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The Atlanta Voice maintains full authority over editorial content to protect journalistic and business interests. We ensure a clear separation between news coverage decisions and revenue sources. Accepting financial support does not imply endorsement of donors or their products, services, or viewpoints. While we welcome contributions, grants, and sponsorships to support our work, our editorial decisions remain independent and unaltered by donor support. We may accept paid sponsored content from advertisers for specific subjects, but we maintain editorial control over such coverage. The Atlanta Voice retains the right to review, change, or modify editorial content, and does not permit unauthorized distribution of such material. When applicable, we disclose our donors and stakeholders in an editor’s note or within the report.
The Atlanta Voice maintains full authority over editorial content to protect journalistic and business interests. We ensure a clear separation between news coverage decisions and revenue sources. Accepting financial support does not imply endorsement of donors or their products, services, or viewpoints. While we welcome contributions, grants, and sponsorships to support our work, our editorial decisions remain independent and unaltered by donor support. We may accept paid sponsored content from advertisers for specific subjects, but we maintain editorial control over such coverage. The Atlanta Voice retains the right to review, change, or modify editorial content, and does not permit unauthorized distribution of such material. When applicable, we disclose our donors and stakeholders in an editor’s note or within the report.
There are eight days remaining in the 2024 Presidential Election for Vice President Kamala D. Harris and former President Donald J. Trump. In the last week, Vice President Harris visited Clarkston, an enclave bordered by Decatur to the west and Stone Mountain to the east. Friday, Harris visited Houston, Texas to campaign alongside U.S. Represntative Colin Allred, Kelly Rowland, and Beyoncé. Saturday, Michelle Obama joined Harris to rally voters in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Meanwhile, Trump headlined a rally at Madison Square Garden and is set to return to Atlanta tonight at Georgia Tech.
What do we know about the race with one week to go?
First, the early voting turnout in Georgia has surpassed the levels from 2020. As of 6am Monday morning, 38.9% of Georgia’s registered voters have made their choice in this year’s presidential election. More than 2.81 million voters have cast their ballot. Black voters make up nearly 34% of that turnout. The general rule of thumb is if more than 30% of Black voters vote for the Democratic Party, it bodes well for their chances. In the cases for Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Fulton and Henry Counties, total turnout has been north of 40% during the early voting period.
Additionally, 71,000 Georgians who were registered to vote in 2020, but did not cast a ballot in that election, have already cast a ballot this year during the first week of early voting. Among newly-activated voters, Democrats currently hold an edge.
Every single survey has Harris and Trump locked in a dead heat in Georgia.
Maya Harris speaks during a campaign rally for Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday, October 18, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo: Itoro N. Umontuen/The Atlanta Voice)
A Woman’s Right to Choose is central to Democrats closing message
During each campaign stop, one message was clear: reproductive freedom for women is true freedom for all Americans. The stories of the pain and suffering were told in an effervescent manner. Thursday, the family of Amber Nicole Thurman attended the Harris rally in Clarkston. Friday, Harris rallied voters in Houston on her pledge to codify Roe v. Wade into federal law. Texas, like Georgia, abortion procedures are prohibited at six weeks – before many women know they are pregnant – with exceptions only if the mother’s life is in danger.
“So do you think Donald Trump is thinking about the consequences for the millions of women who will be living in medical deserts,” asked Michelle Obama during her speech in Houston. “Does anyone think he has the emotional maturity and foresight to come up with a plan to protect us?”
During an event hosted by Maya Harris, the women backing the Vice President Harris urged attendees to vote early and in person, emphasizing the significance of youth and diverse voter engagement. Maya Harris also underscored the Vice President’s commitment to reproductive freedom. The message was clear: individual efforts can make a significant impact, and the collective goal is to ensure Kamala Harris becomes the next President.
Objectives for enshrining Roe
Vote for Kamala Harris in the upcoming election, as she has pledged to protect reproductive rights and expand access to healthcare.
Women must have open and honest conversations important men in their lives to make it clear that protecting women’s health and rights is a priority. Urge the gentlemen to vote accordingly.
Encourage women, especially first-time voters, to exercise their right to vote and make their voices heard on these critical issues.
Support efforts to pass legislation that would restore nationwide protections for reproductive rights.
Advocate against policies and politicians that seek to restrict or undermine access to reproductive healthcare, including abortion, contraception, and maternal care.
Maya Harris takes a selfie with a crowd during a campaign rally for Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday, October 18, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo: Itoro N. Umontuen/The Atlanta Voice)
“It is why she has spent her entire life fighting for each of us to be able to have that freedom,” explained Maya Harris. “To put a fine point on it, like the freedom to make our own decisions about our health, our families and our futures. Which includes our reproductive freedom, which is a defining issue, not just in this election, but for our entire country. And certainly for this room in so many ways. It’s an issue that Kamala has been the strongest, most vocal champion of this issue since the overturning of Roe v Wade.”
Puerto Rico, an American territory, MAGA’s latest target
While Kamala Harris was in Philadelphia on Sunday, Donald Trump staged a rally at Madison Square Garden in New York City. It was apropos for Trump to hold such an event on an NFL Sunday. Trump notoriously failed in his attempt to buy the Buffalo Bills and the NFL put the former United States Football League out of business in the 1980s.
As for modern times, Trump and his surrogates put on a rally that was red meat for conservatives living on Long Island and Staten Island. Comedian Tony Hinchcliff warmed up the crowd by dehumanizing Puerto Ricans when he said, “I don’t know if you know this but there’s literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now. I think it’s called Puerto Rico.” That joke did not go over well for U.S. Senator Rick Scott, a Republican from Florida currently fighting to keep his seat.
The problem for Scott is that every speaker was vetted by Team Trump. Scott is locked in a battle with Debbie Mucarsel-Powell for his seat in November’s elections. Florida is home to the largest number of Puerto Ricans in the United States outside of the island itself.
Conversely, Marc Anthony, Bad Bunny, Jennifer Lopez, Ricky Martin, Luis Fonsi and others have shared a post by Kamala Harris which outlines her plans for Puerto Rico. Each person is supporting Harris in the election.
Notably, about 100,000 Puerto Ricans live in Georgia. Also notable, it took the Trump team six hours to clean up the disastrous fallout from the joke. “This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign,” says Trump campaign Senior Advisor Danielle Alvarez. I mean, this too is a lie because Trump spent the week calling America a ‘garbage can.’ Trump also wanted to swap Puerto Rico for Greenland in 2020.
Trump does nothing to distance himself from the fascist labels
David Rem, a Trump surrogate, called Vice President Harris ‘the antichrist’. Tucker Carlson referred to Harris as, ‘a Samoan, Malaysian, low IQ former California prosecutor.’ Stephen Miller said, ‘America is for Americans and Americans only.’ That quote was directly lifted from Adolf Hitler’s speech in 1934 when he said, ‘Germany is for Germans and Germans only.’ No coincidence here. The Nazi Party held a rally at the World’s Most Famous Arena in 1939, espousing similar views.
This story will not directly discuss Trump’s former Chief of Staff John Kelly proclaiming that his former boss is a fascist and wishes he had generals that are loyal to him like Hitler’s. However, Miller’s quote is directly reminiscent of Joseph Goebbels, the philosopher of the Nazi Party. Goebbels drafted its literature which was cloaked in antisemitism.
