The stage is set for November to be an important time of the year here in Atlanta. In addition to a highly contested presidential election looming between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump — in which Georgia will likely play a pivotal role — there are upcoming contests between public officials on the […]
Atlanta City Council
Posted inPolitics & Policy, Public Services
Many Businesses Didn’t Complete Water Crisis Recovery Grant Applications
Only about 60% of the nearly 900 businesses that started applications to receive recovery funds from the city of Atlanta following the catastrophic water outage in early June that left some residents without water for five days have completed those applications, Invest Atlanta said. Only 535 applications were submitted to the city, said Eloisa Klementich, […]
Posted inCity Politics, Public Services
Water Crisis: Black Business Owners Seek Financial Relief from City Ordinance
The devastating water outage that has forced some Atlanta residents to go up to five days without drinkable water has also taken a hefty financial toll on Black business owners like Jason Davis. The 45-year-old Davis is the owner of Aiskrimu, a 9-month-old ice cream parlor located in Cascade Heights and one of several neighborhood […]
Posted inUncategorized
City Council OK’s Referendum Law. For Some, There’s Still a Problem.
Atlanta lawmakers approved an ordinance on Monday outlining how citizen-driven ballot referendum petitions must be processed moving forward. But voting rights advocates say they’re disappointed in the new law’s signature verification requirement, which they believe could circumvent the will of voters in a city known for Black civil rights leaders who were champions of voting […]
Posted inCop City
Lawmakers Table Ballot Referendum Ordinance, Angering Cop City Vote Backers
An anticipated Atlanta City Council vote on a ballot referendum ordinance backed by Stop Cop City activists was postponed on Monday after municipal attorneys raised concerns about whether the measure violates existing state law. The original legislation introduced by Atlanta City Council member Liliana Bakhtiari on Jan. 8 would codify a process for Atlanta residents […]
Posted inCity Politics, Politics & Policy
City Council Calls for I-20 Noise Barrier in Mozley Park
Atlanta lawmakers are amplifying Mozley Park residents’ demands for a noise barrier to be built along Interstate 20 to silence noise pollution from traffic in majority-Black parts of the city. The Atlanta City Council unanimously supported a resolution on Monday that urges state and federal regulators to build a noise barrier along the stretch of I-20 that […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Policing
‘Release the Tape!’ Johnny Hollman’s Relatives Bring Emotional Pleas to City Council
The Atlanta City Council on Monday called for police to release body camera video of Johnny Hollman’s fatal encounter with an officer, responding to nearly two months of passionate pleas from the 62-year-old church deacon’s relatives. The council members unanimously approved a resolution urging Mayor Andre Dickens and the Atlanta Police Department to release the […]
Posted inUncategorized
Black Atlantans Support Public’s Right To Vote on ‘Cop City’ project
Adamsville resident Crystal Brown is concerned about crime in her west Atlanta neighborhood and believes building the public safety training center, commonly referred to as “Cop City,” will help solve the problem. “We need the cops,” Brown told Capital B Atlanta in June after the Atlanta City Council approved funding for the 85-acre facility in […]
Posted inCop City
Lawmaker Nixes Plan to Introduce ‘Cop City’ Measure After City Attorney Input
The latest effort to let Atlanta voters weigh in on the public safety training center, dubbed “Cop City” by critics, via a ballot referendum was upended by municipal attorneys Monday afternoon, according to a lawmaker. Post 3 At-Large Atlanta City Council member Keisha Sean Waites said she and fellow lawmaker Liliana Bakhtiari had planned to […]
Posted inCity Politics
Two City Council Members Will Push to Put ‘Cop City’ on the Ballot
Two Atlanta City Council members are drafting legislation that would put plans to build the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, dubbed “Cop City,” up for a ballot referendum in November. Their efforts come in the aftermath of the city attorney announcing on Monday that officials would not begin to verify the 116,000 signatures collected by […]