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Coyne Sues Georgia Democratic Party for Backing Barksdale, breaking own By-laws

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john coyne(APN) ATLANTA — On May 12, 2016, John Coyne, II, one of three candidates seeking the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate, filed a lawsuit against the Democratic Party of Georgia (DPG); former State Sen. Dubose Porter (D-Dublin), the Party Chair; and others for what he claims to be fraudulent and conspiratorial  activities against himself and one other opponent in this year’s race.

 

Coyne claims that the DPG violated their own by-laws in backing Jim Barksdale, even prior to the Primary Election, and even while accepting qualifying fees from Coyne and another candidate.

 

The complaint, in contract and tort, has been filed in Fulton County Superior Court; and the case has been assigned to Fulton County Superior Court Judge Shawn Ellen Lagrua.

 

http://justice.fultoncountyga.gov/PASupCrtCM/CaseDetail.aspx?CaseID=7185337

 

So far, there has been no official response from the defendants.

 

Coyne is a centrist from Alpharetta who once ran against U.S. Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA), driving around with a boot hanging off of his truck, in an effort to “Boot McKinney.”

 

Barksdale is a wealthy investor, who has bankrolled his own campaign to the tune of over a million dollars.

 

Coyne’s lawsuit claims that the DPG sought Barksdale out as a candidate.  In the lawsuit, Coyne alleges that he spoke with Mr. Barksdale at the Needles in a Haystack candidate forum in regards to his candidacy.

 

“Mr. Barksdale told M. Coyne that the Democratic Party had come to see him five days before he qualified, stated to him that they did not have a candidate to run against Johnny Isakson, and would he consider doing so,” the lawsuit states.

 

“Barksdale stated that the next day, a group of the Party leaders met with him at the Democratic Party of Georgia’s office to vet him as a candidate,” the lawsuit states.

 

“Four days later, Thursday, March 10, 2016 at 4:00 p.m., Mr. Barksdale filed his paperwork and FEC Statement of Candidacy, which was received by FedEx that sarne day,” the lawsuit states.

 

“I’ve been very cordial to Mr. Barksdale, but this is a rigged deal.  He knew there were already three other candidates who were qualified before he showed up with his qualifying fee at the State Capitol with Stacey Abrams and Jason Carter.  I asked Mr. Barksdale to drop out before I filed this lawsuit, but he told me that he had already committed to the party,” Coyne told APN.

 

Coyne also claims that he got news that there was a DPG meeting with delegates in late April 2016. At this meeting, he claims that officials in the Party introduced Barksdale as their candidate of choice.

 

“On April 30, 2016, the Democratic Party of Georgia held a State Committee meeting and it was attended by the Democratic Party leaders from every Democratic County Party in the State of Georgia,” the lawsuit states.

 

“At 11:00 a.m., the Party introduced their choice for U.S. Senate, Candidate James (Jim) Barksdale to which he addressed the group for less than 10 minutes.  This meeting was held at the Macon Marriott City Center Hotel.  This meeting was to elect five National Committee members.  Mr. Barksdale had several staff members assisting him on introduction to these individuals from every county in the State, Georgia’s Democratic Party Leaders,” the lawsuit states.

 

Coyne also cites in his lawsuit several articles appearing in the AJC, where reporters Greg Bluestein, Jim Galloway, and others refer to Barksdale as the Democrats’ chosen candidate.  In one, the AJC referred to Barksdale as the Party’s “hand-picked favorite.”

 

To be sure, just because the AJC reports this does not in and of itself create evidence that would hold up in court.  However, it is interesting to note that the DPG does not appear to have objected to the AJC about their characterization of Barksdale, nor to have made any correction request.

 

For Mr. Coyne, the party simply is not following its own rules.

 

Section Seven of the DPG by-laws states that if there is more than one Democratic candidate running in a primary (in a partisan election), affiliates of the party are not allowed to support any of the individuals bidding for office.

 

Coyne was under the impression that he would have an equal chance of fundraising, without interference by the DPG.

 

“With the way the Georgia Democratic Party has been presenting Jim Barksdale as the Party’s choice for the nominee this November, this is making it very difficult for myself or my other opponent to raise any money to win the primary,” Coyne said.

 

Coyne claims that by submitting his candidate fee he entered into a contract of good faith with the DPG, but that the DPG has violated the duty of good faith in contract dealings, in violation of O.C.G.A. 11-1-203.

 

Coyne claims that the DPG has also engaged in racketeering, in violation of O.C.G.A. 16-14-4; as well as fraud and conspiracy.

 

THE SILENCE OF THE BARKSDALE

 

As previously reported by Atlanta Progressive News, Mr. Coyne was the only Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate to respond to the APN Candidate Questionnaire.

 

http://atlantaprogressivenews.com/2016/04/21/apn-candidate-qa-john-coyne-u-s-senate/

 

The Barksdale campaign had already failed on numerous occasions to respond to the APN Questionnaire, and even admitted to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) that he refused to discuss any issues.

 

Still, this reporter made another effort to reach out to the Barksdale campaign on May 11, 2016 via a Facebook comment.

 

The Barksdale campaign responded on May 12, 2016, within the Facebook thread: “Austin Stewart Email press@jimbarksdale.com and we will do our best to get back to you.  Very sorry if earlier messages got lost in the shuffle.”

 

APN then immediately sent the Barksdale campaign another copy of APN’s candidate questionnaire, and an invitation to talk over the phone..

 

The result of this request was the same as previous efforts; we received no response.

 

(END/2016)


Atlanta Council Hears Mayor’s MARTA Tax Project Proposals

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yolanda(APN) ATLANTA — On May 19, 2016, the City Council of Atlanta’s Transportation Committee held a Work Session, in which it heard presentations for two proposed lists of transportation-related projects–one for MARTA and one for infrastructure projects–that could be part of two possible upcoming voter referenda on two half-penny sales taxes.

 

Notably, the MARTA list included an extension of the current Heavy-Rail West Line, what would be one of the first MARTA rail line extensions in many years.

 

Keith Parker of MARTA, whose Board previously approved its own proposed list, which was the start of the process, joined Melissa Mullinax and Katrina Taylor-Parks, both of Mayor Kasim Reed’s Office, to present on the initiatives.

 

http://atlantaprogressivenews.com/2016/05/18/atlanta-council-begins-review-of-marta-half-penny-tax-projects-infrastructure-tax-projects/

 

“What we are presenting today is simply an overview of potential options; this is not an official proposal for the Council to vote on, these are simply the options that we want to Council to choose from for the final resolution,” Taylor-Parks told the Councilmembers.

 

Two resolutions for the two referenda must be passed by the City Council on or before June 30, 2016, and would have to include defined project lists at that time – a very short schedule for public deliberation that was created by the Georgia Legislature.

 

“What we are presenting today is much more than can be funded,” Mullinax noted.

 

“We want to be clear by saying that we love the idea of rail expansion, but we do not want to neglect our bus service either,” Mr. Parker said.

 

“The proposed Northside Drive bus corridor has the potential to have a dedicated bus lane, and electric sixty foot buses.  We have already applied for the Federal funding to help pay for these electric vehicles,” Parker said.

 

“We know there is a large gap between the number of bus riders and rail riders, and we want to address this gap by using some of this money to improve the bus system,” Parker said.

 

Ben Limmer of MARTA discussed possibilities for light and heavy rail expansion, along with ideas for MARTA Station enhancements.

 

“We would like to see heavy rail expand past I-20, we want to see some light rail expand along the Clifton Corridor,” Limmer said, referring to a proposed line to Emory University.

 

“We have also heard from our customers that our rail stations need to be improved with better platform access for those with bicycles, and also the need for clearer directional signage and just general aesthetics,” Limmer said.

 

After the presentations, the Councilmembers asked questions.

 

“We want to increase mobility for everyone, what are the impacts of these proposed improvements on our labor force?  Are these measures cost-effective?” Chairwoman Yolanda Adrean (District 8) asked.

 

“Southwest Atlanta is currently relying on Uber to get to work, have you talked to any large employers about these potential impacts?” Adrean asked.

 

Councilwoman Moore was concerned that she did not the complete list of potential projects, as she had requested in a previous Committee Meeting.

 

“I want to see the list of potential projects before they were narrowed down to the list we have in front of us, I want to see what they decided to take out,” Moore said.

 

Taylor-Parks responded by saying they would do their best to honor the Councilwoman’s request.

 

Councilman C.T. Martin (District 10) was not impressed with what was proposed.

 

“Looking at these maps, I do not see a lot of balanced growth,” Martin said.

 

“You will have little support from me, I am worried about the heavy rail expansion to I-20, there are neighborhoods in the path of the proposed expansion,” Martin said.

 

Councilwoman Keisha Lance Bottoms (District 11) also expressed concerns regarding the potential developments.

 

“Uber doesn’t come to my house after a certain time, and from what I can gather from what has been presented to me, is that there seems to be no planning or development outside of areas around the Beltline.  The entire Cascade area looks left out,” Bottoms said.

 

“If we are going to plan, we should plan for the whole City.  Right now, I think my District deserves better.  Also, it looks as though the most recent transit study for the Southwest area has not been updated since 2006.  Are we going to get an update?” Bottoms asked.

 

Not that Northside enthusiasm was much greater.

 

Councilman Howard Shook (District 7) sees too much transit and not enough traffic-related investments..

 

“I am disappointed because I do not see much funding going towards relieving congestion or intersection improvements in the Buckhead area,” Shook said.

 

Shook was not pleased that so much attention was being given to heavy and light rail developments.

 

Councilman Michael Julian Bond (Post 1-at-large) called for the project list to be significantly changed – saying he preferred light rail over heavy.

 

“Light rail brings development; look at Dallas, Texas.  Two miles of heavy rail will buy you a lot of light rail, and I think light rail should be expanded into Southwest Atlanta,” Bond said.

 

“As far as heavy rail to I-20, I wanted that years ago, but now I believe we need to focus on light rail development for the Southwest areas of Atlanta.  There is nothing substantive in these plans for Southwest Atlanta,” Bond said.

 

“Buses are fine, but I want infrastructure that brings more permanent investment.  That is what light rail will do,” Bond said.

 

“The Beltline was a transportation project and it should stay that way.  Maybe we take any more trail improvements off the table for this funding initiative,” Bond said.

 

(END/2016)

Renitta Shannon’s Big Primary Victory; Lopez to be First Latina in State House

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renitta shannon(APN) ATLANTA — In an unusual upset of an incumbent, moderate Democrat in the State House, progressive activist Renitta Shannon defeated State Rep. Rahn Mayo (D-Decatur) in House District 84 during Tuesday’s Democratic Primary Election, May 24, 2016.

 

In addition, Brenda Lopez became the first Latina elected to the State House of Representatives, by winning an open Democratic-leaning House seat in Gwinnett County.

Atlanta Progressive News spoke with both Democratic nominees in our review of the Primary Results.

 

APN will also publish shortly our overview of the Primary results for State House and Senate races and other races that we have been following.

 

RENITTA SHANNON WINS IN DISTRICT 84

 

Incumbent State Rep. Rahn Mayo (D-Decatur) was defeated by challenger, Renitta Shannon, a progressive activist who has done work with such organizations as Moral Monday Georgia, Georgia STAND UP, and the Progressive Change Campaign Committee.

 

Shannon received the endorsement of Atlanta Progressive News, after our Board of Directors was most impressed with her questionnaire responses and activist work.

 

http://atlantaprogressivenews.com/2016/03/27/apn-candidate-qa-renitta-shannon-hd-84/

 

Shannon received 53.47 percent of the vote to Mayo’s 46.53 percent.

 

Shannon began campaigning in August 2015, and claims that the secret to her success can be attributed to her early start and meeting, individually, with each voter in her large district at least twice.