For Trump, he realized his dream of seeing his name in lights on Sunday. Like his rally in Traverse City on Friday, Trump showed up hours late for his event. Trump labeled the Democrats as ‘the enemy from within’ because he believes they’ve done terrible things to America. Trump rattled through his greatest hits Sunday. He attacked the media and referred to America’s generals as ‘weak, stupid people’. Trump also said FEMA’s response to Hurricane Helene in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina was worse than Hurricane Katrina because FEMA paid out money to undocumented immigrants. That is an outright lie.
Subsequently, his followers left MSG after they could not sit around any longer.
Black Men and the Vote
Former U.S. President Barack Obama speaks during a campaign event for Democratic presidential nominee, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, at the James R Hallford Stadium on October 24, 2024 in Clarkston, Georgia. (Photo: Itoro N. Umontuen/The Atlanta Voice)
During Sunday night’s WinWithBlackMen call, it emphasized the importance of increasing Black voter turnout in key battleground states. Key metrics included Black women voting 34-56 points above Black men in some states, and over 65% of Black voters aged 65+ having already voted. In Georgia, 38% of Black men have voted in the 2024 Elections.
Many leaders on the call were emphasizing to young voters that their vote can make a critical difference. For example, The Collective PAC is hiring up to 15,000 voting ambassadors in key swing states, including Georgia, to organize their friends and family. They are encouraging young people to sign up as ambassadors and leverage their personal networks to drive voter turnout.
The idea that Black men are not turning out for Harris is a myth. 72% of Black men are supporting Harris according to a Pew Research Center survey. However, misogyny is what is driving conversation. It is not a myth that misogyny by some Black men are being platformed by the Republican Party. Those pleas got hollowed out when “Dixie” was played before the U.S. Representative, Byron Donalds, was introduced in New York City Sunday afternoon.
The finish line is approaching
With eight days remaining, the Harris campaign has momentum. They are packing out stadiums. If polling data is not to be trusted, follow the money. The Harris campaign raised more than $1 billion in the period before September 30th, according to official filings.
Conversely, the Trump campaign is resigned to using racism and threats of violence. Trump even winked at the U.S. House Speaker, Mike Johnson, saying: “I think with our little secret we are gonna do really well with the house. Our little secret is having a big impact. He and I have a little secret. We will tell you what it is when the race is over.” Trump hopes the Election has enough chaos that it shall be thrown into the House of Representatives.
Donald Trump pledges to use the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798. It was created to deport individuals during war with France, to deport undocumented immigrants from the United States. While Trump’s surrogates are making jingoistic and xenophobic remarks, Vice President Kamala Harris is shoring up support within Latino communities in Philadelphia.
The case for both candidates is now in the collective hands of Georgia voters.
(CNN) — Georgia’s secretary of state’s office this month fended off a cyberattack believed to have come from a foreign country against the website voters use to request absentee ballots, the office told CNN.
The state’s cyber defenses — aided by tech firm Cloudflare — repelled the hackers’ attempts to knock the absentee ballot website offline, and there was no disruption to voters’ ability to request ballots.
“It slowed our systems down for a little bit, but it never stopped our systems from working,” Gabe Sterling, an official in Georgia’s secretary of state’s office, which oversees elections in the battleground state, told CNN.
The cyberattack likely originated from overseas and had “the hallmarks of a foreign power or a foreign entity [acting] at the behest of a foreign power,” Sterling said.
US officials have yet to publicly confirm that assessment.
Hundreds of thousands of IP addresses from numerous countries flooded the Georgia website with bogus traffic, Sterling said in an interview on Wednesday.
“From talking to experts, it felt like a probing attack, saying, ‘Hey, if we do this, what will they do in response?’” Sterling said.
CNN has requested comment from Cloudflare, a San Francisco-based firm that protects large portions of the internet from cyberattacks.
The FBI and US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency are aware of the cyberattack and worked with the Georgia secretary of state’s office in the aftermath of the incident, sources told CNN. The FBI declined to comment. CISA referred questions to officials in Georgia.
The incident is a reminder of the keen interest that hackers take in election-related targets with the US presidential race in its final days. In a given election cycle, a range of cybercriminals and state-backed hacking groups might opportunistically target political campaigns and election offices for their own purposes.
None of the cyber activity has prevented the casting or tallying of votes so far; it’s instead often aimed at voters’ perceptions of the democratic process.
Separate from the Georgia incident, Iranian government-linked hackers have researched and probed election-related websites in multiple US swing states, in a possible effort to discover vulnerabilities that could be used to influence the election, Microsoft said on Wednesday.
Election offices in Georgia are no stranger to cyber threats.
Georgia’s Coffee County was hit with a cyberattack in April that forced the county to sever its connection to the state’s voter registration system as a precautionary measure, CNN previously reported.
Mishael White, a first-time candidate for Georgia House District 81, discussed his campaign focused on unifying diverse residents in Henry County. He emphasized addressing common issues transcending party and race. White highlighted his commitment to public service and the positive community response to his blue-collar background.
House District 81 contains portions of Locust Grove and McDonough.
“It’s a diverse area. You have a mix of Democrat, Republican, white, and Black. “But the things that I’ve been focused on in the campaign are the issues that we that we share in common. These are issues that transcend party and they transcend race. And so the type of campaign that I’ve been running is one that is looking to unify us.”
White also stresses the importance of reducing Georgia’s high maternal mortality rate. Plus, White speaks about the rumored disconnect between Black men and the Democratic Party. He stresses the importance of framing the rise of a black woman as a positive development that does not come at the expense of Black men and encourages a focus on qualifications and policy impact. White also emphasizes the need for better messaging and outreach to highlight policies that benefit Black men, such as criminal justice reform and education investment.
White also talks about Georgia’s heartbeat law which bans abortions at six weeks of pregnancy. Georgia’s abortion bans occur before an embryo is fully formed. Georgia is one of fourteen states where such abortion bans are on the books. White commits to representing the voices of his constituents and voting based on their needs and concerns.
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Itoro Umontuen currently serves as Managing Editor of The Atlanta Voice. Upon his arrival to the historic publication, he served as their Director of Photography. As a mixed-media journalist, Umontuen…
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ATLANTA – Gregory Buckner has been sentenced to federal prison for possessing with the intent to distribute fentanyl and heroin and attempting to sell thousands of fentanyl pills disguised as oxycodone tablets.
“Fentanyl and heroin pose an especially insidious danger to the public because they are so often disguised as counterfeit pills,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “This investigation and prosecution are the product of our collaborative efforts with our law enforcement partners to remove these deadly drugs from our communities and hold accountable individuals, such as Buckner, who attempt to distribute and profit from them.”
“Keeping our communities safe is our highest priority,” said Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division. “The investigation and subsequent conviction of this drug dealer demonstrates the DEA’s commitment to fight drug traffickers who have no regard for the citizens of our community.”
