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All Rights Reserved.</div>By using this website, you accept the terms of our <div class="privacy"><a href="https://www.ajc.com/visitor-agreement/">Terms of Use</a>, <a href="https://www.ajc.com/privacy-policy/">Privacy Policy</a>, <a href="https://www.ajc.com/california-privacy-notice/">CCPA</a>, and understand your options regarding <a href="https://www.ajc.com/privacy-policy/#ad-choices">Ad Choices</a>.</div><div class="learn-more"><a href="https://jobs.coxenterprises.com/?prefilters=none&CloudSearchLocation=none&CloudSearchValue=none/">Learn about Careers at Cox Enterprises.</a></div></div></div></div></div></div></nav></header></div><main class="c-sectionCentered"><div class="c-sectionHome b-sectionHome-padding b-sectionHomeMaxWidth full-width"><div class="c-contentElements"><div data-fusion-lazy-id="f0fgBbUKv6XJYI"><div class="c-page-title redesign2024"><h1 class="c-title-content" value="AJC Columnists"><span>AJC Columnists</span></h1></div></div><div data-fusion-lazy-id="f0faW5jM93HI2p6"><div class="c-pkg-lead-auto b-margin-bottom-d30-m20" data-sectiontitle="Feat Pkg Lead Auto"><div class="content single-item top-border"><a href="/education/get-schooled/what-does-it-mean-to-promote-dei-in-georgia/BKX4DNRHTNDB3P4PRX3C7YP7AA/" class="block-1 img-override-aspect"><div class="c-image-component image-landscape"><div class="image-component-image "><div class="enlargeImage-wrapper"><div class="lazyload-wrapper"><img src="https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/7DGVJXMFUZJOUP7R34VILDFN7M.jpg?auth=73496da23178cff742bf709caf3caca19583a6f2cd4a7463449d7f4f97943028&width=1260&height=840&smart=true" alt="Protestors hold signs while listening to speakers during during a protest on the south steps of the West Virginia State Capitol in Charleston, West Virginia, on Wed., Feb. 5, 2025, during what was billed as a nationwide series of protests against President Donald Trump, Project 2025, DEI rollbacks and other recent administration initiatives. (Chris Dorst/Charleston Gazette-Mail via AP)" width="1260" height="840" class=" " style="display:none" fetchpriority="auto"/><div class="c-placeholder" style="display:flex;aspect-ratio:1.5;max-width:78.75rem;max-height:52.5rem;object-fit:cover;background:#f8f8f8;justify-content:center;align-items:center"><img alt="Placeholder Image" src="/pf/resources/logos/AJC/placeholder.svg?d=2034" style="width:20%;box-shadow:none"/></div></div><p class="photo-credit-text">Credit: AP</p></div></div></div></a><div class="block-2"><div class=" c-story-tease large-text "><div class="story-info"><div class="c-headline-label">OPINION</div><a class="headline single-story pkgLeadAuto " href="/education/get-schooled/what-does-it-mean-to-promote-dei-in-georgia/BKX4DNRHTNDB3P4PRX3C7YP7AA/"><h3>ACLU leader: What does it mean to promote DEI in Georgia?</h3></a><p class="description">Andrea Young says government prohibitions on the promotion of diversity, equity and inclusion are viewpoint discrimination and prohibited by the U.S. Constitution.</p></div></div></div><div class="block-3"></div></div></div></div><div class="HP01 arc_ad b-margin-bottom-d30-m20 "></div><div class="MP01 arc_ad b-margin-bottom-d30-m20 "></div><div data-fusion-lazy-id="f0fjWXUwlzCO2cf"><div class="b-margin-bottom-d30-m20"><div class="c-list"><section class="section"><div class="content"><div class="list-items"><div class=" c-story-tease "><a href="/politics/patricia-murphy-medicaid-cuts-would-gut-this-georgia-pediatricians-practice/SPULZJILX5EMXFH235USLLHN5M/" class="story-image "><div class="c-image-component image-portrait"><div class="image-component-image "><div class="enlargeImage-wrapper"><div class="lazyload-wrapper"><img src="https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/DVSSVGR53BHIPATI3ALY66G74A.jpeg?auth=1b76831455c96e35e572a65d5a0a40519a24b87ee75213605f8abece45c7ad0f&width=1260&height=840&smart=true" alt="Dr. Dorsey Norwood greets her patient Jahniela Clark, 5, at her office. February 26, 2025. Patricia Murphy/AJC" width="1260" height="840" class=" " style="display:none" fetchpriority="auto"/><div class="c-placeholder" style="display:flex;aspect-ratio:1.5;max-width:78.75rem;max-height:52.5rem;object-fit:cover;background:#f8f8f8;justify-content:center;align-items:center"><img alt="Placeholder Image" src="/pf/resources/logos/AJC/placeholder.svg?d=2034" style="width:20%;box-shadow:none"/></div></div><p class="photo-credit-text">Credit: Patricia Murphy</p></div></div></div></a><div class="story-info"><div class="c-headline-label">OPINION</div><a class="headline " href="/politics/patricia-murphy-medicaid-cuts-would-gut-this-georgia-pediatricians-practice/SPULZJILX5EMXFH235USLLHN5M/"><h3>Patricia Murphy: Medicaid cuts from Washington would gut this Georgia pediatrician’s practice </h3></a><p class="description">One Georgia pediatrician's practice in South Atlanta could be shuttered if Republican-backed Medicaid cuts are approved.</p></div></div><div class=" c-story-tease "><a href="/opinion/columnists/torpy-wildlife-habitat-or-too-lazy-to-mow/6SIPGXZW3NFUHJNJE3XXASKNFA/" class="story-image "><div class="c-image-component image-landscape"><div class="image-component-image "><div class="enlargeImage-wrapper"><div class="lazyload-wrapper"><img src="https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/YZ7WPDVHKFHCFJGRI7QARDZEXI.jpg?auth=2c5c3b7bd983a0c03f550466711b640465011f5014d3fb96f7a5b93bfeea3954&width=1260&height=840&smart=true" alt="Sean Crews and Gail Gustavson, a young couple in Cobb County, have been trying to change their suburban lot into a wildlife habitat. Someone complained. (Bill Torpy/AJC)" width="1260" height="840" class=" " style="display:none" fetchpriority="auto"/><div class="c-placeholder" style="display:flex;aspect-ratio:1.5;max-width:78.75rem;max-height:52.5rem;object-fit:cover;background:#f8f8f8;justify-content:center;align-items:center"><img alt="Placeholder Image" src="/pf/resources/logos/AJC/placeholder.svg?d=2034" style="width:20%;box-shadow:none"/></div></div><p class="photo-credit-text">Credit: Bill Torpy</p></div></div></div></a><div class="story-info"><div class="c-headline-label">OPINION</div><a class="headline " href="/opinion/columnists/torpy-wildlife-habitat-or-too-lazy-to-mow/6SIPGXZW3NFUHJNJE3XXASKNFA/"><h3>TORPY: Wildlife habitat, or too lazy to mow?</h3></a></div></div><div class=" c-story-tease "><a href="/education/get-schooled/america-is-falling-behind-educationally-how-we-can-do-better/HZUZHBVKURDENMVYD2GRV6X4OM/" class="story-image "><div class="c-image-component image-landscape"><div class="image-component-image "><div class="enlargeImage-wrapper"><div class="lazyload-wrapper"><img src="https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/JSOMJNV7RRJ4YEOFPOUVQDCLPQ.JPG?auth=98bef5548481a65869dcb547663698198b7e072148e3b0c13b74b491e71fde97&width=1260&height=840&smart=true" alt="School busses full of students arrive at Cross Keys High School during the first day of class on Monday, August 8, 2022. AJC FILE PHOTO." width="1260" height="840" class=" " style="display:none" fetchpriority="auto"/><div class="c-placeholder" style="display:flex;aspect-ratio:1.5;max-width:78.75rem;max-height:52.5rem;object-fit:cover;background:#f8f8f8;justify-content:center;align-items:center"><img alt="Placeholder Image" src="/pf/resources/logos/AJC/placeholder.svg?d=2034" style="width:20%;box-shadow:none"/></div></div><p class="photo-credit-text">Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC</p></div></div></div></a><div class="story-info"><a class="headline " href="/education/get-schooled/america-is-falling-behind-educationally-how-we-can-do-better/HZUZHBVKURDENMVYD2GRV6X4OM/"><h3>America is falling behind educationally. How we can do better</h3></a></div></div><div class=" c-story-tease "><a href="/politics/jamie-dupree-veterans-groups-speak-out-against-federal-job-cuts/MCB5B2DMXRGM3IBQ7WE3OGNKFQ/" class="story-image "><div class="c-image-component image-landscape"><div class="image-component-image "><div class="enlargeImage-wrapper"><div class="lazyload-wrapper"><img src="https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/EMO37NW6HRBBCZR72VXGGDDSBU.jpg?auth=4d86d6ea14d39121ed239dcbcb1a9a621a5276d2125e6e2f1ba7903dec280a2f&width=1260&height=840&smart=true" alt="Former Georgia U.S. Doug Collins was sworn in as the Veterans Affairs secretary on Feb. 5, 2025. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)" width="1260" height="840" class=" " style="display:none" fetchpriority="auto"/><div class="c-placeholder" style="display:flex;aspect-ratio:1.5;max-width:78.75rem;max-height:52.5rem;object-fit:cover;background:#f8f8f8;justify-content:center;align-items:center"><img alt="Placeholder Image" src="/pf/resources/logos/AJC/placeholder.svg?d=2034" style="width:20%;box-shadow:none"/></div></div><p class="photo-credit-text">Credit: J. Scott Applewhite/AP</p></div></div></div></a><div class="story-info"><div class="c-headline-label">OPINION</div><a class="headline " href="/politics/jamie-dupree-veterans-groups-speak-out-against-federal-job-cuts/MCB5B2DMXRGM3IBQ7WE3OGNKFQ/"><h3>Jamie Dupree: Veterans’ groups speak out against federal job cuts</h3></a><p class="description">Veterans make up about one-quarter of the entire federal workforce. The Veterans of Foreign Wars commander told congress veterans "are being indiscriminately harmed,."</p></div></div><div class=" c-story-tease "><a href="/politics/opinion-who-really-needs-the-cdc-anyway/TPQL2VMDYFEQ3BW3FH4T3VY73A/" class="story-image "><div class="c-image-component image-landscape"><div class="image-component-image "><div class="enlargeImage-wrapper"><div class="lazyload-wrapper"><img src="https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/https%3A%2F%2Fd1fegwn2wjh0cs.cloudfront.net%2F02-19-2025%2Ft_df3fda5ad459437290278e8d881c408e_name_12ba3de5ee0740698514c6df49ecc2c5?auth=59e3c62ee9b668d563a674ee33da8154e6b31b633ed055b46d62fbaa026895db&width=1260&height=840&smart=true" alt="ajc.com" width="1260" height="840" class=" " style="display:none" fetchpriority="auto"/><div class="c-placeholder" style="display:flex;aspect-ratio:1.5;max-width:78.75rem;max-height:52.5rem;object-fit:cover;background:#f8f8f8;justify-content:center;align-items:center"><img alt="Placeholder Image" src="/pf/resources/logos/AJC/placeholder.svg?d=2034" style="width:20%;box-shadow:none"/></div></div></div></div></div></a><div class="story-info"><div class="c-headline-label">OPINION</div><a class="headline " href="/politics/opinion-who-really-needs-the-cdc-anyway/TPQL2VMDYFEQ3BW3FH4T3VY73A/"><h3>Patricia Murphy: Who really needs the CDC anyway? </h3></a><p class="description">Instead of instilling “efficiency” at the CDC, the Trump administration seems only to have only injected blind decision-making and incompetence to the critical agency.</p></div></div><div class=" c-story-tease "><a href="/opinion/columnists/torpy-gov-kemp-employs-the-tort-reform-squeeze-on-his-own/AAFQTYHOURDODKMY4V674G3ZBQ/" class="story-image "><div class="c-image-component image-landscape"><div class="image-component-image "><div class="enlargeImage-wrapper"><div class="lazyload-wrapper"><img src="https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/JR6KSXVAWYPNL6EN2RA6RE2EYY.jpg?auth=5136485f6e3292f2fe19956cfbfe1816edb3f1c306e5f9ddfb83f549169bdd44&width=1260&height=840&smart=true" alt="FILE - Crowds of people fill the north steps of the Georgia State Capitol to attend a news conference on tort reform hosted by Gov. Brian Kemp, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025 in Atlanta. (Matthew Pearson/WABE via AP, File)" width="1260" height="840" class=" " style="display:none" fetchpriority="auto"/><div class="c-placeholder" style="display:flex;aspect-ratio:1.5;max-width:78.75rem;max-height:52.5rem;object-fit:cover;background:#f8f8f8;justify-content:center;align-items:center"><img alt="Placeholder Image" src="/pf/resources/logos/AJC/placeholder.svg?d=2034" style="width:20%;box-shadow:none"/></div></div><p class="photo-credit-text">Credit: AP</p></div></div></div></a><div class="story-info"><div class="c-headline-label">OPINION</div><a class="headline " href="/opinion/columnists/torpy-gov-kemp-employs-the-tort-reform-squeeze-on-his-own/AAFQTYHOURDODKMY4V674G3ZBQ/"><h3>TORPY: Gov. Kemp employs the ‘tort reform’ squeeze on his own</h3></a><p class="description">Kemp’s adviser Cody Hall let it be known that the governor is ready to use his considerable war chest to primary any Republican who has the temerity to go against his will.</p></div></div><div class=" c-story-tease "><a href="/education/get-schooled/charter-schools-in-georgia-significant-demand-short-supply/RWMCOEJVRZHRPHDWYRXFJJB75E/" class="story-image "><div class="c-image-component image-landscape"><div class="image-component-image "><div class="enlargeImage-wrapper"><div class="lazyload-wrapper"><img src="https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/BOEWHZUDRZF5BEGBPMOPW6WIQQ.jpeg?auth=cbd11468da5d4a2493d90319f978d7ccfb2b4ae158111c34b3761a4d37450a1b&width=1260&height=840&smart=true" alt="Students arrive at the Georgia Gold Dome on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024, to meet with lawmakers and promote charter schools and school choice. (AJC 2024)" width="1260" height="840" class=" " style="display:none" fetchpriority="auto"/><div class="c-placeholder" style="display:flex;aspect-ratio:1.5;max-width:78.75rem;max-height:52.5rem;object-fit:cover;background:#f8f8f8;justify-content:center;align-items:center"><img alt="Placeholder Image" src="/pf/resources/logos/AJC/placeholder.svg?d=2034" style="width:20%;box-shadow:none"/></div></div><p class="photo-credit-text">Credit: Ty Tagami/AJC</p></div></div></div></a><div class="story-info"><a class="headline " href="/education/get-schooled/charter-schools-in-georgia-significant-demand-short-supply/RWMCOEJVRZHRPHDWYRXFJJB75E/"><h3>Charter schools in Georgia: Significant demand; short supply</h3></a><p class="description">New data released by the State Charter Schools Commission of Georgia shows that more than 21,000 students currently appear on charter school “waitlists.”</p></div></div><div class=" c-story-tease "><a href="/opinion/columnists/rhone-bring-the-dei-boycott-energy-to-the-beauty-industry/XQBQUXV3WRCX3EP3L3VEGNCMVM/" class="story-image "><div class="c-image-component image-landscape"><div class="image-component-image "><div class="enlargeImage-wrapper"><div class="lazyload-wrapper"><img src="https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/QC6P5E66GUCHDN7PE3LYY6BPJY.jpg?auth=1d216af00ed255f2146c9d43d2f891e0f8950d2f88d89504f50bdc30dee0fa2b&width=1260&height=840&smart=true" alt="Customers try on makeup before they buy at Sephora counters across the nation. (Mary Altaffer/AP 2017)" width="1260" height="840" class=" " style="display:none" fetchpriority="auto"/><div class="c-placeholder" style="display:flex;aspect-ratio:1.5;max-width:78.75rem;max-height:52.5rem;object-fit:cover;background:#f8f8f8;justify-content:center;align-items:center"><img alt="Placeholder Image" src="/pf/resources/logos/AJC/placeholder.svg?d=2034" style="width:20%;box-shadow:none"/></div></div></div></div></div></a><div class="story-info"><div class="c-headline-label">OPINION</div><a class="headline " href="/opinion/columnists/rhone-bring-the-dei-boycott-energy-to-the-beauty-industry/XQBQUXV3WRCX3EP3L3VEGNCMVM/"><h3>RHONE: Bring the DEI boycott energy to the beauty industry</h3></a><p class="description">As many as 4 out of 5 women in their lifetimes will develop uterine fibroids, and Black women are disproportionately diagnosed compared to women of other races.</p></div></div><div class="MP02 arc_ad b-margin-bottom-d30-m20 "></div><div class="RP01 arc_ad b-margin-bottom-d30-m20 tablet-smallDesktop-only"></div><div class=" c-story-tease "><a href="/education/get-schooled/why-georgia-needs-a-statewide-k-12-school-cellphone-ban/UKE55LCDMRBQZGR2AZOXJ37AJE/" class="story-image "><div class="c-image-component image-landscape"><div class="image-component-image "><div class="enlargeImage-wrapper"><div class="lazyload-wrapper"><img src="https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/QOBQTKQTC34JHWIUMKUWUXIKIE.JPG?auth=a1c3d6234de053f4c4e0f254e8c57f0781d2064590ab128e8ecab4196e6b6045&width=1260&height=840&smart=true" alt="Midtown High School principal Betsy Bockman holds up the magnetic device that will lock cellphone pouches on Monday, July 22, 2024. Students will be required to put their phones into the pouches when they arrive each morning and will not be able to access them until the school day is complete. (Natrice Miller/ AJC)" width="1260" height="840" class=" " style="display:none" fetchpriority="auto"/><div class="c-placeholder" style="display:flex;aspect-ratio:1.5;max-width:78.75rem;max-height:52.5rem;object-fit:cover;background:#f8f8f8;justify-content:center;align-items:center"><img alt="Placeholder Image" src="/pf/resources/logos/AJC/placeholder.svg?d=2034" style="width:20%;box-shadow:none"/></div></div></div></div></div></a><div class="story-info"><div class="c-headline-label">OPINION</div><a class="headline " href="/education/get-schooled/why-georgia-needs-a-statewide-k-12-school-cellphone-ban/UKE55LCDMRBQZGR2AZOXJ37AJE/"><h3>Why Georgia needs a statewide K-12 school cellphone ban</h3></a><p class="description">Nineteen states have bans or restrictions on smartphone usage in schools to mitigate this growing problem. Georgia is not one of them.</p></div></div><div class=" c-story-tease "><a href="/opinion/columnists/torpy-atlantas-drug-bazaar-is-slowly-on-the-mend-one-house-at-a-time/7H2R3P75HVAUNNLGKRMPO244I4/" class="story-image "><div class="c-image-component image-landscape"><div class="image-component-image "><div class="enlargeImage-wrapper"><div class="lazyload-wrapper"><img src="https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/QOKD5FJU5VHNLJEHLZGDKF7WM4.jpg?auth=bca383f16f277508e6a26bc9ca28f8a6c7a734ca316c9740fe639c62179b6eac&width=1260&height=840&smart=true" alt="John Ahmann, CEO of the Westside Future Fund, stands outside a property his organization is renovating in the English Avenue neighborhood. (Bill Torpy/AJC)" width="1260" height="840" class=" " style="display:none" fetchpriority="auto"/><div class="c-placeholder" style="display:flex;aspect-ratio:1.5;max-width:78.75rem;max-height:52.5rem;object-fit:cover;background:#f8f8f8;justify-content:center;align-items:center"><img alt="Placeholder Image" src="/pf/resources/logos/AJC/placeholder.svg?d=2034" style="width:20%;box-shadow:none"/></div></div><p class="photo-credit-text">Credit: Bill Torpy</p></div></div></div></a><div class="story-info"><div class="c-headline-label">OPINION</div><a class="headline " href="/opinion/columnists/torpy-atlantas-drug-bazaar-is-slowly-on-the-mend-one-house-at-a-time/7H2R3P75HVAUNNLGKRMPO244I4/"><h3>TORPY: Atlanta’s drug bazaar is slowly on the mend, one house at a time</h3></a><p class="description">The English Avenue neighborhood is finally seeing revitalization.</p></div></div></div><span class="separator-line"></span><button class="btn-loadMore redesign b-margin-bottom-d30-m20 default">Load 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Many pejorative terms were used in association with the executive orders, but at no time was “DEI” defined."},{"_id":"UNW2O2UBQBGKRG34IXBODKX3KI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740700872122},"type":"text","content":"Now, a bill in the Georgia Legislature, <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/politics/georgia-legislative-navigator/#bills/SB/120\" target=\"_blank\">Senate Bill 120</a>, to prohibit the “promotion, advocacy … of diversity, equity and inclusion” in our public schools and colleges has been introduced. 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According to the latest <a href=\"https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/GA/PST045224\" target=\"_blank\">U.S. Census</a> data 58.7% of us are white; 33.2% Black; 0.6% indigenous; 4.9% Asian; 11.1% Hispanic. In addition 15% speak a language other than English at home and 9.3% live with a disability."},{"_id":"7QMDJIAUL5HCVHNFI3AEG2DSGA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740765583860},"type":"text","content":"Our schools are even more diverse, as students of color comprise <a href=\"https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest-dashboard/state/georgia\" target=\"_blank\">more than 70%</a> of our K-12 classrooms. Our teacher corps remains overwhelmingly white. Shouldn’t our teachers charged with educating students who come with different experiences, religious practices and needs receive support?"},{"_id":"2IFRKWJ5UVDOZLDYAI6W7O4ZL4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740765583861},"type":"text","content":"Diversity is our reality, and it does a disservice to our children to pretend otherwise."},{"_id":"NOOYYCCIXVHANBJTMP2ZFXMKBU","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"YQTSJCZB2NGP5GSSOYE7GQFBPQ"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Ted Cruz targets ‘woke DEI’ science grants at Georgia universities","url":"https://www.ajc.com/education/ted-cruz-targets-woke-dei-science-grants-at-georgia-universities/HAJ3S6EC4RDY5NG5YNW3ASNH3Y/"},{"_id":"CSNB6PANZVDAVDZJ7CWB6BPQUA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740700872126},"type":"text","content":"Equity simply means “the quality of being fair and impartial.” Do the sponsors mean to oppose fairness in our educational settings?"},{"_id":"SKYYKW7CWJE3DHQCPUDF6TYY3Q","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740700872127},"type":"text","content":"The opposition to inclusion may be the most confusing. Each of us can recall a painful experience of exclusion. Inclusion is: “1. The action of state of including or being included within a group or structure; and 2. the practice or policy of providing equal access to opportunities and resources for people who might otherwise be excluded.”"},{"_id":"H6GI6EOAPNCRLLLNTKKYNYCDJU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740700872128},"type":"text","content":"These are the plain language meanings of these words and the plain language of the legislation is to prohibit practices to include people. The proponents of this view should be asked to explain why they oppose our diverse communities, why they oppose fairness and why they oppose including people who have been excluded?"},{"_id":"BUVUWIB3YJAPHMYVORZKKV7RJQ","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"I6QPZAIAM5CP7HCOBAKACBZCYA"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Delta CEO promotes DEI initiatives as ‘merit-based’ following Trump executive orders","url":"https://www.ajc.com/news/business/delta-ceo-ed-bastian-calls-dei-initiatives-merit-based-after-executive-orders/3S76XY4XUBG73NX4BDQGF5KWAA/"},{"_id":"V3KAKQK5IBAPVGCAO54XSKE6ZQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740700872129},"type":"text","content":"I remember Georgia when I was excluded — from schools, movies, stores, restaurants, parks, libraries because of my race. I remember when our public schools excluded children with special needs, and I visited homes where children with Down syndrome were hidden away."},{"_id":"Q6GSVIUKNFGIBI2DJJ4JO3KYEM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740765583866},"type":"text","content":"I remember when girls were treated unfairly; sexual harassment was just “boys being boys.” I can still remember the humiliation of having boys follow me down the hall making catcalls when I wore a dress my Dad brought me from Africa."},{"_id":"TN3BENXFNZA5JO6ND3LVPWYGWU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740700872130},"type":"text","content":"I never considered the University of Georgia when I graduated with honors from my Atlanta Public Schools high school — only a decade after the first Black students were admitted over campus protests. Also, the fraternities still flew the Confederate flag on game day. The atmosphere for Black students was much more welcoming when my daughter attended — she was active in both student government and the NAACP."},{"_id":"B7FLIUBCQNCM3FDN25IVWOSJGY","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"SSSF2UHRENHXPCZB7FPXDISNPY"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Email containing ‘misinformation’ raises DEI concerns at Georgia Tech","url":"https://www.ajc.com/education/email-containing-misinformation-raises-dei-concerns-at-georgia-tech/4GUSB2DBN5BNBDTDTL4GCA5WU4/"},{"_id":"IWIYXZBPHBHULPELBMJWBZ5QBU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740700872131},"type":"text","content":"My granddaughter lives in a beautifully diverse world in Atlanta where children of many backgrounds play together, go camping and attend each other’s birthday parties. I believe she and all of her friends should experience feeling included, wherever they go to school."},{"_id":"K5KWY5HYF5HPJFEPJGIZQ3AOA4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740700872132},"type":"text","content":"I hope the proponents of this bill are not suggesting we should return to the days of segregation, of people being excluded and treated unfairly."},{"_id":"26BXSTJDLBHJFFB5BXBE7MGM6I","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740765583870},"type":"text","content":"So, what do they mean?"},{"_id":"5S5X26AXQJB2DPBYJP6UTUEQLQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740700872133},"type":"text","content":"<i>Andrea Young is executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia.</i>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"Andrea Young says government prohibitions on the promotion of diversity, equity and inclusion are viewpoint discrimination and prohibited by the U.S. Constitution."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2003}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/news","/"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1049,"ComposerNav":1002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"teameric"},{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"legislature"}]},"label":{"tease_label":{"display":true,"text":"opinion"},"custom_label":{"display":true,"text":"opinion"}},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"73496da23178cff742bf709caf3caca19583a6f2cd4a7463449d7f4f97943028"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"AP","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Chris Dorst","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"US Political Protests","width":3600,"caption":"Protestors hold signs while listening to speakers during during a protest on the south steps of the West Virginia State Capitol in Charleston, West Virginia, on Wed., Feb. 5, 2025, during what was billed as a nationwide series of protests against President Donald Trump, Project 2025, DEI rollbacks and other recent administration initiatives. (Chris Dorst/Charleston Gazette-Mail via AP)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"425c44eb-5b03-4ce5-89fa-69e74b50003b"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/7DGVJXMFUZJOUP7R34VILDFN7M.jpg","height":2306,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/7DGVJXMFUZJOUP7R34VILDFN7M.jpg?auth=73496da23178cff742bf709caf3caca19583a6f2cd4a7463449d7f4f97943028&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},"canonical_url":"/education/get-schooled/what-does-it-mean-to-promote-dei-in-georgia/BKX4DNRHTNDB3P4PRX3C7YP7AA/","canonical_website":"ajc","display_date":"2025-03-01T10:00:00Z","credits":{"by":[{"org":"","name":"Andrea Young","additional_properties":{"original":{"author_type":""}},"type":"author"}]},"subtype":"Article","headlines":{"basic":"ACLU leader: What does it mean to promote DEI in Georgia?"},"first_publish_date":"2025-03-01T10:00:00Z","last_updated_date":"2025-03-01T10:00:01.782Z","_id":"BKX4DNRHTNDB3P4PRX3C7YP7AA","teaseImageObject":{"auth":{"1":"73496da23178cff742bf709caf3caca19583a6f2cd4a7463449d7f4f97943028"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"AP","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Chris Dorst","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"US Political Protests","width":3600,"caption":"Protestors hold signs while listening to speakers during during a protest on the south steps of the West Virginia State Capitol in Charleston, West Virginia, on Wed., Feb. 5, 2025, during what was billed as a nationwide series of protests against President Donald Trump, Project 2025, DEI rollbacks and other recent administration initiatives. (Chris Dorst/Charleston Gazette-Mail via AP)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"425c44eb-5b03-4ce5-89fa-69e74b50003b"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/7DGVJXMFUZJOUP7R34VILDFN7M.jpg","height":2306,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/7DGVJXMFUZJOUP7R34VILDFN7M.jpg?auth=73496da23178cff742bf709caf3caca19583a6f2cd4a7463449d7f4f97943028&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}}],"expires":1740878638957,"lastModified":1740878518762},"{\"arcSite\":\"ajc\",\"daysBack\":30,\"from\":2,\"includeDistributor\":\"\",\"includeTags\":\"Torpy at large, torpy at large, Washington Insider, washington insider, get schooled, news-to-me, real life blog, Patricia Murphy,adventures in food\",\"primarySize\":[[630,420]],\"size\":30}":{"data":[{"content_elements":[{"_id":"FBN6P34Y2JAXNPXYMWODXPFWB4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740708039698},"type":"text","content":"U.S. House Republicans passed a budget this week that would cut up to $2 trillion from the federal budget."},{"_id":"2BZQYF76NBAS7GZ5AEGCCDGUSM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740708039699},"type":"text","content":"Those <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/politics/how-the-budget-bill-in-congress-to-advance-trumps-agenda-could-impact-georgia/NFKSPDZ6YNBOZO4O6BA7CFT56Q/\" target=\"_blank\">cuts could soon affect Georgians</a> across the state, especially those getting their health insurance through Medicaid."},{"_id":"REQ52ARZIZHNRL2ZIONXZDR3G4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":185,"comment":"two in five "}],"comments":[],"_id":1740708039700},"type":"text","content":"Before you write off Medicaid recipients as “not like me,” remember that Medicaid covers roughly 2 million people, including half of all births, 70% of nursing home patients and 2 in 5 children in Georgia, according to <a href=\"https://files.kff.org/attachment/fact-sheet-medicaid-state-GA\">the Kaiser Family Foundation</a>. If you don’t think you know anyone on Medicaid, you’re probably wrong."},{"_id":"CWL7ZAIPDRDNNCRZRDUJNGEE6A","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740708039701},"type":"text","content":"To get a sense of what cuts to the program could mean for children in Georgia, I visited Dr. Dorsey Norwood earlier this week. Norwood is a pediatrician who I‘ve known since we went to kindergarten together in Atlanta. Even in elementary school, she was the smartest kid in class. After medical school, she worked briefly at her father’s pediatric practice in Buckhead, and<b> </b>then left to work in South Atlanta."},{"_id":"AXR7HR5TY5BJHDW7GRB53BEWK4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740708039702},"type":"text","content":"Norwood now runs her own pediatric practice on Cleveland Avenue near East Point, complete with a bright and cheery waiting room to welcome patients and their parents. But you don’t need to look further than the shuttered South Fulton Medical Center next door to understand that this is the part of the city that most doctors and hospitals abandoned long ago, leaving vast swathes of Georgians without accessible, reliable health care in the process."},{"_id":"TLP3VQML3NBQBFYFCY24MYDPN4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740708039703},"type":"text","content":"Norwood is an exception."},{"_id":"7V37SWX3VBFWDPCRNWAX7Z6IV4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740756878079},"type":"text","content":"Not only has she stayed in South Atlanta, she has stayed so long that she’s treated multiple generations of several families. She also sees children<b> </b>with complex medical conditions whom other practices sent away, as well as about one patient per week affected by gun violence."},{"_id":"VRQEOLDRJZFRRNNKFL3LGI5TJQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740756878080},"type":"text","content":"She believes<b> </b>she’s needed where she is, and she’s right."},{"_id":"WQVCBKU3TRHDNJKLC3NNEDKBQI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740708039704},"type":"text","content":"“I feel like I’m making connections and making an impact,” she said. Although she describes the area as proud and deeply rooted, it also includes pockets of poverty, violence and trauma."},{"_id":"74D25VLEKZAIBKHSFXH464VMGU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740708039705},"type":"text","content":"“I’ve had kids in foster care who I knew when they were with their moms, then I knew them in foster care and now I know their adoptive parents,” she said. “I can be that constant for them.”"},{"_id":"RD4LCO3ULVBXLEAKBTURZCMKYM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740708039706},"type":"text","content":"Even in this working-class section of Atlanta, she estimates that 85% of her pediatric patients are covered by Medicaid, while the rest are mostly covered by their parents’ private insurance plans. That means even a modest cut to Medicaid benefits would be impossible for her practice to absorb."},{"_id":"HFXZ5XKQ2FG6BCBGSSBGIBDO7I","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740708039707},"type":"text","content":"“As it is, we are just making ends meet,” she said. “A 15% cut? I don’t think I’d be able to keep the business.”"},{"_id":"H4TN3O5YSJCNBGO7FISZGJH2WQ","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"PYZRMPTUFZHVPFJAP2ZLYU3ADA"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"From food stamps to tax cuts: How the federal budget bill could affect Georgians","url":"https://www.ajc.com/politics/how-the-budget-bill-in-congress-to-advance-trumps-agenda-could-impact-georgia/NFKSPDZ6YNBOZO4O6BA7CFT56Q/"},{"_id":"ZPVJNPWKDRCGDBYJJVHERRNWYQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":307,"comment":"nine"}],"comments":[],"_id":1740708039708},"type":"text","content":"On the morning I visited, Norwood had already seen a newborn baby whose mother had been her patient, as well as a little girl with a chronic kidney condition. A little boy tested positive for COVID, while a prescription for ADHD medication was waiting to be renewed. Next, it was time for Kinsley Wilson’s 9-month checkup."},{"_id":"L2S5UW2HS5E43MTSMGXPXQWNRQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":138,"comment":"her own "}],"comments":[],"_id":1740708039709},"type":"text","content":"Kinsley’s mom, Shakira Wilson, has two teenagers who are also patients at the practice. She works full time at Walmart. Although she gets health insurance through her job, covering her children through her private plan would be so expensive she could not also afford rent and groceries. Because her income also qualifies her for Medicaid in Georgia, she is able to make sure her children are insured through the government program."},{"_id":"EEWXXMJDV5EPNO6AC45BK5SWY4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740708039710},"type":"text","content":"Like all recipients, she is required to confirm her eligibility through the state of Georgia once a year. But if her Medicaid benefits are cut in the future, she said, “I don’t know how my children would see the doctor.”"},{"_id":"R6HJW5ZAIBCDFKSFO2MXTGQCDI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740708039711},"type":"text","content":"“She’s growing like a weed!” Norwood said of Kinsley as the appointment began. “How is she eating?” Shakira said she thinks the baby could have an ear infection, since she’s been pulling at her ears lately. But after an exam that shows everything’s healthy, Norwood explained the child is likely teething and pulling her ears to relieve the pain."},{"_id":"4BLUEEZUF5FDPGUXNKGXFW4SFY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740708039712},"type":"text","content":"Other than that, Kinsley’s visit is uneventful and one of the many regular checkups she’s able to get for vaccines, height and weight checks, and other markers for a healthy, growing baby."},{"_id":"MVCWCS4JFBEL5DVRKIPDQ57U5I","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740708039713},"type":"text","content":"“See you next time, baby girl!” Norwood called out at the end."},{"_id":"AUQBZ7HXKRG4XIKP2ZAV7WZL7I","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"345RXSR6AJDK3BYV5ASLWA3NAM"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"A surprise bill to expand Medicaid in Georgia narrowly fails","url":"https://www.ajc.com/politics/a-surprise-bill-to-expand-medicaid-in-georgia-narrowly-fails/QL3UB6YDAZDD3FJDJCC2M3CA2M/"},{"_id":"HYCYD3S6AVEIDEPGTTHG3TYXXU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740752828322},"type":"text","content":"Like Wilson, Norwood said nearly all of her patients’ parents work in full-time jobs, many at companies that provide limited or no health insurance. “Who doesn’t work? They all do,” she said. “These are hardworking people.”"},{"_id":"EJVUR7RIQNDZPNAAFHJSVUEWXE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740708039715},"type":"text","content":"Republicans have been quick to point out that the budget they just voted for never mentions the word “Medicaid” in the text. But the fine print makes it clear that the committee tasked with finding more than $880 billion in spending cuts is the same one that oversees Medicare and Medicaid. Avoiding Medicaid cuts, while also cutting nearly $1 billion from health care programs, will be nearly impossible."},{"_id":"5UKU2U3PPNGS3H6Z5QIKS5H4QQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740708039716},"type":"text","content":"Before members of Congress decide what exactly to cut, including Medicaid, they should acknowledge the effects of the cuts they’re making on the constituents they represent. For at least one Georgia pediatrician, cutting Medicaid benefits for her young patients would leave a wound in her practice that even she couldn’t heal."