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Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
State NAACP Calls for Appeal in Fatal Atlanta Police Shooting After Judge Drops Charges
Jimmy Hill is determined to continue his fight for justice after a federal judge decided Tuesday to drop the charges against retired Atlanta police officer Sung Kim, who shot and killed his son Jimmy Atchison in 2019. 'Change ain't going to come if we sit back and wait on others,' Hill told Capital B Atlanta the morning after the judge issued his ruling. 'You know, we gotta be able to have the courage to step out on faith and be the change we've been looking for.' Atchison, a 21-year-old father of two, was accused of stealing a woman's purse and cellphone at gunpoint; however, after he was killed, a witness said he didn't have a gun. He had already evaded Kim and federal task force members on foot twice that day when they followed him into an Adamsville apartment, where he was hiding in a closet under a pile of clothes. According to the subsequent investigation, officers yelled conflicting commands at Atchison, like 'Don't move' and 'Show me your hands.' Other officers who were in the room told investigators that Atchison raised one or both hands quickly in the seconds before Kim fired his weapon. Last month, Kim — who was charged with murder, aggravated assault, involuntary manslaughter, and violation of oath — testified during an evidentiary hearing that he thought Atchison had a firearm and was going to shoot him. In his order dismissing the charges, U.S. District Judge Michael L. Brown wrote that the shooting was 'textbook self-defense.' In the months following his son's death, Hill's family and Atlanta's activist community led dozens of protests that led to the Atlanta Police Department pulling out of federal task forces entirely in 2019 because, at the time, they banned officers from wearing body cameras. The following year, the Department of Justice changed its policy to allow local and state law enforcement to wear body cameras while serving on a federal task force. Victories like APD's withdrawal from federal task forces have bolstered Hill's willingness to continue to fight for justice for his son. Read More: Judge to Decide Whether to Move Forward With Trial in Fatal Police Shooting of Jimmy Atchison 'People respond to pressure,' Hill said. 'I refuse to sit back, I refuse to be tired.' Next on his agenda is to have the Fulton County District Attorney's office appeal the judge's decision up to the United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit. Assisting Hill in this quest is Gerald Griggs, a local attorney and president of the Georgia NAACP. Griggs told Capital B Atlanta that he wrote a letter to the district attorney's office Wednesday morning to stress the importance of appealing this case because Atchison was unarmed at the time of the shooting. 'We're not gonna remain silent, we're just going to keep going.' Jimmy Hill, father of Jimmy Atchison 'We believe that [this] sets a dangerous precedent in the 11th Circuit, which covers most of the Southern states, that an officer can shoot an unarmed individual who's been given several conflicting commands and in the face,' Griggs said. A spokesperson for District Attorney Fani Willis' office told Capital B Atlanta in a statement Wednesday afternoon that they are reviewing the decision and considering next steps. The office has 30 days to notify the court of appeals; after which, there is then time allotted for it to file documents with the court explaining why it is appealing and what specifically it disagrees with in the judge's order. According to Griggs, the 11th Circuit can take anywhere from six months to several years to decide whether to accept an appeal. If it agrees to take the case, it will order a briefing and the case will be assigned to either a single judge or a three-judge panel. Griggs said he isn't certain what the outcome will be because he's seen the 11th Circuit deny appeals when the victim was armed, but hasn't seen many where they've upheld the lower court's decision when the victim was unarmed. 'It's hard to say because it is one of the more conservative circuits in the United States, but I think based on these facts there needs to be an appeal, otherwise this sets a very dangerous precedent for the South and for the nation,' Griggs continued. Regardless, Hill plans to continue to fight until he gets justice for his son. On Mother's Day weekend, Hill protested in honor of his son's late mother, Cynthia Atchison, outside the megachurch of a local pastor who told Black parents to stop blaming white cops for killing their children. Hill said he believes Cynthia's death in 2022 was due to a broken heart. Read More: Viral Sermon Blaming Black Parents for Police Killings Sparks Mother's Day Protest 'I'll get out there and fight in the rain, in the heat, whatever,' Hill said. 'I get out there and fight on days I didn't want to fight. But I knew it had to be done because that's my son and I love him. So we're not gonna remain silent, we're just going to keep going.' The post State NAACP Calls for Appeal in Fatal Atlanta Police Shooting After Judge Drops Charges appeared first on Capital B News - Atlanta.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
If Atlanta Is a Black Mecca, Why Are 8 Out of 10 Homeless People Black?
