Georgia’s leading voting rights groups say Atlanta officials’ plan to verify petition signatures gathered by opponents of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center contradicts the city’s legacy as “the cradle of the modern civil rights movement.” The petition forms will be reviewed manually, line-by-line, in a process overseen by the municipal clerk’s office. In order […]
Atlanta City Council
Posted inClimate
As Temperatures Soar, Atlanta’s Black Neighborhoods Are Getting Hit the Worst
On a hot day in July, Ali Muhammed was on Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard passing out copies of the Nation of Islam’s newspaper, The Final Call. He was in a full suit, sweat beading on his forehead from the beaming sun. The issue was about extreme heat, which has been plaguing the globe this summer. […]
Posted inCop City
Organizers Make Final Push on ‘Cop City’ Referendum
Mary Hooks was the first person to sign the petition for a ballot referendum on the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, dubbed “Cop City.” More than six weeks later, she now spends her days canvassing the streets of Atlanta collecting signatures from registered voters to get the issue on the ballot. The Cop City Vote […]
Posted inReproductive Health
Atlanta Leaders and Local Activists Say More Is Needed to Support Abortion Fund
The Atlanta City Council approved a resolution seeking more support from metro Atlanta counties for abortion services. On Wednesday, the council, led by District 5 representative Lilliana Bakhtiari, urged Atlanta’s executive branch to collaborate with neighboring counties to invest in abortion care. Last year, the council approved donating $300,000 to support ARC-Southeast, an organization providing […]
Posted inLGBTQ
Is Atlanta Investing Enough Money to Support LGBTQ Residents?
When Mayor Andre Dickens announced the city was giving $55,000 in funding for three organizations to support the local transgender community, it was touted as the “single largest investment” of its kind. Dickens’ administration spearheaded the donation sponsored by Post 2 At-Large City Council member Matt Westmoreland. The funding push is to support the transgender […]
Posted inNews
Atlanta Could Soon Join the Reparations Movement
Atlanta, in the very near future, will join the growing ranks of state and local governments forming their own reparations study task forces, if Sheila Flemming and her allies get their way. Flemming is a historian and veteran reparations researcher who serves as social action chair of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.’s Atlanta alumnae chapter. […]
Posted inCity Politics
Will Council Members Who Voted to Fund ‘Cop City’ Lose Black Support?
Controversy over the Atlanta City Council’s decision to fund construction for the divisive public safety training center — nicknamed “Cop City” by critics — continues this week as activists in opposition prepare for an entrenched political battle. Stop Cop City organizers launched their week of action over the weekend, with events planned through July 1. […]
Posted inLGBTQ
How a Black Trans-Led Org Plans to Use City Funding
Despite its claim to being the “LGBTQ Capital of the South,” Octavia Lewis remembers a time when Atlanta was far from being a safe haven for Black transgender people. Access to basic health care needs was more underground. Lewis remembers transgender women going to the black market for hormone therapy. Some were being defrauded, not […]
Posted inCity Politics
City Council Approves Largest Budget in Atlanta History
The largest proposed budget in Atlanta history received a stamp of approval from the Atlanta City Council. Members voted unanimously Tuesday afternoon in favor of the estimated $790 million general fund budget, which Mayor Andre Dickens is due to sign into law by June 30. Dickens joined the meeting and thanked the council for approving […]
Posted inCity Politics, Policing, Public Safety, Uncategorized
Atlanta Leaders Just Voted to Approve ‘Cop City’ Funding
The Atlanta City Council voted early Tuesday morning to approve legislation to move forward with funding for a new public safety training center known as “Cop City.” The 11-4 vote came after more than 14 hours of public comment that stretched overnight — mostly from people in opposition. Less than two weeks earlier, Atlanta government […]