}],"subheadlines":{"basic":"A South Atlanta pediatrician says 85% of her patients are covered by government health care program."},"description":{"basic":"One Georgia pediatrician's practice in South Atlanta could be shuttered if Republican-backed Medicaid cuts are approved."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/politics","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Politics","description":"Political news with a Georgia focus, including the Georgia Legislature, Congress, White House, presidential elections and Georgia Congressional Districts.","_id":"/politics","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","TopicsBar2023":null,"BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","TopNav":null,"TopicsBar":null,"ComposerNav":"/","subnav_politics_georgia_voter_guide":null,"subnav_politics":null,"subnav_homepage":null,"default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null},"sponsor":{"sponsor_url_open_new_tab":"true","sponsor_desktop_banner":null,"sponsor_mobile_banner":null,"sponsor_url":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Politics","cohort_desktop_image":"https://ajc.com/resizer/LpAESXu0BTwsSDeQLp18BAqU4po=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/BCKCGHVE7BDDFAIG227UGBIHGE.png","cohort":"true","cohort_mobile_image":"https://ajc.com/resizer/z7HOEqoRgd1IrHhGNKo18ZMZ6yM=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/6JJWNPQW4VAURI4S76GONE5UY4.png","cohort_image_gradient":"false"},"site":{"site_url":"/politics/","section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"Political news with a Georgia focus, including the Georgia Legislature, Congress, White House, presidential elections and Georgia Congressional Districts.","site_title":"AJC Georgia Politics | What's really going on in politics"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Politics","_id":"/politics","ancestors":{"TopicsBar2023":[],"MainMenu2024":["/"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"TopicsBar":[],"ComposerNav":["/"],"subnav_politics_georgia_voter_guide":[],"subnav_politics":[],"subnav_homepage":[]},"order":{"AmpNav":1035,"default":1085,"MainMenu2024":1003,"SectionMap":1131,"ComposerNav":1006}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./politics","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/politics","name":"Politics"},"tags":[{"text":"Patricia Murphy"},{"text":"politics.ajc"},{"text":"teamsusan"},{"text":"RunAutoLink_EK7PHEZ52NDF5GUDQOHFZSQ4KA"}]},"label":{"tease_label":{"display":true,"text":"Opinion"}},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"1b76831455c96e35e572a65d5a0a40519a24b87ee75213605f8abece45c7ad0f"},"credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"name":"Patricia Murphy","type":"author","byline":"Patricia Murphy"}]},"subtitle":"Dr. Dorsey Norwood at work","width":1284,"caption":"Dr. Dorsey Norwood greets her patient Jahniela Clark, 5, at her office. 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Patricia Murphy/AJC","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/DVSSVGR53BHIPATI3ALY66G74A.jpeg","height":1298,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/DVSSVGR53BHIPATI3ALY66G74A.jpeg?auth=1b76831455c96e35e572a65d5a0a40519a24b87ee75213605f8abece45c7ad0f&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},"canonical_url":"/politics/patricia-murphy-medicaid-cuts-would-gut-this-georgia-pediatricians-practice/SPULZJILX5EMXFH235USLLHN5M/","canonical_website":"ajc","display_date":"2025-02-28T16:03:39.779Z","credits":{"by":[{"image":{"version":"0.5.8","url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/arc-authors/ajc/44863e24-68a5-407e-90cd-3becade4c39c.png"},"socialLinks":[{"site":"email","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links.","url":"patricia.murphy@ajc.com"},{"site":"twitter","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links.","url":"https://twitter.com/MurphyAJC"}],"org":"Atlanta","social_links":[{"site":"email","url":"patricia.murphy@ajc.com"},{"site":"twitter","url":"https://twitter.com/MurphyAJC"}],"name":"Patricia Murphy","description":"Patricia Murphy joined the AJC in 2020 from CQ Roll Call, where she was a nationally syndicated political columnist. She previously covered politics for the Daily Beast and Politics Daily, and wrote for The Washington Post and Garden & Gun. She graduated from Vanderbilt University and holds a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University.","_id":"patricia-murphy","additional_properties":{"original":{"lastName":"Murphy","education":[{"name":"Vanderbilt University, B.A. in French"},{"name":"Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, Master's Degree in Journalism"}],"role":"Politics","native_app_rendering":false,"affiliations":"The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","bio":"Patricia Murphy joined the AJC in 2020 from CQ Roll Call, where she was a nationally syndicated political columnist. She previously covered politics for the Daily Beast and Politics Daily, and wrote for The Washington Post and Garden & Gun. She graduated from Vanderbilt University and holds a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University.","expertise":"11, Politics","type":"author","twitter":"https://twitter.com/MurphyAJC","contributor":false,"custom_ajc_website":"ajc","bio_page":"/staff/patricia-murphy/","last_updated_date":"2024-06-24T23:00:32.175Z","byline":"Patricia Murphy","email":"patricia.murphy@ajc.com","slug":"","image":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/arc-authors/ajc/44863e24-68a5-407e-90cd-3becade4c39c.png","longBio":"Patricia Murphy joined the AJC’s politics team in 2020 from CQ-Roll Call, where she was a nationally syndicated political columnist. Previously, she was the Capitol Hill Bureau Chief for Politics Daily, a columnist for Newsweek/ Daily Beast, and a contributor to Garden & Gun and the Washington Post. Before working in journalism, Patricia was a staffer for three U.S. senators. An Atlanta native, Patricia graduated from The Westminster Schools and Vanderbilt University, and holds a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University.","fuzzy_match":false,"author_type":"Staff","firstName":"Patricia ","books":[],"podcasts":[],"awards":[],"location":"Atlanta","_id":"patricia-murphy","status":true}},"type":"author","version":"0.5.8","url":"/staff/patricia-murphy/","slug":""}]},"subtype":"Article","headlines":{"basic":"Patricia Murphy: Medicaid cuts from Washington would gut this Georgia pediatrician’s practice "},"first_publish_date":"2025-02-28T15:19:04.115Z","last_updated_date":"2025-02-28T20:59:07.269Z","_id":"SPULZJILX5EMXFH235USLLHN5M","teaseImageObject":{"auth":{"1":"1b76831455c96e35e572a65d5a0a40519a24b87ee75213605f8abece45c7ad0f"},"credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"name":"Patricia Murphy","type":"author","byline":"Patricia Murphy"}]},"subtitle":"Dr. Dorsey Norwood at work","width":1284,"caption":"Dr. Dorsey Norwood greets her patient Jahniela Clark, 5, at her office. February 26, 2025. Patricia Murphy/AJC","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/DVSSVGR53BHIPATI3ALY66G74A.jpeg","height":1298,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/DVSSVGR53BHIPATI3ALY66G74A.jpeg?auth=1b76831455c96e35e572a65d5a0a40519a24b87ee75213605f8abece45c7ad0f&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"PK6TFEMU4NCOZFOBYUWVBDLR7Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740663487515},"type":"text","content":"Back in the 1990s, I lived in the Candler Park neighborhood when it was still populated by aging hippies. Several of them were letting their property go au naturel and allowing their vegetation to grow out."},{"_id":"MR4EMOAQCVHUHGE34OWDTOFWAE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740687209451},"type":"text","content":"I often wondered if some were trying to create a natural environment. Or were they just too lazy to do some weeding?"},{"_id":"JYK47XISVNF2DIZNMWAPNEWXRU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740687209452},"type":"text","content":"In recent years, some homeowners are trying to create environmentally sensitive properties and make their former lawns wildlife habitats."},{"_id":"Z6DXAPAEUJAGLM2RCNXFY6CE7I","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740687209453},"type":"text","content":"It’s an acquired taste for many who believe that proper landscaping is a manicured lawn, a tidy bed of tulips and a clipped row of bushes. But such artificial — and expensive — landscaped terrains aren’t particularly suited for wildlife."},{"_id":"L2SHR2CZ7BHDTJ7ONS4QQTKO7E","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740687209454},"type":"text","content":"Today, more people are eschewing the traditional approach, spending time to <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/life/5-invasive-plants-taking-over-georgia-in-2022/Z6U5GSODLVF3JF6YLRZBTCEKTI/\" target=\"_blank\">yank out invasive</a>, green-all-year plants like English Ivy, privet and holly. They even replace their lawns with mulch and natural plants."},{"_id":"QMBEBYN2FJDJJHQN6VIGGY6PUE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740687209455},"type":"text","content":"Again, not everyone is keen on this."},{"_id":"7FWJHD4NBJBG7B64YOXNBTNRYM","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"ATALKWPCQVGD5HSQXX37ONAQOQ"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"TORPY: Atlanta’s drug bazaar is slowly on the mend, one house at a time","url":"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/columnists/torpy-atlantas-drug-bazaar-is-slowly-on-the-mend-one-house-at-a-time/7H2R3P75HVAUNNLGKRMPO244I4/"},{"_id":"SIEIZTZYBFCKFDLMVVUKYBQDVU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740687209456},"type":"text","content":"Meet Sean Crews and Gail Gustavson, a young Cobb County couple who wanted to nourish the <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/lifestyles/environment/atlanta-audubon-certifies-cobb-backyards-wildlife-sanctuaries/49fuz70C0bMcpHSc3jJD0L/\" target=\"_blank\">“treasure trove of biodiversity</a> right behind our home.”"},{"_id":"7JB6MLNGJVFXRFV5ZDFLD6U2I4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":41,"comment":"in "}],"comments":[],"_id":1740687209457},"type":"text","content":"The couple met with a woman who consults on such endeavors and excitedly threw themselves into creating a natural habitat. They learned the yard of their suburban home had soil that had largely remained undisturbed, leading to the growth of trilliums, wild ginger and saplings of native Georgia trees."},{"_id":"LXGUWOQJQJETLGUYUJ23YAC7LI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740687209458},"type":"text","content":"They yanked <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/columnists/opinion-state-flower-flub-carries-important-history-lesson/BOPZ2WJWDJBN3KYEBMY2S7LW6E/\" target=\"_blank\">out the invasive plants</a>, did away with most of the lawn out front by covering it with mulch and wood chip. They also put some logs around the yard — and lined their driveway — for erosion control and to create “bee hotels” and places for bugs, birds, toads and salamanders to make a go of it."},{"owner":{"id":"ajc"},"copyright":"2022 Atlanta Journal Constitution","address":{"region":"Georgia"},"auth":{"1":"380b88222e972f8e9f5a1b26af5f0e75b69dbe9708b172fa890ea69a8ffbaf6f"},"caption":"Volunteers root out invasive plants and clean debris at the Chastain Arts Center in Buckhead for Earth Day on Friday, April 22, 2022. 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A few months later, they got a note on the door, a notice of violation. They had 10 days to remove the “litter,” a reference to the logs, or they’d be “subject to a fine, imprisonment or both.”"},{"_id":"IEICKHN4NRBJNIF6IHTNUKIXRQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740688990242},"type":"text","content":"They say neighbors had appreciated their efforts and remarked pleasantly about what they’d done. But apparently someone who didn’t appreciate it dropped a dime on them to the county."},{"_id":"GONBFEZ62ZGABI3ZSNUPCUZ7RA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740687209462},"type":"text","content":"“We’ve tried to make a balance between being aesthetically pleasing for our neighbors and being good to wildlife,” Gail said. “But all it takes is just one call.”"},{"_id":"SJKR5VQY2NHCFNXHSNEIQMHCX4","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"XXFSKY52RJE3NCBGALGH2F3GVI"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"TORPY: Letting kids go free range. Supporters say: ‘There oughta be a law’","url":"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/columnists/torpy-letting-kids-go-free-range-supporters-say-there-oughta-be-a-law/T7PC2TYVVFBLVFVV6COQNPCUWY/"},{"_id":"D5ZVZGIRZ5FZRMVVDGYFBBQFMA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[{"date":"2025-02-28T16:41:42.954Z","start":22,"end":28,"text":"added county here","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1740687209463},"type":"text","content":"They appealed to Cobb County, explaining they were trying to save the world from their little perch."},{"_id":"TYKNSMSC2BFOPH44XZUPXTGAJE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740687209464},"type":"text","content":"They say the code inspector has been professional but firm in his “no.”"},{"_id":"75SVX3ISDFHNNPJDROEMYAPTHI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740687209465},"type":"text","content":"One of the inspector’s emails seems like he tried to help them, albeit within the tight confinements of the county’s code: “All of the logs would be considered litter. They are essentially just sections of dead trees. Firewood could be an option if you wanted to split them into usable pieces of firewood. That would be allowed to be stored outside and could effectively be somewhat of a wildlife habitat up until the point the firewood is used.”"},{"_id":"R7YSLJHE3BDLVENARM6VQ4JG6Q","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740687209466},"type":"text","content":"They appealed to Cobb Commissioner JoAnn Birrell, who checked into it and said there was a worry that logs might foster termites. Birrell noted Cobb is revising its codes but did not say how."},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"d78929d24f87a6ea19174f3b22ac16692cb1eb4be336a4ba2ce70b1fe8e63ec9"},"caption":"Sean Crews and Gail Gustavson tried to change their suburban lot into a wildlife habitat. Someone complained and they had to remove several logs from the property, including these. (Courtesy of Gail Gustavson)","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/ETAZBYXBURGSTOLZ3VAJBVDV2E.jpeg","licensable":false,"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Gail Gustavson","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Gail Gustavson","type":"author","byline":"Gail Gustavson"}]},"subtitle":"Backyard wildlife habitat","width":4032,"creditIPTC":"Gail Gustavson","_id":"ETAZBYXBURGSTOLZ3VAJBVDV2E","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/ETAZBYXBURGSTOLZ3VAJBVDV2E.jpeg?auth=d78929d24f87a6ea19174f3b22ac16692cb1eb4be336a4ba2ce70b1fe8e63ec9","owner":"william.torpy@ajc.com","comments":[],"keywords":[],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/v2/ETAZBYXBURGSTOLZ3VAJBVDV2E.jpeg?auth=d78929d24f87a6ea19174f3b22ac16692cb1eb4be336a4ba2ce70b1fe8e63ec9","link":"","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/ETAZBYXBURGSTOLZ3VAJBVDV2E.jpeg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/ETAZBYXBURGSTOLZ3VAJBVDV2E.jpeg?auth=d78929d24f87a6ea19174f3b22ac16692cb1eb4be336a4ba2ce70b1fe8e63ec9","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/ETAZBYXBURGSTOLZ3VAJBVDV2E.jpeg?auth=d78929d24f87a6ea19174f3b22ac16692cb1eb4be336a4ba2ce70b1fe8e63ec9&width=300","version":0,"originalName":"logs driveway 2.jpeg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":"6WSIW5CPSBB5NAACEPG624XBL4"},"created_date":"2025-02-27T20:18:02Z","last_updated_date":"2025-02-27T20:18:02Z","height":3024,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/ETAZBYXBURGSTOLZ3VAJBVDV2E.jpeg?auth=d78929d24f87a6ea19174f3b22ac16692cb1eb4be336a4ba2ce70b1fe8e63ec9&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"63FSEH5IVRHRFAENSTU3RBOEOM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740687209467},"type":"text","content":"Sean shrugged while walking his property with his wife. “I get it. That’s what the code says,” he told me. They’re just following the rules."},{"_id":"5SP4BJJ3FZDRHOXT4UNPYNZ7N4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740687209468},"type":"text","content":"“But the code is outdated.”"},{"_id":"ISK6BD2CRFCINHTPMMX7YTXFD4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740687209469},"type":"text","content":"A few days after the notice, they paid to have a crew cart off their illegal bee hotels to the dump."},{"_id":"ACZRKSXEWVDERJQHMWYPBAB7NI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740687209470},"type":"text","content":"<a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/news/local/torpy-large-what-really-fault-the-assault-atlanta-trees/VHcmktq5vMgukgI54UXaRK/\" target=\"_blank\">Kathryn Kolb, who runs a nonprofit</a> helping people undertake <a href=\"https://www.ecoaddendum.org/\" target=\"_blank\">such property transformations,</a> says codes have not caught up to this new way of thinking."},{"_id":"36RUZHIAURA25MSU3GDDUSK6UQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740687209471},"type":"text","content":"“We need to distinguish between an intentional native yardscape and a delinquent owner with overgrown invasive species and an accumulation of trash,” she said."},{"_id":"6BQMYCTLKVELTKEZVG2EF2YBAE","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"2O4J6T6OMNCKPLIY55NQIK54MU"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"TORPY: Was Atlanta’s inspector general just too good at her job?","url":"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/columnists/torpy-was-atlantas-inspector-general-just-too-good-at-her-job/3ULG3MC6ONG4JKMK7M6M42K7UE/"},{"_id":"URGDMGQU5FHR5JM7LQRPD5EXXQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740687209472},"type":"text","content":"Code enforcement officers are largely not trained in such matters. Often, Kolb said, they come out and “see it’s <i>this </i>tall and it has to go.”"},{"_id":"OV65JLXQPZEKPM5TIPRE6ZGFJE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740687209473},"type":"text","content":"The problem is the back-to-nature folks are running headlong into generations of thinking as to what acceptable landscaping is."},{"_id":"IEJNTY3M25FKXIMEABGD3WCG2U","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740687209474},"type":"text","content":"“We’re looking at a long civilization trend, the thought was to conquer nature,” Kolb said. “We need to foster natural systems rather than tame them.”"},{"_id":"WHHJQTILYZD4XNXRQONM7ZGVVM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740687209475},"type":"text","content":"“The mainstream aesthetic is old-fashioned,” she added. “We plant plants to stay green all year that take over.”"},{"_id":"VO64XCXJ6NEENBZG4QN5GKCDNI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740687209476},"type":"text","content":"Once, long ago, I had one of those firms with tanker trucks fertilize our lawn. It was early spring, so the grass was largely brown. I came home to find the lawn had been dyed Easter egg green. I guess the fellow thought he was doing me a favor."},{"owner":{"id":"ajc"},"workflow":{"status_code":4},"auth":{"1":"292e8d8d2798814fb61f0984d5de7f252aba4741aec12e41352f52e0e0c98cc6"},"caption":"Kathryn Kolb says swaths of old urban forest remain in the backyards of older homes in Atlanta’s neighborhoods. (Bill Torpy/AJC)","source":{"system":"Methode","source_type":"other","source_id":"50c494da-8bc4-11e8-aab3-8b6730d0b4db","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/SH4QTI4HNCCL3KQEVUZBKFABWI.jpg","licensable":false,"display_date":"2018-07-20T10:00:00Z","credits":{},"subtitle":"Torpy at Large: What’s really at fault in the assault on Atlanta trees","width":2048,"first_publish_date":"2018-07-20T10:00:00Z","_id":"SH4QTI4HNCCL3KQEVUZBKFABWI","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/SH4QTI4HNCCL3KQEVUZBKFABWI.jpg?auth=292e8d8d2798814fb61f0984d5de7f252aba4741aec12e41352f52e0e0c98cc6","comments":[],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/v2/SH4QTI4HNCCL3KQEVUZBKFABWI.jpg?auth=292e8d8d2798814fb61f0984d5de7f252aba4741aec12e41352f52e0e0c98cc6","link":"","takenOn":"2018-07-20T10:00:00Z","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/SH4QTI4HNCCL3KQEVUZBKFABWI.jpg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/SH4QTI4HNCCL3KQEVUZBKFABWI.jpg?auth=292e8d8d2798814fb61f0984d5de7f252aba4741aec12e41352f52e0e0c98cc6","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/SH4QTI4HNCCL3KQEVUZBKFABWI.jpg?auth=292e8d8d2798814fb61f0984d5de7f252aba4741aec12e41352f52e0e0c98cc6&width=300","version":0,"originalName":"https://www.ajc.com//rw/Pub/p9/AJC/2018/07/20/Images/newsEngin.22466986_trees-kolb.jpg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"galleries":[],"_id":"OXATYHNQQFGODCNSUWCW6NMISI","publicationStartDate":"2018-07-20T10:00:00Z"},"created_date":"2020-06-29T02:00:17Z","last_updated_date":"2020-06-29T02:00:17Z","publish_date":"2018-07-20T10:00:00Z","height":1536,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/SH4QTI4HNCCL3KQEVUZBKFABWI.jpg?auth=292e8d8d2798814fb61f0984d5de7f252aba4741aec12e41352f52e0e0c98cc6&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"HL7YYWLVGREFLLPQKTBPICVJXA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740687209477},"type":"text","content":"In fact, <a href=\"https://www.kcur.org/news/2024-05-20/lawns-turfgrass-environmental-impacts\" target=\"_blank\">the idea of lawns is unnatural</a>. “We are essentially expanding the idea of a carpet outside our house,” Kolb said. “We have taken it to an antiseptic level, to a level that it almost dead.”"},{"_id":"4ONP25TDNNFRHH75X5MTREHOCA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740687209478},"type":"text","content":"Luis Indacochea, a DeKalb resident, had a similar experience to the Cobb couple. Code enforcement was called on him because he stacked some wood and branches — he said it was less than 3 feet — to draw birds. He called it a “stumpery” and was inspired by one set up by the Beltline."},{"_id":"T4BWXGVLMFEQFIS5JI6QYROA5A","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740687209479},"type":"text","content":"“It was a wildlife habitat right outside my house,” he said."},{"_id":"4H6J2XPHAFGLTCQQW7JHPMKK7I","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740687209480},"type":"text","content":"However, he said, “my neighbors like old-fashioned type of grass.”"},{"_id":"PQ2PTJKJTNFPXB4JACB2KVQU3I","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"6O4DYQV3HBFV7FQPUPSN7EX4PY"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"TORPY: Gov. Kemp employs the ‘tort reform’ squeeze on his own","url":"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/columnists/torpy-gov-kemp-employs-the-tort-reform-squeeze-on-his-own/AAFQTYHOURDODKMY4V674G3ZBQ/"},{"_id":"BFOHXQ5GSJCOVGCTHZYE6LFKOA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740687209481},"type":"text","content":"DeKalb County Commissioner Ted Terry says he hears it both ways: “Your yard is unkempt. You’re yard is too manicured.”"},{"_id":"LB5LQFMEFBHNVNE6QGNQGIBTRE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740687209482},"type":"text","content":"Potato. Potahto."},{"_id":"ID64WGFNFRHL7EWLW2SW3UG7LE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740687209483},"type":"text","content":"“People have different degrees of intensity as to how kept their yards should be,” Terry said. “When we see a neighbor with a bad lawn our first reaction is to call the cops.”"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":"Local codes have not caught up with back-to-nature landscaping"},"description":{"basic":""},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/opinion/columnists","parent":{"default":"/opinion"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/opinion","name":"AJC Columnists","description":"Articles by columnists from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","_id":"/opinion/columnists","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/opinion","default":"/opinion","MainMenu2024":"/opinion","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/opinion"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"Articles by columnists from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","site_title":"AJC Columnists"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"AJC Columnists"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"AJC Columnists","_id":"/opinion/columnists","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/","/opinion"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/opinion"]},"order":{"MainMenu2024":2002,"SectionMap":1074,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./opinion/columnists","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/opinion/columnists","name":"AJC Columnists"},"tags":[{"text":"torpy at large"},{"text":"atlanta-news-metro.ajc"},{"text":"torpy-rss"},{"text":"teamdan"},{"text":"localnews.ajc"},{"text":"local government"}]},"label":{"tease_label":{"display":true,"text":"OPINION"},"custom_label":{"display":true,"text":"ONLY ON AJC: TORPY AT LARGE"}},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"2c5c3b7bd983a0c03f550466711b640465011f5014d3fb96f7a5b93bfeea3954"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Bill Torpy","type":"author"}],"by":[{"image":{"version":"0.5.8","url":"https://author-service-images-prod-us-east-1.publishing.aws.arc.pub/ajc/e7ef0c5b-c33a-4581-8b37-6cbb7dcb343c.png"},"socialLinks":[{"site":"email","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links.","url":"btorpy@ajc.com"},{"site":"twitter","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links.","url":"https://twitter.com/billtorpy"}],"social_links":[{"site":"email","url":"btorpy@ajc.com"},{"site":"twitter","url":"https://twitter.com/billtorpy"}],"name":"Bill Torpy","description":"Bill Torpy, who writes about metro Atlanta for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, joined the newspaper in 1990.","_id":"bill-torpy","additional_properties":{"original":{"lastName":"Torpy","image":"https://author-service-images-prod-us-east-1.publishing.aws.arc.pub/ajc/e7ef0c5b-c33a-4581-8b37-6cbb7dcb343c.png","role":"Columnist","education":[],"longBio":"Bill Torpy, who writes about metro Atlanta for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, joined the newspaper in 1990. 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According to a new <a href=\"https://news.gallup.com/poll/510401/education-satisfaction-ties-record-low.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">Gallup poll</a>, over the past 24 years, only 36% are satisfied with K-12 education in the U.S. which is tied for a record low. This is a daunting number. Education is a fundamental factor when projecting the success of a country. The more educated the working population is, the greater the productivity, increased efficiency, better innovation and overall more wealth creation. So how did we get here?"},{"_id":"LHAV2UFJTJCIPIZL6VEA7VMUTY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":213,"comment":","}],"comments":[],"_id":1740518520277},"type":"text","content":"Throughout the Cold War era, the U.S. was home to the largest educated workforce. Yet decades later, with the rise of population and educational opportunities in various developing countries including China, India and Japan, the educational workforce has declined in the U.S. America is continuing to live in the past. Children educated in the 1960s captured a <a href=\"https://www.hoover.org/research/decline-and-fall-american-education#:~:text=Americans%20educated%20in%20the%20sixties,unfortunately%2C%20the%20opposite%20is%20true\" target=\"_blank\">Bronze Medal</a> in literacy, those schooled in the 1970s got 5th place in the race. But those schooled in the 1990s ranked 14th. America now ranks <a href=\"https://www.thenationalliteracyinstitute.com/post/literacy-statistics-2024-2025-where-we-are-now\" target=\"_blank\">36th in literacy</a>, according to the National Literacy Institute."},{"_id":"6VS6L6TV6FFP5B2BBS7MPKSBM4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740518520278},"type":"text","content":"The reversal of this trend is vital for two crucial areas of America’s national security. First, the American economy. The U.S. educational system is not sustainably producing enough skilled workers to sustain America’s global economic dominance. According to the Council of Foreign Relations, “Economists and employers predict that in the coming years, a growing number of U.S. citizens will face unemployment because of disparities between the workforce’s education and skills and those needed by employers.” This hurts the productivity of the U.S. economy with potentially hundreds of billions of dollars being lost because of the failed system."},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"1f17bf419271f642c6aff79bca859a8ee9e50077b152c94cf04a57e5b7e880ca"},"caption":"Jason Eappen is a University of Georgia student. 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To protect national security, the U.S. needs to maintain a robust military; yet currently, by the Department of Defense’s measures, according to the Code of Federal Regulations, <a href=\"https://rbtus.com/pandemic-worsens-crisis-in-american-education/\" target=\"_blank\">30% of applicants</a> score too low on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery to be recruited. This is an alarming stat because being able to score high in science, math and ELA skills is vital to serve successfully, thus driving down the quality of recruits."},{"_id":"7ZRZZTQEYNBO7C4EC6BZEARWKY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":217,"comment":"-"}],"comments":[],"_id":1740518520280},"type":"text","content":"One possible solution that policymakers should consider is increasing the rigorous standard to become teachers. This not only increases the quality of teachers, but ensures students gain quality education from highly qualified teachers. This system has been proven to work and increase education outcomes. According to a <a href=\"https://20countries.com/nordic-countries/edu/\" target=\"_blank\">research study</a> of the educational system in Nordic countries (which consistently rank in the top of educational standards), “Teacher training and professional development play a crucial role in ensuring the delivery of high-quality education… Educators in these countries undergo rigorous training programs and have access to continuous development opportunities to enhance their skills and expertise… allow[ing] them to stay updated on the latest teaching methodologies, curriculum developments, and educational technologies.” This model has consistently ensured students receive top notch teachers and receive quality education."},{"_id":"KHWNFCLDQ5AZZIJ7RVKGWMGX64","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":446,"comment":"ting"},{"pos":570,"comment":"the "}],"comments":[],"_id":1740518520281},"type":"text","content":"Another solution could be expanding the educational curriculum. For example, including practical skills like basic business, technology and computing, emotional and social learning skills can greatly benefit students. In 2022, Georgia passed a law <a href=\"https://www.cnbc.com/2022/04/28/georgia-is-now-the-latest-state-to-mandate-personal-finance-education.html\" target=\"_blank\">requiring all high school students</a> to take a personal finance course. This is a great first step that students are more responsible with their personal finances. By continuing to ensure students get quality teachers and a better balanced curriculum, it vaults American students into an opportunity to better contribute to American readiness, whether that be in the military gaining more specialized soldiers or in a more skilled labor force."},{"_id":"7ZRZZTQEYNBO7C4EC6BZEARWKY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":305,"comment":","}],"comments":[],"_id":1740518520282},"type":"text","content":"Education at its core is a fundamental right that should be a priority to ensure the foundation of American democracy. Even outside the scope of a national security concern, education provides people with the options in terms of career, high potential for upward economic mobility, greater civic education and so much more. No one can take away what you learn."},{"_id":"TVF2O6CFUBFT3FNEZMSDYPFZBY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":256,"comment":","}],"comments":[],"_id":1740518520283},"type":"text","content":"Nelson Mandela once said “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” America needs to reclaim its position as the education hub of the world, and to do so, needs to shift its policies to incentivize creativity, innovation and maximize opportunity for the American Dream."},{"_id":"AQUKHQXSKFAVVPY2O22PFCEIL4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740518520284},"type":"text","content":"<i>Jason Eappen is a sophomore at the University of Georgia. 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How we can do better"},"first_publish_date":"2025-02-28T10:00:00Z","last_updated_date":"2025-02-28T17:12:28.192Z","_id":"HZUZHBVKURDENMVYD2GRV6X4OM","teaseImageObject":{"auth":{"1":"98bef5548481a65869dcb547663698198b7e072148e3b0c13b74b491e71fde97"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Miguel Martinez/AJC","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Miguel Martinez","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"School busses arrive","width":5088,"caption":"School busses full of students arrive at Cross Keys High School during the first day of class on Monday, August 8, 2022. AJC FILE PHOTO.","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"AJC Freelancer","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/JSOMJNV7RRJ4YEOFPOUVQDCLPQ.JPG","height":3392,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/JSOMJNV7RRJ4YEOFPOUVQDCLPQ.JPG?auth=98bef5548481a65869dcb547663698198b7e072148e3b0c13b74b491e71fde97&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"LDQIC24BQZDMPEEDANYOCCSYLQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740593023252},"type":"text","content":"This week saw the start of an annual lobbying effort on Capitol Hill by veterans advocacy groups to<b> </b>make the case for continued aid for those who have served this nation in uniform."},{"_id":"AC7XSQPQMRFHXIPXEA6ON3CKVE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":127,"comment":","}],"comments":[],"_id":1740593023253},"type":"text","content":"While policy differences always exist among lawmakers and outside groups, this is normally a bipartisan celebration of veterans who jam the halls of Congress. But this year, that ceremonial feeling took a detour."},{"_id":"ZSXP2CJPTVD5TK76C6A4H5XYTA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":213,"comment":"billionaire "}],"comments":[],"_id":1740593023254},"type":"text","content":"A day after the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs fired another 1,400 workers, lawmakers in Congress just happened to be meeting with veterans organizations. That led to some pointed questions about the work of Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency."},{"_id":"2U3A4FRC2ZGODJMRONVOCNFEUQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740593023255},"type":"text","content":"At a joint House-Senate hearing, leaders of the Disabled American Veterans made clear they weren’t pleased with the VA’s latest pink slips, which come on top of another 1,000 firings earlier in the month."},{"_id":"SHISY642WJGV7JQ5XMDWN3WUVA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740593023256},"type":"text","content":"“That’s not how you treat people,” said the DAV’s Randy Reese, who labeled the firings “unprofessional acts.”"},{"_id":"JCWOOMF4NZFSVMQM2HBGLF3LAA","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"CXOVKJNCVFC2PDOAHKFYF6EEEI"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"From food stamps to tax cuts: How the federal budget bill could affect Georgians","url":"https://www.ajc.com/politics/how-the-budget-bill-in-congress-to-advance-trumps-agenda-could-impact-georgia/NFKSPDZ6YNBOZO4O6BA7CFT56Q/"},{"_id":"PTZGGTBJJREDDN6VVWWMGY3JIM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740593023257},"type":"text","content":"It wasn’t just the DAV. The Veterans of Foreign Wars <a href=\"https://www.vfw.org/media-and-events/latest-releases/archives/2025/2/vfw-calls-on-administration-congress-to-stop-indiscriminate-firing-of-veterans\" target=\"_blank\">called for the VA firings to stop</a>, as lawmakers and advocates alike noted that veterans make up about one-quarter of the entire federal workforce."},{"_id":"BT4DJLZFRVHEZDZPHCYZ3WVHPQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740593023258},"type":"text","content":"“It’s veterans who are being indiscriminately harmed,” said VFW commander Al Lipphardt, who will bring that message to another hearing next week."},{"_id":"4WFR3NNRBZEQ5KANYY2QPZERNY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740593023259},"type":"text","content":"Democrats also had sharp words for former Georgia U.S. Rep. <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/politics/georgias-doug-collins-transforms-from-firebrand-congressman-to-va-chief/K5YTMJ37IJHYPBAIKC723UV6IU/\" target=\"_blank\">Doug Collins</a>, who is now the <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/politics/former-georgia-congressman-collins-confirmed-as-veterans-affairs-secretary/YIKQ2YLF25G5BDOXD32RMSZXSA/\" target=\"_blank\">v</a><a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/politics/former-georgia-congressman-collins-confirmed-as-veterans-affairs-secretary/YIKQ2YLF25G5BDOXD32RMSZXSA/\" target=\"_blank\">eterans secretary</a> for the Trump Administration."