Uchechukwu Onwa likens his three-month detention by immigration agents — when he was apprehended at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Airport in 2017 after fleeing homophobic violence in his Nigerian homeland — to the treatment of African ancestors being transported to America during the Transatlantic Slave Trade. “I was handcuffed from my hands down to my waist and […]
Atlanta
Posted inHealth, Partner Content
Georgia Leads in HIV Cases. Will Trump’s Policies Block a Lifesaving Drug?
This story was originally published by Healthbeat. Sign up for their public health newsletters at healthbeat.org/newsletters. Latonia Wilkins knows she needs to be on PrEP due to her non-monogamous lifestyle. But the 52-year-old Atlanta mother has faced repeated challenges getting the lifesaving drug that can prevent new HIV infections. Years ago, Wilkins was dating a […]
Posted inCity Politics, Politics & Policy
She Was Hired to Root Out Corruption in Atlanta. Now, She’s Under Fire for Exceeding Her Powers.
A local security contractor and lobbyist who was the subject of an Atlanta corruption investigation last year is suing the city and its inspector general, Shannon Manigault, for allegedly subpoenaing his bank records illegally. The lawsuit filed in federal court Thursday on behalf of security contractor Bernie Tokarz argues that Manigault’s office violated Tokarz’s privacy […]
Posted inCity Politics
Atlanta City Council Set to Vote on Potential Limits to Inspector General’s Powers
Government accountability advocates are asking Atlanta residents to voice support for Atlanta Inspector General Shannon Manigault ahead of a series of pivotal City Council votes that some fear will undermine efforts to root out corruption at City Hall. Committee on Council members downtown are set to decide during an 11 a.m. Monday meeting whether to […]
Posted inHousing, Politics & Policy
Why Affordable Housing Advocates Worry Atlanta’s Unhoused Population Is Growing
It’s been about three years since Janice Ruff reported her former landlord to the Atlanta Police Department’s housing code enforcement division for refusing to make repairs to her old apartment. That landlord received an estimated $3,500 fine, according to Ruff, who said he evicted her a short time later for having a “smart mouth.” She’s […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Local Politics
Fulton County Denies DA Fani Willis More Funding in 2025 Budget
The Fulton County Board of Commissioners opted against allocating a substantial monetary increase for the county district attorney’s office when finalizing its 2025 fiscal year budget on Wednesday, perhaps bringing a monthslong standoff with DA Fani Willis into its next phase. The board allocated $39.3 million of its nearly $1 billion budget to the DA’s […]
Posted inEnvironmental Justice, Public Services
How to Find Out if You Have Lead Pipes — and What You Can Do About It
After a federal law change, counties across Georgia are making it easier for residents to know if lead pipes are contaminating the water in their communities. In 2021, a landmark revision was made to federal laws regarding lead and copper in pipes to create safer conditions for drinking water. Due to this change, public water […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Politics & Policy
Black Immigrants in Atlanta Face New Risks As Trump Signs Laken Riley Act
President Donald Trump is moving forward with his plans to crack down on immigration, and Black Atlantans could soon find themselves targeted by a related bill Trump signed into law on Wednesday. The Laken Riley Act, which passed the House and Senate last week, requires the Department of Homeland Security to detain any undocumented immigrant […]
Posted inCity Politics, Public Safety
Calls to End Encampment Sweeps Grow After Killing of Cornelius Taylor
Supporters of Cornelius Taylor — the Black man who officials say was killed on Jan. 17 by a construction vehicle clearing an encampment of unhoused people in Atlanta’s Auburn Avenue neighborhood — are demanding city policy changes following his horrific demise. Atlanta City Council member Liliana Bakhtiari introduced a resolution Thursday calling for officials to […]
Posted inLGBTQ, Politics & Policy, State Politics
Black Atlantans Grapple with Political Divide Over Transgender Rights
College Park resident Tori Cooper says Black Georgians who support limiting the rights of transgender people like her are being manipulated by politicians who have little interest in helping any members of the Black community. Her comments came in response to President Donald Trump’s recent executive order scaling back the federal government’s recognition of gender […]