Atlanta’s largest homeless encampment is scheduled to be “decommissioned” on Monday as city officials continue working to clear potentially hazardous tent cities in the wake of the January tragedy that resulted in Cornelius Taylor’s death. Up until recently, the encampment located downtown beneath Interstate 20 on Pryor Street was home to as many as 80 […]
Atlanta
Posted inCity Politics, Cop City, Policing, Public Safety
Inside ‘Cop City’: What Atlanta’s Controversial Training Center Looks Like
The Atlanta Public Safety Training Center — the southern DeKalb County facility colloquially known as “Cop City” — officially opened its doors Tuesday after four contentious years of development. The 85-acre campus will serve as the training grounds for the city’s police and firefighters, yet it has received strong pushback due to its environmental impact, $67 million […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Incarceration
Atlanta Mom’s Nonprofit Helps Teens With Incarcerated Parents Stay on Track
When Tiffany Gibson left home in 2008 to serve a nearly four-year prison sentence, her oldest son, Telly McGuire, was well on his way to pursuing a college education. Then 14 years old, McGuire had stellar grades and was active in extracurricular activities, according to Gibson. But through his tenure at Benjamin E. Mays High […]
Posted inBlack Businesses, Economic Justice, Money, Politics & Policy
As Target Boycott Continues, Local Black Businesses Reap the Benefits
What began in Atlanta as a 40-day “Target fast” in March has evolved into a full-blown economic movement aimed at making corporate America pay for broken promises — and uplifting Black-owned businesses in the process. “It is time for us to stand 10 toes down about something,” said Pamela Booker, a 46-year-old Stone Mountain resident, […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
How Michelle Morrison Turned a Wrongful Conviction Into a Purposeful Life
Michelle Morrison heard the judge’s ruling: Life plus five years, for a murder she didn’t commit. But the Atlanta native says she never believed she’d spend the rest of her days behind bars. “I said, ‘I don’t have a life sentence,’” she remembers. “I never claimed the sentence.” Morrison did not fire the gun nor […]
Posted inEnvironmental Justice
Meet the Black Women Fighting for Clean Air and Water in Atlanta
Gwen Smith thinks lovingly of the three decades she spent living in Collier Heights, reflecting on a close-knit community filled with neighbors who knew one another’s names and were always eager to lend a helping hand when necessary. But she can’t help but to remember the stench. Smith recalls foul odors surrounding her community on […]
Posted inEnvironmental Justice
How to Safely Dispose of Tires, Furniture, and Waste in Atlanta
Parks, vacant lots, and abandoned properties in West Atlanta are turning into dumping grounds, littered with busted furniture, worn tires, and other bulk trash — and community members say their complaints are going unresolved. “They’re dumping into the streams, dumping in ditches, roads, any place they can do a quick drop-off,” said Khalifa Lee, chair of […]
Posted inElections
How to Keep Your Voter Registration Active Amidst Georgia’s Massive Purge
Voting rights advocates are urging Black Georgians to take appropriate steps this year to ensure they’re not impacted by mass voter registration cancellations and voter eligibility challenges. Nearly half a million people are due to have their Georgia voter registrations canceled no later than July, meaning they won’t be able to cast ballots in key […]
Posted inEconomic Justice, Politics & Policy
Target Boycott Phase Two: Organizers to Expand Movement
Greear Webb hasn’t set foot in a Target or spent any money there in two months — a conscious departure from what was once his go-to retailer for affordable apparel and toiletries. The 24-year-old Emory Law School student and Midtown resident is one of an estimated 10,000 members of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy
‘She Should Have Hung in There’: Voters Saddened By Nikema Williams’ Resignation
U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams’ resignation as chair of the Georgia Democratic Party didn’t sit well with some constituents in her district as the party, backed by an overwhelming majority of Black voters, seeks a new direction heading into a pivotal midterm election cycle next year. Williams — who became the first Black woman ever to […]