},{"_id":"WBSXLESB7ZDE5OZLNOSA4T5CLY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740593023260},"type":"text","content":"“Secretary Collins fired 1,400 more employees without notice and cause,” said U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., who accused the administration of doing “significant and irreparable harm” to the VA."},{"_id":"UKWLVNFF3FG5DNNFWPSDBIYSWE","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"GZYGQBLJOJE45HLU6V7XREW5XU"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Fired CDC workers join legislator to condemn ‘unnecessarily cruel’ cuts","url":"https://www.ajc.com/news/health-news/fired-cdc-workers-join-legislator-to-condemn-cuts/ZFDN56NX6REI7D24IBJBLFX4UU/"},{"_id":"OZKOLHEQ3ZBLVIJRQXUDECQWOM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740593023261},"type":"text","content":"What was notable about the hearing was how Democrats zeroed in on the VA job cuts, while Republicans steered clear of that subject."},{"_id":"EMU5B4HI7JA35ALGHDCYQ2O2HM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740593023262},"type":"text","content":"As for Collins, he has pushed back against any criticism, labeling some of it as “fake news.”"},{"_id":"ZI5FHGJVLVBLVECJZ77LMNU4IQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740593023263},"type":"text","content":"“There is not a front facing person that is being cut,” Collins told the American Legion this week."},{"_id":"2VFV7E3G7BDKDORMP3I2EAVEOU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740593023264},"type":"text","content":"In the halls of the Capitol, GOP lawmakers were of two minds about the complaints over cuts at federal agencies. One top House Republican derided “sob stories” about fired federal workers."},{"_id":"TMLLGVLNOZCQRA5LAU6SQOST3A","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"L7SQZTSQCJGE3JUF37N7WY6TFU"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Georgia’s Doug Collins transforms from firebrand congressman to VA chief","url":"https://www.ajc.com/politics/georgias-doug-collins-transforms-from-firebrand-congressman-to-va-chief/K5YTMJ37IJHYPBAIKC723UV6IU/"},{"_id":"2PMUZFTTP5G77AADQH2BEWEP4E","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740593023265},"type":"text","content":"But others counseled a more sympathetic message."},{"_id":"2AEGETYS3BH55CWN4Q5KO3CJC4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740593023266},"type":"text","content":"“I think it’s compassionate to have a smaller government,” said Georgia U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Suwanee, who called for the White House to go slower on federal firings."},{"_id":"CY3OGQ5XXBCEFPWP7R5QPMUC3E","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740593023267},"type":"text","content":"Still feeling the impact of his own raucous town hall meeting in Roswell, where voters blasted cuts at the Atlanta-based U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other agencies, McCormick urged his party not to openly celebrate mass firings."},{"_id":"XV6QFR6JENHXZDPJRVHK3663RY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740593023268},"type":"text","content":"“We’re trying to do what’s right,” McCormick added."},{"_id":"M2UU53XHZFGBTDVTZMDSL7HSNU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740593023269},"type":"text","content":"For now, that’s a tough sell for some veterans."},{"_id":"63MQCJQL7NBBBBP55IFY4IRXQE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740592917846},"type":"text","content":"<i>Jamie Dupree has covered national politics and Congress from Washington, D.C. since the Reagan administration. His column appears weekly in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. For more, check out his Capitol Hill newsletter at </i><a href=\"http://jamiedupree.substack.com/\"><i>http://jamiedupree.substack.com</i></a>"},{"_id":"OO6LDA6USNGYVEJGXAYJXSNZ7Q","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740592917847},"type":"text","content":"<br/>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":"Former Georgia U.S. Rep. Doug Collins, the new secretary of veterans affairs, comes under fire."},"description":{"basic":"Veterans make up about one-quarter of the entire federal workforce. 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But business is hardly humming for USA Inc. over at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where layoffs, confusion and fear have all but ground work to a halt at the world’s premier public health agency."},{"_id":"E26P62I3WJEQ3DTTOHEQGGDXOI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740602018349},"type":"text","content":"Since nearly all businesses do performance reviews, let’s see how the CDC was doing until this month."},{"_id":"5K337AT52NFDBID5O57NZ6ZCIA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740602018350},"type":"text","content":"For those who may not know, the CDC started on Peachtree Street in Atlanta in 1946 as the “Communicable Disease Center.” The goal was to stop the spread of malaria, which was still prevalent in the American South at the time. As the CDC still does, it dispatched on-the-ground prevention measures to a dozen states, including an army of trucks and mosquito sprayers. By 1951, malaria was considered eliminated, with the only new cases flying in from overseas."},{"_id":"ID2JEIBXE5CWPLFKQWULDHZSC4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":62,"comment":","}],"comments":[],"_id":1740602018351},"type":"text","content":"That started the CDC’s track record of identifying, addressing and often even eliminating major public health threats. For example, we can thank the CDC for realizing the debilitating effects of lead poisoning, including permanent brain damage in children."},{"_id":"3OJ4YXIG3ZBRHH4OFUORX3PNP4","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"36PSLJX3VRE6LJ2NWA3TTJPNSI"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Fired CDC workers join legislator to condemn ‘unnecessarily cruel’ cuts","url":"https://www.ajc.com/news/health-news/fired-cdc-workers-join-legislator-to-condemn-cuts/ZFDN56NX6REI7D24IBJBLFX4UU/"},{"_id":"E4YUBISOIVCVDCHLPCEMLZDLQA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740602018352},"type":"text","content":"Because of the CDC’s work, we no longer pump leaded gas at the gas station and we know to test older homes for lead-based paint, since it was banned in 1978."},{"_id":"ZMR74DOVOZEEHME7SREUCBUO2A","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740602018353},"type":"text","content":"Researchers with the CDC also figured out how to prevent Earth-based germs from being transported to space by NASA astronauts in the 1960s. And they helped cut smoking deaths to a fraction of former levels from the 1970s. After the 9/11 attacks, CDC researchers learned of the terrible damage done to first responders who responded to ground zero and then established long-term health programs for them."},{"_id":"AIJVRTPURNEGFEIUZSI6UNMXFY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740602018354},"type":"text","content":"The CDC is also credited with eliminating polio and measles in the United States until recently. The list goes on, including the CDC’s prominent role during the COVID pandemic. And even that does not include the catastrophes we never knew could happen, but were averted."},{"_id":"QLPXNQ566JFABFRPT52WQXN6CA","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"RJOJNEWHSVB23K2OSNMB24AASQ"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Flashback Photos: The CDC in Atlanta","url":"https://www.ajc.com/life/atlanta-historical-photos/flashback-photos-the-cdc-in-atlanta/3TLT3LF5EFGWRKMSHIWHJQ2AL4/"},{"_id":"6V64JBOMTBAYVC2HQHDPXVWTRU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740602018355},"type":"text","content":"But that’s the point of public health, Dr. Carlos Del Rio, a distinguished professor in Emory’s Infectious Disease division, said last week, “When public health is working at its best, you don’t see it.”"},{"_id":"UU5ISOTP2NG3LJQPT3X43A4MQ4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":2,"comment":","}],"comments":[],"_id":1740602018356},"type":"text","content":"So there is the CDC’s performance review. But instead of instilling “efficiency” at the agency, the Trump administration seems only to have only injected blind decision making and rank incompetence into an otherwise high-functioning agency."},{"owner":{"id":"ajc"},"workflow":{"status_code":4},"auth":{"1":"d1e1434945e962491c2fb551388da1fdd45bef0893050e50596969b9e8caded6"},"caption":"A sign marks the entrance to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Tuesday on Oct. 8, 2013 in Atlanta. 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The email said each federal employee was being given the chance to quit their job. If they chose to remain, they were warned their jobs would not be guaranteed."},{"_id":"4PYWDOKTQNE5VA7G4C6IUD255Q","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740602018358},"type":"text","content":"The next day, another OPM memo came, this time referencing Trump’s Executive Order on “Defending women,” instructing all offices to immediately eliminate any references to the word “gender” on websites within 48 hours. For the CDC, that meant taking down all forms that collected health data, including age, race, and “gender.” In a panic to abide by the order to the letter, one CDC office even removed an article by a researcher with the last name “Gender.”"},{"_id":"KNOBF76GC5ENTGMZCJWCF3ODKM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740602018359},"type":"text","content":"More time brought more emails about the Fork in the Road, first reminding people of the deadline for a response, then extending the deadline, and then telling employees to forget about the deadline."},{"_id":"5AG5MABLHRAAPFUXQ2I6N32Q7A","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"KYVWGXYTJNCFLOSWGHTI66YMOA"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Brian Kemp on CDC layoffs: ‘Government can stand a little rightsizing’","url":"https://www.ajc.com/politics/politically-georgia/brian-kemp-on-cdc-layoffs-government-can-stand-a-little-rightsizing/SWE62T56SZA5PPAED4E346D7UU/"},{"_id":"GADXHJV7LVFRZMXUYBU7ZSSGEU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740602018360},"type":"text","content":"Have you lost track yet? How is business going so far?"},{"_id":"WIHE3HJPMFBAXEQ5HOF7H7KI4E","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740602018361},"type":"text","content":"While all of this was going on, CDC workers were told <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/news/health-news/freeze-of-information-from-federal-health-offices-concerns-officials/GEFZ4G6MJFATPKNAOE7EBKDL34/\" target=\"_blank\">not to communicate with anyone </a>outside of the agency, even with state and local health departments."},{"_id":"ZMQ44EGZXJFIXD64WIDUETBGMM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740602018362},"type":"text","content":"On Valentine’s Day, the OPM laid off at least 700 Atlanta-based employees. One was Sonya Arundar, a user experience, or UX, specialist at the CDC’s Public Health Infrastructure Center. Although many current and former employees are afraid to speak out, she isn’t one of them."},{"_id":"IZ6IIH2MIJBG7CKQHOKWJ5ZOEU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740602018363},"type":"text","content":"“I can’t sit by and be quiet,” she said during an interview this week."},{"_id":"E5WFVHAMDVD7FBUERKQSII7RBQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740602018364},"type":"text","content":"After 20 years as a contractor with the CDC, she joined full time last year. “I took a 13% pay cut to join the CDC to address the inefficiencies I saw and save the American public taxpayer money,” she said."},{"_id":"6U54SAYRKFH4PI5DZWHN7TLSYE","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"UVCMPEWFDVFWVMGL7WHBO6Y23M"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Mass layoffs at Atlanta-based CDC spread shock","url":"https://www.ajc.com/news/health-news/mass-layoffs-at-atlanta-based-cdc-spread-shock/RHAUKLJZXZH3NKE73O4MDW53LI/"},{"_id":"XVL2SZVW5ZEZ7BIEWLE7A52HUY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740602018365},"type":"text","content":"Arundar had worked in the private sector for years before working for the CDC, but she said no business would operate the way the Trump administration has run the CDC since January."},{"_id":"O5Y234C2KBAOJFNPD3EZUW3T7U","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740602018366},"type":"text","content":"“The cuts were completely indiscriminate. They were not strategic,” she said. “It was across the board. Every department, every division, every group has been impacted. Work is at a standstill.” She has <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/news/health-news/workers-activists-community-members-protest-cruelty-in-cdc-cuts/RMRNYO57Y5G2TPR5CQ5GHBNYVI/\" target=\"_blank\">never heard another word from the CDC</a> since the email telling her she was fired."},{"copyright":"2024 Atlanta Journal Constitution","auth":{"1":"83743975c3240037163f8b96c3bd482120585c604fb442733bd92c5836e770ba"},"vanity_credits":{},"caption":"Emory University public health students, including Haley Cionfolo (right), cheer in support as Centers for Disease Control and Prevention employees drive out of the CDC headquarters in Atlanta on Feb. 18. Demonstrators gathered to protest the recent mass firing of 1,000 CDC employees. 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He had been with the CDC for 10 years when he was fired last week, despite the fact that the administration said the cuts were for probationary employees only."},{"_id":"EM2JRQ5EAJB5TKYAZPAG6Z6OEE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740602018368},"type":"text","content":"“The agencies didn’t even know who’s on the list, who was not on the list, or what to do, because this ‘probationary status’ doesn’t show up on employment forms,” he said."},{"_id":"KGJAFM3IKFBK7A3KJIDIMS76ZY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740602018369},"type":"text","content":"With his experience, Hassan would be in high demand in the private sector or even globally, but he said the damage done to public health in the United States by firing people with deep expertise cannot be undone."},{"_id":"LVNVR6S7DBDFVDDTUMA7SQ5RDM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740602018370},"type":"text","content":"“It ultimately costs lives,” he said. “If I’m not there, and people with my skills are not there, the next crazy outbreak that happens in Africa and any other country, it has a potential of coming here.”"},{"_id":"ZLZ6P23NHRAL7P26CFO37VK5RM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":168,"comment":"the "}],"comments":[],"_id":1740602018371},"type":"text","content":"The general response to the cuts at the CDC from some seems to be, “Eh, who needs the CDC?” But with a <a href=\"https://apnews.com/article/measles-outbreak-west-texas-death-rfk-41adc66641e4a56ce2b2677480031ab9\" target=\"_blank\">measles outbreak in Texas</a>, an “unknown” illness spreading across Congo, and Musk admitting Wednesday he accidentally cut Ebola prevention when he sacked the entire staff at USAID, I’d be willing to say we all need the CDC right now."},{"_id":"UH4HO32MY5C5XJ7UABLIRJJFSQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740602018372},"type":"text","content":"Unfortunately, the Trump 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"},"first_publish_date":"2025-02-27T10:00:00Z","last_updated_date":"2025-02-27T13:22:35.224Z","_id":"TPQL2VMDYFEQ3BW3FH4T3VY73A","teaseImageObject":{"credits":{},"width":1920,"type":"image","url":"https://d1fegwn2wjh0cs.cloudfront.net/02-19-2025/t_df3fda5ad459437290278e8d881c408e_name_12ba3de5ee0740698514c6df49ecc2c5","height":1080,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/https%3A%2F%2Fd1fegwn2wjh0cs.cloudfront.net%2F02-19-2025%2Ft_df3fda5ad459437290278e8d881c408e_name_12ba3de5ee0740698514c6df49ecc2c5?auth=59e3c62ee9b668d563a674ee33da8154e6b31b633ed055b46d62fbaa026895db&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"PK6TFEMU4NCOZFOBYUWVBDLR7Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740502517615},"type":"text","content":"Gov. Brian Kemp is dead serious about going after shrewd lawyers he says are killing the American dream of making a buck in business."},{"_id":"RH36V2ER7FEUPJNX4GHPUVRSZU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":9,"comment":","},{"pos":51,"comment":"own "}],"comments":[],"_id":1740518588789},"type":"text","content":"But first he had to go after malcontents under his GOP tent. That’s because this effort is really important to him, perhaps one that could springboard him to higher office."},{"_id":"LVICSOMYT5DMVMIVHRXTHBDVP4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740518588790},"type":"text","content":"Last week, as the state Senate was set to take up Kemp’s bill to overhaul litigation, he noticed opposition brewing among his own. So, to head off any free thinking, one of his chief minions made it known that any Republican who opposes the governor’s bill might just find a horse’s head under their sheets."},{"_id":"SB3HR4LLA5FFNFGIW35BC5J6DA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740518588791},"type":"text","content":"Cody Hall, a Kemp confidant, let it be known that the governor is<a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/politics/kemp-threatens-to-back-primary-challenges-against-republicans-who-oppose-his-litigation-rewrite/WJRRFX2FSNCSJEWN5BG73TTPSY/\" target=\"_blank\"> ready to use his considerable war chest </a>to primary any Republican who has the temerity to go against his will."},{"_id":"4R3X5IDMQVDMZP47ABTJFJRDYE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740518588792},"type":"text","content":"This might sound odd from a <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/politics/politics-blog/ajc-interview-inside-perdues-plan-to-defeat-kemp-in-2022/CYZFLSXL3RGHXG4IZUQIW7HKOY/\" target=\"_blank\">pol who was primaried last time out </a>by President Donald Trump’s guy, the ever-grim David Perdue. Trump still was mad at Kemp for not going along with his 2020 election swindle. But I suppose Kemp, who won handily, now believes that getting primaried builds character."},{"_id":"LXQ7S6SIAVB2PCQ7ZCK3C5JAUA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740518588793},"type":"text","content":"Apparently, his threat worked, as every Republican except Colton Moore,<a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/blog/politics/the-jolt-the-vote-the-house-just-doubled/ZZyRE0VumzmKoaTE4K2MXO/\" target=\"_blank\"> the Senate’s human No-vote machine</a>, supported the legislation."},{"_id":"MQUQAOBPJFCYPPZNEFZE4FRLQY","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"3ZL4LE5AJREATE76MG4Q4C47XE"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"After threats and deals, Kemp’s litigation overhaul clears Senate vote","url":"https://www.ajc.com/politics/after-threats-and-deals-kemps-litigation-overhaul-clears-senate-vote/LQKQZPDXAJAI3HZCEDRBDFYWUI/"},{"_id":"2QTDWNVVH5AJVFK2DYTQ6I5QXA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740518588794},"type":"text","content":"The bill, now in the state House, would “level the playing field” in courthouses, supporters say. They say plaintiffs’ lawyers are putting their faces on highway billboards and bombarding businesses with frivolous lawsuits."},{"_id":"LLLBTTLA6FEBVH3DSYG7ASBEDY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740518588795},"type":"text","content":"This well-organized, and well-funded, campaign — known as the Lobbyist Full Employment Act — has been actively waged<a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/tort-reform-in-georgia-is-long-overdue/J4GJI7M3O5BSNF7BAI3QIIKP3Q/\" target=\"_blank\"> for more than a year.</a> Supporters claim that “nuclear verdicts,” as in really big ones, are crippling businesses by driving up the price of insurance."},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"copyright":"2024 Atlanta Journal Constitution","address":{"region":"Georgia"},"auth":{"1":"8a9f1f565f67f459c12c0fd39716e183b32614914e5f5a84c7d708f58c321848"},"caption":"State senators take photos of the voting board following the vote on a bill to rewrite Georgia’s litigation rules to limit lawsuits at the Senate at the Capitol in Atlanta on Friday, February 21, 2025. 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The governor is said to still be smarting from insurance premium hikes from his time as a construction firm boss."},{"_id":"DE3X5Y6B4FDEXNJBZY5EMOUEK4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":101,"comment":"-b"}],"comments":[],"_id":1740518588797},"type":"text","content":"Democrats and many lawyers argue the bill is a bald-faced giveaway to the insurance industry, a multiillion-dollar conglomerate that excels at funding lobbyists and politicians. In addition, they say this will hurt the Little Guy’s chance at being reimbursed when injured by a company cutting corners."},{"_id":"DYPBDP6SWNCEPNU5B4YL4MJTPA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740518588798},"type":"text","content":"Granted, rising insurance rates annoy those of all political convictions. But the cause of those increases could keep high school debate teams arguing forever, whether they be more frequent natural disasters, naïve juries or greedy insurance moguls who excel at hiding profits."},{"_id":"TBYEVPGOQRA3RMLSYISJAGPC24","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740518588799},"type":"text","content":"In fact, adopting the so-called “tort reform” doesn’t ensure that rates will drop. It could affect <a href=\"https://apnews.com/article/tort-reform-brian-kemp-lawsuit-insurance-premiums-6cf8033a255f676ad453497f7e1fa392\" target=\"_blank\">liability insurance for some businesses, but</a> the rest of the picture still remains clouded."},{"_id":"5RUM6CVTQFB75DY6P57EW4OITY","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"3ULCEHF3XZEIRH3Z3EK5IJQWCI"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"What is tort reform? And why the AJC doesn’t call it that.","url":"https://www.ajc.com/news/what-is-tort-reform-and-why-the-ajc-doesnt-call-it-that/2TDFHUAGXBANFOU6FL5LB2R3ZE/"},{"_id":"FUGTZDNRZRGQ5JSGBM5OT3WXFE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740518588800},"type":"text","content":"In recent weeks, the tort reform squad brought forth testimony from all sorts of business owners, whether they be in the construction field, trucking industry or moms-and-pops just trying to make it in this harsh world."},{"_id":"CO52DX4GPBHAVM4HXHO2Q2QO4A","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":53,"comment":"so-called "}],"comments":[],"_id":1740523959180},"type":"text","content":"The bill would do several things, including stop the courtroom tactic of “anchoring,” which means bringing up possible financial damages early in a trial. The bill would make it harder to sue businesses for criminal acts occurring on their property, make it easier to dismiss cases and make trials bifurcated, meaning damages would be argued in a separate proceeding but with the same jury."},{"_id":"KYGM5FDDLRDIBPRH5X7EKNTMI4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740518588801},"type":"text","content":"The legislation does not have a cap on jury awards, as the state Supreme Court ruled <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/news/local-govt--politics/state-high-court-overturns-state-tort-reform/WzhEYW2PMW9EaklB9OwpQK/\" target=\"_blank\">such a measure unconstitutional in 2010.</a>"},{"_id":"XXINMZICUZAL3D3UJZLEUYMP4A","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":273,"comment":"they"}],"comments":[],"_id":1740518588802},"type":"text","content":"The bill’s proponents like to mention our neighbors in Florida for having successfully passed similar legislation. Florida, which Mother Nature has tried to destroy for the past decade, had seen massive insurance losses, wildly rising rates and companies pulling out. But, proponents say, legislation backed by Gov. Ron DeSantis turned all that around and insurers now are flocking back to the Sunshine State."},{"owner":{"id":"ajc"},"workflow":{"status_code":4},"auth":{"1":"74f5fecc8bd3bc5d31f987e19abf3c903ab52f9cb0ef5d0399749f72f69bb765"},"caption":"Thomas Malone, right, and his son Adam checking out their company’s jet DeKalb-Peachtree Airport in 2010. Tommy Malone was for years one of Georgia’s top plaintiff’s attorneys, routinely garnering million-dollar verdicts. He succumbed to cancer recently. Jason Getz, jgetz@ajc.com","source":{"system":"Methode","source_type":"other","source_id":"2b7530e0-ec3f-11e9-83f6-6f4cff90a6fd","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/D4Z3YQ5CJ7OIVDK2SDMCG2TJVI.jpg","licensable":false,"display_date":"2019-10-11T15:53:17Z","credits":{},"subtitle":"One of Georgia’s most successful lawyers lived large","width":2048,"first_publish_date":"2019-10-11T15:53:17Z","_id":"D4Z3YQ5CJ7OIVDK2SDMCG2TJVI","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/pr4MG3ttp_vtbZw1ey_9g8HvV_U=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/D4Z3YQ5CJ7OIVDK2SDMCG2TJVI.jpg","comments":[],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/pr4MG3ttp_vtbZw1ey_9g8HvV_U=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/D4Z3YQ5CJ7OIVDK2SDMCG2TJVI.jpg","takenOn":"2019-10-11T15:53:17Z","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/D4Z3YQ5CJ7OIVDK2SDMCG2TJVI.jpg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/pr4MG3ttp_vtbZw1ey_9g8HvV_U=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/D4Z3YQ5CJ7OIVDK2SDMCG2TJVI.jpg","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/VqKtl0z595IxF6n8UfA_aTDLRAE=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/D4Z3YQ5CJ7OIVDK2SDMCG2TJVI.jpg","version":0,"originalName":"https://www.ajc.com//rw/Pub/p10/AJC/2019/10/11/Images/newsEngin.24830082_malone.0425-01.jpg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"galleries":[],"_id":"WCHHZS34QRCSFOPX6H46FUU2SE"},"created_date":"2020-06-27T21:46:15Z","last_updated_date":"2020-06-27T21:46:15Z","publish_date":"2019-10-11T15:53:17Z","height":1287,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/D4Z3YQ5CJ7OIVDK2SDMCG2TJVI.jpg?auth=74f5fecc8bd3bc5d31f987e19abf3c903ab52f9cb0ef5d0399749f72f69bb765&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"3JB7XU444NHNLJRZLDYKRUWAWU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740518588803},"type":"text","content":"But let me add an asterisk here: An enterprising reporter writing for the Miami Herald and Tampa Bay Times unearthed a government report on the insurance industry and this week wrote a story headlined, “<a href=\"https://amp.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article300505879.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawIp52RleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHYbRKkC1PCu5InLoz8cEHUUO3K4Wpez0Fc_vHmTkoEFToHE1YgUX159_HA_aem_f71ZujFeVZWlWXjWqchPnQ\" target=\"_blank\">Secret study found Florida insurers sent billions to affiliates while crying poor.”</a>"},{"_id":"GJAROSKU4ZC5ZLCIS5TWUIL7NU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740518588804},"type":"text","content":"“The report, the most in-depth dive into the byzantine finances of Florida’s homeowners insurance market, reveals that as the insurance market was ailing and companies were losing money, executives distributed $680 million in dividends to shareholders while diverting billions more to affiliate companies,” the reporter wrote."},{"_id":"K6NANGBW5FHNRO7GTICYPYAZBA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740518588805},"type":"text","content":"Florida’s legislators never saw that report while debating tort reform, but listened to insurance execs complain about how broke they were. Insurance companies can appear to be losing money on <a href=\"https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/us/news/breaking-news/us-insurers-report-95-billion-gain-in-1h2024-driven-by-strong-premium-growth--verisk-504598.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">claim payouts while still raking it in on the stock market</a>."},{"_id":"FVML7TKBQREMXOPFEJP2H3M6EE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740518588807},"type":"text","content":"The late Tommy Malone, a plaintiff’s lawyer who grew rich from winning over juries, once got philosophic when explaining that verdicts should not solely be based on actuarial tables."},{"_id":"DNZFJFOHAZH2ZFHFJ7S7TBWEDQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740523959189},"type":"text","content":"“How much is a sunrise worth?” he asked."},{"_id":"ZDIWZVUUNZGNRHE3XT5D6FQDJU","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"7L3KWMN6J5CFTJGFUYWLAA3PNM"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Big business leaders back Kemp’s lawsuit reform efforts","url":"https://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta-news/big-business-leaders-back-kemps-lawsuit-reform-efforts/PCAEM4FAJJHKXF5DSUJWTQYJGQ/"},{"_id":"7F5ITZZUHBGW7B4S7ZLPJUJUGE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740523959190},"type":"text","content":"I called Adam Malone, who followed in his father’s footsteps. <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/news/local/malpractice-suits-push-two-lawyers-the-top/SEtIclmozm6HEuywYpxsHO/\" target=\"_blank\">It was his case that overturned the state’s</a> 2005 law that capped “pain and suffering” awards at $350,000."},{"_id":"YYMX7UHYIZBHNI7JU5LRPJG3HU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740518588809},"type":"text","content":"He once told me that “tort reform is socialized justice” and “takes away citizens’ voice.”"},{"_id":"AGZVGW3CWRBSRDREJ5UEDHBZPQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740518588810},"type":"text","content":"This week, he said, “The insurance industry is not hurting. Tort reform and insurance premiums have no correlation between each other.”"},{"_id":"G4EKA7R2W5GVNC3VMCPNMO2O4A","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740518588811},"type":"text","content":"But for the next few weeks, we sure will hear that they do."}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"Kemp’s adviser Cody Hall let it be known that the governor is ready to use his considerable war chest to primary any Republican who has the temerity to go against his will."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/opinion/columnists","parent":{"default":"/opinion"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/opinion","name":"AJC Columnists","description":"Articles by columnists from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","_id":"/opinion/columnists","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/opinion","default":"/opinion","MainMenu2024":"/opinion","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/opinion"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"Articles by columnists from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","site_title":"AJC Columnists"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"AJC Columnists"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"AJC Columnists","_id":"/opinion/columnists","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/","/opinion"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/opinion"]},"order":{"MainMenu2024":2002,"SectionMap":1074,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./opinion/columnists","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/opinion/columnists","name":"AJC Columnists"},"tags":[{"text":"torpy at large"},{"text":"atlanta-news-metro.ajc"},{"text":"torpy-rss"},{"text":"teamdan"},{"text":"localnews.ajc"},{"text":"local government"},{"text":"legislature"}]},"label":{"tease_label":{"display":true,"text":"OPINION"},"custom_label":{"display":true,"text":"ONLY ON AJC: TORPY AT LARGE"}},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"5136485f6e3292f2fe19956cfbfe1816edb3f1c306e5f9ddfb83f549169bdd44"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"AP","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Matthew Pearson","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"Lawsuit-Limits-Georgia","width":5880,"caption":"FILE - Crowds of people fill the north steps of the Georgia State Capitol to attend a news conference on tort reform hosted by Gov. Brian Kemp, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025 in Atlanta. (Matthew Pearson/WABE via AP, File)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"425c44eb-5b03-4ce5-89fa-69e74b50003b"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/JR6KSXVAWYPNL6EN2RA6RE2EYY.jpg","height":3920,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/JR6KSXVAWYPNL6EN2RA6RE2EYY.jpg?auth=5136485f6e3292f2fe19956cfbfe1816edb3f1c306e5f9ddfb83f549169bdd44&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},"canonical_url":"/opinion/columnists/torpy-gov-kemp-employs-the-tort-reform-squeeze-on-his-own/AAFQTYHOURDODKMY4V674G3ZBQ/","canonical_website":"ajc","display_date":"2025-02-26T10:00:00Z","credits":{"by":[{"image":{"version":"0.5.8","url":"https://author-service-images-prod-us-east-1.publishing.aws.arc.pub/ajc/e7ef0c5b-c33a-4581-8b37-6cbb7dcb343c.png"},"socialLinks":[{"site":"email","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links.","url":"btorpy@ajc.com"},{"site":"twitter","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links.","url":"https://twitter.com/billtorpy"}],"social_links":[{"site":"email","url":"btorpy@ajc.com"},{"site":"twitter","url":"https://twitter.com/billtorpy"}],"name":"Bill Torpy","description":"Bill Torpy, who writes about metro Atlanta for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, joined the newspaper in 1990.","_id":"bill-torpy","additional_properties":{"original":{"lastName":"Torpy","image":"https://author-service-images-prod-us-east-1.publishing.aws.arc.pub/ajc/e7ef0c5b-c33a-4581-8b37-6cbb7dcb343c.png","role":"Columnist","education":[],"longBio":"Bill Torpy, who writes about metro Atlanta for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, joined the newspaper in 1990. He writes the metro column and has covered politics, government and countless stories about police, courts, the justice system and humanity in general. The Chicago native graduated from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Ill., and previously worked for the Daily Southtown in Chicago","org":"ajc","affiliations":"The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","bio":"Bill Torpy, who writes about metro Atlanta for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, joined the newspaper in 1990.","author_type":"Staff","type":"author","expertise":"7.16,10","firstName":"Bill","twitter":"https://twitter.com/billtorpy","books":[],"podcasts":[],"awards":[],"beat":"Metro columnist","custom_ajc_website":"ajc","_id":"bill-torpy","last_updated_date":"2025-01-02T18:38:05.452Z","bio_page":"/staff/bill-torpy/","byline":"Bill Torpy","email":"btorpy@ajc.com","status":false}},"type":"author","version":"0.5.8","url":"/staff/bill-torpy/"}]},"subtype":"Article","headlines":{"basic":"TORPY: Gov. Kemp employs the ‘tort reform’ squeeze on his own"},"first_publish_date":"2025-02-26T10:00:00Z","last_updated_date":"2025-02-26T16:09:43.098Z","_id":"AAFQTYHOURDODKMY4V674G3ZBQ","teaseImageObject":{"auth":{"1":"5136485f6e3292f2fe19956cfbfe1816edb3f1c306e5f9ddfb83f549169bdd44"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"AP","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Matthew Pearson","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"Lawsuit-Limits-Georgia","width":5880,"caption":"FILE - Crowds of people fill the north steps of the Georgia State Capitol to attend a news conference on tort reform hosted by Gov. Brian Kemp, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025 in Atlanta. (Matthew Pearson/WABE via AP, File)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"425c44eb-5b03-4ce5-89fa-69e74b50003b"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/JR6KSXVAWYPNL6EN2RA6RE2EYY.jpg","height":3920,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/JR6KSXVAWYPNL6EN2RA6RE2EYY.jpg?auth=5136485f6e3292f2fe19956cfbfe1816edb3f1c306e5f9ddfb83f549169bdd44&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"F5UVGJ3KMZA6ZEDULJG5TQFBQI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[{"date":"2025-02-25T16:53:00.530Z","start":269,"end":270,"text":"added comma here","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1740433463286},"type":"text","content":"Today, hundreds of charter school students, their families, teachers, school leaders and advocates will gather at the Georgia Capitol to advocate for expanded access to high-quality public school options across the state. They will urge lawmakers to pass <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/politics/georgia-legislative-navigator/#bills/SB/82\" target=\"_blank\">Senate Bill 82</a>, which encourages and incentivizes local districts to approve more charter schools."},{"_id":"JFNFQGN76JDZFNKDRYMA2TRLQU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":80,"comment":"zip "},{"pos":388,"comment":","}],"comments":[{"date":"2025-02-25T16:53:40.466Z","start":84,"end":87,"text":"all caps on ZIP, per AP","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1740433463287},"type":"text","content":"By law, charter schools are tuition-free and open to all students regardless of ZIP code, race, ethnicity, income or ability level. They are also accountable to local and state academic, financial and operational standards. These unique public schools benefit children and communities because they provide more options to students within the public school system, improve graduation rates and successfully prepare children for college and career opportunities. In fact, the demand for these public schools is so high throughout the state, significant charter school expansion is needed to accommodate all the students who want to attend."