 

Shannon’s victory is a triumph for the struggling progressive agenda in Georgia.  Shannon’s platform is more in alignment with the voters of Decatur-based District 84.

 

Mayo, for example, had supported the Georgia Charter School Commission legislation, which gave a new Commission authority to override the decisions of local school board and the State Board of Education regarding new charter school applications.

 

Shannon sent out at least one mail piece that highlighted Mayo’s absenteeism issues, noting that he had not even participated in some one-fourth of House Floor votes.

 

“The voter outreach was key, along with my ability to be efficient with the resources I had. It is very difficult to raise money against an incumbent, so I was very strategic in how I used the funds I had,” Shannon told Atlanta Progressive News.

 

“I am going to get to know my colleagues in the the Democratic caucus, and continue to build on the community connections we built throughout the campaign,” Shannon said.

 

“I recognize that this race was close, and not everyone in my district voted for me.  Rep. Mayo and I have talked, and we are all about building cohesiveness within the community and moving forward for a productive 2017 Legislative Session,” Shannon said.

 

Shannon will not face a Republican challenger in the November general election.

 

BRENDA LOPEZ – HOUSE DISTRICT 99

 

In House District 99, Brenda Lopez defeated Jay Trevari in the Democratic Primary, receiving 57.79 percent of the vote to Trevari’s 42.21 percent, to become the first Hispanic woman to serve in the Georgia House.

 

Longtime State Rep. Hugh Floyd (D-Norcross) retired this year.

 

Lopez is the Vice President of the Georgia Democratic Party Latino Caucus.

 

http://atlantaprogressivenews.com/2016/03/12/trevari-lopez-qualify-to-succeed-state-rep-floyd-in-gwinnett-house-seat/

 

“I am so happy for all the volunteers who motivated so many people to come out and vote.  The goal was to work hard and talk directly to voters, and we did that,” Lopez told APN.

 

“This was a team effort from the beginning, this was not just about me running and me winning, this was about us,” Lopez said.

 

“I am going to reach out to my new colleagues in the Democratic Caucus, plan for the upcoming Legislative Session, and I will be continuing the community engagement by holding monthly meetings starting in June,” Lopez said.

 

(END/2016)

Reps. Dawkins-Haigler, Anderson Head to SD 43 Run-off, as Senate Incumbents Do Well in Primaries

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dawkins and anderson(APN) ATLANTA — Out of all the State Senate Districts that touch Fulton and/or DeKalb Counties, there will be one Run-off, in State Senate District 43, where currently a Republican is serving in a highly Democratic-leaning District.

 

In all other races, incumbents either defeated challengers or had no challengers.  State Sen. Donzella James (D-Atlanta) easily defeated a Primary challenger, in one high profile race.

 

DISTRICT 43

 

Incumbent State Sen. JaNice Van Ness (R-Conyers) had no Republican Primary challenger, and will face either State Rep. Tonya P. Anderson (D-Lithonia) or Rep. Dee Dawkins-Haigler (D-Lithonia) in the November general election.

 

Van Ness won her seat in a Special Election in late 2015 that occurred when then-incumbent State Sen. Ronald Ramsey was appointed to a judgeship.

 

Van Ness’s victory in the Democratic District is attributed to low voter turnout in a Special Election Run-off where she had faced Rep. Anderson.

 

http://atlantaprogressivenews.com/2015/09/16/candidates-qualify-for-state-senate-district-43/

 

Anderson had resigned from her State House seat in September 2015 to run for State Senate.  State Rep. Doreen Carter (D-Lithonia) is currently in that seat.

 

State Rep. Dawkins-Haigler resigned from her State House seat this year to seek Van Ness’s State Senate seat.

 

She and former State Rep. Tonya P. Anderson (D-Lithonia), are headed for a runoff on July 26, 2016.  Dawkins-Haigler received 34.45 percent of the vote while Anderson received 46.05 percent.

 

Dawkins-Haigler’s resignation created an open seat in House District 91, in which former DeKalb CEO Vernon Jones in a Primary Run-off.

 

Here is an overview of the results from the other races touching Fulton and DeKalb:

 

STATE SENATE

 

DISTRICT 6

 

Incumbent State Sen. Hunter Hill (R-Atlanta) and Democratic challenger Jaha Howard did not face primary challenges.  They will face each other in the November general election.

 

DISTRICT 21

 

Incumbent State Sen. Brandon Beach (R-Alpharetta) defeated Republican challenger Aaron Barlow, an investor from Milton, in the Primary, with 58.33 percent of the vote.

 

There is no Democratic challenger for the Senate seat.

 

DISTRICT 28

 

Republican Matt Brass, a former U.S. Congressional Chief of Staff, from Newnan, defeated Hayden Marlowe, a manager and a Republican from Newnan, in the Primary with 81.65 percent of the vote.  This district includes part of Chattahoochee Hills in south Fulton.

 

DISTRICT 32

 

Incumbent State Sen. Judson Hill (R-Marietta) had no challenger.  This district includes part of Sandy Springs in north Fulton.

 

DISTRICT 35

 

Incumbent State Sen. Donzella James (D-Atlanta) defeated challenger Tony Phillips from Palmetto in the Primary with 74.98 percent of the vote.  State Sen. James will face no challenger in the November general election.

 

DISTRICT 36

 

Incumbent State Sen. Nan Orrock (D-Atlanta) had no primary challenger and will run unopposed in the November general election.

 

DISTRICT 38

 

Incumbent State Sen. Horacena Tate (D-Atlanta) will face teacher/coach James (J.W.) Morrow Jr., a Republican from Austell, in the General Election.

 

DISTRICT 39

 

Incumbent State Sen. Vincent Fort (D-Atlanta) ran unopposed, and will not face a challenger in the November general election.  A candidate who had previously qualified to run in the Democratic Primary was disqualified in a ruling upheld by Secretary of State Brian Kemp.

 

DISTRICT 40

 

Incumbent State Sen. Fran Millar (R-Atlanta) defeated Paul Maner, a financial advisor from Atlanta in the Republican Primary with 79.95 percent of the vote.

 

State Senator Millar will face Tamara Johnson-Shealey, a Democrat, advocate, and former business owner of Tucker, in the General Election.

 

DISTRICT 41

 

Incumbent State Sen. Steve Henson (D-Tucker) had no opponents and will not face a challenger in the November general election.

 

DISTRICT 42

 

Incumbent State Sen. Elena C. Parent (D-Atlanta) will face Republican and former educator Kenneth Brett Quarterman, of Atlanta, in the General Election.

 

DISTRICT 44

 

Incumbent State Sen. Gail Davenport (D-Jonesboro) ran unopposed.  She has no challenger in the November general election.

 

DISTRICT 48

 

Incumbent State Sen. David J. Shafer (R-Duluth) ran unopposed.  He has no challenger in the November general election.

 

DISTRICT 55

 

Incumbent State Sen. Gloria Butler (D-Stone Mountain) will face Republican challenger Annette Davis Jackson, a businesswoman from Lilburn, in the November general election.

 

DISTRICT 56

 

Patrick Thompson, a businessman from Roswell, defeated Akhtar Sadiq, a business consultant, from Roswell, in the Democratic Primary, with 53.15 percent of the vote. Thompson will face incumbent State Sen. John Albers (R-Roswell) in the November general election.

 

(END/2016)

Democratic Run-offs Set in Georgia House Districts 59, 62, 63, 91

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janine and debra(APN) ATLANTA — There are four State House Run-offs in Democratic Primary races, scheduled for July 26, 2016, among House Districts that encompass parts of Fulton and/or DeKalb Counties: House District 59 in Atlanta and East Point; 62 and 63 in South Fulton; and 91 in Lithonia.

 

As previously reported by Atlanta Progressive News, there was a major upset of a moderate Democrat incumbent, State Rep. Rahn Mayo (D-Decatur), by progressive Renitta Shannon.

 

http://atlantaprogressivenews.com/2016/05/30/renitta-shannons-big-primary-victory-lopez-to-be-first-latina-in-state-house/

 

In the other State House races in Fulton and DeKalb, all incumbents easily won reelection, while Republican Run-offs are scheduled for open seats.

 

This article reviews the four Run-offs, followed by all the other State House races.

 

DISTRICT 59

 

David Dreyer, an attorney from Atlanta; and Janine Brown, a retiree and former Union VP from Atlanta, will face each other in a runoff election on July 26, 2016.

 

Dreyer received 38.74 percent of the vote to Brown’s 39.71 percent.

 

Atlanta Progressive News endorsed Brown, based on her background as an activist and questionnaire responses.

 

http://atlantaprogressivenews.com/2016/04/30/apn-2016-endorsements-pt-3-brown-johnson-bazemore-declineu-s-senate/

 

http://atlantaprogressivenews.com/2016/03/11/apn-candidate-qa-janine-brown-hd-59/

 

Democrat Josh Noblitt did not advance into the Run-off.

 

The winner of the July Run-off will not face a Republican challenger in the November general election.  Incumbent State Rep. Margaret Kaiser (D-Atlanta) is not seeking reelection and is expected to likely run for Mayor of Atlanta in 2017.

 

DISTRICT 62

 

District 62 will have a Runoff Election between Valerie V. Vie, an attorney from Douglasville, who received 27.16 percent of the vote, and William K. Boddie Jr., an attorney from Atlanta, who received 24.76 percent of the vote.

 

Vie responded to the APN Questionnaire, while Boddie did not.

 

http://atlantaprogressivenews.com/2016/04/20/apn-candidate-qa-valerie-vie-hd-62/

 

APN had endorsed Rafer Johnson in this race, but he did not advance into the Run-off Election.

 

The winner of the Run-off will not face a Republican challenger.

 

State Rep. LaDawn Blackett Jones (D-Atlanta) is not seeking reelection.

 

DISTRICT 63

 

District 63 will hold a Runoff Election between Debra Bazemore, a former Chief of Staff for a State Senator and a State Committee member for the Georgia Democratic Party from College Park who received 29.39 percent of the vote, and Linda Pritchett, a paralegal from Riverdale, who received 24.60 percent of the vote.

 

APN endorsed Bazemore in this race, based on her questionnaire responses and activist background.

 

As previously reported by APN, candidate Linda Becquer-Pritchett has a troubling criminal past.

http://www.cbs46.com/story/19125066/state-rep-candidate-stops-interview-when-asked-about-criminal-history

 

The winner of the runoff will not face a Republican challenger.  This district includes part of College Park and unincorporated south Fulton.

 

DISTRICT 91

 

There will be a runoff between Democratic candidates Rhonda S. Taylor, a consultant from Rockdale County, who received 25.88 percent of the vote; and former DeKalb County CEO Vernon Jones, a consultant from Lithonia, who received 48.93 percent of the vote.

 

The winner of the runoff will face lone Republican Carl Anuszczyk, a CEO from Conyers, in the November general election.

 

Incumbent State Rep. Dee Dawkins-Haigler (D-Lithonia) is running for State Senate.

 

http://atlantaprogressivenews.com/2016/06/04/reps-dawkins-haigler-anderson-head-to-sd-43-run-off-as-senate-incumbents-do-well-in-primaries/

 

(END/2016)

Citizens, Norwood Respond to Bottoms’ Attacks as Loch Lomond Annexation Approved by Atlanta Council

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bottoms attacks(APN) ATLANTA — At the Monday, June 06, 2016 Full Council Meeting of the City Council of Atlanta, the Council unanimously approved, 16-O-1189, an ordinance by Councilwoman Keisha Lance Bottoms (District 11) for the annexation of the Loch Lomond community.

 

As Atlanta Progressive News has chronicled, this is one of several City of Atlanta annexations that have taken place over the last couple years.

 

http://atlantaprogressivenews.com/2016/05/19/two-more-fulton-communities-seek-annexation-into-atlanta/

 

But the Loch Lomond annexation has perhaps been the most highly contentious annexation of late.