According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges, and other information presented in court: In April 2023, Buckner attempted to sell 10,000 pills that purported to be oxycodone, but actually contained fentanyl. When investigators confronted Buckner in a vehicle just prior to this drug transaction, he jumped out of his car and fled on foot. DEA special agents then searched a storage unit rented by Buckner and found a kilogram of fentanyl and more than a kilogram of heroin. Buckner was arrested three months later as part of a fugitive operation.
Gregory Buckner, 48, of Decatur, Georgia, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Leigh Martin May to six years, 11 months in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release. Buckner was convicted of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, after he pleaded guilty on May 23, 2024.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration with valuable assistance provided by the Georgia State Patrol and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eric J. White and John T. DeGenova prosecuted the case.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney ruled Monday afternoon Georgia’s heartbeat law which bans abortions at six weeks of pregnancy is unconstitutional. The Georgia’s Living Infants Fairness and Equality (LIFE) Act, bans most abortions the moment “a detectable human heartbeat” is present.
Cardiac activity can be detected by ultrasound in cells within an embryo that will become the heart. That process could take place as early as six weeks into a pregnancy, before many pregnancies are detected.
Georgia is one of fourteen states where such abortion bans are enforced. As a result, abortions can resume beyond six weeks in Georgia until 22 weeks of pregnancy.
Here is a portion of McBurney’s ruling:
“While the State’s interest in protecting “unborn” life is compelling, until that life can be sustained by the State — and not solely by the woman compelled by the Act to do the State’s work — the balance of rights favors the woman.”
The Republican majority in the General Assembly passed the Living Infants and Equality (LIFE) Act in 2019. The law bans abortion in Georgia after a fetal heartbeat appears. The law included exceptions for rape, incest, and “medical emergencies,” defined as a life-threatening condition or threat of irreversible physical impairment to the mother.
Consequently, federal courts blocked the law from taking effect until 2022, after the United States Supreme Court overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion.
Georgia Democrats are celebrating the victory while preparing for the possibility McBurney’s ruling will be subject to appeal.
“Today’s decision is a critical victory for reproductive freedom in Georgia, reaffirming that politicians have no place in our personal medical decisions. While I am encouraged by this ruling, the work to restore reproductive freedom is far from over. Courts alone cannot protect our rights.
United States Representative Nikema Williams, D-Georgia, speaks during a press conference on Saturday, June 1, 2024 in Decatur, Georgia. (Photo: Itoro N. Umontuen/The Atlanta Voice)
We need federal protections for the right to make decisions about our bodies and futures now more than ever. I will continue fighting in Congress to ensure that everyone, no matter their zip code, has access to the full range of reproductive healthcare, including abortion.”
The reproductive rights group SisterSong filed a lawsuit challenging the law. They won an initial ruling by McBurney in November 2022 declaring the ban unconstitutional. However, the Georgia Supreme Court reversed McBurney’s decision one year later. The body sent the case back to Fulton County Superior Court, leading to Monday’s decision.
McBurney says women cannot do the State’s work
Additionally, McBurney’s order says “until that life can be sustained by the State — and not solely by the woman compelled by the Act to do the State’s work — the balance of rights favors the woman.”
Georgia State Senator Sonya Halpern, D-Atlanta, speaks inside the Georgia Senate chambers on Monday, February 26, 2024. (Photo: Itoro N. Umontuen/The Atlanta Voice)
“Today’s ruling is a win for women across Georgia, who once again have the right to make decisions about their own bodies,” says Georgia State Senator Sonya Halpern. “While we know this decision will likely face appeal, this moment offers hope to countless women who deserve the dignity and freedom to make their own healthcare choices. We will continue to fight to defend these rights for women across our state.”
Republicans promise to keep fighting for abortion restrictions
Governor Brian Kemp, who signed the bill into law on May 7, 2019, issued the following statement:
“Once again, the will of Georgians and their representatives have been overruled by the personal beliefs of one judge. Protecting the lives of the most vulnerable among us is one of our most sacred responsibilities, and Georgia will continue to be a place where we fight for the lives of the unborn.”
Unlike other states, Georgia does not have a mechanism allowing initiatives to appear on a ballot. As such, there are at least ten states that have the option to codify abortion access into their state’s constitution. However, Democrats have continually fought to make abortion access a central issue heading into November’s elections.
On the other hand, McBurney’s ruling also says that Georgia’s heartbeat bill induces women into a legal fight. According to his order, Georgia’s abortion ban makes women the inherent property of the State. Why? Their access to care is, “decided by majority vote.” McBurney continues, “Forcing a woman to carry an unwanted, not-yet-viable fetus to term violates her constitutional rights to liberty and privacy, even taking into consideration whatever bundle of rights the not-yet-viable fetus may have.”
A cautionary tale regarding abortion bans
Georgia’s abortion ban was held to harsh scrutiny as the story of Amber Nicole Thurman received more notoriety. Thurman, 28, went to Piedmont Henry Hospital in suburban Atlanta with signs of sepsis in August 2022. She had taken USDA-approved mifepristone and misoprostol to end her pregnancy. It took 20 hours for doctors to intervene with a dilation and curettage procedure. That procedure had become a felony under Georgia’s abortion ban with few exceptions. Thurman passed away. First reported by ProPublica, Thurman’s ordeal is the first publicized case of a woman dying as a result of Georgia’s abortion ban.
Georgia State Representative Dar’Shun Kendrick poses for a photograph outside of the House Chamber inside the Georgia State Capitol on February 22, 2024. (Photo: Itoro N. Umontuen/The Atlanta Voice)
“Finally a judge that understands that life and liberty are paramount to our democracy,” says Georgia State Representative Dar’shun Kendrick, a Democrat representing State House District 95, which contains portions of Lithonia plus DeKalb, Gwinnett and Rockdale Counties. Life and liberty for the mother [are] first and foremost.”
Finally a judge that understands that life and liberty are paramount to our democracy…life and liberty for the mother first and foremost. Common sense judging. The Harris administration will appoint more judges that care about freedom over politics. Lets go blue! 🙏🏾✊🏾🙌🏾💙 https://t.co/4T5ZydY5YY
Vice President Kamala Harris has called for codifying Roe v. Wade into federal law. Conversely, former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, supports leaving the abortion issue to the states.
A portrait of Debra Shigley on April 13, 2024, in Alpharetta, Georgia. (Photo by: Kevin Lowery)
“I applaud this ruling, and this is a win because abortion is once again legal in Georgia today,” says Debra Shigley, a candidate for Georgia State House District 47. “Will it be tomorrow? We can expect an appeal from the State, and possible temporary suspension of the ruling by the Georgia Supreme Court.
This fight for our reproductive rights is still very much ongoing no matter how the Georgia Supreme Court rules. Republicans including, [Speaker Pro Tempore] Jan Jones, have made their intent very clear. We know exactly what their playbook will be in the next legislative session. That is exactly why we need to elect pro-choice candidates to ensure reproductive freedom in Georgia.”
Just weeks into the new school year, a tragedy unfolded at Apalachee High School. A troubled 14-year-old, armed with an AR-style rifle, shot and killed four people—two students and two teachers—leaving nine more critically injured. As our community reels, Governor Brian Kemp offers the same tired response: thoughts, prayers, and a call for “investigation” instead of action.