},{"_id":"NTNAARSMUZHRZNNMXCKSVG6IV4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":328,"comment":","}],"comments":[],"_id":1740433463288},"type":"text","content":"New <a href=\"https://georgiainsights.gadoe.org/Dashboards/Pages/Charter-School-Annual-Report.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">data</a> released by the State Charter Schools Commission of Georgia shows that more than 21,000 students currently appear on charter school “waitlists.” Additionally, a <a href=\"https://gacharters.org/press-releases/statewide-poll-shows-widespread-support-for-public-charter-schools/\" target=\"_blank\">2023 poll</a> commissioned by the Georgia Charter Schools Association found that 69% of Georgia voters — across political parties — view charter schools favorably and nearly 60% support their expansion."},{"_id":"KXZYFSP5ARDFDOOKI5FZH6HRF4","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"CKXH4IHIPRBIREJX2ZD2GU6E6Q"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Ludacris works to make Clayton County school a top spot for arts education","url":"https://www.ajc.com/education/ludacris-works-to-make-clayton-county-school-a-top-spot-for-arts-education/SCPCUK26BZHE3I6HJPJOJPE7CU/"},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"a3ea96daada1d4606d1910adcc128aa9ef6a531733a0dd78a3da159a700d0735"},"vanity_credits":{},"caption":"Bonnie Holliday is the president and chief executive officer of the Georgia Charter Schools Association. (Courtesy)","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/OHXEBJJO2BAARHJBXDCALZOPXU.JPG","licensable":false,"credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"name":"Contributed","type":"author","byline":"Contributed"}]},"subtitle":"Bonnie Holliday","width":4896,"_id":"OHXEBJJO2BAARHJBXDCALZOPXU","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/2pabO_jDKOuwkhXsdqSrWbI0JQ8=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/OHXEBJJO2BAARHJBXDCALZOPXU.JPG","owner":"eric.stirgus@ajc.com","comments":[],"keywords":[],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/2pabO_jDKOuwkhXsdqSrWbI0JQ8=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/OHXEBJJO2BAARHJBXDCALZOPXU.JPG","link":"","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/OHXEBJJO2BAARHJBXDCALZOPXU.JPG","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/2pabO_jDKOuwkhXsdqSrWbI0JQ8=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/OHXEBJJO2BAARHJBXDCALZOPXU.JPG","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/hLMqWh7y780O7UryNWehRJsPgpc=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/OHXEBJJO2BAARHJBXDCALZOPXU.JPG","version":0,"originalName":"Bonnie Holliday_Headshot_Photo_4896x2754.JPG","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":"OO4FNSZTANGFPGV2L2PR7NYC7I"},"created_date":"2025-02-24T20:46:41Z","last_updated_date":"2025-02-24T20:46:41Z","height":2754,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/OHXEBJJO2BAARHJBXDCALZOPXU.JPG?auth=a3ea96daada1d4606d1910adcc128aa9ef6a531733a0dd78a3da159a700d0735&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"OQJBL3T7CJGOLIA53BBEKVJEU4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":127,"comment":"— "}],"comments":[],"_id":1740433463290},"type":"text","content":"Despite this widespread support, local school districts are not approving charter school applications. In the past five years, only one charter school was approved by a local school district in Georgia. By contrast, the State Charter Schools Commission of Georgia — a state level agency with the authority to approve charter schools — approved over 30 new charter applications over the last five years (most of which were initially denied approval by the local school district). Among the state-authorized charter schools, <a href=\"https://scsc.georgia.gov/school-accountability/scsc-comprehensive-performance-framework/2022-2023-state-charter-school\" target=\"_blank\">85% outperformed surrounding area schools</a> in academic mastery or growth on the SCSC’s most recent analysis of the Georgia Milestones Assessments. This begs the question: why were these petitions denied locally in the first place?"},{"_id":"TQIYUWIU55GGRCTP5IVPG5LOY4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740433463291},"type":"text","content":"In short: the responsibility for increasing access to charter schools in Georgia now rests almost exclusively to the state. This trend makes Georgia an outlier — and not in a positive way."},{"list_type":"unordered","_id":"ROTJYCI62JCXJA4IGJW2M4MZ4A","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"indent":0},"type":"list","items":[{"_id":"ZHK6KWC3ABC3TCAZVBTXK6JVLA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"indent":0},"block_properties":{},"type":"text","content":"Nationally, 90% of charter schools are authorized by local boards of education, and only 10% are approved by state-level authorizers. In Georgia, however, less than half of existing charter schools were approved locally."},{"_id":"QG35XZIVGJEPBD7MQCDMHG35JE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"indent":0},"block_properties":{},"type":"text","content":"Of the nation’s 10 most populous states, Georgia ranks dead last in charter school access. The average number of charter schools per person in the other nine most populous states is one charter school for every 55,000 residents. In Georgia, the ratio is one charter school for every 101,643 residents. In other words, Georgia could double the number of charter schools and still not provide “average” access to charter schools as compared to other similarly populated states."},{"_id":"HK2M6A4USRH3LBBPEN436FOGQI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"indent":0},"block_properties":{},"type":"text","content":"Nationally, 7% of all K-12 students attend charter schools compared to only 3.5% of K-12 students in Georgia."}]},{"_id":"3Y3I7NTTHBF7LNYB4JAIMKQKNI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":438,"comment":" of"}],"comments":[],"_id":1740433463293},"type":"text","content":"Despite the success of Georgia’s charter school sector and the incredible demand for additional charter school seats, several districts, including Atlanta Public Schools, have rejected recent charter petitions that would provide unique educational opportunities to students. Tapestry Public Charter School in DeKalb County serves as a prime example. The school offers an inclusive, individualized learning environment where more than half its 300 students are identified as having special needs. For years, Tapestry sought to expand its successful model into APS. In both 2023 and 2024, the school applied for approval. In 2023, a district-assembled review panel unanimously recommended approval, but the APS Board of Education ignored the recommendation and <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/atlanta-school-board-denies-charter-school-for-students-with-special-needs/B2R6U6YENBC45PPSS7TQIILRNU/\" target=\"_blank\">denied the petition</a>. Last year, despite submitting a petition with 700 students interested in filling 300 potential seats, Tapestry <a href=\"https://www.atlantapublicschools.us/site/default.aspx?PageType=3&ModuleInstanceID=121209&ViewID=7b97f7ed-8e5e-4120-848f-a8b4987d588f&RenderLoc=0&FlexDataID=126789&PageID=71950\" target=\"_blank\">faced the same rejection</a>."},{"_id":"7OYIFT3T75ATPDHPUEJMXDIKQY","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"ADTO3AHIJNAOZLUOBCW4JGFX5Y"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Opinion: Lawmakers ought to widen parent options for choice among public schools","url":"https://www.ajc.com/education/get-schooled/lawmakers-ought-to-wide-parent-options-for-choice-among-public-schools/RMMQMBLE4ZBB7DHOEQZA37H2CM/"},{"_id":"RY7YUU6JBFELFJSEOZAET24G4Q","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":614,"comment":","}],"comments":[],"_id":1740433463294},"type":"text","content":"Similarly, the Muscogee County Board of Education unanimously rejected a petition for Dominion Purpose Academy in August 2024 because the district was worried about the challenges of district oversight. The decision came despite local support for the school and concerns raised by families regarding the district’s performance on Georgia Milestones assessments. During the meeting, the only board member who spoke appeared unfamiliar with basic charter school facts. Prior to the vote, the district superintendent told the petitioning school that even if the school wasn’t approved by the board, “there is recourse” and they could still gain approval through the state."},{"_id":"QT7NTMGLQFC4FATMOTNNU646NE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":126,"comment":"Senate Bill "},{"pos":245,"comment":"years-long "}],"comments":[{"date":"2025-02-25T16:59:43.650Z","start":268,"end":277,"text":"no hyphen, per AP","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1740433463295},"type":"text","content":"These instances highlight a troubling truth — Georgia families are being denied access to charter schools all across Georgia. SB 82 represents an important first step in addressing this critical issue by encouraging district partners to end the yearslong, self-imposed moratorium on local charter authorizations. Without intervention and incentives at the local district level, charter school waitlists will grow even longer."},{"_id":"6WDBLGCYOZBLVMH2667FEGGSJY","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"T5V4HXZEPZFTTIO44YHX7RILFI"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Opinion: Rocky rollout of Georgia private school vouchers is just beginning of challenges","url":"https://www.ajc.com/education/get-schooled/opinion-school-voucher-laws-dont-help-students-only-politicians/RPSYMV6O5FDCVORVN5B4BIG27Q/"},{"_id":"INA23K43HFG5XAJKKFBQBJVT5A","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":251,"comment":","}],"comments":[],"_id":1740433463296},"type":"text","content":"Until every child has the chance to attend a high-quality public school that works for them, we need more educational options. It’s time for lawmakers to listen to the families, support their right to choose the best educational fit for their children and ensure every student has access to a strong public education."},{"_id":"G34TWQI37BDWDKTJYSATO2HS5A","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740433463297},"type":"text","content":"<i>Bonnie Holliday is the president and chief executive officer of the Georgia Charter Schools Association.</i>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":"Legislature should pass bill that will encourage school districts to approve more charter schools."},"description":{"basic":"New data released by the State Charter Schools Commission of Georgia shows that more than 21,000 students currently appear on charter school “waitlists.”"},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2003}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/news","/"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1049,"ComposerNav":1002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"teameric"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"parenting"},{"text":"legislature"},{"text":"opt-test"}]},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"cbd11468da5d4a2493d90319f978d7ccfb2b4ae158111c34b3761a4d37450a1b"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Ty Tagami/AJC","type":"author"}],"by":[{"image":{"version":"0.5.8","url":"https://author-service-images-prod-us-east-1.publishing.aws.arc.pub/ajc/f1c81f0a-b23e-44da-ad39-4baeddf49b52.png"},"socialLinks":[{"site":"email","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links.","url":"ty.tagami@ajc.com"},{"site":"facebook","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links.","url":"https://www.facebook.com/JournalistTyTagami/?ref=bookmarks"},{"site":"twitter","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links.","url":"https://twitter.com/Ty_Tagami"},{"site":"linkedin","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links.","url":"www.linkedin.com/in/TyTagami"}],"org":"Atlanta","social_links":[{"site":"email","url":"ty.tagami@ajc.com"},{"site":"facebook","url":"https://www.facebook.com/JournalistTyTagami/?ref=bookmarks"},{"site":"twitter","url":"https://twitter.com/Ty_Tagami"},{"site":"linkedin","url":"www.linkedin.com/in/TyTagami"}],"name":"Ty Tagami","description":"Ty Tagami is a staff writer for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 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(AJC 2024)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/BOEWHZUDRZF5BEGBPMOPW6WIQQ.jpeg","height":3024,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/BOEWHZUDRZF5BEGBPMOPW6WIQQ.jpeg?auth=cbd11468da5d4a2493d90319f978d7ccfb2b4ae158111c34b3761a4d37450a1b&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},"canonical_url":"/education/get-schooled/charter-schools-in-georgia-significant-demand-short-supply/RWMCOEJVRZHRPHDWYRXFJJB75E/","canonical_website":"ajc","display_date":"2025-02-26T10:00:00Z","credits":{"by":[{"org":"","name":"Bonnie Holliday","additional_properties":{"original":{"author_type":""}},"type":"author"}]},"subtype":"Article","headlines":{"basic":"Charter schools in Georgia: Significant demand; short supply"},"first_publish_date":"2025-02-26T10:00:00Z","last_updated_date":"2025-02-26T13:07:36.477Z","_id":"RWMCOEJVRZHRPHDWYRXFJJB75E","teaseImageObject":{"auth":{"1":"cbd11468da5d4a2493d90319f978d7ccfb2b4ae158111c34b3761a4d37450a1b"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Ty Tagami/AJC","type":"author"}],"by":[{"image":{"version":"0.5.8","url":"https://author-service-images-prod-us-east-1.publishing.aws.arc.pub/ajc/f1c81f0a-b23e-44da-ad39-4baeddf49b52.png"},"socialLinks":[{"site":"email","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links.","url":"ty.tagami@ajc.com"},{"site":"facebook","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links.","url":"https://www.facebook.com/JournalistTyTagami/?ref=bookmarks"},{"site":"twitter","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links.","url":"https://twitter.com/Ty_Tagami"},{"site":"linkedin","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links.","url":"www.linkedin.com/in/TyTagami"}],"org":"Atlanta","social_links":[{"site":"email","url":"ty.tagami@ajc.com"},{"site":"facebook","url":"https://www.facebook.com/JournalistTyTagami/?ref=bookmarks"},{"site":"twitter","url":"https://twitter.com/Ty_Tagami"},{"site":"linkedin","url":"www.linkedin.com/in/TyTagami"}],"name":"Ty Tagami","description":"Ty Tagami is a staff writer for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 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She was 22 years old, working as a singer, choreographer and makeup artist professionally known as Madam CJ."},{"_id":"LGFR4K2GAJCGJO67DICSVLY7JU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740491543061},"type":"text","content":"Johnson managed to reject certain beauty standards that were encouraged by the entertainment business. 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Black women are disproportionately diagnosed with fibroids compared to women of other races, and they often have more serious outcomes."},{"_id":"GM5XRV6GIVE67LAFDAU6TWIFWA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740491543065},"type":"text","content":"The link between fibroid development in women and certain chemicals in beauty products has been established in scientific research. Still, while the cosmetics industry has responded with safer formulations for consumers overall, that isn’t the case for products specifically aimed at Black women."},{"_id":"UZTORGEEERGIJGG3G7YN7NDUOQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740491543066},"type":"text","content":"According to a <a href=\"https://www.ewg.org/research/higher-hazards-persist-personal-care-products-marketed-black-women-report-reveals\" target=\"_blank\">new report from the Environmental Working Group</a>, beauty products marketed to Black women are more likely to be rated as high-hazard than products without any demographic marketing."},{"_id":"OS4PDM3MM5GI7PHM7FHVDNTHBU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740495487131},"type":"text","content":"Black women have fewer safe products targeted to them than a decade ago when the Environmental Working Group released its first report on products marketed to Black women in 2016."},{"_id":"G6XXDNFAZVFBDFXLQWW34XXNRU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740491543068},"type":"text","content":"Stores in neighborhoods with large populations of women of color are repositories of products that EWG has rated as high-hazard, such as hair styling products, skin creams and fragranced lotions."},{"_id":"4KFM4GEIHNGUPDIHBGAWIGENOA","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"FBB6G4MERVCUVFMOCYV42XWK5Y"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Boycott or bust? Black entrepreneurs in Atlanta respond to DEI rollbacks","url":"https://www.ajc.com/uatl/boycott-or-bust-black-entrepreneurs-in-atlanta-respond-to-dei-rollbacks/GBA7HIIGEZD6BPW4E7ZETFQ3GA/"},{"_id":"MBNEVHVHNJHCHHE6PA6SNJLFKU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740491543069},"type":"text","content":"Black and Hispanic women have higher exposure levels to the harmful chemicals that are flagged in these products, including parabens and phthalates. When Black women buy the very products that are marketed to them, they have a higher likelihood than other women of ending up with a moderate or high-hazard product."},{"_id":"KQG4G7FGUJHQNPNB7OFLVHCXEM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740491543070},"type":"text","content":"The list of the more than 4,000 products tested by EWG features many of the brands revered by Black women as beauty staples such as Aunt Jackie’s, Carol’s Daughter, Cantu and Mielle."},{"_id":"MPRJ7JREEZD47NGLQRYKH26SRY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740491543071},"type":"text","content":"Some of the least harmful brands are among the lesser-known brand names, which are not easily found in big box stores."},{"_id":"APTENKVG3JALHLSQ5Y6AJIOQCU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740491543072},"type":"text","content":"The only product categories that showed safety improvements were styling aids, facial powder, facial moisturizers and bar soap, which is already one of the least hazardous products on the market."},{"_id":"CUIHM75AYJG6TATK7WJOWYJX4A","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740491543073},"type":"text","content":"Shampoos, conditioners, eye shadow, hair treatments and styling gels all seemed to regress, offering fewer low-hazard options in 2025 than in 2016, according to the report."},{"_id":"RN4Y4WIRF5CCDCQFIAVGEYVMQE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740491543074},"type":"text","content":"Parabens which are used as preservatives and fragrances are among the most hazardous ingredients in cosmetics marketed to Black women. These chemicals, particularly with cumulative usage, can lead to health hazards including reproductive harm, skin sensitivity and cancer."},{"_id":"VNW5KD2QZFALRIQDG7YOWBTVZI","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"CYDZXO7YFVBIVMMKR3N6ONRKIU"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"What’s in your makeup? Atlanta-based brand keeps it clean","url":"https://www.ajc.com/lifestyles/what-your-makeup-atlanta-based-brand-keeps-clean/YzMQFMPwoJa0NzbV3Xho2K/"},{"_id":"3X3G5UULONABFNI32ZMXLFQHUQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740491543075},"type":"text","content":"In 2009, Johnson launched <a href=\"https://divineclementinebb.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Divine Clementine Bath and Body</a>. Her soaps, soaks and body butters are made with locally sourced, sustainable ingredients such as coconut milk, shea butter and essential oils."},{"_id":"SRWBKZ3CFFFS5MRJSJFAOJQASA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740491543076},"type":"text","content":"She is also invested in educating women about the potential hazards of toxic beauty products and encourages women to pay attention to their bodies as well as their choices."},{"_id":"THLS267M4BFPDOSQYAIFL5JYZQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740491543077},"type":"text","content":"“We have not Montgomery bus boycotted any of these companies and now we don’t have a choice and people are scrambling,” Johnson said."},{"_id":"HZ5QPBF7BNF6DJBKRNTXXURDAM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740491543078},"type":"text","content":"She takes groups of Black women and girls on field trips to local farms and farmers markets to build connections between purveyors of natural products and consumers. She also gives talks at local high schools about the toxins found in personal care products and how teens can avoid them."},{"_id":"2VU2BN3FWFGOLLQR6IFOM4SFVA","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"UXHU6DLFBJD7LFWXTY73ANL6TE"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Black entrepreneurs launching and growing beauty product brands and businesses in Atlanta","url":"https://www.ajc.com/things-to-do/black-entrepreneurs-launching-and-growing-beauty-product-brands-and-businesses-in-atlanta/3QGONY53QBEVRPGEW4Q3BWUFNY/"},{"_id":"NNYREXW645AQZHBRFLILC2OLBQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740491543079},"type":"text","content":"“We have to make sure we have done our due diligence and know what we need to thrive,” Johnson said. “We need to be joining forces with people who have knowledge about natural products. We need to be looking and seeking out people who care.”"},{"_id":"W4PD24WBXRDEXBRYQMZMBFVBTA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740491543080},"type":"text","content":"Before buying new products, check <a href=\"https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiA8fW9BhC8ARIsACwHqYovky1khG6bu3krANfp5DEbWPQr1c6lWzHw2kQ86IojqFsnwHk19GAaAvKhEALw_wcB\" target=\"_blank\">EWG’s Skin Deep cosmetic database</a> to make sure it has a rating you can live with and that your regimen is well-balanced with low and moderate-hazard products. If you must use a high-hazard product, make sure any other products with the same health impacts are low-hazard."},{"_id":"TVD2A5PSEZH7LL5UV2OG75FJ7E","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740491543081},"type":"text","content":"Demanding better safety standards and increased transparency from manufacturers will change the beauty industry not only for Black women but for all women."},{"_id":"IRZZC6MI7FGIXHZRC65QDAAFWQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740491543082},"type":"text","content":"And sometimes, we have to make those demands with our dollars."},{"_id":"4CEPMNHT3ZBBHOOFBCWCWE3EZM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":66,"comment":"<i>and </i>"}],"comments":[],"_id":1740453682362},"type":"text","content":"<i>Read more on the Real Life blog (</i><a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/real-life-blog/\"><i>AJC.com/opinion/real-life-blog</i></a><i>), find Nedra on Facebook (</i><a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/AJCRealLifeColumn\"><i>facebook.com/AJCRealLifeColumn</i></a><i>) and X (</i><a href=\"https://twitter.com/nrhoneajc\"><i>@nrhoneajc</i></a><i>) or email her at </i><a href=\"mailto:Nedra.Rhone@ajc.com\"><i>nedra.rhone@ajc.com</i></a><i>.</i>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"As many as 4 out of 5 women in their lifetimes will develop uterine fibroids, and Black women are disproportionately diagnosed compared to women of other races."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/opinion/columnists","parent":{"default":"/opinion"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/opinion","name":"AJC Columnists","description":"Articles by columnists from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","_id":"/opinion/columnists","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/opinion","default":"/opinion","MainMenu2024":"/opinion","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/opinion"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"Articles by columnists from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","site_title":"AJC Columnists"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"AJC Columnists"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"AJC Columnists","_id":"/opinion/columnists","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/","/opinion"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/opinion"]},"order":{"MainMenu2024":2002,"SectionMap":1074,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./opinion/columnists","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/opinion","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Opinion","description":"Opinion articles from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","_id":"/opinion","additional_properties":{"original":{"sponsor":{"sponsor_url_open_new_tab":"false","sponsor_desktop_banner":"","sponsor_mobile_banner":"","sponsor_url":""},"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","subnav_opinion":null,"TopicsBar2023":"/","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","TopNav":null,"TopicsBar":null,"ComposerNav":"/","subnav_homepage":null,"default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null},"site":{"site_url":"/opinion/","section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"Opinion articles from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","site_title":"Opinion"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Opinion"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Opinion","_id":"/opinion","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":[],"TopicsBar2023":["/"],"MainMenu2024":["/"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"TopicsBar":[],"ComposerNav":["/"],"subnav_homepage":[]},"order":{"AmpNav":1033,"TopicsBar2023":1008,"default":1083,"MainMenu2024":1009,"SectionMap":1095,"ComposerNav":1005}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./opinion","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/opinion/columnists","name":"AJC Columnists"},"tags":[{"text":"lifestyle"},{"text":"atlanta-news-metro.ajc"},{"text":"real life blog"},{"text":"teamdan"},{"text":"UATL"},{"text":"opinion"},{"text":"health-wellness.ajc"},{"text":"localnews.ajc"},{"text":"local government"},{"text":"opt-test"}]},"label":{"tease_label":{"display":true,"text":"OPINION"},"custom_label":{"display":true,"text":"Real Life with Nedra Rhone"}},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"1d216af00ed255f2146c9d43d2f891e0f8950d2f88d89504f50bdc30dee0fa2b"},"credits":{},"subtitle":"Beauty brands targeting Black women rate high on health hazards","width":4694,"caption":"Customers try on makeup before they buy at Sephora counters across the nation. 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Previously, Rhone was a staff writer at Newsday where her first assignment was covering the devastating impact of 9/11 on the families and communities of Long Island. She later covered K-12 education for Long Island's 125 school districts and is a Pulitzer Prize finalist for her reporting on women in hip-hop. ","org":"ajc","affiliations":"The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","bio":"Nedra Rhone is a lifestyle columnist for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution where she has been a reporter since 2006. A graduate of Columbia University School of Journalism, she enjoys writing about the people, places and events that define metro Atlanta.","expertise":"2,7,16","author_type":"Staff","firstName":"Nedra","twitter":"https://twitter.com/nrhoneajc","books":[],"podcasts":[],"awards":[],"custom_ajc_phone":"404-526-5465","custom_ajc_website":"ajc","_id":"nedra-rhone","last_updated_date":"2024-08-01T19:40:05.320Z","byline":"Nedra Rhone","email":"nedra.rhone@ajc.com","status":true}},"type":"author","version":"0.5.8"}]},"subtype":"Article","headlines":{"basic":"RHONE: Bring the DEI boycott energy to the beauty industry"},"first_publish_date":"2025-02-26T10:00:00Z","last_updated_date":"2025-02-26T10:00:12.277Z","_id":"XQBQUXV3WRCX3EP3L3VEGNCMVM","teaseImageObject":{"auth":{"1":"1d216af00ed255f2146c9d43d2f891e0f8950d2f88d89504f50bdc30dee0fa2b"},"credits":{},"subtitle":"Beauty brands targeting Black women rate high on health hazards","width":4694,"caption":"Customers try on makeup before they buy at Sephora counters across the nation. (Mary Altaffer/AP 2017)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/QC6P5E66GUCHDN7PE3LYY6BPJY.jpg","height":3129,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/QC6P5E66GUCHDN7PE3LYY6BPJY.jpg?auth=1d216af00ed255f2146c9d43d2f891e0f8950d2f88d89504f50bdc30dee0fa2b&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"2RGLAYDCDJCQHKUWI6537XMY4Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740170365845},"type":"text","content":"<a href=\"https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2829879?guestAccessKey=6431bed4-cdf0-4f68-b245-0d72f44225f5&utm_source=for_the_media&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=ftm_links&utm_content=tfl&utm_term=020325__;!!JZyed81S!nvMBKkDQtHCdfpjcqCZAPV36OLcfR1fd61IZXxuL_iSzcrQZH4UsYXXArvCMnvcXxjh9IsvsZpzNNr6MF5WV1w$\" target=\"_blank\"><u>JAMA Pediatrics recently published research</u></a> stating that teens are spending an average of 1½ hours on their smartphones and, remarkably, 25% of teens are spending more than 2 hours on their phones, while in school. That’s almost a quarter of the school day."},{"_id":"Y3L7OV4PFRGBFJM7XYAPVIGPXI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740170365846},"type":"text","content":"<a href=\"https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.edweek.org/technology/which-states-ban-or-restrict-cellphones-in-schools/2024/06__;!!JZyed81S!nvMBKkDQtHCdfpjcqCZAPV36OLcfR1fd61IZXxuL_iSzcrQZH4UsYXXArvCMnvcXxjh9IsvsZpzNNr7MkoQsTg$\" target=\"_blank\"><u>Nineteen states</u></a> have bans or restrictions on smartphone usage in schools to mitigate this growing problem. Georgia is not one of them."},{"_id":"XUTDPI2FF5GBFGZRJWTRAAYRVQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740171093948},"type":"text","content":"When the CEO of Facebook and Instagram testified before a House Committee on regulating his social media companies regarding kids a year ago, a ranking member of the committee told him he had “<a href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mark-zuckerberg-meta-x-child-exploitation/\" target=\"_blank\">blood on his hands</a>” regarding the mental health maladies, suicides, self-harm and other ill-intended consequences for social media use in youth. Now Facebook and Instagram are <a href=\"https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://about.fb.com/news/2025/01/meta-more-speech-fewer-mistakes/__;!!JZyed81S!nvMBKkDQtHCdfpjcqCZAPV36OLcfR1fd61IZXxuL_iSzcrQZH4UsYXXArvCMnvcXxjh9IsvsZpzNNr5T82LZDg$\" target=\"_blank\">scaling back online protections</a> for kids even more."},{"_id":"Z23SPKEOHNBJ3NJ4VC3GFVQMAA","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"UO5IJWPS2VBWTLOGMA6GUOQEPY"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Better behaved, more engaged: School cellphone bans seem successful so far","url":"https://www.ajc.com/education/georgia-school-districts-say-cellphone-bans-are-working/KUALPYII4FDDZHXTP4JNRA4G6M/"},{"_id":"XUTDPI2FF5GBFGZRJWTRAAYRVQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740171093949},"type":"text","content":"I totally agree, the CEO does have “blood on his hands” for his social media platform’s responsibility in the fallout of youth mental health and online usage. But he’s certainly not the only one."},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"5a156eb5d29a4d03b035c0e794cf8734f5567bde859d51e649a4fe0ab5cc0ac1"},"caption":"Beth Collums is an Atlanta-based writer. Her professional background as a child and family therapist and passion for offering support to families gives her a uniquely insightful perspective on the intersection of mental health, relationships and education","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"related_content":{"derivative_of":[{"referent":{"id":"UB7DVBKF5BESRNAHQTHZ535EAI","type":"image"},"type":"reference"}]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/FJ6IOGZOMJGSDAEBH3DH54X5KI.jpg","geo":{},"licensable":false,"credits":{"by":[{"name":"Contributed","type":"author","byline":"Contributed"}]},"subtitle":"Beth Collums","width":2544,"_id":"FJ6IOGZOMJGSDAEBH3DH54X5KI","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/arq6ZYkRpWBghtNrfLdpllzauR4=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/FJ6IOGZOMJGSDAEBH3DH54X5KI.jpg","owner":"maureen.downey@ajc.com","comments":[],"keywords":[""],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/arq6ZYkRpWBghtNrfLdpllzauR4=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/FJ6IOGZOMJGSDAEBH3DH54X5KI.jpg","takenOn":"2023-05-18T18:55:04Z","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/FJ6IOGZOMJGSDAEBH3DH54X5KI.jpg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/arq6ZYkRpWBghtNrfLdpllzauR4=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/FJ6IOGZOMJGSDAEBH3DH54X5KI.jpg","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/VeH6jQclLVwjVa2BR5VkQ9JnieQ=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/FJ6IOGZOMJGSDAEBH3DH54X5KI.jpg","version":1,"originalName":"bethnew.jpg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":1740170365849},"created_date":"2024-11-08T18:04:08Z","last_updated_date":"2024-11-08T18:04:27Z","height":1908,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/FJ6IOGZOMJGSDAEBH3DH54X5KI.jpg?auth=5a156eb5d29a4d03b035c0e794cf8734f5567bde859d51e649a4fe0ab5cc0ac1&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"5FSW4A4DXNCBPGQ5E2ZRMIE5IY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740170365850},"type":"text","content":"Who’s buying the smartphones and paying the bills? Who’s not proposing or passing legislation for the regulation of the big companies controlling these platforms for children? Who’s letting kids hold devices all day while in school?"},{"_id":"NM7PDKS4EBC3RDP3DG2DQNQEOU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740171093952},"type":"text","content":"As much as we’d like to pin blame on tech bros and capitalism, truth be told we all have blood on our hands: legislators, parents and even school systems."},{"_id":"FMZSG3BGCRDHLO4HXIGXM3MG7U","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"DBL4KLEHM5FIDPWDPBBHZ7KFQM"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Schools that ban cellphones report promising results. It’s worth a try","url":"https://www.ajc.com/education/get-schooled/early-evidence-suggests-school-bans-on-cellphones-benefit-students/YT6D46AR2BENFAZBK4DHPIVNPI/"},{"_id":"NM7PDKS4EBC3RDP3DG2DQNQEOU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740171093953},"type":"text","content":"The average age of getting a personal device in this country is 10, and for that parents should be held accountable. Surveys reveal <a href=\"https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9664330/__;!!JZyed81S!nvMBKkDQtHCdfpjcqCZAPV36OLcfR1fd61IZXxuL_iSzcrQZH4UsYXXArvCMnvcXxjh9IsvsZpzNNr66mOEYCQ$\" target=\"_blank\">parents’ intentions with technology</a> are benevolent, explaining the desire for their kids to have access to safety and independence by allowing communication with them when they are apart."},{"_id":"IHDEQFKM4ZATXM7ZFDXCSVWBO4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740420175563},"type":"text","content":"However there is a great chasm between intention and result."},{"_id":"NM7PDKS4EBC3RDP3DG2DQNQEOU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740171093954},"type":"text","content":"What started out as a quick tool to text Dad for a basketball practice pickup turned into 8½ hours of daily screen use, according to a <a href=\"https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.commonsensemedia.org/research/the-common-sense-census-media-use-by-tweens-and-teens-2021__;!!JZyed81S!hTDh9Ve5Bvr4REoCSF21QT5QUPs_6097ZJyiEOwmT3ImvRlCDtJOqRiy6hJCx9DWJ6gboDxiI-KVBZImRCi7RA$\">recent study</a>. Youth <a href=\"https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3480687/__;!!JZyed81S!hTDh9Ve5Bvr4REoCSF21QT5QUPs_6097ZJyiEOwmT3ImvRlCDtJOqRiy6hJCx9DWJ6gboDxiI-KVBZJt5TyUWA$\">internet addiction</a> is widespread, and we all have our eyes wide shut, it seems."},{"_id":"GNHL5OYFOFHITBTDNZF3BRVOCM","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"DKO6USL6CJHXZKDMXKBDWJQQFI"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Marietta cellphone ban could extend to high school students next year","url":"https://www.ajc.com/education/cellphone-ban-in-marietta-city-schools-could-extend-to-high-school/QNV27KS25VBUPIPGFE4Y7FCDTY/"},{"_id":"TFNVJ4Q4DJALLJVCCUWTP35WEM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740170365854},"type":"text","content":"Aside from what kids access online, the problem that is as vexing is the social isolation that has ensued; eerily quiet hallways and silent lunches. These used to be punishments when kids were boisterous and engaging with each other, however now they’re the fallout of omnipresent earbuds and phones in hands."},{"_id":"NM7PDKS4EBC3RDP3DG2DQNQEOU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740171093956},"type":"text","content":"More than 1-in-6 high school kids report being bullied this year through messaging apps and social media according to the <a href=\"https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.cdc.gov/youth-violence/about/about-bullying.html?CDC_AAref_Val=https:**Awww.cdc.gov*injury*features*stop-bullying*index.html__;Ly8vLy8v!!JZyed81S!hTDh9Ve5Bvr4REoCSF21QT5QUPs_6097ZJyiEOwmT3ImvRlCDtJOqRiy6hJCx9DWJ6gboDxiI-KVBZLB033u9g$\">U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a>. According to the studies, the biggest bullies of our children are online, with about 37% of middle schools and 25% of high schools dealing with discipline problems from cyberbullying at least once a week."