Forty-seven percent of Atlanta residents are Black, but the city commonly referred to as the Black Mecca had a homeless population in January that was 80% Black, according to the latest Point-In-Time homelessness census count released on Monday. Of equal concern, on Jan. 27, the city logged 131 homeless families, an 18% rise from the same month last year. Roughly 90% of the individuals in those families were Black, down about 2 points from 2024. Like many cities in America, Atlanta has seen an increase in homelessness — primarily fueled by Black people living on the margins — for a third consecutive year. But city leaders and advocates alike are touting that the rate of increase has slowed considerably. The annual survey of homeless people in the metro area revealed a 1% rise in Atlanta's overall homeless population. The city saw a 7% year-over-year increase in 2024, and a 33% surge in 2023. The results from this year's PIT count show the city's homeless crisis appears to be 'stabilizing,' according to Cathryn Vassell, CEO of Partners for HOME — the nonprofit that manages Atlanta's PIT count on behalf of the federal government. Vassell told Capital B Atlanta that Black Atlantans remain overrepresented among individuals experiencing homelessness due to 'continued disproportionate inequities' in the metro area. The stark disparity underscores the ongoing economic challenges and affordable housing crisis many Black people face in a gentrifying metropolis fueled by a booming economy that has become known as the most unequal city in America. 'We know that there is gross income inequality that is disproportionate racially in our community as well,' Vassell said. 'That is all contributing to the disproportionate representation of people of color in our system.' The PIT count data showed Atlanta's higher cost of living has fueled a sizable rise in the city's number of homeless families this year despite signs that municipal leaders have reached a turning point in their battle to provide housing to people living on the margins. Read More: Atlanta's Largest Homeless Encampment Is About to Be Cleared The nearly 27% rate of consumer price inflation in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell metro area between January 2020 and August 2024 was the third highest in the nation, according to a Pew Research study released in October. The fact that 8 out of 10 homeless people are Black in a city known as a Black Mecca should 'stop everyone in their tracks.' Liliana Bakhtiari, Atlanta City Council member '[The data] is a signal that the house is still on fire, and the scale of the crisis is bigger than what cities alone can handle,' Atlanta City Council member Liliana Bakhtiari told Capital B Atlanta after attending a briefing on this year's PIT count last week. The fact that 8 out of 10 homeless people are Black in a city known as a Black Mecca should 'stop everyone in their tracks,' according to Bakhtiari. 'That's not a coincidence, that's the product of a system that's failed Black families for generations — due to redlining, due to wage discrimination, due to mass incarceration, due to unequal access to healthcare and education,' she added. 'Homelessness isn't just a housing problem. It's a justice problem.' The report noted the strides the city has made addressing homelessness in recent years, citing that the overall homeless population has declined 30% since 2016 and about 11% since 2020 despite increasing for the past three years. Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens has made increasing affordable housing and combatting homelessness two of his signature issues since taking office almost four years ago. Last year, the Atlanta City Council allocated $60 million at Dickens' request to addressing the growing homelessness problem. Those funds, Vassell said, are paying for construction of 500 rapid housing units for the homeless, including 40 apartments at the Melody Project, located in southern downtown Atlanta, and 23 at the Bonaventure, both of which opened last year. Dickens' office hasn't responded to requests for comment. Read More: Revamped Motel Gives Atlanta Unhoused Second Chance— But for How Long? 'By the end of the year we will have brought on 500 units from that $60 million,' Vassell said. Unfortunately, Vassell warns, the progress Atlanta has made housing its homeless population could be undone later this year if President Donald Trump advances his plan for significant budget cuts. The Trump administration has proposed cutting rental aid by 40% in its 'Big, Beautiful Bill,' which the U.S. House approved in May. Vassell called the proposed cuts 'terrifying' and said it could eliminate Atlanta's permanent supportive housing and rapid rehousing programs funded through the city's Continuum of Care resources. As many as 2,000 people could lose stable housing, according to Vassell. 'This would be a tragic impact across our community,' she said. The post If Atlanta Is a Black Mecca, Why Are 8 Out of 10 Homeless People Black? appeared first on Capital B News - Atlanta.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