 

If the community does not join Atlanta by July 01, 2016, it would become part of the map for the proposed City of South Fulton that will be the subject of a vote in November 2016.

 

Earlier, at a May 25, 2016 Public Hearing, Councilwoman Bottoms attacked State Rep. Beth Beskin (R-Atlanta) for asking questions about various dates in the petition process.  Rep. Beskin served on the State House Committee that has been reviewing the annexation and cityhood process in Georgia.

 

Bottoms then attacked several citizens, and made a general comment that seems to have upset Councilwoman Mary Norwood (Post 2-at-large).

 

“The interest on the south side… only comes up when talking about interest in adding residents to the south side,” Bottoms said.

 

Councilwoman Norwood took exception to the comment.

 

“I am also… a process person.  I got involved in this annexation that I was asked to,” Norwood, who has been reviewing issues raised by citizens, said.

 

“I said the decision to come into the community is the community’s decision, but that I would certainly take a look, because I have a lot of experience with petitions… and… elections,” Norwood said.

 

“I’ve always wanted anything in this town to be fair for everyone.  But when I came back down here, I did not come down to this City to cause any trouble, to dredge up the past, to do anything but move this City forward,” Norwood said.

 

“I have reviewed the [annexation] materials for every single section, whether it’s DeKalb on the northside, or South Fulton on the southside.  The two areas were not treated differently, and would not be treated differently by me,” Norwood said.

 

“And those people who know me all over this town know that I care, I care passionately about every citizen, and I care passionately about fairness.  And as long as I am elected to this City, that is what I will do,” Norwood said.

 

“Wow, this annexation conversation takes many twists and turns, and you can never quite expect,” Bottoms said.

 

“When I sit here and hear people call for investigations and accuse people of what would in fact be criminal wrongdoing and it’s directed at people in this community, that really upsets me,” Bottoms said.

 

“When I hear of robo-calls and the senior citizen version of bullying, it’s very… unsettling,” Bottoms said.

 

“This issue is dividing this community, and quite frankly, this division has come from people who don’t live in the community.  If you’re really concerned about this community… I would say some of us should probably show that concern by staying out of the way,” Bottoms said.

 

“I’m not sure what it could possibly be worth to lie to senior citizens, to lie to them about their taxes, to tell them they will lose their houses if they come into the City of Atlanta?  What could that possibly be worth?  I’ve looked at the taxes,” Bottoms said, saying the difference between County and City taxes would be about 200 to 300 dollars.

 

“Joining the City of Atlanta… Those of you who don’t know, I’m going to assume you were misinformed.  Those of you who do know, I’m going to assume you’re liars,” Bottoms said.

 

“Don’t do this to your community.  Don’t do this based on what someone else wants,” she said.

 

At Monday’s Full Council Meeting, several Loch Lomond residents spoke in opposition to the annexation, while others spoke in support.

 

Brandon Bowen, a Cartersville-based attorney on behalf of Loch Lomond residents who are opposed to the annexation, presented his legal concerns.

 

“A few key issues.  One, as you know, the petition… is well over a year old.  We believe under the annexation statute it is no longer valid; it has expired because the statute provides for a one year period to obtain annexation signatures,” Bowen said.

 

“Second… under the 60 percent method you have to show both 60 percent of the resident electors in the District and also 60 percent of the land by owner,” Bowen said.

 

“There is actually much less than that presented by this petition… We actually took the figures from the Fulton County Geographic Information System.  We look at the acreages of the lots that were listed under the petition and they only amount to 43 percent, and that is not enough to annex,” Bowen said.

 

“Also, we have concerns about the service plan,” he said.

 

“I just want to say to you, when I was here on the 25th [of May], my neighbors and I who are opposing this, after the comments, we were verbally attacked by our Councilperson [Bottoms], and I’m just hoping that that won’t happen today.  We’ve been very respectful every time we’ve come down,” Jewel Johnson said.

 

“And it just hurts me to my heart that I’ve talked to a Council that wants my subdivision in their area and they want to talk to me in that matter.  There’s nothing I’ve presented to you that equates to lies and being ill-informed.  So I’m hoping when this is over that I won’t have that,” Johnson said.

 

“You all the authority to shut this down today,” Johnson said.

 

“It’s not because we don’t love Atlanta.  We love Atlanta.  A lot of us own property in Atlanta…. It’s just, it’s not right, it’s not procedural right.  Last time I was here, I asked for an investigation… and I have not been heard,” Johnson said.

 

“We don’t need to take this into the Courtroom,” Johnson said.

 

“We want our shot to be able to vote in the November 08 referendum of 2016,” Leroy Stanley said.

 

“If you love something and you turn it loose and it comes back to you then the love is true.  Release us so we can make our own decision.  Much like Moses approached Pharaoh and said, let my people go,” Stanley said.

 

“It’s better to give than to receive, so give us our opportunity as citizens of America,” Stanley said.

 

Alice Hamilton testified she lives adjacent to Loch Lomond Estates, did not receive notice of the petition, and only very recently learned that her ten acre property was included in the annexation map.

 

“I’m requesting that you please remove my land,” she said.

 

“We followed the law as we were given, and I want you to know, neither did Mayor Reed nor any Member of the Council reached out to us to say come into to the City of Atlanta,” Dr. Lorraine Walton said.

 

“We’ve been to no homes in the middle of the night, knocking on the windows, telling me my property taxes are going to go up ten to fifteen thousand dollars,” she said.

 

“I did not ask to do it, but I was asked to do it,” Mary Harris, Project Coordinator, said.

 

“And in doing so, I did not have to form a committee.  Members of the community came up and said, what can I do to help, and they started themselves to collect petitions in a most professional way,” Harris said.

 

“Our intent in the beginning was not to have long conversations with people that did not want to participate.  Some people we knew, they had expressed that prior, and we did not entertain them, we knew their intentions,” Harris said.

 

“We never, never stooped to going to anyone’s door, bamming on it, telling lies,” she said.
“We had community meetings with the Committee to Create a New City with State Rep. Roger Bruce.  He came to us on two separate occasions to explain to us the benefits of a new city,” Harris said, referring to the proposed City of South Fulton.

 

“Likewise we had representatives of the City of Atlanta along with Mayor Reed, and he expressed the desire and said it would be better,” she said.

 

“We listened to both.  As far as the taxes are concerned, Commissioner Ferdinand came to our meeting.  They were open to the public… He explained the tax system with various communities in the area.  So we did it in the most professional manner; we ask that you consider us likewise,” she said.

 

(END/2016)

Trump Talks to Supporters inside the Fox; APN Covers Opposition Outside

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anti trump(APN) ATLANTA — On Wednesday, June 15, 2016, inside the Fox Theater in Atlanta’s Midtown neighborhood, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump talked to his loyal followers.

 

Meanwhile, outside on the sidewalk, hundreds of anti-Trump folks gathered to protest his policy platform, which would discriminate against so many minorities in the U.S.

 

The lines going into the Fox were short and people dwindled in slowly.

 

The atmosphere outside was non-violent with loud chanting.

 

After an hour on the sidewalk, the crowd rushed into the street, blocking traffic, and chanting, “Hey Donald go back to the woods, your policies are racist and your party is no good.”

 

The Trump opposition held space in the street for about thirty minutes before the police moved in and slowly, inch by inch, moved them back to the sidewalk.

 

It was during the process of getting everyone out of the street that the police arrested five people on disorderly conduct charges.  They were brought to the City of Atlanta Pretrial Detention Center.

 

At the beginning of the rally, two Black men had an argument over Trump –  with one supporting Trump and one opposing Trump; they were not arrested.

 

“Only a few Black people support Trump, and those are waking up to see how he is dividing the country,” Dre Propst, co-founder of Black Lives Matter Atlanta, told Atlanta Progressive News.

 

Referring to the recent massacre at Pulse, the gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida: “Everyone was there; it was gay, straight, Black, White, Latino and Muslim folks that went to the club to dance, and have a good time – not bothering anyone,” Propst said.

 

“For somebody to shoot up the club and kill people, it hurts so bad.  I’m part of the LGBT community and I could have been there.  I knew someone who was killed there, Shane Tomlinson – he always comes to Atlanta to perform in the club,” Propst said.

 

“They should ban automatic assault weapons because it gets into the wrong hands,” Propst said.

 

Trump exploited the Orlando massacre to further demonize all Muslim people, and to advocate for more guns.

 

Opinions of the crowd were displayed on signs that ranged from “Love Trumps Hate,” “Deport Trump,” “Muslims are Not the Enemy,” “Build Bridges not Walls,” “Forward Together not One Step Back,” “Trump No Eminent Domain for Private Gain,” and “Trump is a Fascist Thug.”

 

Others had more whimsical signs – “Trump Hates Grits” and “Can We Trust Your Judgement With That Hair?”

 

APN asked a few participants about their thoughts on Trump as a Presidential nominee.

 

“I’m here to protest Trump because he is a danger to this county.  I take it personally; he is a danger to my family, to my friends, and my way of life,” Hannah Hawkins, a Japanese American, told APN.

 

Hawkins is aware of the internment camps that housed over 100,000 Japanese Americans during World War II, and fears the same thing will happen again if Trump becomes President.

 

“He is scapegoating minorities… Mexicans, Muslims, and anyone who is not White.  If you don’t feel threatened now, it’s just a matter of time.  I don’t want this country becoming some kind of fascist, apartheid hellhole, so I’m going to do everything I can to keep him from getting power,” Hawkins said.

 

“Trump has rallied a lot of folks who have very bigoted and narrow-minded views about minority groups across America; including Muslims, Latinos, and LGBTQ folks,” Nusaiba Mubarak told APN.

 

“It’s scary the amount of people who are willing to follow such a person who promotes such hatred and incites such violence,” Mubarak said.

 

Critics wonder how Trump can win when he has alienated the majority of women, Blacks, Latinos, Muslims, and the now the LGBTQ community.  They question – are there really that many bigoted people in U.S. to elect Trump President of the United States?

 

A group from Iowa were at a convention in Atlanta and came out to protest Trump’s position on eminent domain.

 

“Trump supports eminent domain, he does not see it as a problem.  Landowners in Iowa have lost their land to eminent domain for the Bakken Pipeline,” Ed Fallon from Iowa told APN.

 

Here is a link to Trump’s speech inside the Fox Theater

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAQwoh9RxQ8

 

(END/2016)

Candidate’s Criminal History, Linda Pritchett HD63, as Buried by CBS Atlanta

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linda pritchettWith additional reporting by Matthew Charles Cardinale

 

(APN) ATLANTA — In 2012, CBS Atlanta’s “exclusive investigation” found that Linda Pritchett, then a candidate for the Democratic nomination for State House District 63 had a troubling criminal history.

 

CBS apparently had invested significant resources to uncover the information for the news report, which was once published at the following link:

 

http://www.cbsatlanta.com/story/19125066/state-rep-candidate-stops-interview-when-asked-about-criminal-history

 

Today, Pritchett is in a Primary Run-off with candidate Debra Bazemore for the same seat, which includes parts of Fulton and Fayette Counties, HD 63, to be held on July 26, 2016.

 

Someone appears to have convinced CBS to take down the content from their website, as their research has been replaced with their apologies.

####

Our Apologies

The page you requested is currently unavailable. Pages on this site are constantly being revised, updated, and occasionally removed. You may have followed an outdated link or have outdated pages in your browser cache.

Please use your browser’s BACK button to return to the previous page.

We apologize for any inconvenience.

 

Read more: http://www.cbs46.com/story/8945/our-apologies#ixzz4E12VocRS

####

 

However, never fear: Atlanta Progressive News saved the text of the now-deleted article in its archives; and, after being contacted by candidate Pritchett to tell her side of the story, APN dedicated its own resources to obtain court records verifying her criminal past.