},{"_id":"23HAXG6LNBHKDPJG3J7GW32OGM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740420175567},"type":"text","content":"These statistics reflect the struggles that adults can’t see or often even know about that occur online."},{"_id":"7K2F24TPJBCIDBF2MNCP2JWYFY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740170365856},"type":"text","content":"Schools are letting students use personal devices in class to listen to music, play games, even watch shows while they’re supposed to be learning crucial information — information that is likely combating an ever-growing <a href=\"https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://apnews.com/article/naep-test-scores-nations-report-card-school-60150156e41b8518be3b6eabf77d0c66__;!!JZyed81S!hTDh9Ve5Bvr4REoCSF21QT5QUPs_6097ZJyiEOwmT3ImvRlCDtJOqRiy6hJCx9DWJ6gboDxiI-KVBZKZMkEmKA$\">deficit in math and reading skills</a>. Who wants to do algebra when you can watch YouTube?"},{"_id":"NCH22U7PUBF7BEJL43TP6FNJFI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740170365858},"type":"text","content":"We’re expecting teachers to slay the dragon of online addiction with a butter knife."},{"_id":"NM7PDKS4EBC3RDP3DG2DQNQEOU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740171093972},"type":"text","content":"Teachers’ hands have been tied by public school systems in their ability to restrict usage of devices in class for the sake of personal property rights and increasingly use them as “learning tools” despite the proven lack of efficacy. Schools are often too fearful of parental litigation to act responsibly in response to students’ personal devices."},{"_id":"XUXEBJBI2VGSBHXVFUE4SRQ7UQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740170365860},"type":"text","content":"Social media companies have consistently <a href=\"https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.technologyreview.com/2021/10/05/1036519/facebook-whistleblower-frances-haugen-algorithms/__;!!JZyed81S!hTDh9Ve5Bvr4REoCSF21QT5QUPs_6097ZJyiEOwmT3ImvRlCDtJOqRiy6hJCx9DWJ6gboDxiI-KVBZK55zoiaA$\">prioritized profit over safety of children</a>. They knowingly market to children, profit from exploitation of children and even shifted algorithm and platform design to more directly engage and hook youth populations."},{"_id":"GVMSXNUDHFF57KRUAY5YBGJS4Q","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":176,"comment":", especially fragile youth"}],"comments":[],"_id":1740420175572},"type":"text","content":"Through the ability for machine learning tools to maximize user engagement, individuals — especially fragile youth — have felt powerless to fight against putting the phone down."},{"_id":"PFLT3VSJ7VEXVEB3SLW6RO3EE4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740420175573},"type":"text","content":"Telling Jamari that he has the <a href=\"https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://support.apple.com/guide/watch/get-started-with-schooltime-apd160a958b7/watchos__;!!JZyed81S!hTDh9Ve5Bvr4REoCSF21QT5QUPs_6097ZJyiEOwmT3ImvRlCDtJOqRiy6hJCx9DWJ6gboDxiI-KVBZKJuJLajQ$\">Schooltime</a> app or <a href=\"https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/allow-or-silence-notifications-for-a-focus-iph21d43af5b/ios*:*:text=When*20you're*20using*20a,they*20know*20you're*20busy.__;I34lJSUlJSU!!JZyed81S!lNSKjKeOXmDA8WrWmiYotw0lkx7oGkdz908LcdanjV6JJkJOR3eOL5SSTWlBWLHgPBJ2cbTP4cVUnI4U4bPFjg$\">Focus restrictions</a> on his device during school hours is one baseline way to begin pulling in the reins."},{"_id":"4D5ACA77WRDEXLGQCJVSMULHLQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740409010751},"type":"text","content":"We have to admit our own screen addiction before we can help Junior with his. I don’t know one mom or dad who thinks it is easy parenting in an age of online dependency."},{"_id":"JPDOEG5DRVDYJADTAWNIAGZFWY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740420175575},"type":"text","content":"The point is, we have to try. Throwing up our hands in regards to tech is no way to raise a generation."},{"_id":"ZSG65O464FD45I24ODSO2ENI6U","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740171093979},"type":"text","content":"Silicon Valley will not regulate itself for the health of our children above its profitability. The bottom line will rule the day for companies until the people demand justice. Just like the cigarette companies of old, it will take the democratic process of revealing undue harm to citizens and issue sweeping legislation for the wellness of our country’s children."},{"_id":"NM7PDKS4EBC3RDP3DG2DQNQEOU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740171093972},"type":"text","content":"Putting pressure on local and state officials is more essential now than ever for a statewide K-12 school-based smartphone ban."},{"_id":"PQDKICDOMVC6BGYLR3LVR6MSP4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740420175578},"type":"text","content":"There is a bill in the Georgia Legislature, <a href=\"https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70072__;!!JZyed81S!hTDh9Ve5Bvr4REoCSF21QT5QUPs_6097ZJyiEOwmT3ImvRlCDtJOqRiy6hJCx9DWJ6gboDxiI-KVBZKbO_BC3A$\">House Bill 340</a>, which is a good starting point, but unfortunately it only addresses the issue through eighth grade, not high school. This is a glaring omission highlighted by the latest research."},{"_id":"7Z7TQ37F3REX3OEY5PEB4TIZXM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740420175579},"type":"text","content":"Sadly, a bill with good intentions but no fangs is proven irrelevant if high school grades aren’t included."},{"_id":"N7R3CCID7RG4HASEKWT25KZZDY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740170365865},"type":"text","content":"Georgia can take the lead in the bipartisan effort to protect our children, not fall behind. We can ask: Where is the legislative action at the state and local level to fight for our children regarding personal device regulation in kindergarten through 12th grade in schools? What are you committed to doing this legislative session to address this K-12 problem in school systems statewide?"},{"_id":"MBWWAU4UXBFIBC3X5ANUTOUSGI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740170365866},"type":"text","content":"Our children’s mental health and education hang in the balance."},{"_id":"NM7PDKS4EBC3RDP3DG2DQNQEOU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740171093972},"type":"text","content":"It’s time we turn from our wrongs of abandoning responsibility and civic duty to our children. There is blood on all our hands, and it’s time we own up and get to work."},{"_id":"YTI5KNORLVF4NIFGDAHRIUUPGM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740170365868},"type":"text","content":"<i>Beth Collums is an Atlanta-based writer. With a professional background in child and family therapy, she often writes about mental health, relationships and education.</i>"},{"_id":"PQFMXWLEAJEVPPVNVVQEL5GIUI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740171093971},"type":"text","content":"<br/>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"Nineteen states have bans or restrictions on smartphone usage in schools to mitigate this growing problem. Georgia is not one of them."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2003}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/news","/"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1049,"ComposerNav":1002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"parenting"},{"text":"teameric"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"legislature"},{"text":"opt-test"}]},"label":{"tease_label":{"display":true,"text":"opinion"},"custom_label":{"display":true,"text":"opinion"}},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"clonedChildren":[],"basic":[],"clonedFromParent":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"a1c3d6234de053f4c4e0f254e8c57f0781d2064590ab128e8ecab4196e6b6045"},"credits":{},"subtitle":"PHONE BAN MIDTOWN HIGH SCHOOL","width":3578,"caption":"Midtown High School principal Betsy Bockman holds up the magnetic device that will lock cellphone pouches on Monday, July 22, 2024. Students will be required to put their phones into the pouches when they arrive each morning and will not be able to access them until the school day is complete. (Natrice Miller/ AJC)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"AJC Freelancer","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/QOBQTKQTC34JHWIUMKUWUXIKIE.JPG","height":2013,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/QOBQTKQTC34JHWIUMKUWUXIKIE.JPG?auth=a1c3d6234de053f4c4e0f254e8c57f0781d2064590ab128e8ecab4196e6b6045&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},"canonical_url":"/education/get-schooled/why-georgia-needs-a-statewide-k-12-school-cellphone-ban/UKE55LCDMRBQZGR2AZOXJ37AJE/","canonical_website":"ajc","display_date":"2025-02-25T10:00:00Z","credits":{"by":[{"org":"","name":"Beth Collums","additional_properties":{"original":{"author_type":""}},"type":"author"}]},"subtype":"Article","headlines":{"basic":"Why Georgia needs a statewide K-12 school cellphone ban"},"first_publish_date":"2025-02-25T10:00:00Z","last_updated_date":"2025-02-25T10:00:15.519Z","_id":"UKE55LCDMRBQZGR2AZOXJ37AJE","teaseImageObject":{"auth":{"1":"a1c3d6234de053f4c4e0f254e8c57f0781d2064590ab128e8ecab4196e6b6045"},"credits":{},"subtitle":"PHONE BAN MIDTOWN HIGH SCHOOL","width":3578,"caption":"Midtown High School principal Betsy Bockman holds up the magnetic device that will lock cellphone pouches on Monday, July 22, 2024. Students will be required to put their phones into the pouches when they arrive each morning and will not be able to access them until the school day is complete. (Natrice Miller/ AJC)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"AJC Freelancer","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/QOBQTKQTC34JHWIUMKUWUXIKIE.JPG","height":2013,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/QOBQTKQTC34JHWIUMKUWUXIKIE.JPG?auth=a1c3d6234de053f4c4e0f254e8c57f0781d2064590ab128e8ecab4196e6b6045&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"PK6TFEMU4NCOZFOBYUWVBDLR7Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740090375401},"type":"text","content":"Perhaps Dr. James P. Brawley’s family should no longer be ashamed of the street bearing his name."},{"_id":"GJKCT5TEOZEPPLMY3HTYN4K2BA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740153340048},"type":"text","content":"In 2015, <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/news/local/slum-too-far/EvYAZGF6tHAB7j9zN09WlJ/\" target=\"_blank\">I sat on the porch of a retired</a> bus driver who lived on Brawley Drive, named for a former Clark College president, and watched a sad, dangerous and pathetic parade of drug dealers, copper thieves and homeless people."},{"_id":"EIEBRIIYQBFNZCY5IU4IZXGILE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740153340049},"type":"text","content":"“I live here, but I’m not a part of it,” Howard Joiner said that day, of the English Avenue neighborhood where he grew up. “I like to go other places for a change of scenery sometimes. I call it civilization. We wish they’d come through and revitalize this area and give us an offer."},{"_id":"5ULP7VILD5ATBKWJ4GWLRGBPWE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740173493087},"type":"text","content":"“We’re ready to move.”"},{"_id":"HNG4XY4N5BE7BGAGDUC6QV6T5U","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740153340050},"type":"text","content":"Joiner still lives there but is getting his wish: The neighborhood is finally seeing revitalization."},{"_id":"MRVU4JRKGNERBCQMCZD4NN67LA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740153340051},"type":"text","content":"Back then, Mayor Kasim Reed started the Westside Future Fund, a nonprofit to help stabilize four neighborhoods west of the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Two decades earlier, a load of promises came with construction of the Georgia Dome but the adjoining neighborhoods continued to wither."},{"_id":"TXCHCM4TWZESNNPE3T3HJUAPWI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740153340052},"type":"text","content":"City officials promised that would not happen again."},{"_id":"YKCD6DLJIZDOHIQ3TJZUWP364I","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740153340053},"type":"text","content":"English Avenue is an old neighborhood just a stroll from the Georgia Dome, and had fallen into hellish blight. <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/columnists/opinion-a-huge-heroin-bust-but-dont-call-their-bluff-a-drug-den/L3HIO5FDAJC4LBXKVOZUQNALIA/\" target=\"_blank\">Known as “The Bluff,” druggies</a> could score heroin or crack and dart back on the Downtown Connector."},{"owner":{"id":"ajc"},"copyright":"2024 Atlanta Journal-Constitution","address":{"street_address":"Westside Atlanta","locality":"Atlanta","region":"Ga"},"auth":{"1":"f2a28e4ea57ce6cbcb154585697a4e4010a5ffdaf1d3af56fd41ea74dca1b2cd"},"vanity_credits":{},"caption":"This area over James P. Brawley Drive shows where the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation has awarded nearly $4.5 million to three organizations to support workforce development in Atlanta's Westside. The grants aim to empower English Avenue and Vine City residents with skills training and job placement opportunities. (Miguel Martinez/AJC 2024)","source":{"system":"AJC Freelancer","name":"AJC Freelancer","edit_url":"","source_type":"wires","source_id":"s3://ajc-arc-photo-integration/Freelancer/Westside 97.JPG","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":["66eb1eab4c958720d01152ea"],"seo_keywords":["AJC Freelancer"]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"AJC Freelancer","category":"wires"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/SODQH734CS5ZMN34O45PVKQ6HI.JPG","licensable":false,"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Miguel Martinez-Jimenez","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Miguel Martinez","type":"author"}]},"subtype":"Wires","subtitle":"Blank Foundation gives nearly $4.5M to workforce development programs","width":5280,"_id":"SODQH734CS5ZMN34O45PVKQ6HI","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/cdu-FTlbjnLTEW3MA23WBkNDDxA=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/SODQH734CS5ZMN34O45PVKQ6HI.JPG","iptc_source":"Atlanta Journal-Constitution","comments":[],"iptc_job_identifier":"66eb1eab4c958720d01152ea","keywords":["AJC Freelancer","Westside Future Fund","Arthur M. Blank Foundation","Atlanta Westside"],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/cdu-FTlbjnLTEW3MA23WBkNDDxA=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/SODQH734CS5ZMN34O45PVKQ6HI.JPG","link":"","takenOn":"2024-09-19T17:18:53Z","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/SODQH734CS5ZMN34O45PVKQ6HI.JPG","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/cdu-FTlbjnLTEW3MA23WBkNDDxA=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/SODQH734CS5ZMN34O45PVKQ6HI.JPG","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/xTnPYHrb_F6v7JPe635WeIt4_Ik=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/SODQH734CS5ZMN34O45PVKQ6HI.JPG","version":2,"originalName":"s3://ajc-arc-photo-integration/Freelancer/Westside 97.JPG","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"galleries":[],"_id":"G3GIHYQMFRD3NBBCXKKX5LYHYI","iptc_title":"Multimedia Photographer"},"created_date":"2024-09-19T22:02:07Z","last_updated_date":"2024-09-20T16:13:23Z","slug":"aajc 092024 blank foundation westside tour","height":2970,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/SODQH734CS5ZMN34O45PVKQ6HI.JPG?auth=f2a28e4ea57ce6cbcb154585697a4e4010a5ffdaf1d3af56fd41ea74dca1b2cd&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"ZFBGOEFH4FEM5MVIX6AQ3UYJYU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740153340054},"type":"text","content":"Last week, I toured the area with <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta-news/mayor-andre-dickens-spotlights-blight-in-atlantas-westside/OGNAEIBXAFARZMPSJB7TOSYTAU/\" target=\"_blank\">John Ahmann, CEO of the Future Fund</a> since 2016. <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/news/local-govt--politics/westside-future-fund-names-longtime-insider-top-post/kSEIcxpUNqeppH6bB7zIYK/\" target=\"_blank\">He wanted</a> to show me a decade of transformation."},{"_id":"COHIF2BVCRD5FJ36XNCTUPPNZI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740153340055},"type":"text","content":"“We prioritized buying up land in the Brawley corridor,” he said. “We’re focusing on this to show what change looks like.”"},{"_id":"DJOFTQO4PRFVFJ7QCZFBOCDALU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740153340056},"type":"text","content":"He seemed to know the story behind each property."},{"_id":"AUFZWZR6WFF5NFMTEUUEGY7NXY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740153340057},"type":"text","content":"“We’re going to knock this one down,” he said, pointing to a dilapidated bungalow."},{"_id":"MX35S7ITAZHJJN3ND2EKRPLW24","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740153340058},"type":"text","content":"“That’s ours, we fixed those up,” he said. “That lady there is in the tax fund,” which abates taxes for longtime residents. “That’s an outside investor,” he said of a boarded-up home."},{"_id":"X3MD34KZCNEQVFSHWPP63IE3VY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740153340060},"type":"text","content":"“There’s the <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/news/business/arthur-m-blank-family-foundation-is-giving-millions-to-the-westside/Y7VOFMGULVHOFPSZSTO4WOSROA/\" target=\"_blank\">infamous Yellow Store</a>,” he said, of a former corner hangout. “We bought this to help shut down the drug trade.”"},{"_id":"4A2Q4AHKJVGNPPAPKRFWYEAENE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":42,"comment":"Blvd. "}],"comments":[{"date":"2025-02-21T21:21:36.766Z","start":48,"end":57,"text":"spell out street name unless accompanied by house/building number, per AP","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1740153340061},"type":"text","content":"As we rolled south toward Joseph E. Boone Boulevard, he named celebs. “Killer Mike owns that,” pointing to a multiunit building."},{"_id":"VNNN3XWYJNCTVJ2FZIUCVUSKOI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740153340062},"type":"text","content":"And he pointed to a shabby liquor store and large vacant lot that, he said, is owned by the rapper T.I."},{"_id":"O44MZK3WBVANZDC7E3JSQWWJXA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740153340063},"type":"text","content":"Large residential complexes are being built on and near Boone, as developers have discovered the neighborhood. Or, more so, it’s finally worth the economic effort."},{"_id":"24X7XBBB6ZAQDGNHUKVS6U434E","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740161013776},"type":"text","content":"Not all is copacetic. I spoke with Daryl Dismukes, who has for years been squatting in a vacant home with his wife and two others. Police have told them they need to leave, he said, “But it’s hard for us to move.”"},{"_id":"PLAFXEFN6FFMVFZ7K2VVB6WSAI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740153340064},"type":"text","content":"In 2015, I surveyed the half mile of Brawley north from Boone. More than two-thirds of the 80 or so structures were vacant or caving in. Few had even seen a paintbrush in years. There were 20-plus vacant lots."},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"a458c369bc8299f3dce84660be981350a872d48721725c455cd983877bcc515e"},"vanity_credits":{},"caption":"Daryl Dismukes, his wife and two others have been squatting in this vacant home on Dr. James P. Brawley Drive for a couple of years. (Bill Torpy/AJC)","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/F6SOPXCAUZDJHD7ZQ5JXXCUV74.jpg","licensable":false,"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Bill Torpy","type":"author"}],"by":[{"image":{"version":"0.5.8","url":"https://author-service-images-prod-us-east-1.publishing.aws.arc.pub/ajc/e7ef0c5b-c33a-4581-8b37-6cbb7dcb343c.png"},"socialLinks":[{"site":"email","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links.","url":"btorpy@ajc.com"},{"site":"twitter","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links.","url":"https://twitter.com/billtorpy"}],"social_links":[{"site":"email","url":"btorpy@ajc.com"},{"site":"twitter","url":"https://twitter.com/billtorpy"}],"name":"Bill Torpy","description":"Bill Torpy, who writes about metro Atlanta for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, joined the newspaper in 1990.","_id":"bill-torpy","additional_properties":{"original":{"lastName":"Torpy","image":"https://author-service-images-prod-us-east-1.publishing.aws.arc.pub/ajc/e7ef0c5b-c33a-4581-8b37-6cbb7dcb343c.png","role":"Columnist","education":[],"longBio":"Bill Torpy, who writes about metro Atlanta for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, joined the newspaper in 1990. 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Only 16 were vacant. There are now maybe 35 empty lots, as many of the ruins have been cleared. The Westside Fund has improved 34 of those properties."},{"_id":"DUZPQKKW4BHGLHF6RCOGA2XAKQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740153340066},"type":"text","content":"The organization tried to quietly buy up properties to prevent increased speculation. Many investors snapped up properties for next to nothing after the 2008 crisis and then allowed the structures to rot as the neighborhood hollowed out."},{"_id":"ODL7KTNPQ5CBNAWYCPZ6PYB5FM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":83,"comment":" one"},{"pos":89,"comment":"four "}],"comments":[{"date":"2025-02-21T21:23:49.822Z","start":88,"end":90,"text":"use figures for ratios, per AP","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1740153340067},"type":"text","content":"In 2017, some 400 properties in English Avenue and Vine City were blighted — nearly 1 in 4. And 600 homes sat vacant. The blight has been halved, the Westside Fund says."},{"_id":"YBV7RT4FEZGARK35B6FCYMCA3Q","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740163274246},"type":"text","content":"Ahmann, who is white, was not immediately embraced by a community used to being left behind."},{"_id":"NPG5FSM5DFB6FEHJIVAJPRYAIU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740153340069},"type":"text","content":"“There was a worry this was some kind of feint,” he said. “Part of the journey is you keep showing up. Trust is earned.”"},{"_id":"FZA6PYULFZEPRFG2RFFRB22NZU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740153340070},"type":"text","content":"The movement is funded by philanthropic sorts like the Arthur Blank Foundation and Chick-fil-A. More than $130 million has been spent buying 40 acres and building more than 1,200 affordable single and multifamily homes. They are in the midst of a <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/news/business/westside-future-fund-aims-to-raise-at-least-50m-for-affordable-housing/IV3FWSY35REU3HD55QHGMVX7SI/\" target=\"_blank\">campaign to raise another $55 million.</a>"},{"_id":"JTPVQM67INBNRBBTUPQBDY2C5I","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740153340071},"type":"text","content":"It seems to be working. The streets are not nearly as depressing, residents say."},{"_id":"QT6IDGYYJBHOJJA7BBM7BRYFTM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740153340072},"type":"text","content":"“It’s coming back; it’s well back,” said Christopher Joiner, son of the MARTA driver I spoke with in 2015. “It’s nice to look out and not see people hanging on the corner. It’s not <i>The Bluff </i>anymore. That’s history.”"},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"dce3be73718a5d192199d754fab84c23b1e4083720b80568e2fb7114992ef443"},"vanity_credits":{},"caption":"For years, the Yellow Store in the English Avenue neighborhood was a gathering spot for trouble. The Westside Future Fund purchased the structure and it is being renovated. (Courtesy of the Westside Future Fund)","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/VPELA4DDVVHRNFSA34CFXV2PE4.png","licensable":false,"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Westside Future Fund","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Westside Future Fund ","type":"author","byline":"Westside Future Fund "}]},"subtitle":"Yellow Store in English Avenue","width":925,"creditIPTC":"Westside Future Fund","_id":"VPELA4DDVVHRNFSA34CFXV2PE4","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/6rIhP8xmAHC9N1wLFYFdrGG6_IY=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/VPELA4DDVVHRNFSA34CFXV2PE4.png","owner":"william.torpy@ajc.com","comments":[],"keywords":[],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/6rIhP8xmAHC9N1wLFYFdrGG6_IY=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/VPELA4DDVVHRNFSA34CFXV2PE4.png","link":"","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/VPELA4DDVVHRNFSA34CFXV2PE4.png","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/6rIhP8xmAHC9N1wLFYFdrGG6_IY=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/VPELA4DDVVHRNFSA34CFXV2PE4.png","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/A8bGCc2oulKcP-90BfXLAKNs4d0=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/VPELA4DDVVHRNFSA34CFXV2PE4.png","version":0,"originalName":"yellow store.png","mime_type":"image/png","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":"FDAKRLGSDJDOVMPFOMYEJLTVDE"},"created_date":"2025-02-21T18:58:38Z","last_updated_date":"2025-02-21T18:58:38Z","height":588,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/VPELA4DDVVHRNFSA34CFXV2PE4.png?auth=dce3be73718a5d192199d754fab84c23b1e4083720b80568e2fb7114992ef443&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"BSGKSKROZNAP7PDYZONIFZNQPE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740153340073},"type":"text","content":"Joiner grew up there as drugs and poverty ravaged the community. In fact, he was one of those hanging on those corners and had his trouble with the law."},{"_id":"VYGI2DKQ4REPFO63FLDRFUPIBY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740153340074},"type":"text","content":"“I was a product of my environment,” he said. “The place was off the chain.”"},{"_id":"B2UGWDJ2ZNAHTCAKXYWRM7OLVQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740153340075},"type":"text","content":"He said the program to have cops live in the neighborhood, the renovation of decaying houses and the closure of the Yellow Store on his corner all gave the neighborhood momentum."},{"_id":"USREANP64FAGVMPSHERC5OLG2M","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740153340076},"type":"text","content":"I knocked on his family’s door 10 years ago because the ramshackle house next door was the flashpoint of a battle between Mayor Reed and investor Rick Warren, who had bought up many old houses and wasn’t renovating them quickly enough."},{"_id":"EJ2WFU25ZZFXXL6K2E27CXXQZI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740153340077},"type":"text","content":"Today, that house is brand spanking new, rebuilt by the Westside Fund. In fact, the Fund bought a lot of Warren’s properties, and he has shifted his operations just west of English Avenue."},{"_id":"O2X3KNBBCVGKZOLJYCTXSDPIGQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740153340078},"type":"text","content":"Warren said he didn’t want to compete with a large entity like the Westside Fund and that the properties to the west aren’t as run down."},{"_id":"SCI7MXSX6BE7HNVYBJOG2IE3G4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740153340079},"type":"text","content":"He appreciates the progress in English Avenue. But, he said, the community will be squeezed from the east by Georgia Tech and from the west where the Beltline is coming in."},{"_id":"YLHXMPSBGVDM7JQI2H4GVQEQ7Q","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740153340080},"type":"text","content":"The Bluff seems to always be under siege."}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"The English Avenue neighborhood is finally seeing revitalization."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/opinion/columnists","parent":{"default":"/opinion"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/opinion","name":"AJC Columnists","description":"Articles by columnists from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","_id":"/opinion/columnists","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/opinion","default":"/opinion","MainMenu2024":"/opinion","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/opinion"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"Articles by columnists from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","site_title":"AJC Columnists"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"AJC Columnists"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"AJC Columnists","_id":"/opinion/columnists","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/","/opinion"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/opinion"]},"order":{"MainMenu2024":2002,"SectionMap":1074,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./opinion/columnists","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/opinion/columnists","name":"AJC Columnists"},"tags":[{"text":"torpy at large"},{"text":"atlanta-news-metro.ajc"},{"text":"torpy-rss"},{"text":"teamdan"},{"text":"localnews.ajc"},{"text":"local government"}]},"label":{"tease_label":{"display":true,"text":"OPINION"},"custom_label":{"display":true,"text":"ONLY ON AJC: TORPY AT LARGE"}},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"bca383f16f277508e6a26bc9ca28f8a6c7a734ca316c9740fe639c62179b6eac"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Bill Torpy","type":"author"}],"by":[{"image":{"version":"0.5.8","url":"https://author-service-images-prod-us-east-1.publishing.aws.arc.pub/ajc/e7ef0c5b-c33a-4581-8b37-6cbb7dcb343c.png"},"socialLinks":[{"site":"email","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links.","url":"btorpy@ajc.com"},{"site":"twitter","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links.","url":"https://twitter.com/billtorpy"}],"social_links":[{"site":"email","url":"btorpy@ajc.com"},{"site":"twitter","url":"https://twitter.com/billtorpy"}],"name":"Bill Torpy","description":"Bill Torpy, who writes about metro Atlanta for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, joined the newspaper in 1990.","_id":"bill-torpy","additional_properties":{"original":{"lastName":"Torpy","image":"https://author-service-images-prod-us-east-1.publishing.aws.arc.pub/ajc/e7ef0c5b-c33a-4581-8b37-6cbb7dcb343c.png","role":"Columnist","education":[],"longBio":"Bill Torpy, who writes about metro Atlanta for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, joined the newspaper in 1990. 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(Bill Torpy/AJC)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/QOKD5FJU5VHNLJEHLZGDKF7WM4.jpg","height":2184,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/QOKD5FJU5VHNLJEHLZGDKF7WM4.jpg?auth=bca383f16f277508e6a26bc9ca28f8a6c7a734ca316c9740fe639c62179b6eac&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"D3ZZWXA3X5H3TG6FSNNXNZYAUQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740137037603},"type":"text","content":"Those of us in the press corps who have covered Gov. Brian Kemp long enough have gotten used to a certain laid back demeanor — a country pace in a city setting, an easy smile and frequent talk about his wife and three daughters, “Marty and the girls.”"},{"_id":"HQKHTGBFN5GFPJ5IRUURZIAG44","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740137037604},"type":"text","content":"Part of that is a function of Kemp’s generally low-key personality. But it’s also a function of the fact that Kemp has become so uniquely powerful during his two terms in office that he rarely has to go out of his way to remind people of it."},{"_id":"VPLHPFKX25CJRE6UB3QMM3NMCY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740137037605},"type":"text","content":"That all changed Thursday, when Cody Hall, the top political adviser to Kemp, made an appearance on the AJC’s “Politically Georgia” radio show with a new and unusual hardball message from Kemp to his fellow Republicans at the Capitol: vote with the governor or else."},{"_id":"Z5H4M2TC2BDDTIMMVBHXHG3KJE","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"M6OK25CH2ZCI7CO5BPT6AQE2GI"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"What to watch for as Brian Kemp’s priority bill faces key vote","url":"https://www.ajc.com/politics/politically-georgia/what-to-watch-for-as-brian-kemps-priority-bill-faces-key-vote/7KBMVBSVIRG7HPGRIMF4XJREPU/"},{"_id":"YND26BJJ7ZERTIO26SJDLB62AA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740137037606},"type":"text","content":"Practically ripping a page out of the<b> </b>President Donald Trump campaign playbook, Hall warned for the first time that Kemp is prepared to spend a portion of his $4.5 million campaign war chest against anyone, especially incumbent GOP lawmakers, if they fail to support his priority bill overhauling Georgia’s litigation laws this year."},{"_id":"DZNOI6HCAFDMZPGRWNJGX64NNA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740137037607},"type":"text","content":"“This is his top legislative priority. (Kemp) has a political infrastructure and a political organization that is committed to supporting his priorities,” Hall said. “And we’re going to make darn sure that folks that were with us are supported. But we’re also going to make sure that voters are reminded of those who do not stand with him.”"},{"_id":"LXWIQS67LRHIPAHSG6G6J4XKOU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740137037608},"type":"text","content":"The threat from a top Kemp aide against fellow Republicans left many in disbelief."},{"_id":"JYD2T67WANGGNCFIVPWPAKZAGM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740137037609},"type":"text","content":"“The governor is a close friend. I’ve known him since I was 20. I was even one of his floor leaders,” said Sen. Blake Tillery, a Republican attorney in Vidalia who is also the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “He’s also a former senator. He has a profound respect for the legislative process. To see someone contradict the governor’s stated desire to allow the process to work out makes me question if they are actually speaking for him.”"},{"_id":"A4F2JXPIZBHR7FBTJ7PO5B4VW4","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"VEGUPUS3Y5HV7BFFV3PANOAPZU"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Kemp threatens to back primary challenges against Republicans who oppose his litigation rewrite","url":"https://www.ajc.com/politics/kemp-threatens-to-back-primary-challenges-against-republicans-who-oppose-his-litigation-rewrite/WJRRFX2FSNCSJEWN5BG73TTPSY/"},{"_id":"HMEMPDRQCRCRPMVZBFH4MR6GI4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740137037610},"type":"text","content":"A GOP House member who is still undecided on the measure couldn’t believe his ears either. He wouldn’t believe it “until I hear Gov. Kemp say it,” he said."},{"_id":"PVIHYYCCQNHJXPTFLUEIEPTRCM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740137037611},"type":"text","content":"In the same interview Thursday, Hall reminded those Republicans that Kemp is the most popular public official in the state, and that in his opinion, Kemp has never asked Republican members of the Legislature to take a tough vote for him. “Never. It has always been, let’s work together as a team.”"},{"_id":"MURACOFTW5HNLMX2AC5Q42NEIM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740137037612},"type":"text","content":"But Hall wasn’t done. “Let’s do the right thing. Let’s be reasonable,” he continued. “If there are members of the Legislature that consider this a tough vote, I think they should look at the governor’s track record of taking arrows for them.”"},{"_id":"Y3TADL7L2JBLNNLSD2726WN4C4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740137037616},"type":"text","content":"The warning from Hall came after an unprecedented lobbying effort by the governor and his political team up to this point. Along with an early declaration this year that the litigation overhaul would be his top priority, Kemp also held a splashy Capitol news conference last month with hundreds of supporters and lobbyists turning out in a show of force. After that came a first-ever $1 million messaging push from Kemp’s PAC targeting members in their districts, including Republicans. Then came phone calls and texts from the governor himself to holdouts on the bill."},{"_id":"23XQFTPYJBAHRJQUOJSF4TCA4I","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"UGHNOOXHXBDUNMFTFM2V3SXOB4"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Brian Kemp on CDC layoffs: ‘Government can stand a little rightsizing’","url":"https://www.ajc.com/politics/politically-georgia/brian-kemp-on-cdc-layoffs-government-can-stand-a-little-rightsizing/SWE62T56SZA5PPAED4E346D7UU/"},{"_id":"AUJXHUPGBBHV7PLG7FMVMPKKU4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740137037617},"type":"text","content":"Even then, with a Senate vote planned for Friday morning, whip counts for passing the bill were still dicey for Kemp. So Hall was dispatched with a radio-ready message for the fence-sitters on Thursday — pass the bill, without amendments that weaken it, or suffer the consequences."},{"_id":"XMGYG6T7TBDXBGIXJ2QLLBEB7U","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740137037613},"type":"text","content":"But the thorny issue of “<a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/news/what-is-tort-reform-and-why-the-ajc-doesnt-call-it-that/2TDFHUAGXBANFOU6FL5LB2R3ZE/\" target=\"_blank\">tort reform</a>,” as it’s called in the Capitol, has vexed Republican governors for the last two decades. The most recent package of lawsuit limits passed back in 2005, only to see the Georgia Supreme Court overturn much of its language on constitutional grounds five years later."