How Atlanta Can Celebrate Black Queer Pride in June
In cities around the country, June is the designated month to honor the LGBTQ+ experience. But Atlanta — considered widely to be the Black gay mecca — moves to its own beat. Up until 2007, Atlanta's annual celebration of queer identity and rights took place every June, a nod to the Stonewall Uprising in New York City. In 1969, a stretch of protests and riots in response to police discrimination and persecution of queer people helped propel America's gay liberation movement, inspiring former President Bill Clinton to designate June as Gay and Lesbian Pride Month on Stonewall's 30-year anniversary. (Former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden broadened the designation to include bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex identities.) But the tradition changed in 2008, when the city of Atlanta temporarily prohibited large events at Piedmont Park due to a drought, causing organizers to postpone festivities until October, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The timing stuck. For the past 17 years, Atlanta Pride — anchored by a weeklong festival best known for its extravagant parade — has been centered in the early days of autumn, which is fitting for its proximity to National Coming Out Day on Oct. 11. But Pride celebrations in June may feel more crucial than ever this year due to rollbacks of LGBTQ+ freedoms across the country and in Georgia following President Donald Trump's second inauguration in January. Trump signed an executive order on his first day in office that rejected gender ideology, proclaiming the United States government will only recognize two sexes: male and female. Subsequent executive orders prohibited people under age 19 from receiving youth gender-affirming care and banned transgender troops from serving in the military. In alignment with another Trump executive order, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law last month a bill that restricted trans girls and women from participating in female sports. Cobb County school districts have continued to restrict literature that references queer experiences. Mary Wilson, executive director of the Trans Housing Coalition, describes the current spirit in queer communities as resilient as Pride Month begins amid political attacks at both the local and federal levels. 'There's still a bunch of parties, celebrations, fundraisers,' Wilson told Capital B Atlanta. 'For the most part, the spirit is still up, even if we are in the background trying to figure it out financially, or figure it out in other ways, or are feeling a little defeated. I feel like we're still showing up for each other.' While Atlanta's biggest Black Pride functions of the year are four months away, there are a plethora of ways to celebrate. Here's Capital B Atlanta's round up of events to commemorate Black queer culture as boldly as possible. Thrill seekers can hit Six Flags Over Georgia to celebrate the rainbow flag all month long with themed decor, Instagram-worthy photo setups, and LED light shows. Limited-edition Pride merch will also be available for purchase with 15% of the proceeds going to local organizations including Lost-n-Found Youth, which provides shelter and support for Atlanta's unhoused LGBTQ+ youth. When: June 1-30 Where: Six Flags Over Georgia, 275 Riverside Parkway, Austell Cost: $35 for a one-day ticket Audiophiles will enjoy this vinyl-only listening experience catering to Black queer Atlantans, with a music menu from DJ Candy Raine that includes soul, funk, jazz, R&B, and contemporary tracks. Expect a hearty helping of food, cocktails, mocktails, and, most importantly, vibes. When: Wednesday, June 4, 8 p.m. to midnight Where: Echo Room, 705 Echo St. NW, Atlanta Cost: $5 This community town hall is billed as a safe space for Black queer and trans folks to get real about politics, housing justice, safety, health care, and other pressing issues and systemic injustices. It's somewhere to feel seen and heard. When: Wednesday, June 11, 6 to 8:30 p.m. Where: The Murph, 561 W. Whitehall St. SW, Atlanta Cost: $5 suggested donation Friend Zoned is a community-driven collective seeking to help Black queer and trans people forge platonic relationships. Their monthly event — a play on speed dating — seeks to connect like-minded individuals and form friendships. This one is specifically for the 40-50 set. It's sober friendly, too! When: Thursday, June 12, 7 to 9 p.m. Where: Neighborhood Church, 1561 McLendon Ave. NE, Atlanta Cost: $5 requested donation Atlanta Gay Men's Chorus — whose performances are self-described as 'ranging from campy to earnest and everything in between' — will take the stage for two performances to support the Children's Museum of Atlanta's Pride initiatives. When: Sunday, June 15, at noon and 2 p.m. Where: Children's Museum of Atlanta, 275 Centennial Olympic Park Drive NW, Atlanta Cost: $19.95 For a third straight year, ALT ATL presents a day