynard Jackson was in his second term of office as mayor. Five administrations later, the 69-year-old stopped to think when asked about how Mayor Andre Dickens had done […]
Posted inCity Politics
Black Residents Scramble as City Operated Water Shutdown Is Underway
Johnny Williams wasn’t aware that his water bill had gotten this high until he received a note on his door from the city of Atlanta’s Department of Watershed Management, warning of the looming shutoff. The bill, which has now grown to nearly $600, is unaffordable for the 76-year-old disabled veteran, who says between living on […]
Posted inCity Politics
Why Atlanta Is Shutting Off Water for 27,000 Customers
On Jan. 2, the city of Atlanta began shutting off water for as many as 27,000 customers with delinquent, unpaid bills. The customers affected will range from single-family residences to commercial locations. The controversial move is the first instance in 12 years where the city has shut off services due to nonpayment. If you are […]
Posted inCity Politics
Atlanta Wants Your Feedback on Its Neighborhood Planning Units
The city of Atlanta wants to talk to residents about changes to the Neighborhood Planning Unit system. When they launched 50 years ago, Atlanta’s NPUs were designed to inform residents on city policies affecting their communities, while amplifying their voices on local issues. In recent years, the system has received criticism for its lack of […]
Posted inCity Politics
Live in Atlanta? Your District May Be Changing
In an effort to inform the community about proposed redistricting plans, the city of Atlanta is hosting informational sessions to bring residents up to speed. According to the current city ordinance, Atlanta’s 12 council districts must shift every 10 years based on information provided by the U.S. Census Bureau, to ensure that each district has […]
Posted inCity Politics
Join Us in Person This Thursday for an Open Forum About the ATL Budget
Let’s talk about how local governments spend your money. The city of Atlanta officially adopted its proposed budget for the 2023 fiscal year, which started on July 1. The over $700 million general fund is going toward heavily debated and key issues inside the perimeter like policing, pay raises for city employees, and housing. In […]
Posted inCity Politics
How Should Atlanta Spend Its Money? This Comedian Has Some Ideas.
Atlanta comedian Mark Kendall knows how to bring levity and understanding to serious civic topics, such as politics and public transportation. Kendall’s YouTube sketches have been praised as some of the funniest and most insightful takes on issues that affect residents in the city. Now he has set his comedic lens on how the city […]