},{"_id":"BKA5XTD7UZGYJMO73FDN4WOKPY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740137037614},"type":"text","content":"Unlike Kemp’s earlier priorities, such as drastically tightening abortion restrictions or loosening gun laws, the natural constituency for tort reform scrambles the usual partisan math at the Capitol. Conservatives can’t necessarily be counted on to support Kemp’s plan if they are also plaintiffs attorneys in their day jobs, who oppose all or parts of the measure. The House and Senate both have enough of those lawyers in their ranks to sink or drastically weaken what the governor wants to see done. It also doesn’t help that GOP officials cannot say the state’s racing insurances rates will fall if the lawsuit-focused bill passes."},{"_id":"5EXXURS7YBA2VMUQNMZYAXZNFE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740137037615},"type":"text","content":"“It is obviously an issue that the governor cares very deeply about,” said Edward Lindsey, a former House GOP leader who is also a lawyer in Atlanta. “At the end of the day, every legislator has to go back to their district and face their voters, and this is going to be a difficult vote for some folks.”"},{"_id":"WFECSSWB4ZF5FABDZVUG2O6OKQ","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"UNW3SQDLUNGTXAJUVHVZDLOAJA"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"The Kemp Factor: How one decision will shape Georgia’s 2026 Senate race","url":"https://www.ajc.com/politics/the-kemp-factor-how-one-decision-will-shape-georgias-2026-senate-race/DIMO75AH75HGHPKOCLRFOBUWEQ/"},{"_id":"Y3TADL7L2JBLNNLSD2726WN4C4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740137037616},"type":"text","content":"What’s the hardball all about? Along with the chance to notch the white whale of conservative legislative victories, people close to Kemp say his near obsession with the topic is driven by his early days as the bootstrapping founder of Kemp Construction, the early part of his origin story that he’s never really left behind. He has said many times that small businesses in Georgia are struggling to pay for spiraling insurance costs, which he says are driven by the state’s current litigation rules."},{"_id":"NMCFHEF3SZGHNEGNCTJK5DJIBE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740137037619},"type":"text","content":"Also, he’s the most powerful politician in the state, who has gotten used to getting what he wants."},{"_id":"HZ5CASAOYVCCLO6VNLSSPSM7MQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740137037620},"type":"text","content":"But nothing is assured when it comes to tort reform, even for Kemp and his political team. As of Thursday night, Tillery and plenty of other GOP senators had not committed to anything. “I’m always confident cooler heads prevail,” Tillery said. “And something works out.”"},{"_id":"COUA6SZXCFDT5B4SMDLZ4IA7IU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740160368082},"type":"text","content":"It turns out something did work out. A last-minute deal with the governor, hours after Hall’s appearance, created a third-way option that gave the holdouts some of what they wanted, along with giving Kemp a win. The Senate voted 33 to 21 to pass the new bill Friday. Tillery and many of the other uncommitted GOP lawyers in the chamber voted yes."},{"_id":"ESDYRLWVVJHEDM4B6LVAYXP3WI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740160368083},"type":"text","content":"<br/>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"On the eve of a pivotal vote, an aide to Gov. 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Clyde has <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/politics/politically-georgia/ousted-georgia-judge-mum-on-whether-he-asked-donald-trump-for-a-job/V2L6R5YRIJCIBJL4YTSE625SHY/%20%20Susan%20Hogan%204:19%20pm,%20February%2019\" target=\"_blank\">introduced a bill</a> that would repeal that law."},{"_id":"BD5YDAQ5DRADBN2EBWC5L5ZDYU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739999095430},"type":"text","content":"The speed of the unilateral Trump cuts stands in stark contrast to the years of deadlock on Capitol Hill about the budget and spending."},{"_id":"ISNIHTH2ZJFPXOC3HYOJIPNHEA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739999095431},"type":"text","content":"The budget hasn’t been <a href=\"https://clintonwhitehouse4.archives.gov/WH/Work/093098.html#:~:text=PRESIDENT%20CLINTON%3A,BUDGET%20SURPLUS%20IN%20A%20GENERATION&text=Today%2C%20at%20a%20White%20House,fiscal%20year%20that%20ends%20today.\" target=\"_blank\">balanced</a> since the days of President Bill Clinton, as deficits continue to skyrocket. The last time Congress<b> </b>finished its yearly government funding work on time was back in 1996."},{"_id":"TM7FJWS4DRDHFE7Z3ILHILPVAA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739999095432},"type":"text","content":"So far, Republicans have struggled to forge a deal on Trump’s agenda in Congress for a pretty basic reason. Many GOP lawmakers are worried by the deep spending cuts they’re going to be asked to vote for."},{"_id":"SFIO5Y7F4ZAVRD7J52I2RFVIS4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739999095433},"type":"text","content":"While Republicans spin their wheels, it’s not hard to understand why voters like Trump’s unilateral firings and executive actions. He’s getting something done, whether Congress is on board or not."},{"_id":"VDWHP4GTDFFYNAMSHI7WI5L4OA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739999095434},"type":"text","content":"It’s safe to say that’s probably not how the Founding Fathers envisioned the system of checks and balances playing out under our Constitution."},{"_id":"PVA375QLE5HJNFARALJGSVVH2Q","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739999095435},"type":"text","content":"But that’s where we are in 2025."},{"_id":"63MQCJQL7NBBBBP55IFY4IRXQE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739999062081},"type":"text","content":"<i>Jamie Dupree has covered national politics and Congress from Washington, D.C. since the Reagan administration. His column appears weekly in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. For more, check out his Capitol Hill newsletter at </i><a href=\"http://jamiedupree.substack.com/\"><i>http://jamiedupree.substack.com</i></a>"},{"_id":"OO6LDA6USNGYVEJGXAYJXSNZ7Q","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739999062082},"type":"text","content":""}],"subheadlines":{"basic":"The legislative branch is not acting like the check on the president as the Founding Fathers envisioned."},"description":{"basic":"Many Republicans in Congress are more than happy to let President Donald Trump take the lead on cuts to the federal bureaucracy."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/politics","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Politics","description":"Political news with a Georgia focus, including the Georgia Legislature, Congress, White House, presidential elections and Georgia Congressional Districts.","_id":"/politics","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","TopicsBar2023":null,"BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","TopNav":null,"TopicsBar":null,"ComposerNav":"/","subnav_politics_georgia_voter_guide":null,"subnav_politics":null,"subnav_homepage":null,"default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null},"sponsor":{"sponsor_url_open_new_tab":"true","sponsor_desktop_banner":null,"sponsor_mobile_banner":null,"sponsor_url":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Politics","cohort_desktop_image":"https://ajc.com/resizer/LpAESXu0BTwsSDeQLp18BAqU4po=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/BCKCGHVE7BDDFAIG227UGBIHGE.png","cohort":"true","cohort_mobile_image":"https://ajc.com/resizer/z7HOEqoRgd1IrHhGNKo18ZMZ6yM=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/6JJWNPQW4VAURI4S76GONE5UY4.png","cohort_image_gradient":"false"},"site":{"site_url":"/politics/","section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"Political news with a Georgia focus, including the Georgia Legislature, Congress, White House, presidential elections and Georgia Congressional Districts.","site_title":"AJC Georgia Politics | What's really going on in politics"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Politics","_id":"/politics","ancestors":{"TopicsBar2023":[],"MainMenu2024":["/"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"TopicsBar":[],"ComposerNav":["/"],"subnav_politics_georgia_voter_guide":[],"subnav_politics":[],"subnav_homepage":[]},"order":{"AmpNav":1035,"default":1085,"MainMenu2024":1003,"SectionMap":1131,"ComposerNav":1006}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./politics","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/politics/national-politics","parent":{"default":"/politics"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/politics","name":"National Politics","description":"Latest news about national politics from the AJC","_id":"/politics/national-politics","additional_properties":{"original":{"sponsor":{"sponsor_url_open_new_tab":"true","sponsor_desktop_banner":"","sponsor_mobile_banner":"","sponsor_url":""},"parent":{"AmpNav":"/politics","default":"/politics","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/politics"},"site":{"site_url":"/politics/national-politics/","section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"Latest news about national politics from the AJC","site_title":"National Politics"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"National Politics"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"National Politics","_id":"/politics/national-politics","ancestors":{"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/","/politics"]},"order":{"AmpNav":2006,"default":2006,"SectionMap":1136,"ComposerNav":2005}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./politics/national-politics","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/politics","name":"Politics"},"tags":[{"text":"Washington Insider"},{"text":"politics.ajc"},{"text":"teamsusan"}]},"label":{"tease_label":{"display":true,"text":"Opinion"},"custom_label":{"display":true,"text":"Washington Insider"}},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"9252adeb8d16c276c243b8adfa4c42419a091c3132cf86859c415789001b37d4"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"J. 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He was accused of groping a woman."},{"_id":"SZ3GQVBX7BFQ5NYVXX6TRHI7GY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740019570573},"type":"text","content":"The woman, April Tinsley, was deputy sheriff of Clinch County. She had stopped at the QuikTrip with her husband and boss, Stephen Tinsley, who was the sheriff of Clinch County. The Tinsleys were transporting an inmate to Atlanta."},{"_id":"MBYZQ4LPBJEPJMYLBFZ2RCMA54","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740073602512},"type":"text","content":"April Tinsley went inside to get coffee. She was backing away from the machine when she and Rice collided."},{"_id":"WBC5S3EHNVDHXLR2NZTSEUZPLA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740019570576},"type":"text","content":"April Tinsley then told her husband that Rice had groped her behind. Stephen Tinsley, without investigating those claims, handcuffed Rice."},{"_id":"IB4THUD24VD4THVUQRF7L4PHDQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740019570577},"type":"text","content":"The Tinsleys both appeared on video holding Rice’s cuffed arms just before Stephen Tinsley pulled Rice to the ground, knocking him unconscious."},{"_id":"5JWBZAVEJJGIHOKWWFGFVHUNQI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740019570578},"type":"text","content":"Rice has said any physical contact with April Tinsley was accidental. Witnesses said Rice never resisted arrest."},{"_id":"K667CWSQ4FC63KBS6XFTXZVD4Q","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740019570579},"type":"text","content":"This could dissolve into a “he said, she said” account of what happened. But video evidence, witness corroboration and the fact that the sexual battery charges against Rice were never prosecuted offer some insight."},{"_id":"OAAJMCGXGFDKXD7EWLERHVSVFU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740019570581},"type":"text","content":"Viral videos show Rice and his girlfriend, April Jackson, standing outside the gas station as the Tinsleys engage in a frantic exchange."},{"_id":"7UH4SN2P35DLPLSOEBSQGTUPS4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740019570582},"type":"text","content":"Jackson was recording on her cellphone when April Tinsley snatched the phone from her hands and tossed it into the seat of the inmate transport vehicle."},{"_id":"APQKXS4UAVBHXPNVGEU7WN3QP4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740019570583},"type":"text","content":"Responding officers acknowledged this action should have resulted in robbery charges against April Tinsley but a superior officer declined to charge her with a crime."},{"_id":"JJ4TT44EVBAWHHNH5ECHVFGZYE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740019570584},"type":"text","content":"A scuffle ensued between April Tinsley and Jackson, as Tinsley, who had not yet identified herself as a deputy sheriff, attempted to twist Jackson’s arms behind her back and handcuff her."},{"_id":"MYJND25WWVDOXL273ATMT2MVZM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740019570585},"type":"text","content":"The video is hard to watch. Witnesses were screaming in the background. Stephen Tinsley yelled at April Tinsley, who yelled back at him. One witness entered the camera frame trying, unsuccessfully, to calm everyone down."},{"_id":"EJI2VZF3NBCM5PPRH54PDQ5P3Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":99,"comment":","}],"comments":[],"_id":1740019570586},"type":"text","content":"When officers from the Henry County Police Department arrived on scene, reviewed the camera footage and talked to witnesses, they concluded that any physical contact between April Tinsley and Darius Rice was accidental."},{"_id":"AV6MKXUIANHI3FMVWNIBPYKWYM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740019570587},"type":"text","content":"Then the Henry County Sheriff’s Office took over the investigation and Rice was charged with sexual battery."},{"_id":"6YIVJPISVJHX3KAABXD475S7PA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740019570588},"type":"text","content":"Two years go by and the statute of limitations to prosecute a misdemeanor passes. The charge against Rice was automatically dropped."},{"_id":"DHDK5AY7QVGZ3HUQXOFQGABBFM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740019570589},"type":"text","content":"“We believe they failed to prosecute because there was no crime committed,” said Rice’s attorney, Harry Daniels."},{"_id":"6N3VRD3BCJB37DFVLDYOT5KSAU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740019570590},"type":"text","content":"But for Rice, the damage to his life had been done."},{"_id":"F6CR3OWLKREFFLNS2UKA6PYBSI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740019570591},"type":"text","content":"The former Marine lost his $200,000 a year job as an overseas government contractor and was unable to regain security clearance while he waited for the case to be prosecuted, Daniels said."},{"_id":"FHYZASGLYNFHLFO45W4PKWBSAU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740019570592},"type":"text","content":"Stephen Tinsley lost his reelection bid for Clinch County sheriff in May. In June, he took a 10-day vacation to Honolulu, according to his social media posts."},{"_id":"PYTSRXR4YVB4VARGBFU25X6TRI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740019570593},"type":"text","content":"I haven’t stated until now that Darius Rice is Black, and the Tinsleys are white."},{"_id":"TSALKULRBZE6HMTVBKHKVJULAE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740019570594},"type":"text","content":"This is America. This is the South. If there was credible evidence that a Black man sexually battered a white woman, the case would have been prosecuted and that man would be behind bars."},{"_id":"YQCOS5MBNJFBZP5674ELBWLYVM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740019570596},"type":"text","content":"Attorneys for Rice have compared his case to that of Emmett Till, the 14-year-old Black youth who died at the hands of white men for allegedly flirting with a white woman."},{"_id":"FXQDIFLK4NAW7OJ7DBHUQG7GHU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740019570597},"type":"text","content":"Till lost his life over what his accuser decades later acknowledged was an exaggeration, if not an outright lie."},{"_id":"4NS4KYLECBFCRHRHTDPD6PVASY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740019570598},"type":"text","content":"We may never know what really happened that day in 1955 in Money, Mississippi."},{"_id":"A6OYTSPZ6NHB5FKTZ6UUD23MKY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740019570599},"type":"text","content":"Similarly, we may never know exactly what happened that night in 2022 at a gas station in Stockbridge."},{"_id":"G2CCESE7WBCXVG5BDBGRWZZR7Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740019570600},"type":"text","content":"But as of last week, we do know that a federal judge found Stephen Tinsley’s actions were not protected by qualified immunity and that Rice has sufficiently alleged that Stephen Tinsley acted with malice."},{"_id":"QIHJECE5QFCIRCTSJATZAAQJYE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740019570601},"type":"text","content":"Rice lost his job and has been unable to travel to do the work he once did."},{"_id":"QR3FXWABTFFRZPKCGLKMHHMEYQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740019570602},"type":"text","content":"Stephen Tinsley lost an election and a few weeks later, hopped on a plane for an island getaway."},{"_id":"XFPIT7BYARHBBDQBU3AHOYSYJI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":128,"comment":","}],"comments":[],"_id":1740019570603},"type":"text","content":"Rice is asking for $11 million as compensation for mental distress, humiliation, loss of income (present and future), depression and anxiety — all of which he has experienced as a result of a random encounter with April Tinsley."},{"_id":"2R427PNCZNEXBMEECK3RJ2SH3Q","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740019570604},"type":"text","content":"This is the weight of racism in this country, the many ways in which a Black person’s life can be derailed by a single interaction with a white person."},{"_id":"TB4BZEAIVVEL3PBO7PBF6JZCKE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1740019570605},"type":"text","content":"We can look away, rationalize away or wish away these injustices that are so deeply embedded into every aspect of our lives — but that doesn’t make them disappear."},{"_id":"4CEPMNHT3ZBBHOOFBCWCWE3EZM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":67,"comment":"<i>and </i>"}],"comments":[],"_id":1739977326858},"type":"text","content":"<i>Read more on the Real Life blog (</i><a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/real-life-blog/\"><i>ajc.com/opinion/real-life-blog/</i></a><i>), find Nedra on Facebook (</i><a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/AJCRealLifeColumn\"><i>facebook.com/AJCRealLifeColumn</i></a><i>) and X (</i><a href=\"https://twitter.com/nrhoneajc\"><i>@nrhoneajc</i></a><i>) or email her at </i><a href=\"mailto:Nedra.Rhone@ajc.com\"><i>nedra.rhone@ajc.com</i></a><i>.</i>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"A federal judge ruled that Darius Rice's $11 million excessive force lawsuit against a Georgia sheriff can 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Even a grant program to put teachers in high-poverty areas in rural Georgia was eliminated without warning last week."},{"_id":"YYOJGVG3ENEXTJ5U3WPP34AXOI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739998991879},"type":"text","content":"Other cuts have certainly happened in Georgia, but it’s hard to know who or what has been affected because the White House and Musk aren’t telling us and many of the people involved at federal agencies are afraid to speak out for fear of retribution."},{"owner":{"id":"ajc"},"copyright":"@PPORTAL","address":{"locality":"Miami","country_name":"USA","region":"FL"},"auth":{"1":"8f976c2e73b36f55191e2e826d0f5bbbc92658ca36cd99cfe0dbb16c3c852e2f"},"caption":"President Donald Trump is cutting deeply into the federal workforce. 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Although her agency has a complicated name, her office had a simple job — to warn the public and local health agencies about toxic substances that could hurt or kill<b> </b>people."},{"_id":"T73QWI2GJBGDFM7BAOFCFEDNN4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739998991881},"type":"text","content":"“One of the biggest ones we worked lately on was the situation with lead in applesauce for young children,” she said. “It’s very important work.”"},{"_id":"MGCECJ62JJH55PNEG7UX36ITRY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739998991882},"type":"text","content":"The email that Hightower received Saturday night was identical to others that have been sent to federal workers across the country since Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency started firing large swaths of federal workers. The email points to poor performance, even though Hightower had been performing so well she had just been promoted in December."},{"_id":"4PPK56QITFB4RLJLVGX53VDTBI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739998991883},"type":"text","content":"“The Agency finds, based on your performance, that you have not demonstrated that your further employment at the Agency would be in the public interest,” the emails read."},{"owner":{"id":"ajc"},"copyright":"Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.","address":{"locality":"Washington","country_name":"USA","region":"DC"},"auth":{"1":"00cae7ef5b3cc6d5411a3cb8794c9202dc8e92ecdb4ada77701623b1f75ff47a"},"caption":"People rally at Health and Human Services headquarters to protest the polices of President Donald Trump and Elon Musk Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025, in Washington. 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Now he’s not sure what the future holds."},{"_id":"WIACCYPSPVBA7PRVOIQEZUOMJI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739998991890},"type":"text","content":"It’s easy to see why Trump’s voters bought into his promise to cut spending and overhaul government. But there’s a smart way to cut government and there is this way."},{"owner":{"id":"ajc"},"address":{"locality":"Washington","country_name":"USA","region":"DC"},"auth":{"1":"2999af0870cd22d069415956c26c7062beecc37462b85013895dc1b3fb2e38b1"},"caption":"Former President Bill Clinton was the last president to tackle the issue of the federal bureaucracy. 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After a six-month study, loads of congressional input, and multiple pieces of legislation, Clinton eventually eliminated nearly 400,000 federal jobs through <a href=\"https://govinfo.library.unt.edu/npr/whoweare/history2.html\" target=\"_blank\">the National Partnership for Reinventing Government</a>. Along with GOP congressional leadership, Clinton even balanced the federal government for a minute."},{"_id":"AB2YUG4ZYNFWLOPX5D7ZKWRUGI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739998991892},"type":"text","content":"Compare that to the Trump way of cutting government so far. Along with little transparency about who is making the decisions and which roles are being cut, it seems like the people making the cuts have no idea what they’re doing."},{"_id":"RZUK4T2TEFBUFDDOOJDNT5EJRM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739998991893},"type":"text","content":"How else can you explain why DOGE <a href=\"https://apnews.com/article/nuclear-doge-firings-trump-federal-916e6819104f04f44c345b7dde4904d5\" target=\"_blank\">fired</a> 350 people over <a href=\"https://apnews.com/article/nuclear-doge-firings-trump-federal-916e6819104f04f44c345b7dde4904d5\" target=\"_blank\">email</a> at the National Nuclear Security Administration on Thursday, the same ones who safeguard the country’s nuclear arsenal? Or the decision to fire <a href=\"https://apnews.com/article/doge-faa-air-traffic-firings-safety-67981aec33b6ee72cbad8dcee31f3437\" target=\"_blank\">FAA employees</a> who were working a radar system to protect Hawaii from incoming cruise missiles?"},{"_id":"C5TJDWNC7NHFRNBZNGZH5J4RQA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739998991894},"type":"text","content":"Trump may have promised to “drain the swamp” and eliminate the “Deep State.” But so far, he’s only draining vital programs in Georgia and eliminating people in crucial roles with competence and experience. Which swamp is that?"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":"Seemingly indiscriminate staff reductions cut deep into vital agencies and programs"},"description":{"basic":"President Donald Trump promised to \"drain the swamp\" and eliminate the \"Deep State.\" So far, he's only draining vital programs in Georgia."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/politics","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Politics","description":"Political news with a Georgia focus, including the Georgia Legislature, Congress, White House, presidential elections and Georgia Congressional 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She graduated from Vanderbilt University and holds a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University.","expertise":"11, Politics","type":"author","twitter":"https://twitter.com/MurphyAJC","contributor":false,"custom_ajc_website":"ajc","bio_page":"/staff/patricia-murphy/","last_updated_date":"2024-06-24T23:00:32.175Z","byline":"Patricia Murphy","email":"patricia.murphy@ajc.com","slug":"","image":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/arc-authors/ajc/44863e24-68a5-407e-90cd-3becade4c39c.png","longBio":"Patricia Murphy joined the AJC’s politics team in 2020 from CQ-Roll Call, where she was a nationally syndicated political columnist. Previously, she was the Capitol Hill Bureau Chief for Politics Daily, a columnist for Newsweek/ Daily Beast, and a contributor to Garden & Gun and the Washington Post. Before working in journalism, Patricia was a staffer for three U.S. senators. An Atlanta native, Patricia graduated from The Westminster Schools and Vanderbilt University, and holds a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University.","fuzzy_match":false,"author_type":"Staff","firstName":"Patricia ","books":[],"podcasts":[],"awards":[],"location":"Atlanta","_id":"patricia-murphy","status":true}},"type":"author","version":"0.5.8","url":"/staff/patricia-murphy/","slug":""}]},"subtype":"Article","headlines":{"basic":"Patricia Murphy: Which swamp is Trump draining with Georgia layoffs and cuts? "},"first_publish_date":"2025-02-20T11:00:00Z","last_updated_date":"2025-02-20T13:20:34.45Z","_id":"RFWQZOZ56VEWXLWNQ4D5I6TR2M","teaseImageObject":{"credits":{},"width":1920,"type":"image","url":"https://d1fegwn2wjh0cs.cloudfront.net/02-19-2025/t_df3fda5ad459437290278e8d881c408e_name_12ba3de5ee0740698514c6df49ecc2c5","height":1080,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/https%3A%2F%2Fd1fegwn2wjh0cs.cloudfront.net%2F02-19-2025%2Ft_df3fda5ad459437290278e8d881c408e_name_12ba3de5ee0740698514c6df49ecc2c5?auth=59e3c62ee9b668d563a674ee33da8154e6b31b633ed055b46d62fbaa026895db&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"PK6TFEMU4NCOZFOBYUWVBDLR7Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[{"date":"2025-02-19T13:18:24.851Z","replies":[],"start":0,"end":4,"text":"lowercase inspector general in hed, per AP","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1739900292536},"type":"text","content":"It’s a truism that you can’t fight City Hall. Even if it’s your job."},{"_id":"G5UW6VDL5NA4JGQAWTKAOTZKFY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[{"date":"2025-02-19T13:17:58.021Z","replies":[],"start":104,"end":109,"text":"made rip cord two words, per merriam/AP","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1739918697149},"type":"text","content":"On Monday, Atlanta’s first inspector general, Shannon Manigault, announced <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta-news/atlantas-inspector-general-resigns/YG5D3QROS5HM7KFO47VVWT2KAY/\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"https://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta-news/atlantas-inspector-general-resigns/YG5D3QROS5HM7KFO47VVWT2KAY/\">she was pulling the rip cord</a> after months of battling with Mayor Andre Dickens. Fittingly, it was in front of City Hall."},{"_id":"YZ27NS2M6VFDVFYQKA5HNGG7CM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739918697150},"type":"text","content":"No, she said, Atlanta really doesn’t want reform. Manigault, a relentless investigator who was hired four years ago to dig out corruption, said her office has been subject to “threats, bullying, intimidation and harassment at the hands of people who have been the subjects of our investigations.”"},{"_id":"G6ETJNEUZJEUNHIHA36C64W6BE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739918697151},"type":"text","content":"“Pure and simple, it’s retaliation,” she said in a statement hours before the City Council curbed the powers of her office. “The attacks have been systematic, sustained and savage. As we have uncovered more corruption, once again, at the highest rungs of City Hall, the attacks have gotten worse.”"},{"_id":"ICFOGRNCLJEGNFGEUYKJ5T7EUE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739918697152},"type":"text","content":"Her departure was a case of an immovable object and an irritable force — an angry mayor."},{"_id":"7J64XGYMYBHAZBXQEIRY7FTWDM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739918697153},"type":"text","content":"The administration has in recent months painted Manigault as an out-of-control, self-appointed sheriff whose investigations have bent the law. They pointed out she even bought spy pens, no doubt to engage in some municipal espionage."},{"_id":"SYYVAIVRARABBENT73Q3VJT6F4","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"6PBIZVO43BCC7I4DUD4GP54O4Q"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"City Council OKs legislative overhaul of Atlanta’s inspector general","url":"https://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta-news/city-council-oks-legislative-overhaul-of-atlantas-inspector-general/4CNIPOLFPBD3XKBU3HAWU7HL3U/"},{"_id":"KXVIECSTAFAA5EKHQIOWPFFHIA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739918697154},"type":"text","content":"The mayor’s people have said Manigault <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta-news/atlanta-city-attorney-accuses-inspector-general-of-violating-state-subpoena-law/BDRNYQAIWNHBLF6QLQACOSN2MA/\" target=\"_blank\">misused subpoenas</a>, visited city employees at their homes and even confiscated their personal electronic devices."},{"_id":"NLZO6IL73ZEEHJRJABY4QOMMIU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739918697155},"type":"text","content":"The latest accusation, made more than once by the mayor’s team, turns out to be balderdash. The devices seized were city-issued. But, of course, we live in a fact-free world these days."},{"_id":"JUNVGQBKMBDGHDP3MMSAATHQYA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739918697156},"type":"text","content":"The feud blew up last year but has simmered longer than that."},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"36b4699fc78ac413eec2ff3b674e23709a72dd725358585e456215079c378550"},"vanity_credits":{},"caption":"Mayor Andre Dickens’ people have said the Atlanta IG misused subpoenas, visited city employees at their homes and even confiscated their personal electronic devices.(Courtesy of the city of Atlanta)","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/FAJIXUS4BZHD5JB2G5XNNO3J2E.jpg","licensable":false,"credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"name":"City of Atlanta ","type":"author","byline":"City of Atlanta "}]},"subtitle":"Atlanta mayor hosts Senior Ball on Oct. 22","width":575,"_id":"FAJIXUS4BZHD5JB2G5XNNO3J2E","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/nyqAhFCA3ex-5krAPHJzzMhhroI=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/FAJIXUS4BZHD5JB2G5XNNO3J2E.jpg","owner":"jodytributes@yahoo.com","comments":[],"keywords":[],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/nyqAhFCA3ex-5krAPHJzzMhhroI=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/FAJIXUS4BZHD5JB2G5XNNO3J2E.jpg","link":"","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/FAJIXUS4BZHD5JB2G5XNNO3J2E.jpg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/nyqAhFCA3ex-5krAPHJzzMhhroI=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/FAJIXUS4BZHD5JB2G5XNNO3J2E.jpg","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/ffW1DJjbRCMHpYUsEMMXNmQ_6BQ=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/FAJIXUS4BZHD5JB2G5XNNO3J2E.jpg","version":0,"originalName":"Atlanta mayor by Andre Dickens.jpg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":"TQFIBW42SBF23G45QYLHCTCZHI"},"created_date":"2022-10-01T01:14:58Z","last_updated_date":"2022-10-01T01:14:58Z","height":451,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/FAJIXUS4BZHD5JB2G5XNNO3J2E.jpg?auth=36b4699fc78ac413eec2ff3b674e23709a72dd725358585e456215079c378550&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"HQZBN7CGPJF3FISDU2NN5H7MFI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[{"date":"2025-02-19T13:21:49.029Z","replies":[],"start":0,"end":7,"text":"reworked cutline above to align with column","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1739918697157},"type":"text","content":"Dickens had been dinged by the IG a couple of times, starting with a finding in 2023 that his office bypassed normal spending protocols in connection with an annual soiree informally known as the Mayor’s Senior Ball. The event gets old folks out for a night of fun and dancing. And reminds them of who the mayor is come Election Day."},{"_id":"OOSSDCH6KBA63CFC4ZQ33O46RI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739918697158},"type":"text","content":"The investigative report noted that Dickens’ office booked rooms for members of his family, including his mom. He later repaid the bills."},{"_id":"HT7WYOWOCRG6XH22IYRD4JBB3Q","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"date":"2025-02-19T13:09:54.561Z","replies":[],"pos":37,"comment":"sure-fire ","type":"insert","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"comments":[{"date":"2025-02-19T13:10:10.838Z","replies":[],"start":47,"end":55,"text":"no hyphen, per merriam/AP","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1739918697159},"type":"text","content":"But bringing up a fellow’s mama is a surefire way to instill undying animus. In fact, when Odie Donald, the mayor’s chief of staff, was building a case against Manigault in a meeting a few weeks ago, he had the Senior Ball on one of his slides."},{"_id":"AG5UX3RDWFFN3NWOYFR6TYVGY4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739918697160},"type":"text","content":"Manigault’s office conducted dozens of investigations, including one that miffed a couple of council members and, she said, caused the city bureaucracy to roadblock her efforts."},{"_id":"QVT2AFSABRGETFNO4TROFPXWG4","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"R3TPUG2735F2TH3DGYVWAXDIII"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"TORPY: Atlanta watchdog warned about contractor. Will City Hall listen?","url":"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/columnists/opinion-atlanta-watchdog-warned-about-contractor-will-city-hall-listen/PB2COKDKSRCOVA5TXHW7EOVLOA/"},{"_id":"WZPQHI2FUBCAHLHSLINSXV4P54","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739918697161},"type":"text","content":"This caused her to take the unusual step of standing in line with other aggrieved Atlantans to speak to the City Council during public comment."},{"_id":"7327TAJW4FEZZNELOIC6MM3OPI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739918697162},"type":"text","content":"She told the council there was a <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/columnists/opinion-atlanta-city-council-wants-a-watchdog-with-no-bite/4UQEVPMYNZAHXMLN6OUL73UHLM/\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/columnists/opinion-atlanta-city-council-wants-a-watchdog-with-no-bite/4UQEVPMYNZAHXMLN6OUL73UHLM/\">“concerted effort” within the city machinery</a> to obstruct investigations and “disclose our confidential investigations.”"},{"_id":"6RS4RUQ5S5FNDO6AZUL2ZJHUQQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739918697163},"type":"text","content":"Her public complaints set off alarms through City Hall. People there are touchy on the subject. The IG’s office was created in the wake of a corruption scandal that sent more than 10 city officials and contractors off to prison."},{"_id":"LXMWH54XJBGJLNVBHM7Y6ZNLQY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739918697164},"type":"text","content":"Everyone nodded in agreement that a tough internal corruption cop was needed. But when the person hired to that job comes out and loudly says that city officials really didn’t mean it, then much angst ensues."},{"_id":"SHMVYX3TQFATBLX7XERVYGEKSA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739918697165},"type":"text","content":"In response to Manigault’s complaint, the city created a task force to make recommendations. But Manigault and her board, which has supported her, say the task force was set up to defang the office."