Two challengers vying to replace Robb Pitts as chair of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners say his leadership is partly to blame for horrific conditions at the county jail and an ongoing backlog of cases inside the county courts system. During a debate Tuesday night, attorney Marvin Arrington Jr. and Georgia State University professor […]
Fulton County Board of Commissioners
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Fulton County Commissioner Says Black Votes Are Under Threat
Fulton County Commissioner Dana Barrett is sounding the alarm for Black voters in Georgia amid calls by President Donald Trump to nationalize elections. Barrett, who announced her run for secretary of state in January, sounded exasperated over the phone last Wednesday shortly after learning the FBI had raided Fulton County’s Election Hub and Operation Center […]
Posted inLocal Politics, Politics & Policy
Fulton Commissioners Signal Budget Boost to Address ‘Crisis’ at Jail and Courts
The Fulton County Board of Commissioners appears poised to approve a major budget boost to help address horrific conditions at the county’s Rice Street jail and an ongoing backlog of criminal court cases that has frustrated judicial system staffers for years. The seven-member board on Wednesday delayed its vote on the latest fiscal year budget […]
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 inCriminal Justice, Local Politics, Politics & Policy
Fani Willis Threatens to Sue Fulton County Commissioners Over Budget
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis issued a seven-page letter to the Fulton County Board of Commissioners last month threatening to sue if her office is not sufficiently funded in 2025. Through an open records request, Capital B Atlanta obtained documents Willis’ office sent to the Board of Commissioners on Dec. 11 in response to […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Policing
Two Months Later, Family of Man Fatally Shot by Off-Duty APD Officer Is Searching for Answers
Two months have passed since Devon Anderson, 38, was killed by off-duty Atlanta police officer Melvin Potter, yet the victim’s family has had barely any communication from law enforcement authorities regarding the status of the investigation, according to his mother. Potter, who is still employed by the Atlanta Police Department, has been relieved of duty […]
Posted inIncarceration
Renovating Fulton County Jail Isn’t Enough, Sheriff Says
Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat remains adamant that the county must build a new jail despite the Board of Commissioners’ vote Wednesday to approve a $300 million renovation plan, which he described as “smoke and mirrors.” Labat called a press conference Friday morning to address his disappointment with the vote and to call on the […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Primary Election Countdown: Candidates Face Community Questions at Forum
With Georgia’s local primary elections just four days away, eight candidates vying for offices ranging from Fulton County commissioner to the Georgia General Assembly joined a community-centered candidate forum in Atlanta’s Westview neighborhood on Thursday evening. The forum, which focused on a total of five races, was led by Capital B Atlanta in partnership with […]
Posted inLocal Politics, Politics & Policy
Fulton County Commissioners Freeze Additional Funding to Sheriff’s Office
The Fulton County Board of Commissioners last week paused the reauthorization of double-overtime pay for detention officers and sheriff’s deputies over questions about how the money is being spent. Federal law requires that Fulton County Sheriff’s Office employees are paid time-and-a-half for overtime hours. Sheriff Patrick Labat, who was elected in 2020, has made efforts […]