But how many more investigations do we need? How many more children need to die before we stop hiding behind hollow platitudes and do something to prevent the next tragedy? It’s time for leadership, and it’s time for action. What Republicans are offering is too little, too late.
For years, Republican leaders in Georgia have prioritized guns over public safety. Governor Kemp’s first gubernatorial campaign in 2018 was built on promises to loosen gun restrictions. He even ran a TV ad where he pointed a rifle, point blank, at a teenage boy. Then, in 2022, he signed Senate Bill 319 into law, allowing both open and concealed carry without a permit, without fingerprinting, and without background checks or safety training.
Governor Kemp says he wears his “F” grade from the Giffords Law Center as “a badge of honor.” But what does that say to the parents of the children killed at Apalachee High? It says that guns matter more than their children’s lives. It says that the gun lobby’s dollars are worth more than a child’s future. Kemp may find honor in his failure, but it is our children who pay its heavy price.
I’ll wear this “F” as a badge of honor. Our 2nd Amendment is sacred, and I’ll never back down from defending Georgians’ constitutional rights. https://t.co/CYLQoYsDui
Governor Kemp’s suggestion that ‘now is not the time for politics‘ is a cop-out. Voters elect politicians to do a job. We are tasked with solving problems, not simply offering performative gestures.
Under Georgia law, it’s perfectly legal for a minor to possess an assault weapon like the one used at Apalachee High. There are no restrictions on a child receiving an AR-15 as a gift or purchasing one from an unlicensed seller. Why on Earth is it easier for a teenager in Georgia to get a weapon of war than it is for them to vote or to see a doctor when they’re sick?
This isn’t an abstract question—it’s the deadly reality we face. Georgia’s laws are written in a way that prioritizes gun rights over children’s lives, and now is the time to change that. Guns don’t belong in the hands of unsupervised minors, and certainly not AR-style rifles that can fire dozens of rounds per minute. It is an unconscionable failure of leadership that this loophole still exists.
Now, rest assured, no one is coming to take your guns. I’m not interested in stripping law-abiding citizens of their Second Amendment rights. Keep your gun. Just keep it secure. Use it responsibly. But don’t let your rights infringe on someone else’s God-given right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
This is about common sense. It is about mandatory safe storage laws, which require guns to be kept locked and out of reach of children and others who could misuse them. It’s about red flag laws, which allow authorities to temporarily remove firearms from individuals deemed a danger to themselves or others. Plus, it’s about closing background check loopholes that let dangerous people get their hands on guns.
These aren’t radical ideas. In fact, most gun owners already support them. The truth is, most people want to be responsible, but we need laws that ensure everyone is held to the same standard of responsibility.
While we grieve, Republican lawmakers offer half-hearted gestures that lack urgency. For example, Republicans claim to care about mental health, yet they refuse to do the one thing that would most effectively increase resources for mental health care—a full expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. In fact, Georgia dropped approximately 300,000 children from Medicaid programs in 2023.
Georgia also has one of the worst rankings for school psychologist-to-student ratios in the country.
Instead, Republicans talk about arming teachers. It is an idea so absurd that it’s opposed by teachers, law enforcement, and school safety experts alike. They suggest building fortresses out of our schools, with armed guards and high-tech security systems. However, they do not offer real funding or support to make that a reality.
These are not solutions. These are distractions from the real issue: we have a gun violence crisis in this state, and we’re doing nothing about it.
We don’t have to live like this. We don’t have to send our children to schools that feel more like war zones than places of learning. And, we can make our communities safer by passing common-sense gun reforms that the majority of Georgians, including responsible gun owners, support.
First, we need mandatory safe storage laws. Every gun should be stored safely, especially in homes with children. Safe storage prevents accidents, suicides, and keeps firearms out of the hands of those who shouldn’t have access to them.
Second, we need to enact red flag laws. These laws have been proven to save lives by temporarily removing guns from individuals in crisis. Why wait until someone harms themselves or others? Why not act when we see clear warning signs?
Finally, we must expand background checks to close the loopholes that allow dangerous individuals to obtain firearms without any oversight. It’s common sense that anyone buying a gun should pass a background check, no matter where or how they purchase it.
And we must, without delay, ban minors from owning AR-style rifles. These are weapons of war, not tools for hunting or self-defense. A 14-year-old should not be able to access a weapon capable of such widespread carnage. This loophole is a direct threat to our children, and it must be closed.
It is time for Republicans to lead or get out of the way. The question before us is simple: will we do something, or will we continue to do nothing? Will we protect our children, or will we continue to sacrifice their lives on the altar of political expediency?
For years, Democrats in Georgia have been fighting for common-sense gun reforms, only to be blocked by Republicans who refuse to act. But the tide is turning. Voters are demanding action. Governor Kemp says this isn’t the time for politics, but that’s exactly what we need: the political will to stand up to the gun lobby and do what’s right for Georgia’s children.
If our Republican colleagues can’t muster the courage to act, then they should step aside and let those of us who are willing to lead do the job we were elected to do.
Let Kemp wear his badge of failure with pride. His failure mustn’t be ours. We can no longer afford to wait. Our children’s lives depend on it.
Georgia State Representative Tanya F. Miller, Esq., is a Democrat representing the 62nd State House District which contains portions of Atlanta and East Point. Miller also serves as the lead counselor with the Georgia Federation of Public Service Employees. The views and opinions expressed are entirely her own.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Everyone hears the discussions centered on the importance of voting. Plus, everyone shares the challenges with convincing some Black and African-Americans to vote. But, the ‘Make America Great Again’ wing of the Republican Party is making Black Americans and immigrants the faces of illegal voting. During the 53rd Annual Legislative Conference at Congressional Black Caucus Weekend, Angela Rye moderated a conversation led by U.S. Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett about how to deal with MAGA, respond to their attacks, among other topics.
This action of responding to the opposition during a debate is classically known as ‘the clapback.’
U.S. Representative Jasmine Crockett speaks at a panel discussion during the 53rd Annual Legislative Conference on Friday, September 13, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Photo Courtesy: Itoro N. Umontuen/The Atlanta Voice)
Joining Crockett and Rye were Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, Dr. Frederick D. Haynes III, the Senior Pastor of Friendship-West Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas and Christian D. Menefee, the chief civil lawyer for Harris County, Texas which is where Houston is located.
“If I am supposed to be a representative of a group of people, and I allow somebody to walk all over me, then that’s like I’m saying it’s okay to walk over my people,” explained U.S. Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett. Have you seen [U.S. Congresswoman] Marjorie [Taylor Greene] lately?”
— The Atlanta Voice (@theatlantavoice) May 17, 2024
A Texas-sized story about the right to vote
First, the prominent Crystal Mason shared her experience of being wrongfully convicted for voting while on supervised release in Dallas. In 2016, she provisionally cast her ballot during the presidential election after completing her federal jail sentence. But, the State of Texas prosecuted Mason for the crime of “illegal voting,” the act bars someone who “votes or attempts to vote in an election in which the person knows [they are] not eligible to vote.”
Mason said the state considered her ineligible to vote at the time but was still convicted in March 2018 and sentenced to serve five years in state prison.