},{"_id":"HDESRKK2DVECVFKY4N575WH3UQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739918697166},"type":"text","content":"Manigault’s fate was sealed in <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta-news/oig-dickens-administration-gave-unfair-advantage-to-vendor/JUU5TTS6RZB2BBWI4O64772TNU/\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"https://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta-news/oig-dickens-administration-gave-unfair-advantage-to-vendor/JUU5TTS6RZB2BBWI4O64772TNU/\">early December when her office released</a> a report that said Dickens’ office gave “unfair advantage” to a company to help run the city’s ATL311 customer service calls. Dickens’ office replied that Manigault was misreading city law."},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"71a0f10759303af630cebdc30774eba79c2243f5d864c176c8a52141284bce86"},"vanity_credits":{},"caption":"Atlanta's inspector general's office bought some spy pens last year. And it kind of freaked people out at City Hall. This is a slide the mayor's office used in efforts to curb the IG. ","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/CHR65WVRVJDBFLMI7QLPZXNN4Y.PNG","licensable":false,"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Screen grab of presentation","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Screen grab of presentation","type":"author","byline":"Screen grab of presentation"}]},"subtitle":"Inspector General's spy pens","width":2079,"creditIPTC":"Screen grab of presentation","_id":"CHR65WVRVJDBFLMI7QLPZXNN4Y","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/L0D1yh0v6wlF475AKb-k3QP8qBg=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/CHR65WVRVJDBFLMI7QLPZXNN4Y.PNG","owner":"william.torpy@ajc.com","comments":[],"keywords":[],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/L0D1yh0v6wlF475AKb-k3QP8qBg=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/CHR65WVRVJDBFLMI7QLPZXNN4Y.PNG","link":"","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/CHR65WVRVJDBFLMI7QLPZXNN4Y.PNG","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/L0D1yh0v6wlF475AKb-k3QP8qBg=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/CHR65WVRVJDBFLMI7QLPZXNN4Y.PNG","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/fR9jPfcMGUZdjFtTA-MSJaNHAaA=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/CHR65WVRVJDBFLMI7QLPZXNN4Y.PNG","version":0,"originalName":"ig spy pens.PNG","mime_type":"image/png","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":"AFYP6DIBKNETRPILRVSBEUODZ4"},"created_date":"2025-02-18T22:52:56Z","last_updated_date":"2025-02-18T22:52:56Z","height":960,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/CHR65WVRVJDBFLMI7QLPZXNN4Y.PNG?auth=71a0f10759303af630cebdc30774eba79c2243f5d864c176c8a52141284bce86&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"OOIMTMQVX5A3TNHW4OVFJLVUNE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739918697167},"type":"text","content":"In January, the mayor’s office released legislation to change the IG’s office. In the original version, the word “corruption” had been largely erased. The IG was supposed to worry more about “waste, fraud and abuse” and not so much about criminal investigations."},{"_id":"IB2O3RWVP5GGDFBLY5D2AJDDKI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739918697168},"type":"text","content":"“We wanted to make certain that <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta-news/atlanta-mayors-office-wants-oversight-of-office-of-inspector-general/2CCRWIX35RDZTPBEVT46TFE6J4/\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"https://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta-news/atlanta-mayors-office-wants-oversight-of-office-of-inspector-general/2CCRWIX35RDZTPBEVT46TFE6J4/\">language about the mission was clear</a> — she’s not the FBI,” City Attorney Patrise Perkins-Hooker said."},{"_id":"32MVZYNS2BFMXFZJ2UGGZUEOEM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739918697169},"type":"text","content":"But the suggestion was so silly that the administration backed off that, as it did on insisting that the mayor’s office appoint the IG’s board members."},{"_id":"4FJX2J7UZRCEDDZM74N77RQBMY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739918697170},"type":"text","content":"In recent weeks, the mayor’s office has accused Manigault of overstepping her bounds, issuing perhaps 50 subpoenas that violated state law to glean financial information of people being investigated."},{"_id":"SOK7LQZIXFFDVMWVZJGWTN7Y2M","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"HN3C5T2MUBHRHMNFI5GLT4HLIA"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Why Atlantans should care about changes to the city inspector general","url":"https://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta-news/why-atlantans-should-care-about-changes-to-the-city-inspector-general/RJCKUOKTZRHQ5FV4MBJFJLHHCU/"},{"_id":"25H6XHA56RESHIGWCKRGWZY374","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739918697171},"type":"text","content":"The city attorney reduced her concerns to Manigault in a letter, saying the IG’s actions might cost Atlanta a pretty penny in lawsuits. And then the city quickly released this letter to the media. So much for the secrecy of attorney-client privilege."},{"_id":"5F6ZBSYFRJGWPLSEA7ICLECHJ4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739918697172},"type":"text","content":"(The city has complained that Manigault has been quick to release her investigations to the press. I guess they think turnabout is fair play.)"},{"_id":"4HZMPOZ55REERECCDW4N6CZEIQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739918697173},"type":"text","content":"One of the last things Manigault did as IG was to get her board to hire an attorney to defend her office. That’s because the city’s attorney has already publicly castigated her, creating a conflict."},{"_id":"D4AHMBQNPFCITATXL7MGFMBQT4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"date":"2025-02-19T18:33:40.473Z","replies":[],"pos":231,"comment":"pillar’s ","type":"insert","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"comments":[],"_id":1739918697174},"type":"text","content":"A politically connected contractor who the IG dinged in a report last year — she had concerns of <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta-news/atlanta-ig-investigations-being-internally-blocked/QIDZRAWN2ZFAXFP2EU6MKHWJIE/\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"https://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta-news/atlanta-ig-investigations-being-internally-blocked/QIDZRAWN2ZFAXFP2EU6MKHWJIE/\">“cronyism and patronage”</a> — is suing the IG personally. And that contractor is using the city attorney’s scolding letter as one of the pillars of his lawsuit to attack the same city’s investigation team."},{"_id":"RTCS3JQ7WJHN5IUS2VOOMS7NUQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739918697175},"type":"text","content":"Life at City Hall rolls on."}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"It’s a truism that you can’t fight City Hall. Even if that’s your job description."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/opinion/columnists","parent":{"default":"/opinion"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/opinion","name":"AJC Columnists","description":"Articles by columnists from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","_id":"/opinion/columnists","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/opinion","default":"/opinion","MainMenu2024":"/opinion","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/opinion"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"Articles by columnists from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","site_title":"AJC Columnists"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"AJC Columnists"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"AJC Columnists","_id":"/opinion/columnists","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/","/opinion"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/opinion"]},"order":{"MainMenu2024":2002,"SectionMap":1074,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./opinion/columnists","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/opinion/columnists","name":"AJC Columnists"},"tags":[{"text":"torpy at large"},{"text":"atlanta-news-metro.ajc"},{"text":"torpy-rss"},{"text":"teamdan"},{"text":"local government"},{"text":"localnews.ajc"},{"text":"intown atlanta"}]},"label":{"tease_label":{"display":true,"text":"OPINION"},"custom_label":{"display":true,"text":"ONLY ON AJC: TORPY AT LARGE"}},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"b7aaef9fa5a6688a99ed0ce91ac2f67c1bc8a9fa48df67134ea6c1873407673b"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Riley Bunch/AJC","type":"author"}],"by":[{"image":{"version":"0.5.8","url":"https://author-service-images-prod-us-east-1.publishing.aws.arc.pub/ajc/1605fb88-c625-4238-bd79-655f8645cbaa.png"},"socialLinks":[{"site":"email","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links.","url":"riley.bunch@ajc.com"},{"site":"twitter","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links.","url":"https://twitter.com/ribunchreports"}],"social_links":[{"site":"email","url":"riley.bunch@ajc.com"},{"site":"twitter","url":"https://twitter.com/ribunchreports"}],"name":"Riley Bunch","description":"Riley Bunch is a reporter on the local government team at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution covering Atlanta City Hall. 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She covers the mayor and Atlanta City Council while also keeping an eye on the city’s diverse neighborhoods.","expertise":"10","type":"author","twitter":"https://twitter.com/ribunchreports","contributor":false,"beat":"Atlanta City Hall","custom_ajc_website":"ajc","bio_page":"/staff/riley-bunch/","last_updated_date":"2025-02-26T14:16:59.318Z","byline":"Riley Bunch","email":"riley.bunch@ajc.com","slug":"","image":"https://author-service-images-prod-us-east-1.publishing.aws.arc.pub/ajc/1605fb88-c625-4238-bd79-655f8645cbaa.png","longBio":"Riley Bunch is a reporter on the local government team at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution covering Atlanta City Hall. She writes about the ins and outs of the city’s government including the mayor and Atlanta City Council. She writes about how legislation and policy decisions impact Atlanta’s diverse neighborhoods and people while also keeping an eye on the impact of federal politics on a local level. \n\nRiley has a multimedia background and is a frequent contributor on the AJC’s Politically Georgia Podcast as well as a skilled photographer. She is a former policy reporter at Georgia Public Broadcasting, which she joined in 2020 to report stories at the intersection of government and daily life.\n\nPrior to GPB, Riley was the Georgia statehouse reporter for CNHI News, where she covered the general assembly, 2020 elections and statewide social issues. Some of her notable work included the lack of access to rural health care, agriculture reform, maternal mortality and care for Georgians with disabilities. Riley began her career at the Idaho Press in Boise, after graduating from S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.","fuzzy_match":false,"author_type":"Staff","firstName":"Riley","books":[],"podcasts":[],"awards":[],"_id":"riley-bunch","status":true}},"type":"author","version":"0.5.8","url":"/staff/riley-bunch/","slug":""}]},"subtitle":"Inspector General Shannon Manigault","width":6235,"caption":"On the steps of City Hall on Monday, Fed. 17, 2025, Atlanta's Inspector General Shannon Manigault announces she will resign after nearly a yearlong feud with the Dickens administration over how much power the watchdog office has. (Riley Bunch/AJC)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/H4AKI6AUWFHZXDN3SSVGFIYKKI.jpg","height":4157,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/H4AKI6AUWFHZXDN3SSVGFIYKKI.jpg?auth=b7aaef9fa5a6688a99ed0ce91ac2f67c1bc8a9fa48df67134ea6c1873407673b&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},"canonical_url":"/opinion/columnists/torpy-was-atlantas-inspector-general-just-too-good-at-her-job/3ULG3MC6ONG4JKMK7M6M42K7UE/","canonical_website":"ajc","display_date":"2025-02-19T10:00:00Z","credits":{"by":[{"image":{"version":"0.5.8","url":"https://author-service-images-prod-us-east-1.publishing.aws.arc.pub/ajc/e7ef0c5b-c33a-4581-8b37-6cbb7dcb343c.png"},"socialLinks":[{"site":"email","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links.","url":"btorpy@ajc.com"},{"site":"twitter","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links.","url":"https://twitter.com/billtorpy"}],"social_links":[{"site":"email","url":"btorpy@ajc.com"},{"site":"twitter","url":"https://twitter.com/billtorpy"}],"name":"Bill Torpy","description":"Bill Torpy, who writes about metro Atlanta for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, joined the newspaper in 1990.","_id":"bill-torpy","additional_properties":{"original":{"lastName":"Torpy","image":"https://author-service-images-prod-us-east-1.publishing.aws.arc.pub/ajc/e7ef0c5b-c33a-4581-8b37-6cbb7dcb343c.png","role":"Columnist","education":[],"longBio":"Bill Torpy, who writes about metro Atlanta for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, joined the newspaper in 1990. He writes the metro column and has covered politics, government and countless stories about police, courts, the justice system and humanity in general. The Chicago native graduated from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Ill., and previously worked for the Daily Southtown in Chicago","org":"ajc","affiliations":"The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","bio":"Bill Torpy, who writes about metro Atlanta for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, joined the newspaper in 1990.","author_type":"Staff","type":"author","expertise":"7.16,10","firstName":"Bill","twitter":"https://twitter.com/billtorpy","books":[],"podcasts":[],"awards":[],"beat":"Metro columnist","custom_ajc_website":"ajc","_id":"bill-torpy","last_updated_date":"2025-01-02T18:38:05.452Z","bio_page":"/staff/bill-torpy/","byline":"Bill Torpy","email":"btorpy@ajc.com","status":false}},"type":"author","version":"0.5.8","url":"/staff/bill-torpy/"}]},"subtype":"Article","headlines":{"basic":"TORPY: Was Atlanta’s inspector general just too good at her job?"},"first_publish_date":"2025-02-19T10:00:00Z","last_updated_date":"2025-02-19T18:33:50.274Z","_id":"3ULG3MC6ONG4JKMK7M6M42K7UE","teaseImageObject":{"auth":{"1":"b7aaef9fa5a6688a99ed0ce91ac2f67c1bc8a9fa48df67134ea6c1873407673b"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Riley Bunch/AJC","type":"author"}],"by":[{"image":{"version":"0.5.8","url":"https://author-service-images-prod-us-east-1.publishing.aws.arc.pub/ajc/1605fb88-c625-4238-bd79-655f8645cbaa.png"},"socialLinks":[{"site":"email","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links.","url":"riley.bunch@ajc.com"},{"site":"twitter","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links.","url":"https://twitter.com/ribunchreports"}],"social_links":[{"site":"email","url":"riley.bunch@ajc.com"},{"site":"twitter","url":"https://twitter.com/ribunchreports"}],"name":"Riley Bunch","description":"Riley Bunch is a reporter on the local government team at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution covering Atlanta City Hall. She covers the mayor and Atlanta City Council while also keeping an eye on the city’s diverse neighborhoods.","_id":"riley-bunch","additional_properties":{"original":{"lastName":"Bunch","role":"Reporter","education":[],"native_app_rendering":false,"affiliations":"The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","bio":"Riley Bunch is a reporter on the local government team at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution covering Atlanta City Hall. She covers the mayor and Atlanta City Council while also keeping an eye on the city’s diverse neighborhoods.","expertise":"10","type":"author","twitter":"https://twitter.com/ribunchreports","contributor":false,"beat":"Atlanta City Hall","custom_ajc_website":"ajc","bio_page":"/staff/riley-bunch/","last_updated_date":"2025-02-26T14:16:59.318Z","byline":"Riley Bunch","email":"riley.bunch@ajc.com","slug":"","image":"https://author-service-images-prod-us-east-1.publishing.aws.arc.pub/ajc/1605fb88-c625-4238-bd79-655f8645cbaa.png","longBio":"Riley Bunch is a reporter on the local government team at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution covering Atlanta City Hall. She writes about the ins and outs of the city’s government including the mayor and Atlanta City Council. She writes about how legislation and policy decisions impact Atlanta’s diverse neighborhoods and people while also keeping an eye on the impact of federal politics on a local level. \n\nRiley has a multimedia background and is a frequent contributor on the AJC’s Politically Georgia Podcast as well as a skilled photographer. She is a former policy reporter at Georgia Public Broadcasting, which she joined in 2020 to report stories at the intersection of government and daily life.\n\nPrior to GPB, Riley was the Georgia statehouse reporter for CNHI News, where she covered the general assembly, 2020 elections and statewide social issues. Some of her notable work included the lack of access to rural health care, agriculture reform, maternal mortality and care for Georgians with disabilities. Riley began her career at the Idaho Press in Boise, after graduating from S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.","fuzzy_match":false,"author_type":"Staff","firstName":"Riley","books":[],"podcasts":[],"awards":[],"_id":"riley-bunch","status":true}},"type":"author","version":"0.5.8","url":"/staff/riley-bunch/","slug":""}]},"subtitle":"Inspector General Shannon Manigault","width":6235,"caption":"On the steps of City Hall on Monday, Fed. 17, 2025, Atlanta's Inspector General Shannon Manigault announces she will resign after nearly a yearlong feud with the Dickens administration over how much power the watchdog office has. (Riley Bunch/AJC)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/H4AKI6AUWFHZXDN3SSVGFIYKKI.jpg","height":4157,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/H4AKI6AUWFHZXDN3SSVGFIYKKI.jpg?auth=b7aaef9fa5a6688a99ed0ce91ac2f67c1bc8a9fa48df67134ea6c1873407673b&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"6H72LGPCYVGV7ANI6C7DDBB6CQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739898098180},"type":"text","content":"I’ve tried to imagine life without the penny."},{"_id":"3XB3IB7VFJGKLMYMNLAWO5DSE4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739898098181},"type":"text","content":"In many ways, I am already living it."},{"_id":"4RFMLAWXFFHL3MGCS4IYD7WEGE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739898098182},"type":"text","content":"Earlier this week, I owed 72 cents for my Starbucks order and found myself mining the depths of my purse for a penny. I handed over three quarters and didn’t bother waiting for change."},{"_id":"BOGQKWBJYZEBHKW6EZHICKPNOM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739898098183},"type":"text","content":"This could become the norm if the recent presidential edict to stop minting new pennies comes to pass."},{"_id":"3IE57PW27FEAHFNZQIWU7MQJRM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739898098184},"type":"text","content":"I’m no economist (though I do hold a degree in economics from Wharton), but the only downside I see to letting go of the penny is the nostalgia that must go with it."},{"_id":"4JDLQBU7YVEYRIJ3MEPTF5X6H4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739898098185},"type":"text","content":"What’s more interesting than President Donald Trump’s move to abolish the penny is that it wasn’t accompanied by an order to get rid of all cash. Instead, he <a href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/strengthening-american-leadership-in-digital-financial-technology/\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/strengthening-american-leadership-in-digital-financial-technology/\">prohibited any initiatives or plans for Central Bank Digital Currencies</a>, analogous to a digital form of paper money for which the Federal Reserve holds liability."},{"_id":"JEFLXTKLGNDJNIZCLL5HINZUWQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739898098186},"type":"text","content":"Like most Americans, the majority of my purchases do not involve cash. Last year, only 16% of all transactions were cash-based as more businesses and individuals lean toward cashless exchanges."},{"_id":"OJDWDUNR4FFORPU3QWRVBITZZM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739898098187},"type":"text","content":"Most of us learned of the penny’s demise via social media on Super Bowl Sunday. While it is unclear if any action can be taken against the penny without Congress signing off, it is clear that Congress, in its current composition, is content to play the role of spectator."},{"_id":"GAPTDGWJMRE4VNO2F3HPI7E3NU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"date":"2025-02-18T18:43:52.782Z","replies":[],"pos":106,"comment":"(R-AZ) ","type":"insert","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"comments":[{"date":"2025-02-18T18:44:47.676Z","replies":[],"start":97,"end":105,"text":"set short forms off from a name by commas, per AP","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1739898098188},"type":"text","content":"Debate over the penny has spanned decades, most recently in 2017 when the late Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., introduced the COINS Act. In addition to pausing production of pennies for a decade, the bill also proposed modifying the metals that compose the nickel and shifting the $1 bill from paper to a metal coin. None of that worked out."},{"_id":"ZR33RHCNAFDDHE4MJTJE2DF56Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739898098189},"type":"text","content":"Congress hasn’t eliminated any currency from circulation since 1857, when representatives eliminated the half-cent. So, the penny has endured, even though the U.S. Mint lost $85 million last year to continue making those copper-plated zinc coins."},{"_id":"244GF3CQXRDRDOU2FXUENF5TRI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739898098190},"type":"text","content":"It cost 3.7 cents to make and distribute a penny last year. It also cost 13.8 cents to make a nickel, but for whatever reason, that coin hasn’t been targeted for destruction."},{"_id":"HSV2JISFQZDX7E7XZGUYPB6TPA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739898098191},"type":"text","content":"Despite producing those money-losing coins, the Mint made a mint — $100 million in profit last year."},{"_id":"4D2UMZVJURCUVED2VE4IALW7NU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739898098192},"type":"text","content":"If all goes according to plan, decades from now, payment for our thoughts will cost at least a nickel. We will give 5 cents instead of 2 cents when giving advice, and thrifty Americans will become nickel nippers instead of penny pinchers."},{"_id":"LYIV43PYI5CKNF4AEWNWQ4ZY3U","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"date":"2025-02-18T18:47:11.729Z","replies":[],"pos":145,"comment":"in ","type":"insert","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"comments":[],"_id":1739898098193},"type":"text","content":"Some linguistic and social references to the penny will likely stick around even if the coin does not. I sang about a “ha’penny” every Christmas during the 1970s, and the half-cent had already been out of circulation for over 100 years."},{"_id":"STUJPEQVR5AA5JVWUPO5RJAGBQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739898098194},"type":"text","content":"Why have U.S. representatives been so reluctant to let go of pennies, especially since there are examples showing that the outcome isn’t so bad?"},{"_id":"S6VWHY7Z4BHB5KL5OTZ5ZC47AE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739898098195},"type":"text","content":"U.S. Military bases overseas got rid of pennies long ago, rounding purchases to the nearest 5 cents."},{"_id":"FVMFD6JAEBAZ5B4MNS7RC6ZYQQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739898098196},"type":"text","content":"Our fellow North Americans eliminated the Canadian penny in 2012 without much controversy. Pennies were still valid currency, but purchases were rounded to the nearest 5 cents, and Canadians were encouraged to surrender unused pennies to the banks."},{"_id":"BDFBKATCRBCCXO72O2AIUELKGY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739898098197},"type":"text","content":"The U.S. has already decreased annual production of pennies and nickels to limited effect. The current administration is selling this latest crusade against pennies as part of the grand strategy to reduce government spending, but getting rid of pennies is just a lot of nickel and diming that won’t make a dent in the deficit."},{"_id":"6P4T65ZVBFF3JDQDGAEXBXX2KY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739898098198},"type":"text","content":"Rather than sitting on the sidelines and watching pennies fall, I wish Congress would engage in a forward-thinking exchange about what could be on the horizon — a cashless society."},{"_id":"3VERMKLAKVF33DK4KJVSFOQBXE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739898098199},"type":"text","content":"In 2022, the Federal Reserve took the first step in initiating public discussions about CBDC."},{"_id":"URUQB27NOZGBDOJFNDPZICPS3U","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739898098200},"type":"text","content":"CBDC supporters say a digital dollar accessible to members of the public would offer an alternative to physical cash and perhaps more inclusive banking. Critics cite privacy issues of a CBDC and the impact on the banking industry."},{"_id":"NOBMGCIC45BIXEXINTEQZNMH3A","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739898098202},"type":"text","content":"According to the nonpartisan, nonprofit Atlantic Council, <a href=\"https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/cbdctracker/\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/cbdctracker/\">the U.S. is falling behind in the CBDC conversation.</a>"},{"_id":"XPODURACZRGZZGZQPGGNC34BOM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"date":"2025-02-18T18:49:46.426Z","replies":[],"pos":152,"comment":",","type":"insert","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"comments":[],"_id":1739898098203},"type":"text","content":"Currently, 134 countries (98% of the global economy) are exploring digital versions of their currencies with programs in the advanced development, pilot or launch stage."},{"_id":"RPHUCTHUR5H5BOGLI3YJOBAPRE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"date":"2025-02-18T18:50:04.396Z","replies":[],"pos":79,"comment":"may ","type":"insert","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"comments":[],"_id":1739898098204},"type":"text","content":"While we are busy debating the fate of currency from the past, other countries might be setting new standards for the currency of the future."},{"_id":"4CEPMNHT3ZBBHOOFBCWCWE3EZM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"date":"2025-02-18T18:50:19.727Z","replies":[],"pos":67,"comment":"<i>and </i>","type":"insert","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"comments":[],"_id":1739894623314},"type":"text","content":"<i>Read more on the Real Life blog (</i><a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/real-life-blog/\" title=\"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/real-life-blog/\"><i>ajc.com/opinion/real-life-blog/</i></a><i>), </i><i>find Nedra on Facebook (</i><a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/AJCRealLifeColumn\" title=\"https://www.facebook.com/AJCRealLifeColumn\"><i>facebook.com/AJCRealLifeColumn</i></a><i>) and X (</i><a href=\"https://twitter.com/nrhoneajc\"><i>@nrhoneajc</i></a><i>) or email her at </i><a href=\"mailto:Nedra.Rhone@ajc.com\"><i>nedra.rhone@ajc.com</i></a><i>.</i>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":""},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/opinion/columnists","parent":{"default":"/opinion"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/opinion","name":"AJC Columnists","description":"Articles by columnists from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","_id":"/opinion/columnists","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/opinion","default":"/opinion","MainMenu2024":"/opinion","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/opinion"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"Articles by columnists from The Atlanta 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(David Zalubowski/AP 2007)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"f2a90805-7d0d-46e0-bff3-5e7060bf4d90"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/WEHB63LZTAUWS6426AF2Q3ZK4U.jpg","height":1994,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/WEHB63LZTAUWS6426AF2Q3ZK4U.jpg?auth=085d6ebc3022563434cc0272cebd0ace5a807ac437cf8051f7fdea508d3ddbd4&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},"canonical_url":"/opinion/columnists/rhone-im-ok-with-pitching-pennies/YIO3K5M2AFETBLUOORQGNKOLLQ/","canonical_website":"ajc","display_date":"2025-02-18T18:22:33.123Z","credits":{"by":[{"image":{"version":"0.5.8","url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/arc-authors/ajc/98f2f50c-d4da-49ae-9bde-27e4311ab5ad.png"},"socialLinks":[{"site":"email","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links.","url":"nedra.rhone@ajc.com"},{"site":"twitter","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links.","url":"https://twitter.com/nrhoneajc"}],"social_links":[{"site":"email","url":"nedra.rhone@ajc.com"},{"site":"twitter","url":"https://twitter.com/nrhoneajc"}],"name":"Nedra Rhone","description":"Nedra Rhone is a lifestyle columnist for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution where she has been a reporter since 2006. A graduate of Columbia University School of Journalism, she enjoys writing about the people, places and events that define metro Atlanta.","_id":"nedra-rhone","additional_properties":{"original":{"lastName":"Rhone","image":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/arc-authors/ajc/98f2f50c-d4da-49ae-9bde-27e4311ab5ad.png","role":"Lifestyle Columnist","education":[{"name":"University of Pennsylvania, Bachelor's degree in Economics"},{"name":"Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism"}],"longBio":"Nedra Rhone is a lifestyle columnist for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution where she has been a reporter since 2006. A graduate of Columbia University School of Journalism, she enjoys writing about the people, places and events that define metro Atlanta. She has written about style, entertainment, personal finance and the environment for the AJC. Previously, Rhone was a staff writer at Newsday where her first assignment was covering the devastating impact of 9/11 on the families and communities of Long Island. She later covered K-12 education for Long Island's 125 school districts and is a Pulitzer Prize finalist for her reporting on women in hip-hop. ","org":"ajc","affiliations":"The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","bio":"Nedra Rhone is a lifestyle columnist for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution where she has been a reporter since 2006. A graduate of Columbia University School of Journalism, she enjoys writing about the people, places and events that define metro Atlanta.","expertise":"2,7,16","author_type":"Staff","firstName":"Nedra","twitter":"https://twitter.com/nrhoneajc","books":[],"podcasts":[],"awards":[],"custom_ajc_phone":"404-526-5465","custom_ajc_website":"ajc","_id":"nedra-rhone","last_updated_date":"2024-08-01T19:40:05.320Z","byline":"Nedra Rhone","email":"nedra.rhone@ajc.com","status":true}},"type":"author","version":"0.5.8"}]},"subtype":"Article","headlines":{"basic":"RHONE: I’m OK with pitching pennies"},"first_publish_date":"2025-02-18T18:22:33.123Z","last_updated_date":"2025-02-19T13:43:05.06Z","_id":"YIO3K5M2AFETBLUOORQGNKOLLQ","teaseImageObject":{"auth":{"1":"085d6ebc3022563434cc0272cebd0ace5a807ac437cf8051f7fdea508d3ddbd4"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"AP","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"David Zalubowski","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"Trump Pennies","width":3000,"caption":"Will Congress let go of pennies and focus on other forms of currency? (David Zalubowski/AP 2007)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"f2a90805-7d0d-46e0-bff3-5e7060bf4d90"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/WEHB63LZTAUWS6426AF2Q3ZK4U.jpg","height":1994,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/WEHB63LZTAUWS6426AF2Q3ZK4U.jpg?auth=085d6ebc3022563434cc0272cebd0ace5a807ac437cf8051f7fdea508d3ddbd4&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"IJQMYJQC6ZCJLDQQGUCVPXYM3E","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":96,"comment":"“"},{"pos":131,"comment":"”"}],"comments":[],"_id":1739489249174},"type":"text","content":"Here’s one of the biggest surprises of the Trump administration so far: While Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency have been changing the locks on federal agencies and sending emails to federal employees to tell them they no longer have jobs, Georgia’s feistiest firebrand, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, has emerged as an unexpected institutionalist in Trump’s norm-busting, budget-cutting DOGE effort."},{"_id":"TBXDR446PZCYZDIOBD2MX5ZK5Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739489249175},"type":"text","content":"Trump and Republicans swept into office this year with a pledge to slash $2 trillion from the $6.7 trillion federal budget. And with a spiraling national debt of $36 trillion, it’s hard to argue that federal spending hasn’t gotten out of control. Days after Trump was inaugurated, Musk’s baby-faced DOGE brigade showed up to right the ship."},{"_id":"IMYLZLNVC5GY5H2IUOI2LGC4UA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":0,"comment":"The billionaire’s"},{"pos":75,"comment":" "}],"comments":[],"_id":1739489249176},"type":"text","content":"Musk’s shadowy, move-fast-and-break-things approach has left Washington gobsmacked and federal courts full of legal challenges to the unilateral directives he and Trump have rushed to implement."},{"_id":"ZUIN3BWHJFEZZCT42NE4MJFCIQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":218,"comment":","},{"pos":249,"comment":","}],"comments":[],"_id":1739489249177},"type":"text","content":"Much of what Musk is tearing down was built up over years by Congress and, in theory, only Congress has the authority to reverse the course. But every day, without details or transparency, another department or program originally created by Congress is on the DOGE chopping block."},{"_id":"KVT72KM7AJHU5EMY4MI3RMU2MI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739489249178},"type":"text","content":"Whether any of this is legal or constitutional is now being hotly debated. But while it’s been going on, Greene has simultaneously launched the new House DOGE subcommittee, a parallel effort to Musk’s. Greene’s panel also happens to be the only cost-cutting mechanism in Washington operating in public view."},{"_id":"PJNDVD4UZ5BI7M7O4MR6QUXQDA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739489249179},"type":"text","content":"Greene gaveled in her first DOGE subcommittee hearing Wednesday with a warning that the forum was “not a time for political theater and partisan attacks.” The irony of the statement, coming from the congresswoman who displayed nude photos of Hunter Biden at a House Oversight Committee hearing last year, was not lost on the audience."},{"_id":"4JJXAKKPYJDCXJDXRW4P52ARMQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":70,"comment":","}],"comments":[],"_id":1739489249180},"type":"text","content":"But Greene then proceeded to hold a hearing on government fraud, waste and abuse that was, in fact, almost entirely free of political stunts or drama. Greene kept the traditional five-minute clock, called on witnesses for their testimony and even referred to her colleagues as “ladies” and ”gentlemen.”"},{"_id":"33ETKI5G7FFYNPRJDNSTWDABSM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739495175388},"type":"text","content":"Instead, it was often Democrats trying to land political punches."},{"_id":"2ZHO74HYJVACRCW6BVNQDO73FY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739495175389},"type":"text","content":"Rep. Robert Garcia, D-California, recalled Greene’s nude photo show of Biden and displayed his own giant photo of Musk, clad in a tuxedo, calling him “President Elon Musk.” U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, the Texas Democrat who scrapped with Greene in a hearing last year by calling her a “bleach blonde, bad built, butch body,” declared Wednesday, “It is time for us to do our jobs and rein in this rogue actor known as Elon Musk.”"},{"_id":"ZF7N7JZPWJFL3PPKNVDKZIKJOY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739489249182},"type":"text","content":"One hearing witness, Dylan Hedtler-Gaudette of the Project on Government Oversight, even pointed to Trump’s firing of a dozen inspectors general as proof that DOGE is not a serious effort."},{"_id":"I7AHKFREKFF5JBAUSM2E63LZPI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739489249183},"type":"text","content":"“It seems to me that if an administration were serious about wanting to root out waste, fraud and abuse, they would support and resource whistleblowers and inspectors general, they would not demonize them, and they would certainly not fire them en masse in an unlawful midnight purge,” he said."},{"_id":"4N4BBXMWMVBVXIFC7Z6NISC6E4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739489249184},"type":"text","content":"Greene took her shots too. She described Congress’ chronic habit of deficit spending as putting Americans in “debt slavery,” At one point, she<b> </b>characterized federal employees as “beyond the point of forgiveness.”"