Fulton County Commissioner Dana Barrett is sounding the alarm for Black voters in Georgia amid calls by President Donald Trump to nationalize elections. Barrett, who announced her run for secretary of state in January, sounded exasperated over the phone last Wednesday shortly after learning the FBI had raided Fulton County’s Election Hub and Operation Center […]
Politics & Policy
Posted inCriminal Justice, Politics & Policy
After Months in ICE Detention, Morehouse Alum Is Deported to Mexico
After Morehouse College alum Alex Maganda was picked up by immigration agents last June, his Spelhouse community rallied for his release with the hashtag #FreeAlexMaganda. It was an urgent call to Morehouse College and Spelman College’s network to help their former classmate, who had been brought to America at the age of 5 by his […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Politics & Policy
Family of Rapper Shot 17 Times by Atlanta Officer Demands Accountability
Family and friends of Linton Blackwell took to the podium at City Hall on Monday to express their frustration with the Atlanta City Council over the lack of accountability for police officers who use lethal force. “I want to understand why this officer, Gerald Walker, is not being held accountable for my brother’s death. He […]
Posted inCommunity, Housing, Politics & Policy, Public Services
Atlanta Spent $60 Million to Address Homelessness, but the Crisis Persists
As the temperature dropped to around 35 degrees last Wednesday night, Yered Israel wasn’t sure where he’d be sleeping — or whether he’d sleep at all. The 36-year-old, self-identified unhoused man was sitting in the entryway of a Georgia State University garage with his belongings around 9 p.m. last week when he was approached by […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Atlanta’s Black Veterans See a Warning in the Killing of VA Nurse Alex Pretti
When Alex Pretti was killed by U.S. Border Patrol agents last week, the shock rippled far beyond Minneapolis, where the Veterans Affairs nurse worked. Black veterans and nurses in Atlanta say his death has forced a reckoning, not only with the federal government’s expanding use of force, but with what it means to serve a […]
Posted inElections, Politics & Policy
FBI Seizes 2020 Ballots in Surprise Raid of Atlanta Election Office
Confusion swirled outside the Fulton County Elections Hub and Operation Center in Union City on Wednesday as FBI agents executed a search warrant, catching county commissioners and other elected leaders unaware. According to state Sen. Josh McLaurin, who told Capital B Atlanta he was briefed by a county official, the FBI’s Evidence Response Team showed […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Politics & Policy
College Park Leaders Seek Answers as ICE Activity Raises Community Fears
While much of the country has eyes trained on the unrest in Minneapolis after the shooting death of Alex Pretti by U.S. Border Patrol agents, some in metro Atlanta are concerned as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement leaders appear to be expanding operations in College Park. Elected officials in the southwest Atlanta suburb say the […]
Posted inCity Politics, Environmental Justice, Politics & Policy
Atlanta Residents Push Back on ‘Poop Park’ Sewage Plan in Their Neighborhood
This story was produced in partnership with Canopy Atlanta. Columbus Ward, a longtime resident of Peoplestown, has watched storms sweep through his neighborhood for decades, carrying sewage and stormwater into streets and homes. He said he remembers when Atlanta rerouted major sewer lines ahead of the 1996 Olympics due to the construction of the Centennial […]
Posted inLocal Politics, Politics & Policy, Social Welfare
Fani Willis Plans to Combat Domestic Violence With $2M Family Justice Center
By the spring of 2027, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis hopes to open a family justice center to serve survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking, sexual assault, and abuse. Since 2023, Willis has been clear about her vision for creating a hub for survivors to receive counseling, health care, legal advocacy, and other services […]
Posted inEconomic Development, Local Politics, Politics & Policy
Organize, Educate, Win: How Atlanta Residents Are Blocking Data Centers
From DeKalb County to Southwest Atlanta in Fulton County, residents are organizing against the rapid expansion of data centers. Some Atlantans are fighting back and logging small and major wins to protect their communities from what they say are the harmful impacts of the data center boom here in metro Atlanta. “We’ve really been pretty […]
