Monthly Archives: July 2016

Kwanza Hall Ordinance Seeks to Repeal Atlanta’s Quality of Life Code

kwanza hall 2

With additional reporting by Matthew Charles Cardinale.   (APN) ATLANTA — Atlanta City Councilman Kwanza Hall (District 2) has introduced an ordinance that, in its current form, would repeal the section of the City of Atlanta’s Code of Ordinances that currently contains the so-called “Quality of Life” laws that disproportionately target homeless people, poor people, people of color, and other […]

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Atlanta Pre-Arrest Diversion Initiative Marks Official Launch

LEAD atlanta

(APN) ATLANTA — Last month, in June 2016, the City of Atlanta and Fulton County officially launched the Pre-Arrest Diversion (PAD) Initiative to divert from the criminal justice system people whose infractions are driven mainly by addiction, mental illness, and poverty.   The launch makes Atlanta/Fulton County the fifth jurisdiction in the U.S. to embrace the PAD program.  The project […]

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Housing Justice League Hosts Public Hearing on Renter’s State of Emergency

atlanta renters state of emergency

(APN) ATLANTA — The Housing Justice League presented “Renter’s State of Emergency,” its report on the struggle of low-income workers to pay their rent, to the public and to various elected officials in a public hearing held on Tuesday, July 19, 2016.   Advocates presented their research report to assist the Atlanta City Council with policy decisions going forward.   […]

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

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 […]

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ANALYSIS: Mayor’s Closed Meeting with Protesters Likely Violated Open Meetings Law

unlovable brats

Reporting on protest and meeting by Gloria Tatum.  Legal analysis by Matthew Charles Cardinale, News Editor.   (APN) ATLANTA — A meeting held yesterday, Monday, July 18, 2016, between organizers of recent protests against police violence; and City of Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, Police Chief Turner, Atlanta City Councilmembers, and others, appears to have turned into what constituted, at minimum, […]

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

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 […]

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Five Nights of Youth Protests, Copious Arrests in Atlanta after Latest Police Killings

black lives matter

  Photograph by Laura Emiko Solitis   (APN) ATLANTA — Five nights of protests in Atlanta has temporarily ended with a promise for a formal meeting Monday, July 19, 2016 between Black Lives Matter (BLM) leaders, other organizers, Mayor of Atlanta Kasim Reed, and Atlanta Police Chief George Turner to discuss their complaints.   The Monday night July 11 protest […]

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PSC Staff Recommends Approval of More Delays, Cost Overruns for Vogtle Construction, Round Fourteen

vogtle construction

(APN) ATLANTA — During the June 30, 2016 hearing of the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) on the 14th Vogtle Construction Monitoring (VCM) report, on the proposed new Reactors 3 and 4, the public witnessed Georgia Power and the PSC doing the “time warp” yet again.   “There will be further delays for both Vogtle 3 and 4, Steven Roetger […]

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

linda pritchett

With 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 […]

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Metro Atlantans Rally over Black Man Found Hanging in Tree in Midtown Park

black lives matter

Photograph courtesy of Laura Emiko Soltis.   (APN) ATLANTA — Two gigantic rallies have been held in the last two days since the tragic discovery of a deceased Black man hanging in a tree in Piedmont Park on the morning of Thursday, July 07, 2016.   The first rally on Thursday evening, was held in immediate response to the news […]

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City of Clarkston Reduces Marijuana Penalty to 75 Dollars for Simple Possession

clarkston council and mayor

(APN) CLARKSTON — The City Council of Clarkston, Georgia, voted unanimously on Tuesday night, July 05, 2016, to lower simple possession of one ounce or less of cannabis (“marijuana”) to a 75 dollar fine with no jail time.   Harsh state law in Georgia allows for arrest and confinement of people for up to one year in jail, in addition […]

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