 

Also, the video of the original CBS report is still available on Youtube, on Jeff Chirico’s page.

 

https://youtu.be/1d1RDSn8K7o

 

Neither Chirico nor CBS returned any of the numerous requests by Atlanta Progressive News for comment or more information.

 

Pritchett contacted APN on June 06, 2016, requesting an APN Questionnaire and requesting an opportunity to respond to APN’s reporting regarding her criminal history, as CBS had at the time reported [and not yet retracted].

 

APN sent Pritchett the questionnaire, to which she responded, “Thank you Matthew I will have it back to you by the end of this week.”

 

Over one month later, the questionnaire has not been received.

 

Then, after APN discovered that the CBS story had been taken down, we undertook the lengthy process of obtaining court records from multiple jurisdictions, including locally and out-of-state.

 

After personally demanding the opportunity to respond, when presented with such, Linda Pritchett has not responded to an emailed request from APN.

 

GRAND LARCENY / STEALING MERCHANDISE FROM TARGET IN VIRGINIA IN 2000

 

On March 6, 2000, a grand jury in the Circuit Court of the City of Alexandria Virginia indicted Linda Becquer (Pritchett) of grand larceny for stealing over two hundred dollars worth of merchandise from Target, according to records obtained by APN.

 

On April 6, 2000, Pritchett pled guilty to the felony charges.

 

On June 1, 2000, the circuit court judge decided that it was in the best interest of the public to vacate the felony charge and suspend the sentence conditional to two years of supervised probation.

 

On June 27, 2002, the court found Pritchett in compliance with the terms of the ordered probation and dropped all charges.

 

When questioned about this and several other adjudicated criminal episodes by CBS in 2012, Pritchett abruptly ended the interview.

 

FIVE MISDEMEANORS, INCLUDING MANUFACTURING LICENSE PLATES AND DECALS, IN FULTON COUNTY IN 2009

 

On October 29, 2009, the solicitor general for Fulton County filed five misdemeanor charges against Linda Pritchett, according to records obtained by APN.

 

Pritchett was charged with unlawful manufacture of license plates and decals, concealing identity of a vehicle, operating an unregistered vehicle, no insurance, and a handicap parking violation.

 

On July 7, 2010, Pritchett entered a plea of no contest for all charges, was fined and sentenced to fifty hours of community service.

 

Pritchett had a fake paper “decal” taped on her license plate covering an expired sticker, records show.

 

ADDITIONAL CRIMINAL EPISODES

 

“That was the second time Pritchett was convicted of tampering with license plates,” CBS reported in 2012.

 

“In June of 2004, Pritchett pleaded guilty to altering or forging license plates, while she lived in Virginia,” CBS reported at the time.

 

“A court records search uncovered two other convictions on Pritchett’s record for driving without an operator’s license in 1999 and an expired registration in 2003,” CBS reported at the time.

 

“Pritchett was also arrested in 2006 and charged with attempt to commit credit card fraud and attempt to commit identity fraud.  The charges were dropped and she pleaded guilty to two lesser charges of petit larceny in Fairfax County General District Court,” CBS reported at the time.

 

(END/2016)


Some Feel “Bern” to Run for U.S. Congress, Local Offices

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gabriel shippy(APN) ATLANTA — While U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has endorsed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination for President of the U.S., some supporters of the Sanders Campaign have started a new political action committee, the Brand New Congress (BNC), to put power in the hands of the people.

 

BNC is made up of progressive grassroots leaders from across the country, as well as former Sanders staffers and volunteers.  It is a people-powered evolution of the revolution to take back U.S. Congress for the people.

 

The goal of BNC is to run a Congressional slate in 2018 to get people in Congress to advance forward Sanders’s sweeping political reforms.

 

These Reforms include rebuilding the economy; adopting one hundred percent renewable energy; adopting a living wage; criminal justice reform; healthcare for everyone; addressing climate change; ending mass incarceration; getting the influence of big money out of politics; and much more.

 

BNC wants to recruit working people with a track record of integrity and service who have never held public office, but who have backgrounds and experience in many areas.

 

“We want to run four hundred progressive candidates nationwide for the House and Senate who are proven leaders and won’t sell out,” Issy Allison, a Sanders delegate from North Carolina, said at the kick off campaign of the BNC in Atlanta.

 

The strategy is to replace U.S. Congress all at once with lawmakers who agree with Sanders’s  policy positions.  The campaign will run everyone under one plan and it will look like a presidential campaign with 400 heads.

 

Candidates will be able to plug into a national campaign infrastructure like Sanders’s campaign that raised small donations on line, so once elected, they can spend their time on policy work, not fundraising.

 

Two young progressives at the Atlanta meeting were Gabriel Shippy and Eric Bell.

 

Gabriel Shippy is the Chair of the Young Democrats of Hall County and a member of the Hall County Board of Elections.

 

Shippy told Atlanta Progressive News that he plans to run for the congressional Ninth District House seat in 2020.  That position is now held by U.S. Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA).

 

Eric Bell is running for the District 3 Clayton County Commissioner.  He is a Morehouse College graduate, naval veteran aviator, and an educator.  For more information on Bell’s campaign go to BellForUs.com

 

(END/2016)

Green Party Submits Signatures to Appear on Georgia U.S. Presidential Ballot

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green party petition delivery(APN) ATLANTA — On Tuesday, July 12, 2016, the Green Party of Georgia submitted petition signatures to get their Presidential candidate, Jill Stein, on the ballot in Georgia for the November 08, 2016 General Election.

 

“Tuesday morning, the Georgia Green Party filed with the Elections Division for the Georgia Secretary of State’s office a nomination petition consisting of 1,672 pages of signatures from Georgia voters,” the Party stated in a July 13 press release.

 

If Stein does get on the ballot, it will be a historic moment for the Party – and one that could help the Party secure future ballot access for its statewide candidates.

 

As previously reported by Atlanta Progressive News, Georgia has one of the worst ballot access laws in the nation for independent and minor party candidates.  A recent federal court ruling lowered the threshold for independent and minor party U.S. Presidential candidates to 7,500 signatures.

 

http://atlantaprogressivenews.com/2016/03/18/breaking-georgia-ballot-access-law-stricken-for-presidential-candidates/

 

http://atlantaprogressivenews.com/2016/04/25/georgia-green-constitution-parties-push-forward-on-petitions-for-ballot-access-despite-state-appeal/

 

“State Party leadership are extending their appreciation to dozens of petition circulators from around and beyond Georgia who collected signatures in the hot Georgia Summer sun,” the Party’s press release stated.

 

“We began the verification process, and are coordinating with county officials, for signatures submitted by the Georgia Green Party and other political body groups,” Candice Broce, press secretary for Secretary of State Brian Kemp’s office, told Atlanta Progressive News.

 

As far as the number of signatures submitted by the Party, “I can’t give a total number as of yet.  We are working on completing verification, which should be complete around beginning of August,” Broce said.

 

“I can confirm that the amount of signatures [required] is 7,500, as a result of the recent ruling setting that threshold,” Broce said.

 

APN asked the Party how many signatures it submitted; and, while it could not provide a number, it said it believed the amount was somewhere between ten and twelve thousand.

 

A cushion over the 7,500 is likely required, in case signatures are thrown out.

 

Independent and minor party candidates–who are arguably less likely to vote in Georgia when they lack candidates who reflect their values–are at risk of having their voter registration purged in Georgia for lack of voting, a practice that is also currently under litigation.

 

Thus, it is not a done deal that the Party will appear on the ballot.  But the Party is quite optimistic.

 

“Our earlier ballot access victory in court made possible this ballot access vistory [sic] in the streets, and makes possible our next ballot access victory at the polls,” Hugh Esco, Co-chair of the Georgia Green Party, said in a statement.

 

The Party noted the potential for the Green Party to use this ballot access victory to perpetuate ballot access for its statewide candidates – something the Libertarian Party of Georgia has done for several years.

 

A minor political party in Georgia, known as a political body in the Election Code, that receives at least one percent of the vote in any statewide election, may nominate by convention its candidates for statewide office for the next four years.

 

“The Georgia Election Code provides for a means to retain a ballot line, avoiding the cost of repeated petition drives.

 

Indeed, this is a monumental feat for the Georgia Greens, who since Ralph Nader’s historic run for President in 2000 have suffered from a lack of fair ballot access, internal struggles, and a lack of candidates.

 

Stein, who has secured the Party’s nomination and also was the nominee in 2012, has visited Atlanta several times.

 

http://atlantaprogressivenews.com/2015/11/29/jill-stein-cornell-west-visit-atlanta-to-promote-green-party-ballot-access-in-georgia/

 

HOW DID THEY DO IT?

 

“The last two weeks were busy and action packed.  Dr. Stein traveled to Georgia to prime the pumps for the final push, including a press conference when we filed her list of Electors with the Secretary of State; rallies at UGA and one at the Interdenominational Theological College (an historic Black university); and TV interviews with CNN and Public Access,” Al Herman, Georgia Greens Party secretary told APN..

 

“Many folk responded to her clarion call and worked long days in the sweltering Georgia heat and humidity requesting petition signatures at farmers’ markets, public transportation hubs, festivals, and parks,” Herman said.

 

“We received some funding from the GPUS Ballot Access Committee (Green Party of the U.S.), and some petitioners who were offered compensation will be paid by the Stein campaign,” Herman said.

 

“The GGP field strategy was supported by individuals traveling from out of state to lend a hand in the effort, but most signatures were acquired from motivated Georgia volunteers,” Herman said.

 

Bringing back the energy of the Nader 2000 campaign, the Georgia Greens are putting all their energies behind Jill Stein’s Presidential race.

 

“The enthusiasm of support for this campaign is very reminiscent of Nader 2000, with a few key differences.  This time, probably in response to the public’s outcry for solutions outside of the two party system, the media has started covering the efforts of third parties, lifting both Greens and Libertarians to unprecedented levels of support,” Herman said.

 

“However, voters that have bought into the ‘spoiler myth’ are wary of supporting Greens in 2016, fearing a Trump Presidency, despite the indication that Georgia’s electoral votes will probably go to the Republicans and Trump, as they have for the last several election cycles, affording Georgia voters in November the freedom to ‘vote their hopes, not their fears,’” Herman said.

 

COLUMBUS COUNTY CASE FILED, DISMISSED

 

According to Ballot Access News, Columbus County attorney Mike Garner had filed suit in Muscogee County, challenging Georgia’s five percent petition requirement for non-statewide candidates.

 

Garner claimed the amount of signatures he needed (5,226) to run for Clerk of Superior Court as an independent candidate, exceeds the total number of votes received from voters for the same position in the Primary Election.

 

Richard Winger, publisher of Ballot Access News out of San Francisco, told APN that Garner had dropped his case.

 

(END/2016)

Lawsuit Challenges Gwinnett County’s District Map for Blocking Minority Representation

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gwinnett BOC

By Pilar Verdes, Special to the Atlanta Progressive News.

 

(APN) ATLANTA — On August 08, 2016, the Georgia State Conference of the NAACP, the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials (GALEO), and seven Gwinnett county citizens have filed a federal lawsuit, challenging the district scheme used by the Gwinnett Board of Commissioners and the Gwinnett Board of Education for blocking Black, Latino, and Asian representation.

 

The Plaintiffs argue that the current district scheme violates Section II of the Voting Rights Act of 1964, and the Complaint seeks declaratory and injunctive relief.

 

“The at-large seat and districting plan used to elect the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners and the districting plan used to elect the Gwinnett County Board of Education, deny Gwinnett County’s Black, Latino, and Asian-American residents… an equal opportunity to participate in the political process and elect representatives of their choice,” the Complaint states.

 

“They therefore violate Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.”