Crystal Mason speaks at a panel discussion during the 53rd Annual Legislative Conference on Friday, September 13, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Photo Courtesy: Itoro N. Umontuen/The Atlanta Voice)
“You have got to realize: the judge, the D.A., the prosecutor, and their elected officials, and this is why it is so important to vote,” explains Mason. “I grow weary. You know, ‘my God, why me?’ Why me? Say, ‘why not? You’re the prime example of rehabilitation.’ So this is why I matter in this fight.”
Mason has had the ability to converse with her Pastor, Dr. Frederick D. Haynes III, the Senior Pastor of Friendship-West Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, and U.S. Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett throughout her ordeal. Crockett, who herself has famously taken on MAGA Republicans, implored the capacity crowd to understand first the ways MAGA values Black lives. Secondly, Crockett explains why Vice President Kamala Harris, and Fulton County District Attorney, Fani Willis, are the prosecutors MAGA are afraid of.
“One of the issues that I have right now is having to deal with people that take issue with the Vice President, because she is a former prosecutor,” explains Crockett. “Y’all, we need the findings of the world, this is one of the good ones. So was our vice president. You can’t sit there and skip the DA race, because that’s how we end up with the Crystal Masons.
Angela Rye speaks at a panel discussion during the 53rd Annual Legislative Conference on Friday, September 13, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Photo Courtesy: Itoro N. Umontuen/The Atlanta Voice)
That’s how we end up with our brothers, our sisters, our cousins, all being incarcerated for little or nothing and getting the highest amount of time. Y’all got to think through this! It’s one of the reasons that they’re constantly going after our access to the ballot box. This country is actually browning, and it is scaring them, and so they want to make sure that they can take away your voice.”
There is another gentleman, Hervis Rogers. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton accused him of voting while on parole in the 2020 Presidential Election. Texas Republicans tried to make two Black people the face of illegal voting in the state. That is intentional. Why? They attempted to associate corruption, illegal voting, illegal registrations with Black and Brown people, and it’s an intentional strategy to try to undermine the right to vote.
“But make no mistake, what you’re seeing in Texas right now is something that will spread throughout the country if we put the wrong person in the White House,” says Merritt. [Also] if we put the wrong folks in Congress. In some other jurisdictions, y’all got it sweet. It’s real hand to hand combat dealing with these folks.”
Vote for every position on the ballot, not just for President
Willis supported Crockett’s point of individuals entering the ballot box, voting for the highest office in the land, and then walking out. She characterized those actions as ‘a disgrace’. Willis also says there are so many things of consequence that can be traced to who does not vote.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis sits on a panel discussion during the 53rd Annual Legislative Conference on Friday, September 13, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Photo Courtesy: Itoro N. Umontuen/The Atlanta Voice)
“I tell people all the time I had no intentions of being a controversial D.A.,” says Willis. “I didn’t know that it was controversial to say that ‘everyone is equal under the law,’ but apparently people are okay with prosecutors that are okay with just putting Black young men in jail, but don’t hold everyone accountable to the law.”
In Georgia, Florida and Texas, for example, individuals can review anybody’s voting record and registration status if they know that person’s name, date of birth and county of residence. Willis won her election in 2020. Since then, her office has charged rapper Young Thug and former President Donald Trump under Georgia’s RICO statute. During her time in D.C., she addressed her naysayers. However, Willis made one point crystal clear.
“The first level of intimidation is, what can they call you,’ explains Willis. “So they’ll call you the D.E.I. D.A. they’ll call you a thot. They’ll call you very, very ugly things. And I’ve been called all of them, but I was taught long ago ‘it ain’t what you call me is what I answer to.’ So we as people cannot be reactive to every ignorant insult, because you’re dealing with ignorant people.”
The charge
Beyond the clapback, the call to strategize, organize and mobilize voters was heard loud and clear. In his church, Haynes gives people a membership card in one hand and a voter registration card in the other hand. The Pastor also let everyone know there is no perfect candidate. But, it’s up to the collective to push the right candidate.
“We saw on Tuesday that if Kamala Harris was a white male, this wouldn’t be a race,” said Haynes. “It would be over. Period. And yet, this country still has an issue with whiteness. And so as a consequence, we have a responsibility to work 10 times as hard as we do in our individual lives. We’ve got to do it as a collective.”
Dr. Frederick D. Haynes III, Senior Pastor of Friendship-West Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, speaks at a panel discussion during the 53rd Annual Legislative Conference on Friday, September 13, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Photo Courtesy: Itoro N. Umontuen/The Atlanta Voice)
The Georgia State Panthers upset the Vanderbilt Commodores 36-32 after a game winning touchdown pass from quarterback Christian Veilleux to receiver Ted Hurst.
This win marks the second time the Panthers have defeated a SEC team, with their last coming against Tennessee in 2019. It is the first marquee win under first year head coach Dell McGee.
“I’m really proud of our kids,” McGee said after the win. “Our guys are resilient and kept fighting and kept believing and that’s a part of a championship football team.”
“You [have] to credit Georgia State, they did what they needed to do to win that game,” said Commodores head coach Clark Lea after the game. I don’t think we deserved to win it. We need to learn some important lessons about what kind of team we are and what it’s going to take for us to win.”
Vanderbilt did not play a clean game
Lea alluded to sloppiness on the offensive side of the ball. The Commodores finished the game with nine penalties for 85 yards.
The Panthers led up until 1:14 in the fourth quarter. The Commodores took their first lead of the game with a goal line rushing touchdown by running back Sedrick Alexander. The Commodores converted on the two point conversion, taking a 32-29 three point lead.
McGee and Hurst were knew the offense could go for the win instead of tying the game.
“We’ve been here before, we’ve done this,” the mindset McGee had going into the last drive. “I had great confidence we could move the ball and the looks we prepared for in the one minute offense. Everyone contributed to the drive so it was a great team victory.”
“The moment they scored, I was like we can win this,” Hurst said. “I didn’t want to go to overtime. I [didn’t] want to give them a chance that they could beat us.”
The Panthers offense moved the ball efficiently and with a high sense of urgency on the ensuing drive. Hurst capped off the seven play, 75 yard drive catching a 25-yard touchdown pass from Veilleux putting the Panthers back in front.
“Overnight I manifested in it,” said Hurst on making the game winning touchdown catch. “[I knew] I could make that play. It does boost my confidence.”
The Panthers outgained the Commodores on the ground 157-110 and finished the game with 426 yards of total offense.
On Deck
Georgia State heads into the bye week next weekend before hosting Georgia Southern on Sep. 28. Meanwhile, Vanderbilt will travel to Columbia next weekend to face the Missouri Tigers.
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — With a daunting schedule ahead, this is a chance for No. 1 Georgia to do some fine-tuning.
Call it a glorified scrimmage.
The Bulldogs (1-0) play their home opener Saturday against FCS opponent Tennessee Tech, which took on a game it has no chance of winning to essentially to help pay the bills.
Coach Bobby Wilder know what the Golden Eagles (0-1) are up against. The $475,000 paycheck is small consolation for the whipping his overmatched team is likely to ensure.
“If I was being honest, I would tell you that I’m not thrilled to be headed to Athens, Georgia this weekend,” Wilder said with a faint smile. “So I’ll be dishonest and say I’m very excited to be playing a game in Sanford Stadium in front of 93,000.”