party that amplifies Black and queer pride. Bring your dancing shoes: Miss Milan, who regularly spins for Grammy-winner Doechii, is one of three DJs who will be providing the feel-good soundtrack. When: Sunday, June 15, 5 to 10 p.m. Where: Westside Motor Lounge, 725 Echo St. NW, Atlanta Cost: $11.35 With Juneteenth falling within Pride month, it's only right that Black LGBTQ+ folks celebrate living unapologetically with a party dedicated to liberation. DJ collective Lavender Lounge, Mami Popo, and Calypso will be rocking the ones and twos. When: Thursday, June 19, 7 to 11 p.m. Where: Monday Night Brewing, 670 Trabert Ave. NW, Atlanta Cost: $15 for general admission ($12 for presale) Kick off summer with an immersive warehouse experience that features pole dancing, burlesque, music, Black queer vendors, gallery art — and a chance to win Atlanta Dream tickets! When: Saturday, June 21, 6 to 9 p.m. Where: 945 Allene Ave. SW, Atlanta Cost: $16.20 This one's for the girls. Women ages 35 and up can step out in their denim shorts and cowgirl hats and boots for a night celebrating Pride. It's the perfect way to get in step for Beyoncé's 'Cowboy Carter' tour stops in July. When: Saturday, June 21, 8 p.m. to midnight Where: Truth Midtown Restaurant & Lounge, 657 Antone St. NW, Atlanta Cost: $25.45 Southern Fried Queer Pride is putting the 'out' in outside with its 11th annual festival — a wide-ranging series of events spread over seven days to celebrate all things that make Black queer Atlanta culture special. There's programming for all pronouns: themed dance parties, workshops, seminars, an open mic, photo gallery exhibit, pageant, film screening, variety show, and more. It's where you'll want to be to laugh, learn, love, and live authentically. When: June 23 – June 29 Where: Various locations in Little 5 Points, Atlanta Cost: Most events are free to enter, with suggested sliding scale donations of $5-$20 The post How Atlanta Can Celebrate Black Queer Pride in June appeared first on Capital B News - Atlanta.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
After Fani Willis Drops YSL Murder Charge, Defendant Is Sentenced to 5 Years
One of three remaining YSL trial defendants was sentenced to five years in prison by a Fulton County Superior Court judge Wednesday afternoon. Damekion Garlington was originally facing life in prison if convicted on all charges — including murder and attempted murder — but he entered into an Alford plea with the district attorney's office earlier this week. An Alford plea allows a defendant to maintain their innocence while admitting the prosecution likely has enough evidence to secure a conviction. In exchange for prosecutors agreeing to downgrade the murder charge to aggravated assault and drop the attempted murder charge, the 29-year-old pleaded guilty. Garlington had been Fulton District Attorney Fani Willis' last hope to hold one of the four people charged with the 2022 murder of Shymel Drinks accountable. Drinks was central to the prosecution's argument that Atlanta rapper Young Thug and 27 others were members of a criminal street gang called YSL. Last year, Willis' team dropped murder charges against Miles Farley and Quamarvious Nichols, two of the three other defendants charged with Drinks' murder, in exchange for guilty pleas on lesser charges. The third, Shannon Stillwell, was found not guilty in early December. The district attorney's office did not respond to Capital B Atlanta's request for comment. Judge Paige Reese Whitaker sentenced Garlington to 20 years in jail — five years to serve incarcerated, and 15 years on probation. She suspended a five-year sentence for possession of a firearm during a felony that will be voided as long as he successfully completes probation. Garlington will also receive credit for the nearly three years he's spent in jail since his arrest in September 2022. 'I hope that … this has been an opportunity for you to realize that the direction that your life was going is not a good direction, and that you are determined at this point to turn your life around and make good decisions from here on out,' Whitaker said after the sentencing hearing. She reminded Garlington that he must stay out of Fulton County throughout his probation and will be required to serve the five-year suspended firearms sentence if he violates the terms, which include: no contact with the victims, their relatives, or any gang members; no drugs; no gang paraphernalia; and no guns or replicas of guns. Other conditions stipulate that he must also complete a GED program within the first year of probation, which the judge noted he had already begun working on, and secure full-time employment within the first six months of his release. Garlington will also have to sign a Fourth Amendment waiver as a condition of his release, which means that for the entirety of his probation he, his car, his home, and his social media accounts will be subject to search by law enforcement at any time with or without probable cause. Garlington was one of the 28 people indicted on racketeering charges in May 2022 by the Fulton County DAs office for their alleged involvement in YSL — what prosecutor's classified as a criminal street gang that operated in the Cleveland Avenue neighborhood. Like many of Young Thug's co-defendants, Garlington wasn't able to find a defense attorney by the time the main trial began so his case was severed and scheduled to be tried separately. Jury selection in the trial for the two remaining YSL racketeering defendants, Christian Eppinger and Demise McMullen, is scheduled to begin June 9. The post After Fani Willis Drops YSL Murder Charge, Defendant Is Sentenced to 5 Years appeared first on Capital B News - Atlanta.