 

“Gwinnett County is 54 percent minority, but there are zero minority elected officials represented in office for the Gwinnett County Commission or the School Board,” Jerry Gonzalez, Executive Director of GALEO), one of the suing organizations, told Atlanta Progressive News.

 

The Plaintiffs are demanding that the district boundaries for the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners and the Gwinnett County Board of Education are redrawn so minorities can win political representation.

 

“This case is about political power and the exclusion of racial minorities from key elected positions in the county,” Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, one of the Plaintiff’s attorneys, said in a statement.

 

“This exclusion is directly attributable to the discriminatory configuration of the district maps and racially polarized voting, in violation of the Voting Rights Act,” Clarke said.

 

“Not only have Gwinnett County voters never elected any Black, Latino, or Asian-American candidate to county office, but the county’s elected officials are unresponsive to the needs of the county’s Black, Latino, and Asian-American citizens,” the Complaint, a copy of which was obtained by APN, said.

 

The lawsuit was in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.

 

“Fifty-four percent of the county’s population is severely impacted, because the County Commission and the School Board make decisions every day that impact the minority communities’ lives, whether it’s agreements with 287 (g) with immigration that the Gwinnett County Government is funding or bad decisions to target minority students in the school system,” Gonzales said.

 

Gonzales referred to a June 2016 decision by the Gwinnett Board of Commissioners to give the green light to Sheriff Butch Conway’s office to continue to implement a controversial program that allows sheriff’s deputies to start the deportation process of inmates from the jail itself.

 

Commissioners did this despite evidence that the Sheriff’s office agreement with Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) leads to racial profiling and reduces trust between immigrants and people of color and law enforcement, Human Rights attorney Azadeh Shahshahani, Legal & Advocacy Director of Project South, a social justice organization, told Atlanta Progressive News.

 

“If the County Commission was more representative of the makeup of the populace in Gwinnett County, which is actually one of the most diverse places in the entire Southeast, maybe they would have given more thought before going ahead and renewing this agreement,” Shahshahani said.

 

Civil rights groups had documented cases of immigrants stopped for minor traffic infractions and arrested for driving without a license.  Once in custody, they have been processed for deportation, despite not having a criminal record.

 

In many cases children had been left behind.

 

In 2010, the ACLU had requested the Department of Homeland Security’s Office for Civil Liberties and Civil Rights to terminate the ICE’s 287(g) program in Gwinnett.

 

“There are no Latino, or African American, or Asian voices on the School Board, so those voices, what we have seen in the past, are traditionally ignored,” Gonzalez said.

 

“The Superintendent has not been very proactive with the minority community, I have seen him being kind of hostile towards Latino parents.”

 

The lawsuit sees this lack of representation as a contributing factor in problems encountered by some non-white students.

 

“Minority students in the County’s schools continue to face discrimination through the disproportionate use of school discipline on students of color, which contributes to pushing children out of their public schools and into the juvenile and criminal justice systems,” the Complaint says.

 

A spokesperson for the Gwinnett County Government said that the lawsuit had not been served on Gwinnett County.

 

The spokesperson for the Gwinnett County Public Schools could not be reached for comment.

 

(END/2016)

Louisiana’s Statewide School Takeover Was Post-Katrina Disaster

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karran-harper-royal(APN) NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana — After Hurricane Katrina, the State of Louisiana advanced a statewide takeover of the Orleans Parish School District that has been a catastrophe of public policy, harming students, parents, voters, and communities.

 

Education advocates in New Orleans like Karran Harper Royal are distraught to learn that Georgia voters are facing a statewide referendum this November 2016 on whether to bring the Louisiana model to Georgia.  They want to make sure that Georgians understand the lessons of the New Orleans experience.

 

On the ballot in November 2016 is a question of whether to amend the Constitution of the State of Georgia to allow the creation of a statewide school district to take over so-called “failing schools.”

 

True to Orwellian form, the district would be called the “Opportunity School District.”

 

But it is an illusion of choice where parents have to basically go out and shop for a school for their child on the private market.  The result is that thousands of New Orleans students are spending hours a day on busses.

 

Meanwhile, the intown campuses of former public schools remain closed; and taxpayers are spending millions of dollars on transporting students long distances around Greater Metropolitan New Orleans every day.

 

Atlanta Progressive News traveled to New Orleans to learn first-hand about the New Orleans experience with statewide school takeovers and whether such a policy tool really poses an “opportunity” for Georgia.

 

In 2004, the Orleans Parish School Board operated 128 public schools.

 

In 2014, the New Orleans Recovery School District became the only urban school district completely comprised of charter schools.

 

Earlier this year, while APN was in New Orleans, those schools were “returned” to Orleans Parish School Board.

 

“What they call a return of control, they are returning a system of autonomous charter schools,” Harper Royal told APN.

 

“The [Orleans Parish] School Board doesn’t have the power, except to renew a charter or not.  It takes a two-thirds vote to overturn the Superintendent, who was a charter school principal,” she said.

 

This lack of accountability undermines democracy, in that concerned parents, advocates, and other stakeholders have little to no recourse when charter schools fail.  There are no intermediate mechanisms to correct problems short of yanking an entire charter.

 

“ReNEW Charter Schools did some terrible things with special education stuff and they still have their charter – their charter was not yanked,” Harper Royal said.

 

http://www.nola.com/education/index.ssf/2016/01/renew_charter_fraud_report.html

 

“A Perfect Storm: The Takeover of New Orleans Public Schools,” a short documentary by Phoebe Ferguson, documents how the State of Louisiana’s Board of Elementary and Secondary Education began plotting almost immediately to take over the school system after the Hurricane.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RgSICjKe5k

 

Louisiana had originally adopted Act 9, legislation allowing state school takeovers, in 2003, two years prior to Hurricane Katrina.

 

http://www.coweninstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/SPELA-RSD.pdf

 

In the immediate weeks after Hurricane Katrina, which struck the Gulf Coast in late August 2005, the State of Louisiana took over the schools with no intent of re-opening them, but having charter schools open new schools instead.

 

Then-Gov. Kathleen Blanco signed an Executive Order removing requirements related to the formation of charter schools, in order to expedite this takeover by corporations and non-profits coming in from all over the country.

 

In November 2005, the Louisiana Legislature convened a special session for seventeen days to enable the takeover by passing Act 35.

 

Act 35 changed the definition of what a failing school was in Louisiana, allowing the state to take over more schools than originally intended by the State’s original, existing legislation on school takeovers.

 

There is no reason that such amendments could not be made in Georgia if legislators choose to take Georgians down the same slippery slope.

 

The original definition of failing school in Louisiana was below a score of sixty; the new definition was any school below the state average; this allowed the takeover of some one hundred schools.

 

And yet despite the takeover, the schools taken over by the state, including those taken over as charter schools, have performed no better than the Orleans Parish public schools that operated before Hurricane Katrina.

 

In the 2011-2012 school year, every single school operated by the Recovery School District received a grade of “D” or “F,” including the charter schools.

 

“If this is so great, you should see it in the community,” Harper Royal said, noting New Orleans has a 39 percent poverty rate, one percent higher than before Hurricane Katrina.

 

“New Orleans has the third-highest percentage of children not working or in school,” she said.

 

“With all the money [U.S.] Congress invested in New Orleans post-Katrina… When there’s an economic boom to a city, and a massive education reform, why are the numbers so dismal for Black people in the City, when they’re the majority?” Harper Royal asked.

 

“They used Katrina to do what they wanted to do in the first place,” she said.

 

“Charter schools have not been innovative in general – we’re back to the practices of the 1950s with strict discipline,” she noted.

 

http://www.njjn.org/uploads/digital-library/resource_1587.pdf

 

“We gotta stop the language of failing schools.  Conservative legislators… when you cut funding for education, you plant the seeds for them not to serve needs well.  The tests just measure those lack of resources,” Harper Royal said.

 

“That’s their game plan: They destroyed the neighborhood schools.  Kill the schools, close the schools, shuffle children around, open charter schools.  New Orleans isn’t special.  Atlanta isn’t special,” Harper Royal said.

 

PRACTICING THEIR IDEOLOGY

 

Big funders of the Louisiana charter school proposal include the Gates and Walton Foundations.

 

“When have you known the one percent to care about poor communities?  Walton won’t pay their people a living wage,” Harper Royal said.

 

“This was a coordinated effort by uber-wealthy people in this community.  Republicans never wanted a Department of Education to exist in the first place,” she said.

 

“It’s the same as the 99 percent and the one percent, but it’s being done by liberals.  They are trying to do the work of billionaires,” she said.

 

“We know most businesses fail.  So why run schools like a business, instead of a public service?”

 

This was “a way for them to practice their ideology.”

 

COMMUNITY-BASED ALTERNATIVE

 

“What I support are sustainable community schools.  You do a needs assessment and work with the community to find resources that meet those needs.  It includes community, teachers, parents…  Engage partners to provide wrap-around support,” Harper Royal said.

 

“Instead of parents choosing schools, it’s saying, these are the children we have and we’re gonna make sure we will meet their needs,” Harper Royal said.

 

The illusion of choice is really a shell game, or so many musical chairs.

 

Public education should be about “meeting the needs of the children who are there, and not the ones you wish you had.”

 

(END/2016)

Why Jill Stein is Not on the Ballot in Georgia

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jill steinWith additional reporting by Matthew Charles Cardinale

 

(APN) ATLANTA — Green Party nominee for President of the U.S. Jill Stein may be polling nationally at four percent, but she is not on the ballot in Georgia even after a federal district court set a new threshold for petition signatures for statewide minor party nominees.

 

http://atlantaprogressivenews.com/2016/03/18/breaking-georgia-ballot-access-law-stricken-for-presidential-candidates/

 

http://atlantaprogressivenews.com/2016/04/25/georgia-green-constitution-parties-push-forward-on-petitions-for-ballot-access-despite-state-appeal/

 

The Green Party of Georgia–which sought to take advantage of the ruling–collected approximately 13,000 signatures; only submitted about 10,000; and fewer than six thousand were validated by the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office, Atlanta Progressive News has learned.

 

As previously reported by APN, had the Green Party gained ballot access in Georgia for Jill Stein in the November 2016 General Election; and had Stein received at least one percent of the vote statewide, then the Green Party would have obtained a similar status in Georgia to that of the Libertarian Party of Georgia – meaning it would have become able to run its candidates statewide without petitioning.

 

The Party made a highly optimistic announcement about its submission of signatures earlier this year.

 

http://atlantaprogressivenews.com/2016/07/21/green-party-submits-signatures-to-appear-on-georgia-u-s-presidential-ballot/

 

However, unfortunately for the cause of ballot access and voter choice, the Georgia Green Party was unsuccessful at qualifying Stein for this year’s General Election.

 

The new threshold of 7,500 remains in place unless the Georgia Legislature sets a new standard; however, to be constitutional, the standard will have lower than the previous standard, of one percent of registered voters statewide, which was stricken.

 

“Slightly under 10,000 signatures were submitted, while as many as 3,000… were not submitted because of a form size reduction, pages not notarized, sheets turned in after the deadline, and one petitioner that filled in all information on their sheets in their own hand aside from signatures,” Al Herman, Treasurer for the Georgia Green Party, told Atlanta Progressive News.

 

“According to our records, county officials determined that 5,925 signatures were valid on Stein’s nomination petitions.  I believe the campaign submitted approximately 10,000 signatures,” Candice Broce, Press Secretary for the Office of Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp, told APN.

 

When asked why the signatures were rejected, Broce told APN, “The most common reasons are that people who signed were not registered to vote; the signature was not legible; or the signature did not match the signature on file with county officials.”

“The county election supervisors have the discretion to reject signatures for many reasons,” Herman said.

 

“There seems to be little accountability for their reasons to reject signatures,” Herman said.