Georgia opened the season with an impressive 34-3 victory over then-No. 14 Clemson, blowing out the Tigers over the final two quarters after leading only 6-0 at halftime.
That was just the first ranked opponent for the Bulldogs, who have one of the nation’s most challenging slates. There are road games against No. 3 Texas, No. 4 Alabama and No. 6 Ole Miss, not to mention home contests against No. 14 Tennessee and No. 23 Georgia Tech.
Coach Kirby Smart insists his players are only focused on what’s right in front of them. He noted that Tennessee Tech nearly pulled off an upset in its season opener, giving up a touchdown in the final minute to lose to Middle Tennessee 32-25.
“They played a really hard-fought game,” Smart said. “They had a great comeback and I’ve got a lot of respect for the way they played in that game, for sure.”
Etienne’s debut
Trevor Etienne is expected to make his Georgia debut after sitting out the opener against Clemson.
Etienne, a transfer from Florida, was apparently suspended for Week 1 after being arrested over the offseason, though Smart declined to discuss the reason for his absence.
It will be intriguing to see what kind of boost Etienne provides to a running game that took a while to get going against Clemson. A season ago with the Gators, he rushed for 753 yards and eight touchdowns behind a shaky offensive line at Florida, in addition to 172 yards receiving and another score.
Season streak
The Bulldogs have a school-record 40-game winning streak during the regular season, their last such loss coming on Nov. 7, 2020, when they dropped a 44-28 decision to Florida.
Georgia won its final three regular-season contests during the COVID-affected season, has gone 12-0 ahead of the postseason three years in a row and started 2024 with another victory.
The only losses during the streak are a pair of setbacks to Alabama in the SEC championship game. The Bulldogs have won 47 of their last 49 games overall.
“We focus on each game individually,” linebacker Jalon Walker said. “We don’t skip ahead in the season. We don’t backtrack.”
Portal bounty
Georgia reaped some immediate benefits from the portal.
London Humphreys, a transfer from Vanderbilt, had two big catches against Clemson: a 15-yarder over the middle for a key first-down conversion and a 40-yard touchdown in which he showed impressive speed down the sideline.
“The portal provides you (the opportunity) to go get a guy that’s been successful and played well in our conference,” Smart said. “He’s proven himself as a guy that can make plays, and he was ready when his number was called.”
Former Miami receiver Colbie Young also had a pair of catches, including a 7-yard scoring play for Georgia’s first TD of the season.
Super Starks
Georgia defensive back Malaki Starks appears headed for another stellar season.
He made a leaping, twisting interception in Week 1 that Smart described as “one of the best defensive football plays I’ve ever seen live in person.” Starks’ versatility in the secondary might be his leading attribute.
“Malaki can be our best player at five positions,” Smart said. “So it’s more a matter of what’s around him and what’s healthy, working, and what are we going to do defensively.”
Tech QB
The Golden Eagles lost their starting quarterback in Week 1 when Dylan Laible went down with an injury.
Jordyn Potts took over and nearly led his team to a comeback victory over Middle Tennessee, completing 27 of 38 passes for 256 yards and three touchdowns.
NEW YORK (AP) — Two former Georgia election workers who won a $148 million defamation judgment against Rudy Giuliani asked a court Friday to award them the cash-strapped former New York City mayor’s apartment and other property as they ramp up efforts to collect on the staggering debt.
Lawyers for Ruby Freeman and Wandrea “Shaye” Moss urged the U.S. District Court in Manhattan to force Giuliani to turn over his Madison Avenue apartment, any remaining cash and some of his prized New York Yankees memorabilia, including three World Series rings and a signed Joe DiMaggio shirt.
Freeman and Moss also staked a claim to about $2 million Giuliani has said Donald Trump’s 2020 presidential campaign owes him and they sought to take control of another Giuliani property — his Palm Beach, Florida, condominium — through another legal mechanism known as receivership.
Freeman and Moss, the mother and daughter targeted by Giuliani in the wake of Trump’s 2020 election loss, are looking to chip away at what the ex-mayor owes them following the collapse last month of his bankruptcy case, which had paused collection.
If Giuliani does not turn over his property in a timely fashion, Freeman and Moss’ lawyers said they will see other remedies to wrest control, citing his history of “evasion, obstruction, and outright disobedience.”
“That strategy reaches the end of the line here,” lawyer Aaron Nathan wrote.
Giuliani spokesperson Ted Goodman criticized Friday’s filing as a step “designed to harass and intimidate the mayor” while he’s appealing the “objectively unreasonable” judgment.
“This lawsuit has always been designed to censor and bully the mayor, and to deter others from exercising their right to speak up and to speak out,” Goodman said. He contends that the “the justice system has been weaponized” against Giuliani “and so many others for strictly partisan political purposes.”
Giuliani, a longtime Trump ally, filed for bankruptcy last December just days after the eye-popping damages award to Freeman and Moss. The women said Giuliani’s unfounded attacks on them after Trump narrowly lost Georgia to Joe Biden led to death threats that made them fear for their lives.
As Giuliani’s bankruptcy case played out, Freeman and Moss’ lawyers accused him of using the process as a “bad-faith litigation tactic” and a “pause button on his woes.” Creditors accused him of flouting bankruptcy laws and potentially hiding assets.
Troubled by Giuliani’s repeated “uncooperative conduct,” self-dealing, and a lack of transparency, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Sean Lane decided in July to dismiss the case. Lane labeled Giuliani a “recalcitrant debtor” and said he had thumbed his nose at the bankruptcy process while seeking to shield himself from the defamation judgment and other debts.
Among Lane’s concerns were that Giuliani funneled his income — including at least $15,000 a month from his now-canceled talk radio show — into companies he owned; never reported any income from those entities; failed to disclose that he had started promoting his own “Rudy Coffee” brand; and was late to disclose a contract he has to write a book.
The bankruptcy dismissal cleared the way for Giuliani’s creditors – chief among them Freeman and Moss – to pursue legal remedies to recoup at least some of the money they’re owed. It also freed Giuliani to pursue his appeal of the defamation verdict.
Soon after the bankruptcy case ended, Freeman and Moss’ lawyers said they filed paperwork regarding the judgment, placed liens on Giuliani’s New York and Florida properties and sent him a subpoena demanding information about his assets. Giuliani had not responded to the subpoena as of Friday, the lawyers said.
Giuliani has been trying to sell his Manhattan co-op apartment for more than a year, amid mounting debt and legal woes. Initially listed for $6.5 million in July 2023, the asking price has since fallen to $5.7 million. During the bankruptcy case, he said the Palm Beach condominium had been appraised at $3.5 million.
In addition to his homes, cash and Yankees mementos, Freeman and Moss are also seeking to take about two dozen of Giuliani’s watches, a diamond ring, costume jewelry, a TV, various items of furniture and a 1980 Mercedes-Benz SL500.
The items, including autographed Reggie Jackson and Yankee Stadium pictures, would then be auctioned off with proceeds going to Freeman and Moss, their lawyers said. All told, the property and cash the women are seeking could be worth somewhere north of $10 million – a sizeable sum, but just a small fraction of what they are owed.