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Starting5: Diddy's Trial, Target Boycott, Atlanta Dream, and Essence Festival 2025
Welcome to Starting5, your daily rundown of five ATL news items that should be on your radar or in your group chat. Our morning primer covering culture, politics, sports, and more, is your cheat sheet on what's buzzing in the A. Today marks the eighth day of Sean 'Diddy' Combs sex trafficking trial, and horrific allegations have dominated entertainment news cycles from the start. Last week, singer and fashion model Cassie Ventura testified against her ex-boyfriend Combs, accusing him of physical, emotional, and financial abuse. CNN reports that a male exotic dancer nicknamed 'The Punisher' testified Tuesday that Combs regularly paid him to have sex with Ventura as he watched and directed. Rapper Kid Cudi is expected to take the stand this week and perhaps corroborate Ventura's testimony about Combs allegedly threatening to blow up Cudi's car after learning they were romantically involved, according to Rolling Stone. Pastor Jamal Bryant is turning up the heat on his call to boycott Target. The Atlanta-born movement that has been imploring consumers to avoid the retailer since March 5 is now bringing the nationwide protest to the front doors of their stores on May 25, to commemorate the fifth anniversary of George Floyd's death at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer. The boycott is blowback for Target's withdrawal from diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives pledged to the Black community after Floyd was murdered in 2020. And it could be making an impact: The Associated Press reported that the corporation fell short of projected 2025 first quarter net sales by $380 million. Bryant, pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest, said in a video posted to Facebook that his congregation will assemble outside a Target store in Conyers on Sunday at noon for nine minutes and 40 seconds — to symbolize the length of time Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin fatally kneeled on Floyd's neck. Keisha Lance Bottoms is back like she left something behind. The former Atlanta mayor announced Tuesday she is officially running for governor next year, seeking to replace Gov. Brian Kemp, who is term-limited. Bottoms, who joins Democratic state Sen. Jason Esteves and Republican Attorney General Chris Carr in the gubernatorial race, told Capital B Atlanta that her reason for returning to local politics after deciding not to run for mayoral reelection in 2022 is, in part, 'fighting back' against President Donald Trump. 'I'll work with Trump where I can work with Trump,' she said of her intentions if she's elected. 'I won't hesitate to push back on policies that are harmful to people across Georgia. I've been in battle with him before, so I'm not afraid to do it again.' Check back with Capital B Atlanta to read more about Bottoms' stance on issues most important to Black Atlanta voters. The 2025 performance lineup that Essence Festival of Culture announced last month was stacked, but with Tuesday's reveal of additional entertainers, the star power is even more luminous. Erykah Badu, Babyface, SWV, Dru Hill, Ari Lennox, Jill Scott, Jazmine Sullivan, Patti LaBelle, and many others will be gracing the stage July 3-6 at New Orleans' Caesar Superdome. They're joining a slate that already includes Atlanta's own Summer Walker, Nas, Maxwell, The Isley Brothers, Davido, Buju Banton, Boyz II Men, and N'awlins native Master P, who will be joined by his group No Limit Soldiers for what is being billed as his final performance. The new-look Atlanta Dream clocked its first win of the young 2025 WNBA season Tuesday night, cooling off the Indiana Fever in a 91-90 heater at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis that went down to the wire. New Dream recruit Brittney Griner put up 21 points to lead her team in scoring, paired with 20 from Rhyne Howard — just enough to withstand a fourth-quarter flurry by Caitlin Clark, who notched 27 points and 11 assists. Both teams have a 1-1 record following last night's contest, so Thursday's rematch at the Gateway Center Arena in College Park will be a hot ticket! The post Starting5: Diddy's Trial, Target Boycott, Atlanta Dream, and Essence Festival 2025 appeared first on Capital B News - Atlanta.