 

It is unclear how many people were beating the streets for signatures during the three and half month long effort to meet the 7,500 signature requirement.

 

Professional petition gathering organizations across the country, as a general rule, whether for an issue or for a candidate, typically aim to gather at least double the required amount.

 

The Party declined to pursue a legal challenge, which Herman said would have been “fruitless.”

 

The Green Party nationally is still pushing for Stein to receive five percent of the votes, in order to become a federally recognized party and thus a recipient of federal funds for campaigns.

 

Meanwhile, Ballot Access News reported that State Sen. Josh McKoon (R-Columbus) plans to introduce legislation in 2017 that would remove petition requirements altogether for minor party and independent candidates in Georgia.
(END/2016)

APN Issues State House, Senate Scorecard for 2014-2016 (UPDATE 1)

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scorecard-2016(APN) ATLANTA — As the 2017-2018 General Assembly Legislative Session quickly approaches in Georgia, Atlanta Progressive News is re-issuing our Combined Scorecard for 2014, 2015, and 2016 for legislators in the State House and Senate representing areas wholly or partially in Fulton and/or DeKalb Counties.

 

The Scorecard rates the candidates on the progressiveness of their voting records, based on legislative matters covered by Atlanta Progressive News, and whether their votes aligned with APN’s editorial stance on those bills.

 

The new, combined 2014-2016 Legislative Scorecard is available as a public Google spreadsheet, online HERE: http://bit.ly/1NV1p0D

 

Previously, APN issued its 2014 and 2015 Legislative Scorecards.

 

http://atlantaprogressivenews.com/2015/11/28/apn-issues-state-house-state-senate-scorecard-for-2015/

 

http://atlantaprogressivenews.com/2014/04/30/apn-issues-legislature-scorecard-for-metro-atlanta-for-2014/

 

While we believe our editorial positions, which inform the scoring of the votes, reflect progressive principles of justice, readers are free to use the data underlying the Scorecards to develop their own grades.

 

This year, we focused on six bills that concerned topics including cityhood movements; the so-called “religious freedom” to discriminate or not follow laws; medical cannabis; a new MARTA transportation sales tax referendum; and the “Campus Carry” bill that would have allowed for students over the age of twenty one to carry licensed handguns on public university campuses to name a few.

 

Points of interest regarding the Fulton and DeKalb delegations include:

 

Senate Democrats appear to have stuck together in regards to the Campus Carry, allowing for a MARTA sales tax increase referendum, and Religious Freedom proposals; however, they were split on the issues regarding cityhood.

 

Senate Democrats, in general, stick together much more than House Democrats.

 

Though the Medical Cannabis bill did not receive a vote in the Senate, it is interesting to note, that of those who voted in the House delegations, only one Democrat, State Rep. Roger Bruce (D-Atlanta), and one Republican, State Rep. Brad Raffensperger (R-Johns Creek), voted against the measure.

 

The Campus Carry legislation did not receive one Democratic vote in the House or Senate delegations.

 

The Religious Freedom legislation did not receive one Democratic vote in the House or Senate.

 

In the State Senate, five Democrats scored one hundred percent, including State Sen. Nan Orrock (D-Atlanta), Vincent Fort (D-Atlanta), Steve Henson (D-Atlanta), Elena Parent (D-Atlanta), and Gloria Butler (D-Atlanta).

 

The perfect scores are cumulative – meaning one hundred percent for the years 2014 to 2016.

 

On the other hand, State Rep. “Coach” Earnest Williams (D-Atlanta), who defeated a primary challenger in May, was absent from voting on five of the six bills APN has chosen to grade.

 

The absences were not weighed in his score of zero, although we disagreed with the one scored vote he took.  Rep. Williams, in fact, is the least progressive legislator out of both delegations, when looking at 2016 by itself.

 

Ironically, the most progressive House Democrat over the last three years has been State Rep. Rahn Mayo (D-Decatur), with a score of 87.5.

 

However, Rep. Mayo did not participate in many controversial votes, a fact that Primary challenger Renitta Shannon used to successfully unseat the incumbent earlier this year.  For example, his score this year does not include votes on Medical Cannabis or two of the three Cityhood proposals.

 

In the House delegations, there is a full range of scores, from very low F’s, to high D’s, among Republicans; and from low F to A, among Democrats.

 

The most progressive Republicans were State Rep. Beth Beskin (R-Atlanta), with a high D, or a score of 67; and former State Rep. Joe Wilkinson (R-Sandy Springs), who has retired from the legislator, who also scored 67.  Both scored higher than numerous Democrats in the delegations.

 

Even State Rep.  Tom Taylor (R-Dunwoody), who scored 60, scored ahead of several Democrats.

 

The full rankings are below:

 

STATE SENATE (CUMULATIVE GRADE 2014 – 2016)

Sen. Nan Orrock (D)   A+    100

Sen. Vincent Fort (D)     A+    100

Sen. Steve Henson (D)   A+    100

Sen. Elena Parent (D)    A+     100

Sen. Gloria Butler (D)    A+    100

Sen. Horacena Tate (D)   A-    93.3 (Dropped from 100 in 2014-2015)

Sen. Gail Davenport (D)    A-    90  (Dropped from 95 in 2014-2015)

Sen. Emanuel Jones (D)    B+    89.3 (Dropped from 94 in 2014-2015)

Sen. Donzella James (D)    C    75  (Dropped from 87.5 in 2014-2015)

Sen. JaNice VanNess (R)   F     40 (2016 only)

Sen. Fran Millar (R)           F    36.3 (Raised from 34.5 in 2014-2015)

Sen. Michael Crane (R)    F    31.3 (Dropped from 37 in 2014-2015)

Sen. Brandon Beach (R)    F    23  (Dropped from 24.5 in 2014-2015)

Sen. Hunter Hill (R)           F    21.7 (Dropped from 22.5 in 2014-2015)

Sen. Judson Hill (R)          F    20.2 (Dropped from 20.25 in 2014-2015)

Sen. David Shafer (R)    F    13.2 (Dropped from 19.75 in 2014-2015)

Sen. John Albers (R)     F    11.7 (Raised from 7.5 in 2014-2015)

 

STATE HOUSE (CUMULATIVE GRADE 2014 – 2016)

Rep. Rahn Mayo (D)           B    87.5 (Raised from 81.25 in 2014-2015)

Rep. Michele Henson (D)   B   86 (Dropped from 89 in 2014-2015)

Rep. Margaret Kaiser (D)   B    84.8 (Dropped from 92.5 in 2014-2015)

Rep. Karla Drenner (D)      B-    82.3 (Dropped from 82.5 in 2014-2015)

Rep. Pamela Stephenson (D)    B-    80.2 (Raised from 67.5 in 2014-2015)

Rep. Stacey Abrams (D)      C+    78.7 (Raised from 76.5 in 2014-2015)

Rep. Howard Mosby (D)       C+    78.7 (Raised from 75.5 in 2014-2015)

Rep. Sheila Jones (D)          C    77.5 (Dropped from 81.5 in 2014-2015)

Rep. Scott Holcomb (D)       C    77.5 (Dropped from 81.25 in 2014-2015)

Rep. Keisha Waites (D)       C    77 (Dropped from 80.5 in 2014-2015)

Rep. Mable Thomas (D)       C    77 (Dropped from 80 in 2014-2015)

Rep. Virgil Fludd (D)       C    74.3 (Dropped from 75.5 in 2014-2015)

Rep. Pat Gardner (D)       C-    72.3 (Dropped from 73 in 2014-2015)

Rep. Billy Mitchell (D)       C-    72.3 (Raised from 68.5 in 2014-2015)

Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver (D)    D+    69.7 (Dropped from 70.59 in 2014-2015)

Rep. Karen Bennett (D)       D+    68.3 (Dropped from 69 in 2014-2015)

Rep. Dar’shun Kendrick (D)    D+    68 (Dropped from 68.5 in 2014-2015)

Rep. Taylor Bennett (D)         D+ 67 (2016 Only)

Rep. Park Cannon (D)            D+ 67 (2016 Only)

Rep. Doreen Carter (D)           D+ 67 (2016 Only)

Rep. Marie Metze (D)              D+ 67 (2016 Only)

Rep. Sharon Beasley-Teague (R)  D    66.7 (Dropped from 75 in 2014-2015)

Rep. Roger Bruce (D)       D-    64 (Dropped from 68.5 in 2014-2015)

Rep. Ronnie Mabra (D)      D-    61.7 (Raised from 56.25 in 2014-2015)

Rep. Beth Beskin (R)       D-    61.5 (Raised from 56 2015 only)

Rep. Dee Dawkins-Haigler (D)    F    56.3 (Raised from 44.5 in 2014-2015)

Rep. LaDawn Jones (D)        F    56 (Raised from 51.5 in 2014-2015)

Rep. Wes Cantrell (R)       F    50 (No change from 2015 Only)

Rep. E. “Coach” Williams (D)    F    43.5 (Dropped from 68.5 in 2014-2015)

Rep. Chuck Martin (R)        F    41.7 (Raised from 34.75 in 2014-2015)

Rep. Joe Wilkinson (R)       F    41.7 (Dropped from 62 in 2014-2015)

Rep. Wendell Willard (R)    F    41 (Raised from 33 in 2014-2015)

Rep. Tom Taylor (R)        F    35.2 (Raised from 24.75 in 2014-2015)

Rep. Rich Golick (R)        F    34.7 (Raised from 27 in 2014-2015)

Rep. Betty Price (R)             F    33 (2016 Only)

Rep. Tom Rice (R)        F    32.5 (Raised from 31 in 2014-2015)

Rep. Matt Dollar (R)       F    31.3 (Raised from 27 in 2014-2015)

Rep. Jan Jones (R)        F     29 (Dropped from 42 in 2014-2015)

Rep. Brad Raffensperger (R)    F    27.3 (Dropped from 37.5 2015 only)

Rep. Mike Dudgeon (R)       F    25.7 (Raised from 24 in 2014-2015)

 

(END/2016)

 

CORRECTION: An original version of this article identified Rep. Beskin at one point as a Democrat in a parenthetical; however, it has been corrected to state (R-Atlanta).

MARTA Project List Not Certain in Sales Tax Referendum

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marta(APN) ATLANTA — On the November 08, 2016 General Election ballot, voters in the City of Atlanta are being asked whether to support or to oppose a half-penny sales tax to support MARTA.

 

However, Atlanta Progressive News has learned that, rather than a specific list of projects, the referendum poses a large menu of possibilities for transportation improvements.

 

If the measure passes, MARTA will be choosing, with community input, from this menu of projects, but which projects will materialize or will be prioritized is unclear.

 

A list of the potential, but not promised, projects that are to be funded using the revenue from the tax increase can be found at the link below.

 

http://www.itsmarta.com/uploadedFiles/MARTA_101/Why_MARTA/Sales-Tax-Flier-100416.pdf

 

This is unlike the 2012 T-SPLOST proposal where at least there was a final project list that could be evaluated.

 

If the MARTA sales-tax increase is approved, along with the City of Atlanta T-SPLOST sales-tax increase, Atlanta would be looking at the sales tax going from eight percent to nearly nine percent.  Sales taxes are regressive in that they disproportionately impact low-income people.

 

http://atlantaprogressivenews.com/2016/05/18/atlanta-council-begins-review-of-marta-half-penny-tax-projects-infrastructure-tax-projects/

 

Notably, the menu of potential projects includes an extension of the current Heavy-Rail West Line, and the creation of a Clifton Corridor light-rail line to Emory University.

 

These projects, if selected, have the potential to be the first rail expansions of MARTA in many years and would be extraordinary capital investments with long-range dividends.

 

http://atlantaprogressivenews.com/2016/05/28/atlanta-council-hears-mayors-marta-tax-project-proposals/

 

While the menu of projects is quite large, and the tax will be permanent for forty years, there is no timeline for the proposed projects and there is no clear explanation as to which projects will be given priority.