The potential loss of his possessions is one of a host of legal woes consuming the 80-year-old Giuliani, the former federal prosecutor and 2008 Republican presidential candidate who was once heralded as “America’s Mayor” for his calm and steady leadership after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
In July, he was disbarred as an attorney in New York after a court found he repeatedly made false statements about Trump’s 2020 election loss. He is also facing the possibility of losing his law license in Washington, D.C., after a board in May recommended that he be disbarred.
In Georgia and Arizona, Giuliani is facing criminal charges over his role in the effort to overturn the 2020 election. He has pleaded not guilty in both cases.
When he filed for bankruptcy, Giuliani listed nearly $153 million in existing or potential debts, including the $148 million owed to Freeman and Moss, almost $1 million in state and federal tax liabilities and money he owed lawyers. He estimated he had assets worth $1 million to $10 million.
In his most recent financial filings, he said he had about $94,000 cash in hand at the end of May while his company, Giuliani Communications, had about $237,000 in the bank. A main source of income for Giuliani has been a retirement account with a balance of just over $1 million in May, down from nearly $2.5 million in 2022.
In May, he spent nearly $33,000 including nearly $28,000 for condo and co-op costs for his Florida and New York homes. He also spent about $850 on food, $390 on cleaning services, $230 on medicine, $200 on laundry and $190 on vehicles.
ATLANTA – The City of Atlanta’s former Chief Financial Officer, Jimmie “Jim” A. Beard, has been sentenced to federal prison for a multi-year scheme involving theft of funds, purchase and possession of two machine guns, and obstructing federal tax laws using altered documents and a fake business.
“Jim Beard abused the trust and confidence placed in him by the people of the City of Atlanta when he decided to steal tens of thousands of dollars from taxpayers to support his lavish lifestyle,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “Beard’s sentencing is a demonstration of our commitment to hold accountable public officials who trade their position of power for greed and personal gain.”
“As this prosecution shows, the Department of Justice will work vigorously to protect the integrity of federal funds. Today’s sentence sends a strong message of deterrence to prevent fraud and theft from state and local governments receiving federal benefits,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri.
“Beard’s actions eroded public trust in government. As one of the most powerful people in Atlanta city government, he stole tens of thousands of dollars from taxpayers so he could go on luxurious trips and even buy custom-made machine guns,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Public corruption is one of the FBI’s top priorities and we continue to work to protect citizens against officials who abuse that trust.”
“Public officials are entrusted by the citizens they serve to conduct the business of government on their behalf,” said Demetrius Hardeman, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Atlanta Field Office. “Jim Beard failed in his responsibilities to the community and utilized public tax dollars to satisfy his greed. The sentence today reinforces IRS Criminal Investigation’s commitment to investigating and forwarding for prosecution those who commit financial fraud.”
“Beard repeatedly abused his position, broke the law he was sworn to uphold and betrayed the trust of the people of Atlanta,” said ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge Alicia D. Jones. “This case demonstrates the partnerships of law enforcement to enforce the law and hold individuals accountable, regardless of their position or status.”
According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: From approximately November 2011 to May 2018, Beard served as the Chief Financial officer (“CFO”) of the City of Atlanta (the “City”). As CFO, Beard directed and managed the Department of Finance, with primary responsibility for oversight and management of the City’s financial condition, earning a salary of over $260,000 per year.
During his tenure, Beard devised and executed a scheme to obtain money and property from the City for private use, including using City funds to: (1) pay for personal luxury travel expenses for himself, his family, and his travel companions; (2) buy items for personal use, including two machine guns; (3) pay for travel to conferences or meetings for which the conference or meeting host reimbursed Beard, with Beard pocketing the reimbursements instead of giving them to the City; and (4) pay for travel that Beard falsely claimed as business deductions on his taxes for a non-existent personal consulting business.
In total, Beard stole at least tens of thousands of dollars from the City. By way of example only:
•In the summers of 2015 and 2016, Beard charged nearly $4,000 to the City for weekend stays at the J.W. Marriott Hotel in Chicago, Illinois. However, Beard was not in Chicago those weekends and the hotel rooms were actually for his stepdaughter to attend the Lollapalooza music festival.
•In December 2015, Beard ordered two custom-built machine guns using a purchase order and $2,641.90 check from the City, telling the manufacturer that the machine guns were for the exclusive use of the Atlanta Police Department (“APD”) – even though Beard took the guns to his own home and APD had no knowledge of them.
•In April 2016, Beard charged more than $2,600 to the City for airfare and hotels for two weekend trips to the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Beard had no City business in New Orleans during either trip, and took his wife one of the weekends and a different personal companion the other.
•In June 2016, Beard charged $975.52 to the City for travel to Washington, D.C. for a meeting with the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (“MSRB”). Even though Beard had the City pay for this travel, Beard asked the MSRB to reimburse him personally for these costs and submitted copies of his receipts to the MSRB. As a result, the MSRB issued a check to Beard, which he kept and deposited into his personal bank account.
•In April 2017, Beard charged more than $10,000 to the City for a four-day stay for him and his wife at the Shangri-La Hotel in Paris, in a deluxe suite with a view of the Eiffel Tower.
Beard exploited his position and power to execute his scheme. When lower-level City staff members responsible for processing travel reimbursements asked him for receipts or work justifications for his trips, Beard refused and ordered the staff (who worked for him) to process the reimbursements without the requisite documentation. A City employee described the culture under Beard as, “if the [] CFO asks you for something, you do not ask questions.”
While CFO, Beard also submitted years of fraudulent tax returns in which he claimed personal business expenses to lower what he owed in taxes. During a 2015 audit of one of those returns, Beard lied to the IRS and obstructed auditors by submitting receipts for transactions that were actually paid by the City in connection with Beard’s official duties. The investigation later revealed that Beard did not operate a personal business, and years of tax deductions were based on a lie.
Jimmie “Jim” A. Beard, 60, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Steve C. Jones to three years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. Beard was also ordered to pay a fine of $10,000 and restitution in the amount of $177,197.48. Beard was convicted on these charges on April 8, 2024, after he pleaded guilty.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Garrett Bradford and Tiffany Johnson, Department of Justice Trial Attorney Trevor Wilmot, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Davis prosecuted the case.
Georgia is in the national spotlight as one of two must-win states that will determine who ascends to the presidency. You would expect that under such scrutiny, our public officials might want to present the state and its voters as educated, informed, involved citizens.
Why then, do Georgia’s leaders so often speak and act in ways that deliberately inflame and perpetuate our state’s long-held racial and political divisions?
Georgia’s growing population spans all ages, races, faiths, cultures, ethnicities, and educational and economic levels. Our statewide public school system is “majority minority,” meaning the majority of students in our school demographics are Black students, Asian students, Hispanic students, Native American students, and a delightful array of multiracial students. We also have students who live in rural, urban and suburban areas. All across Georgia, our inclusive public schools strive to offer each student an outstanding learning experience and access to the same opportunities. That’s how we build an educated, informed and involved citizenry.
But, no. Instead of encouraging understanding and respect among students, Georgia’s leaders are strangely focused on what they insist are “divisive concepts.” Specifically, Georgia’s leaders are denying state funding for a course in Advanced Placement African American Studies.
