A bright young leader with a kind heart, Morehouse College student Kyle Coleman had a promising future. So when his parents, Keith and Cimmerian Coleman, woke up June 7 and realized their son had not come home after hanging out with friends the previous evening in Virginia, they reported their 19-year-old missing. Four days later, […]
Atlanta
Posted inHealth, Politics & Policy
CDC Reinstates HIV Prevention Staff Months After Controversial Layoffs
After undergoing layoffs earlier this year, hundreds of previously fired staff at the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are now being asked to return to work. Employees who worked for the National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and Tuberculosis Prevention; the National Center for Environmental Health; the Immediate Office of the Director; […]
Posted inHousing
Evicted and Soon Homeless: How Metro Atlanta Landlords Put Black Families on the Streets
Keita Martin worries he’ll be homeless again before the end of the summer. The 32-year-old Marietta native is one of several tenants at Campus Edge Apartments, who say they’re being booted out of the complex near Kennesaw State University by its new owners. Campus Realty Advisors, an Atlanta-based real estate development company, confirmed it officially […]
Posted inCommunity, Criminal Justice
What Father’s Day Is Like When You’ve Lost Your Son
On the first Father’s Day since losing his 17-year-old son, Kenneth Collier Sr. said he plans to surround himself with family and love on what he knows will be a difficult day. “Kenn’s mom was murdered when he was 10, so after that I was raising him as a single dad,” Collier said about his […]
Posted inClimate Change, Environmental Justice, Politics & Policy
New Tree Rules Bring Higher Removal Fees and Help for Seniors
The Atlanta City Council has approved revisions to the city’s long-standing tree protection rules, marking the most significant update in over two decades. The unanimous decision by the council introduces increased fees for tree removal and establishes a new senior citizen tree assistance program. Despite these changes, some council members and environmental advocates express concern […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Amid ICE Sweeps and Travel Bans, Here’s How to Support Black Immigrants in Atlanta
While non-Black Latino immigrants became the focus of many of the protests held in cities across the country in response to Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions this week, Atlanta’s Black immigrant community — the fourth largest in the country — is refusing to take a back seat. Pew Research estimates around 200,000 Black immigrants, mostly […]
Posted inHousing
What to Do If You’re Being Evicted in Metro Atlanta
Protests over controversial evictions have occurred across metro Atlanta recently, and local tenant attorneys say Black Georgians make up the majority of those involved in cases they encounter in court. Many renters who receive troubling calls or letters from their landlords move out prematurely when they should fight back, according to tenant attorney Michael Lucas, […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Incarceration, Policing
Atlanta Police Asked for a Diversion Option for Low-Level Arrests. They Rarely Use It.
When local officials first opened the Center for Diversion and Services, they touted its potential to divert nearly 15,000 bookings each year that would otherwise enter Fulton County jails or police custody at Grady Memorial Hospital’s psychiatric unit. “This more community-based approach is essential for creating a more effective and compassionate public safety ecosystem,” Atlanta […]
Posted inPolicing, Politics & Policy
Atlanta Immigration Protest Draws Hundreds Amid Tear Gas and Fireworks
As protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions continued for a fifth night in Los Angeles, citizens took to the streets in dozens of cities across the country, including Atlanta. Marching along Buford Highway on Tuesday night, hundreds of protestors carried Mexican flags and homemade signs to protest President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement in the […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy, State Politics
Progressive Candidate Bucks Establishment in Run For Governor
Launching a gubernatorial campaign with a conversation about the need for reparations for descendants of the enslaved isn’t something you see every day— especially in Georgia. But state Rep. Derrick Jackson, D-Tyrone, who officially announced his bid for governor last week, says he wants to be a voice for Black voters looking for more aggressive […]