 

The Atlanta City Council passed a resolution by Councilmembers Kwanza Hall (District 2) and Andre Dickens (Post 3-at-large), requiring projects to be rolled out “equitably”, and requiring MARTA to provide progress reports to the City Council on a scheduled basis.

 

When asked how the Council would enforce these requirements, Councilman Dickens said there is no formal system in place at this time.

 

The Sierra Club of Georgia has been a supporter of the November 08 MARTA referendum.

 

“While the Sierra Club opposed the 2012 TSPLOST, we are especially enthusiastic about the MARTA referendum because MARTA will be in charge of the funds and all the revenue will go toward public transit improvements instead of having to share with other things like roads,” Brionte McCorkle of the Sierra Club told Atlanta Progressive News.

 

“I think some of the projects are going to be a higher priority than others; we are going to have to have some community discussions to see what ends up moving forward,” Councilwoman Felicia Moore (District 9) said.

 

“I think the list is fine, with the possibilities of being able to move people to Greenbriar and Moores Mill, I think that would really be a major improvement,” Councilman Dickens said.

 

“I wish we could do more, but I think this will be a good start to expanding mass transit in the area,” Councilman Michael Julian Bond (Post 1-at-large) told APN.

 

APN asked the council members above if they thought the heavy-rail Westside project, or the light-rail Clifton Corridor had a good chance of being completed.

 

“I think they will happen.  I am not sure how quickly they will happen, but expanding to the border of Cobb County seems very probable considering that there is a lot of new development going on,” Councilman Bond said.

 

“I think that it is highly likely that these projects will be completed,” Councilman Dickens said.

 

Moore was less inclined to speculate.

 

“I think that to comment on any of the projects at this point is merely speculative, I wouldn’t feel comfortable saying one way or another,” Moore said.

 

While the projects may be uncertain, those who will be contracted to construct these improvements will be chosen under equitable regulations.  No one company will get all the projects.

 

“I am very proud of the resolution proposed by myself and Kwanza Hall, and passed by the City Council, that mandates equity in the distribution of contracts for the potential MARTA projects,” Dickens said.

 

The resolution also mandates that the labor used to build these improvements be a certain percentage local to provide jobs for the citizens of the city.

 

APN asked Councilman Dickens how the City would enforce this mandate on MARTA and he responded that the specifics of enforcement have not been worked out yet.

 

“It is important that we are intentional and deliberate to make sure that the public is heard in regards to prioritizing project,” Moore said.

 

Dates and locations for community input meetings would be set in January 2017 if the referendum passes, Alisa Jackson of MARTA said.

 

“The public will help prioritize the projects based on community meetings that will be held if this referendum is successful,“ Jackson said.

 

“For this thing to work as we want it to, MARTA needs to listen. We need the purest desires of the community represented,” Bond said.

 

“We need the greatest amount of people having the greatest access to public transit. If we want to compete with the great cities of the future, and not just in the USA, but compete with cities around the globe, we need to be making these investments,” Bond said.

 

(END/2016)


Decatur Voters Consider Tax Relief for Seniors

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decatur-yes(APN) DECATUR — Signs are up all over the City of Decatur, not for Clinton or Trump, but to support tax relief for seniors on the November 08, 2016 General Election ballot.

 

State Sen. Elena Parent (D-Atlanta) and Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver (D-Decatur) sponsored five local bills that passed the Georgia Legislature this session, which created the voter referendum on whether to give tax relief to seniors in the City of Decatur.

 

The first four of the City of Decatur’s five homestead exemption bills relate to municipal taxes only and do not affect school taxes.  The fifth bill will affect school taxes.

 

Senate Bill 339 increases the General Homestead Exemption from 20,000 dollars to 25,000 dollars.  This will benefit all homeowners.

 

Senate Bill 340 increases an existing homestead exemption from 1,000 dollars to 10,000 dollars for homeowners over 65.

 

Senate Bill 341 removes an obsolete homestead exemption.

 

Senate Bill 342 adds a new 15,000 dollar exemption for homeowners 62 years of age and older, whose annual incomes do not exceed 50,000 dollars.

 

Most important is Senate Bill 343, which relieves homeowners 65 years of age of school taxes.  This bill would provide significant relief to seniors, enabling many to keep their homes and remain in a city where they have lived for decades.  It also maintains diversity in Decatur.

 

At a June 15 City Commission meeting, former Decatur Mayor Elizabeth Wilson told the commissioners that if taxes keep going up she’ll no longer be able to afford to live in the city, according to Decaturish.

 

Donna and Bob Bohanan have lived in Decatur for 35 years and feel strong ties to the  community, including neighbors, restaurants, bars, and stores.  Decatur is home for the Bohanan family.

 

The November 08 vote on tax relief for seniors is critical for a lot of people who are long time Decatur residents and are now retired and living on fixed incomes.

 

“We don’t want to move but it’s a lot of money to pay each year for taxes.  We need this tax break now,” Donna Bohanan said.

 

“I try to not take things personally, but I find myself thinking that if this vote does not go through then the majority of people in Decatur don’t really want people like me living here,” she said.

 

Russ Madison with the Revenue Division in Decatur gave an example of what the passage of these tax relief bills would mean for a low-income, 65 year-old senior living in Decatur with a home valued at 350,000 dollars.

 

“Instead of a 5,300 dollar tax bill for the year, it would be reduced by about three thousand dollars,” Madison told Atlanta Progressive News.

 

Some seniors over 70 with low incomes and home values may already be exempted from school taxes.

 

Judy Conder, another City of Decatur resident, does not have children, but has been paying school taxes for twelve years.

 

Now that she is retired and on a fixed income, Conder tells APN that “it is getting harder to come up with the money each year.”

 

“If the tax exemption doesn’t pass in November, unfortunately, I’ll have to move,” Conder said.

 

Condor is not alone, if these bills don’t pass Decatur will see a mass exodus of seniors who can no longer afford to live in Decatur.

 

Ironically, exempting seniors from paying the school tax is expected to be financially beneficial to the school system in Decatur.  How so?

 

“When a senior sells their house, it is generally expanded or torn down to make way for a 4-5 bedroom home where multiple children move in, adding to the overcrowding of the schools,” in Decatur, Sen. Parent said in an email.

 

“By allowing seniors to remain in their homes longer, it gives the school system an opportunity to slow enrollment.  It costs the school system less to allow the senior to age in place than to add 2-3 children to the system.  In five years the exemption will be re-evaluated when adjustments such as an income or assessment cap can be included if needed,” Sen. Parent explained in an email.

 

(END/2016)

Encampment at Atlanta City Hall Addresses Gentrification

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face-of-arrogance(APN) ATLANTA — On Monday, November 07, 2016, ATLisReady, a coalition of dozens of organizations, distributed a position paper to the City Council of Atlanta and Mayor Kasim Reed on the problems of, and solutions to, Atlanta’s Equity Crisis.  Then, they set up a Tent City outside of City Hall, and they stayed through Tuesday morning.

 

The City too Busy to Hate has become the City too Greedy to Care, activists say.

 

For decades, Atlanta has systematically displaced poor and working class people, including by demolishing thousands of units of affordable public housing, and by supporting and failing to mitigate gentrification.

 

As has been reported in depth by Atlanta Progressive News, redevelopment has ignored low and moderate income renters and favored luxury rental units, pushing unaffordable rental prices.

 

What the City of Atlanta,considers “affordable housing” is deceptive for at least two reasons.  First, because it’s based on the Metro Atlanta area, it factors in numerous high income neighborhoods in Sandy Springs and Marietta in the Area Median Income (AMI).

 

Second, in its most recent trend of public policies, the income levels targeted for production or rehabilitation of units have been at 60 or 80 percent of the AMI, or even higher.

 

Thus, Atlanta policies have not been reflective of the actual need of low income citizens in Atlanta, who have the greatest unmet needs on the market and are the greatest bracket with housing cost burden.

 

“AMI should not be up at 60 percent and 80 percent.  That deals with people who already have money, not with people who have been marginalized,” State Rep. Mable Thomas (D-Atlanta) told Atlanta Progressive News

 

At 80 percent AMI, an individual’s rent would be approximately 1,000 dollars per month, and at 60 percent around 800 dollars per month.

 

A minimum wage worker making $7.25 an hour can only pay about 300 dollars per month in rent and not be considered housing cost burdened.

 

This disparity has lead to a renters’ crisis for working class Atlantans who can no longer afford to live in the City.   Many working poor citizens are living in homeless shelters or in their cars.

 

The ATLisReady Equity Crisis Policy Priorities paper recommends to replace the Area Median Income with Neighborhood Median Income to accurately measure the need for affordable housing.

 

ATLisReady demands public accountability for intentionally disadvantaging low/working class families by demolishing public housing and contributing to the regional inequity crisis.

 

“People will be in an active state of resistance until the livelihood of poor and working class, Black and brown people are prioritized in policy,” Avery Jackson, a Morehouse student with ATLisReady, promised the City Council members.

 

The complete problems of the equity crisis in Atlanta and solutions from the community can be accessed here:   http://www.atlisready.black/equity-crisis-policy-priorities/

 

The Housing Justice League has released a report on “Renter’s State of Emergency” that you can read here.

 

http://bit.ly/29USWmD

 

After the Council Meeting, a Tent City was raised at City Hall with over fifty people sleeping outside to bring attention to the Equity Crisis and the crisis involving the Metro Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless.

 

Activists fed homeless people who came up at any point during the encampment.

 

Atlanta police came by at one point at after 10 p.m., and stayed about fifteen minutes and left.

 

The Tent City is a continuation of a new, youth-led movement that seems to be emerging in Atlanta, that last month disrupting the Atlanta City Council when they passed Ordinance 16-0-1501 to begin the process of stealing the Peachtree and Pine property through eminent domain.

 

http://atlantaprogressivenews.com/2016/10/05/black-lives-matter-shuts-down-atlanta-council-as-council-approves-eminent-domain-talks-for-peachtree-pine/

 

Atlanta City Councilwoman Felicia Moore (District 9) was the only council member with the courage to vote no on that ordinance.  She is running for City Council President in 2017.

 

“Felicia Moore showed some strengths.  The rest are Kasim puppets who do his bidding.  The business community and the old money power structure pulls Reed’s strings.  They will give you a Black face to run a Black city but the interests are still the White elite minority,” Taiza Troutman, ATLisReady member, tells APN.

 

“We will not stop until Atlanta is equitable.  There are too many people at the bottom suffering and now it is trickling up to people in the middle with people not being able to live in the City anymore.  There are no protections for people who are not rich,” Troutman said.

 

On November 01, 2016, over one hundred people marched from the Task Force for the Homeless at Peachtree and Pine to Atlanta City Hall to oppose the City’s efforts to take the shelter property by eminent domain.

 

It was also to commemorate Homeless Memorial Day, which started in 1988 when seventeen homeless people froze to death on the streets of Atlanta in one night; and to remember and honor the 57 homeless people who have died in the streets this year.

 

http://atlantaprogressivenews.com/2010/11/07/homeless-memorial-day-2010-in-atlanta/

 

Peachtree and Pine is an overflow shelter that takes in everyone, including mentally ill people.   Homeless people who sleep outside and in abandoned buildings or homes will come to Peachtree & Pine when the weather gets cold.

 

Cold weather raises the homeless population at the shelter from 500 plus to over one thousand.

 

“If the temperature drops below 32 degrees and you are not registered and living in a shelter, the other shelters will refuse you entry,” Marshall Rancifer, Founder Justice for All, tells APN.

 

Councilmember Moore wants the Mayor and other Council Members to answer three questions before they charge ahead and throw hundreds of homeless people out in the middle of winter.