Let’s be clear. This is nothing less than an attempt to erase and devalue African American history and heritage. Denying funding for AP African American Studies – an obviously racist, politically-motivated decision – simply demonstrates to children of color that their story matters less, or not at all. That is wholly unacceptable.
For reference, the Georgia Department of Education calls AP courses “college-level courses offered by trained high school teachers in the regular high school setting. Since 2008, over one-third of the seniors in Georgia public high schools were enrolled in AP courses. AP courses guarantee rigor in our classrooms.” It continues, “AP courses are challenging and require significant study time on a daily basis. Assessments in these classes require sophisticated critical thinking skills.” AP courses also allow high-scoring students the opportunity to earn college credit while in high school.
Georgia currently provides state funding for AP courses in European History, Art History, World History, American Politics, and nearly three dozen other content areas. Yet, AP African American Studies alone is singled out as offensive, controversial, and even illegal for teaching so-called divisive concepts.
As of late July, Georgia School Superintendent Richard Woods planned on blocking the teaching of Advanced Placement African American Studies based on what he calls “areas of concern,” and he opines that, “If the Advanced Placement course had presented a comparative narrative with opposing views,” it would not violate Georgia law.
There are no comparable “both sides” requirements for other AP courses.
Georgia State Representative Tanya F. Miller, Esq. listens during Georgia Governor Brian Kemp’s annual State of the State Address inside the Georgia State Capitol on Thursday, January 11, 2024. (Photo: Itoro N. Umontuen/The Atlanta Voice)
The fact is, understanding African American history is crucial for everyone. This country was built on the backs of Black Americans — literally— in many cases. AP African American Studies offers comprehensive, objective insights into American history, fostering a deeper understanding of our nation’s past and present.
All-encompassing knowledge equips students with critical thinking skills and a broader perspective, preparing them to be informed and engaged citizens who can better address the systemic issues that continue to divide our nation today. Instead, this course of study, which will enlighten and challenge all Georgia’s students, is effectively now banned.
Much of the public outrage has been directed at Superintendent Woods, and while he certainly has earned the backlash he’s getting, it’s Georgia Governor Brian Kemp who intentionally created this manufactured controversy. Just two years ago, Mr. Kemp signed a law banning schools from teaching “divisive academic concepts about racism,” a law he championed by saying: “Here in Georgia, our classrooms will not be pawns to those who indoctrinate our kids with their partisan political agendas.”
Except, that is precisely what Governor Kemp and his fellow GOP state leaders are doing now. They act not to protect our children, but to boost their own political power.
So far, their proposed “solution” is to allow districts to choose to teach a non-AP African American studies class, which would not provide the full content or credit, the opportunity to earn college credit, or the academic recognition of the advanced placement course. Without state funding, only wealthier districts can afford to offer the AP course, thus deepening the educational inequalities and perpetuating urban and rural divisions in our state.
The hypocrisy is breathtaking.
I am outraged by leaders who create divisive laws nobody asked for, then use them as cover for racism, all the while claiming to be neutral. One letter, asking for a few clarifications while taking no position on the issue, does not absolve Governor Kemp of responsibility. This is not a moment for equivocation. It is a time for leadership.
I am determined to stand up against this bigotry and for every child who deserves to have our nation’s full culture and history valued, shared and treated as significant.
That is why in the coming legislative session, I and other Democratic legislators will sponsor legislation to remove any barriers, real or perceived, to full state funding of AP African American Studies. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join us to ensure that all Georgia students have access to a comprehensive, inclusive education and to all the opportunities they deserve, regardless of where they live. Moreover, Governor Kemp’s “divisive concepts” law must be repealed.
I also urge Governor Kemp, Superintendent Woods and the State Board of Education to fully fund AP African American Studies– just like any other AP course – so that students all across the state have access to a comprehensive, inclusive education.
Georgia State Representative Tanya Miller, Esq., D-Atlanta, makes comments during delibrations at a House Judiciary Non-Civil Committee meeting on Monday, January 22, 2024 inisde the Georgia State Capitol. (Photo: Itoro N. Umontuen/The Atlanta Voice)
We owe our students nothing less.
Regardless of the law’s intent, shouldn’t it have occurred to our leaders to clarify the issue before imposing a statewide ban that forced districts to rework class schedules for hundreds of students before school started?
Now, assuming the funding is restored, those same districts will have to hurriedly rework all those schedules once more in order for the AP course to be taught this school year. It seems all too “clear” that Georgia’s students and educators are not a top priority in the machinations of our elected and appointed GOP officials.
Finally, after weeks of public outrage, national negative publicity, and pushback from Georgia citizens and prominent elected officials, School Superintendent Richard Woods reversed course, announcing on August 7 that he will “follow the law,” adding that “the AP African American Studies course will be added to the state-funded course catalog effective immediately.”
Isn’t it embarrassing that Georgia’s Republican leaders have to be shamed and humiliated in order to do the right thing for their constituents?
They should be ashamed.
Georgia State Representative Tanya F. Miller, ESQ., is a Democrat representing the 62nd State House District which contains portions of Atlanta and East Point. Miller also serves as the lead counselor with the Georgia Federation of Public Service Employees. The views and opinions expressed are entirely her own.
Fair Fight Action is launching Peaches, an AI-powered chatbot that answers user-generated questions ranging from voter registration to voter challenges. The service is designed to combat election disinformation and misinformation in Georgia.
“Peaches, Fair Fight Action’s new AI chatbot and voting assistant, is here to help Georgians overcome these challenges by providing an accessible, nonpartisan, and trustworthy source of election information in multiple languages,” said Lauren Groh-Wargo, Fair Fight Action CEO. “With Peaches, we’re not just providing information, we’re innovating to continue our work of empowering voters to navigate new, complex barriers designed to suppress their voices.”
Peaches can answer questions such as polling locations and how to get registered to vote. It also references Peaches can answer questions in English, Korean, Spanish or Vietnamese. For example, a user can type a question such as, “When is early voting in Georgia”. Within seconds, Peaches will give the following answer:
Early voting in Georgia for the upcoming elections will begin on Tuesday, October 15, 2024. Here are some key points to keep in mind:
In-Person Voting: You can vote early in person at designated locations in your county.
Optional Sundays: There may also be optional Sundays for early voting on October 20 and October 27, 2024.
It’s important to check with your county elections office for specific early voting hours, as they can vary by location.
Peaches only Georgia Voter Information
The feature is only for Georgia residents.
Fair Fight also warns Georgia voters about registering to vote with websites unaffiliated with Georgia’s My Voter Page. Recently, Elon Musk’s super Political Action Committee (PAC), called the AmericaPAC, is under investigation. Allegedly, Musk’s Super Pac is collecting voters’ personal information with the intention of inviting them to register to vote. However, Musk’s Super PAC is promoting Donald Trump’s presidential campaign in battleground states.
Meanwhile, Fair Fight says their AI chatbot, Peaches, will dispel the rumors that are pushed by “election integrity” activists.
“After Georgians turned out in historic numbers to vote in 2020, we’re facing new barriers to voting from laws like SB 202 and SB 189, and rising levels of disinformation that pose an unprecedented threat to our democracy,” said Groh-Wargo.