 

First, where is the feasibility study to show the need for a police station at Peachtree & Pine that was required by previous ordinance?  Second, where is the City’s action plan to house all the hundreds of people currently living at Peachtree & Pine.  Third, where is the money coming from to pay for all this?

 

Thus far, they haven’t answered Moore’s questions because they do not have the answers.

 

“If people desire to close Peachtree & Pine without a plan of action, we are setting ourselves up for a bad situation.  I don’t understand why people think that 500 plus people–who have a place to go now but without a place to go–they will disappear?” Moore said.

 

“Atlanta is heavy with economic development, but they have left out the equity piece.  If we continue to go this way, the City cannot sustain and it will crumble at the hands of all of these Council Members and the Mayor,” Troutman predicts.

 

(END/2016)

“Not My President,” Atlantans Express in Trump Protest

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fck-trump(APN) ATLANTA — Thousands of Atlantans, led by Millennials, took over the streets on Friday night, November 11, 2016, chanting such expressions as, “Not My President!,” “F*ck Trump,”  and “Love Trumps Hate.”

 

It was the third night of national protests to Trump’s election and racist policies since Tuesday’s election.

 

A World Without Police (AWWP) organized the night’s resistance to Trump’s stated plans to deport millions of immigrants, build a wall at the Mexican border, cancel funding for Sanctuary Cities, banning Muslims from entering the U.S., increase funding to assist local police, increase resources for federal law enforcement, and expand military investment.

 

http://aworldwithoutpolice.org/

 

Before the march started, organizers asked people in the crowd to make remarks, offering a wide range of concerns and views.  Numerous people spoke, often not stating their names.

 

“My parents came to this country over twenty years ago and put their blood, sweat, and tears into this country.  To think that people with the color of my skin will be kicked out of this country after putting so much work into it is despicable and disappointing,” a young woman with immigrant parents said.

 

“I will not wait for someone to knock on the door and tell me my marriage is invalid, or that my Spanish and Muslim friends are being deported,” one man, who identified as gay, said.

 

Trump’s campaign rhetoric has turned loose the dogs of racism, bigotry, sexism, and White supremacy, which have further divided the country.

 

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has seen over 200 hate crimes since Tuesday’s election.

 

https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2016/11/11/over-200-incidents-hateful-harassment-and-intimidation-election-day

 

“This country was built on slavery and the murder of indigenous people.  We are going to speak up and be heard today.  It’s going to take all of us to turn this sh*t upside down,” one woman said.

 

“We come here tonight from different movements like raising the minimum wage to fifteen dollars an hour, getting police terrorism out of Black and Brown communities, stopping the Dakota pipeline, and any capitalist endeavor to destroy our planet and resources we depend on, and to keep immigrants families together.  We need to be for our issues and not just against Trump,” a union worker said.

 

“The city has gone through multiple transformation imposed by the City and the business elites and they have pushed poor Black and Brown residents out of this city.  They are trying to turn the City of Atlanta into one big f*cking Buckhead.  We see how White supremacy operates on a corporate level,” a White man said.

 

“This system is rotten to the core.  We need to reach out and make alliances and put our bodies on the line to stand up to this bullsh*t.  Immigrants and other minorities need protection,” a Native American from Mexico said.

 

“I’m out here to spread the word about Socialism and get people to be more class conscious to think about how it’s not just the Republicans who are screwing over the people it’s the Democrats too.  They are both against the working class,” a young Socialist said.

 

“There is a nakedness to Trump’s racism, sexism, and classist opportunism that has made us all wake up to the path this county is on… The Democratic Party wants us to give Trump a chance.  We won’t,” a press release from AWWP states.

 

(END/2016)

Sen. Fort, Mayoral Candidate, Seeks to Decriminalize Cannabis in Atlanta

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vincent-fort(APN) ATLANTA — When State Sen. Vincent Fort (D-Atlanta) announced his run for Mayor of Atlanta on November 12, 2016, he became the first candidate for Atlanta elected office to run on a platform that includes decriminalization of cannabis, or marijuana, within City limits.

 

This would mean that cannabis would remain illegal at the state level in Georgia, and at the federal level; however, the City of Atlanta would not put people in jail for possession of small amounts of cannabis.

 

Earlier this year, the City of Atlanta was outdone by the City of Clarkston, Georgia, when Clarkston became the first city in Georgia to decriminalize cannabis.  Cities and entire states across the U.S. are decriminalizing cannabis, and six U.S. states have legalized it entirely, while Georgia still lacks a decent medical program.

 

“The reason I am proposing decriminalization of marijuana is because it is the main entry into the criminal justice system for so many young people,” Sen. Fort told Atlanta Progressive News.

 

“The marijuana usage rates are comparable for Black and White folks.  The fact is more Black people get arrested and convicted and sent to jail for simple possession of marijuana,” Sen. Fort said.

 

A report by the American Civil Liberties Union, “The Marijuana War in Black in White,” confirms that billions of dollars are wasted on racially biased arrests of Black people.

 

https://www.aclu.org/report/report-war-marijuana-black-and-white?redirect=criminal-law-reform/war-marijuana-black-and-white

 

“It is not legalization, but it is decriminalization.  Clarkston is one attractive model we will look at closely,” Sen. Fort told APN.

 

In an earlier APN report, Matt Fogg, a retired U.S. Marshall, exposed the truth about drug arrests.

 

http://atlantaprogressivenews.com/2016/01/13/activists-host-panel-on-georgia-gulag/

 

Matt Fogg, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition ( LEAP), said that if law enforcement officers enforce drug laws the same in Atlanta’s Buckhead neighborhood, as in the Bankhead neighborhood, those officers would get in trouble.

 

“Police go after the low-level offenders, the ones who cannot afford a lawyer and will take whatever deal is offered to them.  It makes their arrest numbers look good,” Fogg said.

 

Sen. Fort also points to Quality of Life ordinances that target homeless and mentally ill people as another source that fills the jails with people who could be better helped with social programs.

 

http://atlantaprogressivenews.com/2016/06/28/homeless-fill-atlantas-jails-due-to-quality-of-life-policies-over-100000-qol-arrests-in-three-years/

 

Sen. Fort plans to institute community policing again where the community and the police partner together for a more just and safer city.

 

The November 2017 Mayoral election is less than one year away.

 

Other candidates for Mayor include Council President Ceasar Mitchell, Councilwoman Mary Norwood (Post 2-at-large), Councilwoman Keisha Lance Bottoms (District 11), former Council President Cathy Woolard, Michael Sterling, the former Director of Atlanta Workforce Development Agency, former COO Peter Aman, and perennial candidate Al Bartell.  Councilman Kwanza Hall (District 2) is expected to announce.

 

Former State Rep. Margaret Kaiser (D-Atlanta) withdrew her candidacy after Norwood entered the race.

 

Mass incarceration, gentrification, homelessness, and lack of affordable housing are out of control in Atlanta, and Sen. Fort (D-Atlanta) plans to focus on all these issues if he is elected Mayor of Atlanta.

 

During his twenty years as an elected official, Sen. Fort has consistently advocated for progressive causes and for the least of these, in the streets and in the halls of power.

 

Protecting neighborhoods and revitalizing of neglected neighborhoods are priorities of a Fort administration.

 

“It don’t matter what research you look at Atlanta is at the top in income inequality and immobility, that’s not a city that works for everybody,” Senator Fort told APN.

 

“There was a time when City Hall looked out for regular folks and neighborhoods, and now they watch out for millionaires and billionaires,” Fort said.

 

“We have to be a City that respects people who already live in the community, as well as welcome newcomers,” Fort said.

 

“That is why the Turner Field struggle is so important to me.  City Hall should not be in a situation of displacing people for a retention pond when it has been proven that the preferred place for the pond was near Turner Field,” Fort tells APN, referring to the Mayor’s use of eminent domain in Peoplestown.

 

http://atlantaprogressivenews.com/2016/11/24/mayor-reed-thankful-for-eminent-domain-residents-advocates-fight-back/

 

(END/2016)

APN Releases Atlanta Council Scorecard for 2016

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scorecard-2016-pic(APN) ATLANTA — As 2016 winds down and the City of Atlanta’s 2017 Municipal Election cycle picks up, Atlanta Progressive News is releasing its Atlanta City Councilmember Scorecard.

 

APN’s Scorecard is one of the most comprehensive, substantive, and transparent scorecards of the Atlanta City Council.  The Scorecard is available as a public Google Spreadsheet:

 

http://bit.ly/2ixKV6s

 

APN has been issuing this Scorecard since 2009.  The Scorecard contains sixty specific votes taken by the Full Council dating back to 2003, in which Atlanta Progressive News has taken a position for or against each legislative item or motion.

 

Once again, Councilwoman Natalyn Archibong (District 5) is the most progressive legislator on the City Council, with a score of 86 out of 100.

 

The second most progressive Atlanta Councilmember is Felicia Moore (District 9), with a score of 79.3.  Moore is running for City Council President.

 

By contrast, two other candidates for Council President–C.T. Martin (District 10) and Alex Wan (District 6)–have scores of 57.1 and 45.8, respectively.  This makes Moore, who seems quite content to be the only nay vote on many issues, the most progressive candidate for Atlanta City Council.

 

The least progressive Councilmember is Keisha Lance Bottoms (District 11), with a score of 32.6.  Bottoms is running for Mayor of Atlanta.

 

Mary Norwood (Post 2-at-large), who is running for Mayor, has a score of exactly fifty percent, although it is based on fewer votes than most Councilmembers – only 18.  Her score is based on a few votes taken during her first term on Council which ended in 2009 when she ran for Mayor; and several votes taken during her second term which began in 2014.

 

Kwanza Hall, with a score of 58.7, has the highest score of any Councilmember running for Mayor.

 

The ranking of the current fifteen Councilmembers are as follows:

 

NATALYN ARCHIBONG    86

 

FELICIA MOORE       79.3

 

MICHAEL BOND       65

 

ANDRE DICKENS       64.3

 

KWANZA HALL       58.7

 

CT MARTIN       57.1

 

MARY NORWOOD       50

 

YOLANDA ADREAN       48.9

 

ALEX WAN       45.8

 

IVORY YOUNG       39.3

 

HOWARD SHOOK       38.9

 

CARLA SMITH       38.6

 

JOYCE SHEPERD       35.4

 

CLETA WINSLOW       35.2

 

KEISHA BOTTOMS       32.6

 

Votes added to the Scorecard for 2015 and 2016 include:

 

  • Approval of the Fort McPherson deal at the last minute and with lack of transparency, wherein Councilwoman Moore was the only nay vote, (APN opposed);

 

  • The nomination of former Councilman Lamar Willis to the Land Bank Authority, where the Council voted seven yeas and seven nays, with Council President Ceasar Mitchell breaking the tie with an eighth nay vote.  Mr. Willis had stolen money from an injured child and was later disbarred as an attorney, (APN opposed);

 

  • Approval of Affordable Housing Impact Statements, legislation drafted by APN’s Editor that was unanimously approved by the Council (APN supported);

 

  • Approval of the Pre-arrest Diversion Initiative, (APN supported);

 

  • The 2015 study of the need for a public safety facility where the Metro Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless currently resides, where only Councilwoman Moore voted nay, (APN opposed);

 

  • The 2016 legislation authorizing negotiations for purchase of the property where the Task Force for the Homeless currently resides, where again only Councilwoman Moore voted nay, noting that the 2015 study was not completed and there was no plan to house all the homeless people who would be displaced, (APN opposed);

 

  • The sale of Turner Field to the Atlanta Fulton County Recreation Authority, so it could move forward on the sale to Georgia State, even without any mandate for affordable housing and without the completion of the community benefit study, (APN opposed);

 

  • Privatization of downtown streets surrounding Underground Atlanta, (APN opposed).

 

(END/2016)

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