},{"_id":"KWCFEHF4WFGFFHFQ3HIRB32FJ4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739489249186},"type":"text","content":"But with her hearing, and the three more planned, Greene is using the tools of the legislative branch to raise and debate issues that Musk and Trump have mostly addressed with executive orders and social media rants. Whether or not Democrats agree with her, she also provided them public forum for legislative input that Trump and Musk have ignored so far."},{"_id":"3KMOJURPWJEF7BK24UKKBDTCWA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739489249187},"type":"text","content":"“The American people are watching,” Greene said Wednesday. “The legislative branch can’t sit on the sidelines.”"},{"_id":"LQCJKIEW3RDMTATTSQH6ISRT7I","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739489249188},"type":"text","content":"If you haven’t been watching Greene throughout her time in Congress, it’s a lot to adjust to this more sedate, extremely un-“MTG” persona. But it’s just <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/politics/opinion-my-almost-perfectly-normal-day-with-marjorie-taylor-greene/LGZELKICVFGQXNDJY2WOQGEAG4/\">a lesser viewed part</a> of who she’s been since she arrived in Washington."},{"_id":"YEOHE2TBQNBLXFTSCUH7IOOMEE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739489249189},"type":"text","content":"It may also signal a new chapter for Greene, moving on from sidelined MAGA agitator to congressional player and even a potential statewide candidate."},{"_id":"5FDRE2WB2NFLLEYDFIAHR3UUP4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739489249190},"type":"text","content":"During an interview with the AJC last week, Greene said she’s considering running for Senate or governor in Georgia in 2026."},{"_id":"GBO4GCLO6ZHKHLADAHW7YIT7DI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739489249191},"type":"text","content":"“Of course I’m considering all possibilities,” she said. “No decisions have been made, but I would be telling a lie if I didn’t say I wasn’t considering it.”"},{"_id":"TUZ4OX2LCZA3TPZEPJW7V5YHPQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739489249192},"type":"text","content":"A statewide run for Greene would have been hard to imagine even two years ago when she shouted down President Joe Biden during his State of the Union address with “Liar!,” or two years before that when she blazed onto the congressional scene slinging insults at Democrats and the press alike."},{"_id":"3Y7P236TZJB67H6EFQDFFXAQMU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739489249193},"type":"text","content":"But time, and a Trump victory, have brought Greene into the new GOP mainstream, where a run for Senate or governor in a state that Trump just won doesn’t seem so far-fetched after all."},{"_id":"Y2AOIHMQ7FATBF3NDDFJTFLAF4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739489249194},"type":"text","content":"The first step to Greene being taken seriously outside of MAGA world in the future is taking her current job seriously now. On Wednesday, that’s just what she did."}],"subheadlines":{"basic":"The Georgia congresswoman’s hearing on government waste largely steered clear of political stunts and theater."},"description":{"basic":"Patricia Murphy weighs whether outspoken U.S. Rep. 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An Atlanta native, Patricia graduated from The Westminster Schools and Vanderbilt University, and holds a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University.","fuzzy_match":false,"author_type":"Staff","firstName":"Patricia ","books":[],"podcasts":[],"awards":[],"location":"Atlanta","_id":"patricia-murphy","status":true}},"type":"author","version":"0.5.8","url":"/staff/patricia-murphy/","slug":""}]},"subtype":"Article","headlines":{"basic":"Patricia Murphy: Can Marjorie Taylor Greene go mainstream? "},"first_publish_date":"2025-02-14T16:03:26.043Z","last_updated_date":"2025-02-14T16:03:26.259Z","_id":"HK46YESDRZGAXBETTPE6M2OUHU","teaseImageObject":{"auth":{"1":"8f51335406a062e2c549525fa30ab350474fd58f7845b8c62c1bf785b69d8964"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Rod Lamkey Jr./AP","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Rod Lamkey","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"Congress DODGE","width":3765,"caption":"Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene, R-Ga., presides over a House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency hearing on \"The War on Waste: Stamping Out the Scourge of Improper Payments and Fraud\" on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"425c44eb-5b03-4ce5-89fa-69e74b50003b"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/XBVQZHDNJACEKMOAAW5YH5ELSI.jpg","height":2506,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/XBVQZHDNJACEKMOAAW5YH5ELSI.jpg?auth=8f51335406a062e2c549525fa30ab350474fd58f7845b8c62c1bf785b69d8964&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"PK6TFEMU4NCOZFOBYUWVBDLR7Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739393519342},"type":"text","content":"It really has gotten comical. Sort of."},{"_id":"UPDIPIAYNBAUPHCTRMLS6MVL7I","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739476274613},"type":"text","content":"The lengths that Republican politicians have gone to suck up to Donald Trump know no bounds. Or depths."},{"_id":"4HRWLMOUDRC7TJWX3C6P2JQIJQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739476274614},"type":"text","content":"It’s been an embarrassing display for years watching otherwise proud Republicans debase themselves just to get a kindly nod from The Don."},{"_id":"ZJYMQY3M2FE67OULEMRCY4KXUY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":243,"comment":"J.D. "}],"comments":[{"date":"2025-02-13T23:13:25.886Z","start":248,"end":250,"text":"no periods in JD","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"},{"date":"2025-02-13T23:14:45.717Z","start":265,"end":268,"text":"use of \"ass\" has been approved for print by david collins","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1739476274615},"type":"text","content":"The abject brownnosing ranges from small-time pols all the way up to JD Vance, the fellow who is now our vice president. At a 2022 rally when Vance was running for the U.S. Senate in Ohio, Trump stood with him in front of the crowd and said: “JD is kissing my ass he wants my support so much.”"},{"_id":"SI74S5HTNVFYTMFB4XKEQAIMGE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739476274616},"type":"text","content":"Vance, a proud Marine, stood nearby like an eager puppy. Forget the humiliation, it worked."},{"_id":"ITISVZXKWFEW5M5GCAJYC3WEWE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739476274617},"type":"text","content":"It’s become sort of a sport of who can be the most cartoonishly Trumpy and sycophantic."},{"_id":"5RK5XGP6CBAAXM3ID7REJQWWYM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":24,"comment":"phenonium "}],"comments":[],"_id":1739476274618},"type":"text","content":"My favorite take on the phenomenon is an internet meme of U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, the Texas firebrand, looking all angry and defiant and saying: “Mr. Trump, if you say <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/news/national-govt--politics/cruz-warns-trump-leave-his-wife-alone-and-other-headlines-from-the-campaign-trail/qemw8UhSM9ZDplvHqUKlfI/\" target=\"_blank\">one more thing about my wife</a> … well, then, I’ll kiss the other cheek.”"},{"_id":"GWJDSX6IA5EMTC3GZGAHIBKWBU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739476274619},"type":"text","content":"And he didn’t mean the cheek near his sideburns."},{"owner":{"id":"ajc"},"address":{"locality":"INDEPENDENCE","region":"OHIO"},"auth":{"1":"5a2e9f218a9bbcf62b081f6b6e7e1ddaf540a1c90b360cc5fb79b6695deb57ed"},"vanity_credits":{},"caption":"A demonstrator stands outside a campaign event held by JD Vance, then a Republican primary candidate for Ohio’s U.S. Senate seat, and former President Donald Trump in Independence, Ohio, on April 20, 2022. (Mark Peterson/The New York Times)","source":{"system":"arc i/o","name":"New York Times","source_type":"wires","source_id":"https://www.nytsyn.com/images/feed_support/photos/download/bf125dba-02a7-4b00-86b0-a324d40195d7.jpg","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"6fa12dc0-f99c-4219-910f-a0a911a4d4c7"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/SPU23MBBWQTB4UXB4YVKOV222I.jpg","licensable":false,"subtitle":"A demonstrator stands outside a campaign event held by J.D. Vance, then a Republican primary candidate for Ohio's U.S. Senate seat, and former President Donald Trump in Independence, Ohio, April 20, 2022. (Mark Peterson/The New York Times)","width":3600,"_id":"SPU23MBBWQTB4UXB4YVKOV222I","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/u3s_7qeuSElklz2Nu5L20qb28qE=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/SPU23MBBWQTB4UXB4YVKOV222I.jpg","comments":[],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/u3s_7qeuSElklz2Nu5L20qb28qE=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/SPU23MBBWQTB4UXB4YVKOV222I.jpg","link":"","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/SPU23MBBWQTB4UXB4YVKOV222I.jpg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/u3s_7qeuSElklz2Nu5L20qb28qE=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/SPU23MBBWQTB4UXB4YVKOV222I.jpg","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/aPMh9QqQm2ZzTm64Q0rX1qoxkYg=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/SPU23MBBWQTB4UXB4YVKOV222I.jpg","version":1,"originalName":"https://www.nytsyn.com/images/feed_support/photos/download/bf125dba-02a7-4b00-86b0-a324d40195d7.jpg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"galleries":[],"_id":"ZA6JQP3LXBDQ7PP4QTAVYVQ4HE"},"created_date":"2022-11-02T20:15:35Z","last_updated_date":"2022-12-02T20:15:58Z","slug":"REPUBS VANCE WIFE 3","height":2400,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/SPU23MBBWQTB4UXB4YVKOV222I.jpg?auth=5a2e9f218a9bbcf62b081f6b6e7e1ddaf540a1c90b360cc5fb79b6695deb57ed&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"4H62HLSSMBENZPV3VGJDA5QSEQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739476274620},"type":"text","content":"Now comes Buddy Carter, a congressman from Georgia’s coast, entering into the Greenland absurdity, where the president has mentioned that he might like to make the big island our own."},{"_id":"62ULRP5UBBDABEGELUMTSH6UPA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":138,"comment":","}],"comments":[],"_id":1739476274621},"type":"text","content":"Carter has <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/politics/red-white-and-blueland-georgia-congressman-pushes-a-name-change-for-greenland/3UW4J2MYHRDRBCHLVUHKUTD7HU/\" target=\"_blank\">introduced a bill to allow Trump</a> to not only go after acquiring Greenland, but he also wants to give it a new name: “Red, White and Blueland.”"},{"_id":"T25MLFRMDNDPDJUGRCJUSXTJ7Q","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739476274622},"type":"text","content":"Now, on my Silly Meter, which reads 1-10, this effort rings in at 12.2. It’s even dumber and more obsequious than the “Make Greenland Great Again Act,” being pushed by some of Carter’s brethren."},{"_id":"YAW6KYZBZ5GT7GM43ZIJKMSURI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739476274623},"type":"text","content":"Normally, one would view this kind of activity as trolling, as a way to own the libs. But Carter, who is deeply conservative, hasn’t been that kind of politician."},{"_id":"MXF7EB5R6FFIVOUFLK7TJXPCAY","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"MG3YRMMUBNCHXECRYYATZ7QQTE"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"TORPY: Mayor Dickens set for 2nd-term shoo-in; it’s the Atlanta way","url":"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/columnists/torpy-mayor-dickens-set-for-2nd-term-shoo-in-its-the-atlanta-way/XWKPTF3Z3JG7PFWJ2SLA22PMQQ/"},{"_id":"4JJ7XIHV3FAH5LFVAQG2C5T4EY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739476274624},"type":"text","content":"From my reading, and from others who know him better, he’s a serious, cordial and even reasonable fellow. In fact, when my son Michael died a few years ago, he was kind enough to read a <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=Jxqu_DCxcSQ\" target=\"_blank\">remembrance of him from the House floor</a>. I’m thankful for that."},{"_id":"YMSDGTVAIFAIBEO2RD27CXIQAA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739476274625},"type":"text","content":"And he’s no dummy. He was smart enough to get through pharmacy school, is a successful businessman and one of the richest members of Congress, a club with few poor members."},{"_id":"JVI7YT6INJA75JCWVGLNRBGAK4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":229,"comment":"["},{"pos":242,"comment":"]"}],"comments":[{"date":"2025-02-13T23:21:06.320Z","start":230,"end":231,"text":"parentheses instead of brackets in quotes, per AJC style","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1739476274626},"type":"text","content":"I was told Carter was in budget hearings and not available to speak. But in an earlier statement, he said: “America is back and will soon be bigger than ever with the addition of Red, White, and Blueland. We will proudly welcome (Greenland’s) people to join the freest nation to ever exist.”"},{"_id":"5IYPECIWLNABJN6UMKPI4FXMEU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739476274627},"type":"text","content":"What he really meant was, “Boy, I sure hope our brilliant and magnanimous leader notices me and supports my campaign if I run for Senate.”"},{"_id":"5OMXRVSZ5BDD7EBB7M4BX2UYZI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739476274628},"type":"text","content":"Carter, like most pols, is ambitious and would love to get a job promotion, eyeing the seat currently occupied by U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, who’s up for reelection in 2026."},{"_id":"JCN3QLNIUFH45FHHR5VSDFDEZM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739476274629},"type":"text","content":"Carter has said he is waiting to see if Gov. Brian Kemp jumps into that race. If Kemp, who got some Trump love when he first ran for governor in 2018, decides not to run then Carter wants to be positioned as Trump’s guy."},{"_id":"6MFUPCBMUBCF5IAJJSXHONSZK4","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"DQLJJP3RZ5AADJ442ZEIN3C7Q4"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"The Kemp Factor: How one decision will shape Georgia’s 2026 Senate race","url":"https://www.ajc.com/politics/the-kemp-factor-how-one-decision-will-shape-georgias-2026-senate-race/DIMO75AH75HGHPKOCLRFOBUWEQ/"},{"_id":"NPCG6MF7DFGVDI5YGLNPZ2VCPE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739476274630},"type":"text","content":"The congressman wanted to run for U.S. Senate in 2022 but deferred to Trump’s candidate, Herschel Walker, who was probably the only Republican in Georgia who could lose to Raphael Warnock, our other Democratic senator."},{"_id":"WWGWR5IYGNAE5DSTEVIJS7GWHI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739476274631},"type":"text","content":"So why not line up Trump’s support early?"},{"_id":"I2XFTOUBMJGWZOBI3H32RGJ72Q","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":133,"comment":"JD "}],"comments":[],"_id":1739476274632},"type":"text","content":"I called state Sen. Josh McLaurin, a Dem who has a couple of vantage points into the Trump subservience syndrome. First, he was once Vance’s roommate at Yale Law School. Second, he wrangled with his GOP colleagues in the state Senate last year when they wanted to create Georgia car license plates with the tagline “America First.”"},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"6ae57af92bc4ed6d57e4a005d0efea624ff2c4b65edc58714427ced3c885fbdf"},"vanity_credits":{},"caption":"Senate Majority Leader Steve Gooch introduces a bill to create an “America First” specialty license plate on Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024. (Georgia State Senate video feed)","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/M6LCHVG7I5GOXPXJ67UEXVLU4A.jpeg","geo":{},"licensable":false,"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Screenshot, Georgia Senate","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Courtesy Georgia State Senate video feed","type":"author","byline":"Courtesy Georgia State Senate video feed"}]},"subtitle":"Gooch America First plate","width":1030,"_id":"M6LCHVG7I5GOXPXJ67UEXVLU4A","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/M6LCHVG7I5GOXPXJ67UEXVLU4A.jpeg?auth=6ae57af92bc4ed6d57e4a005d0efea624ff2c4b65edc58714427ced3c885fbdf","owner":"patricia.murphy@ajc.com","comments":[],"keywords":[""],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/v2/M6LCHVG7I5GOXPXJ67UEXVLU4A.jpeg?auth=6ae57af92bc4ed6d57e4a005d0efea624ff2c4b65edc58714427ced3c885fbdf","link":"","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/M6LCHVG7I5GOXPXJ67UEXVLU4A.jpeg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/M6LCHVG7I5GOXPXJ67UEXVLU4A.jpeg?auth=6ae57af92bc4ed6d57e4a005d0efea624ff2c4b65edc58714427ced3c885fbdf","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2/M6LCHVG7I5GOXPXJ67UEXVLU4A.jpeg?auth=6ae57af92bc4ed6d57e4a005d0efea624ff2c4b65edc58714427ced3c885fbdf&width=300","version":4,"originalName":"IMG_7521.jpeg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":"BB5MCZBA2ZH6ZFV4O5AOZ3QOV4"},"created_date":"2024-03-01T00:01:10Z","last_updated_date":"2025-02-28T20:45:43Z","height":534,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/M6LCHVG7I5GOXPXJ67UEXVLU4A.jpeg?auth=6ae57af92bc4ed6d57e4a005d0efea624ff2c4b65edc58714427ced3c885fbdf&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"MVCT7NSXYJC2DF5XF6OCCKU7TY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739476274633},"type":"text","content":"McLaurin, being sort of a truth-in-advertising guy, put forth an amendment to the bill changing “America First” to “Donald Trump First.” He said his change would reflect “the heart and the spirit of the legislation.” His amendment failed, although it did get some GOP support."},{"_id":"WCAPINW7YRBFJLD3TT2TPUQALY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739476274634},"type":"text","content":"Senate Majority Leader <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/politics/georgia-legislative-navigator/#members/752\">Steve Gooch</a>, the bill’s author, said it was about the country, not Trump."},{"_id":"GUE4JXITWNFCDOHVRARZ3ONLYE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739476274635},"type":"text","content":"“If you’re not a patriot and you’re not for unity in this country and supporting what’s good for our nation, hit the red button,” Gooch told his colleagues, referring to voting “no.” “If you want to put our nation first and make America a priority, hit the green button.”"},{"_id":"HXXWSITADVGMNPGEHUWSKS6DSY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739476274636},"type":"text","content":"The bill passed along party lines but died in the state House, which has become <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/columnists/opinion-the-georgia-senate-where-bad-political-theater-reigns/FRCBRAXZ75HFTFNNPLARC77OVA/\" target=\"_blank\">the more moderating of the two chambers.</a>"},{"_id":"OCPHESRICBAKJMMUE5E6ZINM2I","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"GFTFRX54PFHLVLCOPH2LKY2AAU"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"TORPY: Diversity in Georgia Legislature not all it’s cracked up to be","url":"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/columnists/torpy-diversity-in-georgias-legislature-not-all-its-cracked-up-to-be/IRRNZC7ONFAMXOKZEVO2SHX4OM/"},{"_id":"N4W3PLYDLFEEZCVJTG4UKK3BAI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739476274637},"type":"text","content":"McLaurin created a hubbub in 2022 when his old roomie was running for U.S. Senate. McLaurin released some texts that they exchanged in 2016 when Trump was getting traction in the primaries. Vance worried that Trump might be “America’s Hitler.”"},{"_id":"UDM7B54RAVCHZFZVFKHUAER5UY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739476274638},"type":"text","content":"Vance weathered that cloudburst with his constant fawning."},{"_id":"6MRNBUFC55AHBFLMECBRVGCEQ4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739476274639},"type":"text","content":"“For some of these guys, it’s abjectly embarrassing,” McLaurin said. “The road behind Trump is littered with the carcasses of those who thought they could use him to get ahead. The people tying themselves to Trump are sacrificing something."},{"_id":"HKRBIBXR5BA2ZLH5ELOKM2RPTA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739476274640},"type":"text","content":"“I wish my old roommate would have waited for the Trump movement to pass,” McLaurin said. “I think he could have been a leader of the independent conservative movement. But he’s taking a shortcut. And history won’t look kindly at his followers.”"},{"_id":"ZCATRHDNJFEPLK3A2XCTX2EGDY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739476274641},"type":"text","content":"<br/>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"It’s been an embarrassing display for years watching otherwise proud Republicans debase themselves just to get a kindly nod from The Don."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/opinion/columnists","parent":{"default":"/opinion"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/opinion","name":"AJC Columnists","description":"Articles by columnists from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","_id":"/opinion/columnists","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/opinion","default":"/opinion","MainMenu2024":"/opinion","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/opinion"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"Articles by columnists from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","site_title":"AJC Columnists"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"AJC Columnists"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"AJC Columnists","_id":"/opinion/columnists","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/","/opinion"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/opinion"]},"order":{"MainMenu2024":2002,"SectionMap":1074,"ComposerNav":2003}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./opinion/columnists","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/opinion/columnists","name":"AJC Columnists"},"tags":[{"text":"torpy at large"},{"text":"atlanta-news-metro.ajc"},{"text":"torpy-rss"},{"text":"teamdan"},{"text":"local government"},{"text":"localnews.ajc"}]},"label":{"tease_label":{"display":true,"text":"OPINION"},"custom_label":{"display":true,"text":"ONLY ON AJC: TORPY AT LARGE"}},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"e9b7cea1233825123a4a376b3606fa01084b0706350d987b550f3d81dbfe6ee0"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Adam Van Brimmer/AJC","type":"author"}],"by":[{"image":{"version":"0.5.8","url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/arc-authors/ajc/8b8497b5-03cf-4488-9590-612afbb885c6.png"},"socialLinks":[{"site":"email","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links.","url":"Adam.VanBrimmer@ajc.com"},{"site":"facebook","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links.","url":"Adam Van Brimmer"},{"site":"twitter","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links.","url":"https://www.twitter.com/VanBrimmerAJC"}],"social_links":[{"site":"email","url":"Adam.VanBrimmer@ajc.com"},{"site":"facebook","url":"Adam Van Brimmer"},{"site":"twitter","url":"https://www.twitter.com/VanBrimmerAJC"}],"name":"Adam Van Brimmer","description":"Adam Van Brimmer is a journalist who covers politics and Coastal Georgia news for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.","_id":"adam-van-brimmer","additional_properties":{"original":{"lastName":"Van Brimmer","role":"Reporter","education":[],"native_app_rendering":false,"affiliations":"The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","bio":"Adam Van Brimmer is a journalist who covers politics and Coastal Georgia news for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.","expertise":"11","twitter":"https://www.twitter.com/VanBrimmerAJC","contributor":false,"beat":"Politics","bio_page":"","last_updated_date":"2023-08-29T14:38:09.497Z","byline":"Adam Van Brimmer","email":"Adam.VanBrimmer@ajc.com","slug":"","image":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/arc-authors/ajc/8b8497b5-03cf-4488-9590-612afbb885c6.png","longBio":"Adam Van Brimmer covers politics and Coastal Georgia news for the AJC. 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The ambient sounds of Trump bootlicking"},"first_publish_date":"2025-02-14T10:00:00Z","last_updated_date":"2025-02-14T11:38:32.787Z","_id":"PIRE4W42DRBLTCH5QL4RUX3OSU","teaseImageObject":{"auth":{"1":"e9b7cea1233825123a4a376b3606fa01084b0706350d987b550f3d81dbfe6ee0"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Adam Van Brimmer/AJC","type":"author"}],"by":[{"image":{"version":"0.5.8","url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/arc-authors/ajc/8b8497b5-03cf-4488-9590-612afbb885c6.png"},"socialLinks":[{"site":"email","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links.","url":"Adam.VanBrimmer@ajc.com"},{"site":"facebook","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links.","url":"Adam Van Brimmer"},{"site":"twitter","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links.","url":"https://www.twitter.com/VanBrimmerAJC"}],"social_links":[{"site":"email","url":"Adam.VanBrimmer@ajc.com"},{"site":"facebook","url":"Adam Van Brimmer"},{"site":"twitter","url":"https://www.twitter.com/VanBrimmerAJC"}],"name":"Adam Van Brimmer","description":"Adam Van Brimmer is a journalist who covers politics and Coastal Georgia news for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.","_id":"adam-van-brimmer","additional_properties":{"original":{"lastName":"Van Brimmer","role":"Reporter","education":[],"native_app_rendering":false,"affiliations":"The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","bio":"Adam Van Brimmer is a journalist who covers politics and Coastal Georgia news for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.","expertise":"11","twitter":"https://www.twitter.com/VanBrimmerAJC","contributor":false,"beat":"Politics","bio_page":"","last_updated_date":"2023-08-29T14:38:09.497Z","byline":"Adam Van Brimmer","email":"Adam.VanBrimmer@ajc.com","slug":"","image":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/arc-authors/ajc/8b8497b5-03cf-4488-9590-612afbb885c6.png","longBio":"Adam Van Brimmer covers politics and Coastal Georgia news for the AJC. Adam joined the AJC in 2023 and has previously written for the Savannah Morning News, the Virgin Islands Daily News and the Athens (Ohio) Messenger. Adam has worked in most corners of the newsroom, from sports to business to government. Adam is a four-time winner of the Otis A. Brumby Trophy, presented annually to Georgia's top opinion columnist by the Georgia Press Association. He is a graduate of Ohio University and grew up in the rural countryside near Columbus, Ohio.","facebook":"Adam Van Brimmer","fuzzy_match":false,"author_type":"Staff","firstName":"Adam","books":[],"podcasts":[],"awards":[],"_id":"adam-van-brimmer","status":true}},"type":"author","version":"0.5.8","url":"","slug":""}]},"subtitle":"Trump Campaign Office Opening","width":1269,"caption":"U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, R-St. Simons Island, speaks at the opening of a Donald Trump campaign office in Savannah. (Adam Van Brimmer/AJC 2024)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/YCGLN4ILBNHUXEJHHYJVNTKKFU.jpg","height":952,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/YCGLN4ILBNHUXEJHHYJVNTKKFU.jpg?auth=e9b7cea1233825123a4a376b3606fa01084b0706350d987b550f3d81dbfe6ee0&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"3T6LGEYTPFFDFFX2DDYDONVZUM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739394212597},"type":"text","content":"There’s an old saying about government, that sunlight is the best of disinfectants."},{"_id":"TCGFBSJ7MJHGXL4GLKR77C5NZU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739394212598},"type":"text","content":"We could use a lot more sunlight right now inside various federal agencies which have been targeted by Elon Musk and his budget-cutting team."},{"_id":"YLX5D44DFFBARG6SFQJAI3OZCE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":95,"comment":","}],"comments":[],"_id":1739394212599},"type":"text","content":"There is absolutely nothing wrong with the Trump administration trying to root out waste, fraud and abuse. If Musk can find that in large quantities, he will deserve praise."},{"_id":"E7CGZEU25JFHNMLOFSHASLDRFM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739394212600},"type":"text","content":"But members of Congress, federal workers — and the voters — shouldn’t have to guess what Musk and Trump are doing."},{"_id":"HXGQ5HM2QVCULAWVRJE7EOUDIA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739394202272},"type":"text","content":"Asked in the Oval Office for more information, Musk referred reporters to the website of the <a href=\"https://doge.gov/\" target=\"_blank\">Department of Government Efficiency</a>."},{"_id":"LMLAWXOKIVEXNCOFQFZXLXRGPI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739394202273},"type":"text","content":"At that moment, it was empty. A few tweets were added the next day."},{"_id":"CFC74N5Y2BBLTF32Z7PTQNOSVQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739394212604},"type":"text","content":"While DOGE has tweeted out examples of canceled contracts, little has been publicly shared about job cuts, or plans to dramatically reshape federal agencies."},{"_id":"I3KN5LMSHBE6XB2HKYWBTTKXSI","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"TIIITAP63NEKDEWZG7GSZHFSRY"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"What eliminating the U.S. Department of Education could mean for Georgia","url":"https://www.ajc.com/education/what-eliminating-the-us-department-of-education-could-mean-for-georgia/AA42CF5EPZCCFFGEMCJ5OYIJEQ/"},{"_id":"TOA5VUTA4VH6XAFMWAS2UFZR3U","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739394212605},"type":"text","content":"Members of Congress who went to various federal offices to ask questions were stopped at the door. In some cases, agencies were shuttered. Thousands of workers were sent home with pay but offered no guidance on their future."},{"_id":"JLMOZPLWGVCLLCBSURF56USXIU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739394212606},"type":"text","content":"Two examples were striking. Both the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau were put into law by Congress and logically, both should only be taken apart by Congress."},{"_id":"Q245FKR3KVDWBH44KH76I532PU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":35,"comment":"or "},{"pos":42,"comment":"plan"},{"pos":54,"comment":"plan."}],"comments":[],"_id":1739394212607},"type":"text","content":"But that clearly isn’t the plan — Musk’s or Trump’s."},{"_id":"Q7VUFIOROZD5TO7YYAUIQU465A","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739394212608},"type":"text","content":"“This is a defining moment in our country,” said Georgia U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, as Democrats worried about what’s next."},{"_id":"W7F2MOGTJ5GQRK46KQ2GZ3DPOE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739394212609},"type":"text","content":"“Elon Musk and DOGE should be nowhere near the CDC,” added U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, D-Atlanta."},{"_id":"TZDFZ73XE5DRHPGH3WU7YDBZVA","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"G4DV6ZYQLZDQJEKZZFN7QL3WDY"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Jamie Dupree: Democrats try out a new target - Elon Musk","url":"https://www.ajc.com/politics/jamie-dupree-democrats-try-out-a-new-target-elon-musk/26GYEMFF3NH4JEO7VOLSMZ4SCM/"},{"_id":"BPHY7NT5CBHPFHX7Z5QJNGZY64","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739394212610},"type":"text","content":"Sunlight is also needed on a somewhat haphazard White House funding freeze which was blocked by the courts — but continues to slow federal payments."},{"_id":"YUY7W5DLPZBOXI5U7O4E7RLVN4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739394212611},"type":"text","content":"Farmers have seen conservation money dry up. Community health centers and Head Start operations have been crippled. Some education grants have stopped."},{"_id":"UP5HVQ4IWNBK7PM5RQA72CA24Q","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739394212612},"type":"text","content":"Georgians shouldn’t have to guess about what gets funded and what does not."},{"_id":"SW2TRDEYOFFJLK4AS6WVKHX6HE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":107,"comment":"J"}],"comments":[],"_id":1739394212613},"type":"text","content":"With lawsuits mounting, sooner or later these fights may land at the U.S. Supreme Court. Back in 1997, the justices frowned on the idea of a president arbitrarily changing spending decisions made by Congress."},{"_id":"RF3KP6ZVGJCCPHHREY6UXGF7RA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739394212614},"type":"text","content":"“There is no provision in the Constitution that authorizes the President to enact, to amend, or to repeal statutes,” the majority wrote."},{"_id":"OHD5ZAW3TVBWTNY6ASWB4PGG5Q","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"EWB3RCM52NAZZH5YGJXUZZDHLI"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Marjorie Taylor Greene says her DOGE subcommittee will take on government ‘behemoth’","url":"https://www.ajc.com/politics/marjorie-taylor-greene-says-her-doge-subcommittee-will-take-on-government-behemoth/ICYZHZYYHZG65BE2UOCBHLQ55Q/"},{"_id":"QJW76DXN7REELOWKV4GLHARGDU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739394212615},"type":"text","content":"If President Donald Trump keeps Congress and the American people involved and informed, the DOGE spending cuts will have broad legitimacy."},{"_id":"7AVZETWHWFEFZKFEKKCQYKW2YM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739394212616},"type":"text","content":"But if Trump opts to run roughshod over Congress and the courts, it may produce a much darker constitutional battle."},{"_id":"QZSYAOSSVVDDLDUL6ZP2TDY3TQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":42,"comment":" Elon "},{"pos":50,"comment":" Donald"}],"comments":[],"_id":1739394212617},"type":"text","content":"Sunshine is good for all of us — even for Musk and Trump."},{"_id":"63MQCJQL7NBBBBP55IFY4IRXQE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739391056284},"type":"text","content":"<i>Jamie Dupree has covered national politics and Congress from Washington, D.C. since the Reagan administration. His column appears weekly in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. For more, check out his Capitol Hill newsletter at </i><a href=\"http://jamiedupree.substack.com/\"><i>http://jamiedupree.substack.com</i></a>"},{"_id":"OO6LDA6USNGYVEJGXAYJXSNZ7Q","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739391056285},"type":"text","content":"<br/>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":"Rooting out waste, fraud and abuse is a good thing, Secrecy is not."},"description":{"basic":"Jamie Dupree: Voters deserve transparency in effort to root out waste, fraud and abuse in Washington."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/politics","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Politics","description":"Political news with a Georgia focus, including the Georgia Legislature, Congress, White House, presidential elections and Georgia Congressional Districts.","_id":"/politics","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","TopicsBar2023":null,"BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","TopNav":null,"TopicsBar":null,"ComposerNav":"/","subnav_politics_georgia_voter_guide":null,"subnav_politics":null,"subnav_homepage":null,"default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null},"sponsor":{"sponsor_url_open_new_tab":"true","sponsor_desktop_banner":null,"sponsor_mobile_banner":null,"sponsor_url":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Politics","cohort_desktop_image":"https://ajc.com/resizer/LpAESXu0BTwsSDeQLp18BAqU4po=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/BCKCGHVE7BDDFAIG227UGBIHGE.png","cohort":"true","cohort_mobile_image":"https://ajc.com/resizer/z7HOEqoRgd1IrHhGNKo18ZMZ6yM=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/6JJWNPQW4VAURI4S76GONE5UY4.png","cohort_image_gradient":"false"},"site":{"site_url":"/politics/","section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"Political news with a Georgia focus, including the Georgia Legislature, Congress, White House, presidential elections and Georgia Congressional Districts.","site_title":"AJC Georgia Politics | What's really going on in politics"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Politics","_id":"/politics","ancestors":{"TopicsBar2023":[],"MainMenu2024":["/"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"TopicsBar":[],"ComposerNav":["/"],"subnav_politics_georgia_voter_guide":[],"subnav_politics":[],"subnav_homepage":[]},"order":{"AmpNav":1035,"default":1085,"MainMenu2024":1003,"SectionMap":1131,"ComposerNav":1013}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./politics","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/politics/national-politics","parent":{"default":"/politics"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/politics","name":"National Politics","description":"Latest news about national politics from the AJC","_id":"/politics/national-politics","additional_properties":{"original":{"sponsor":{"sponsor_url_open_new_tab":"true","sponsor_desktop_banner":"","sponsor_mobile_banner":"","sponsor_url":""},"parent":{"AmpNav":"/politics","default":"/politics","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/politics"},"site":{"site_url":"/politics/national-politics/","section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"Latest news about national politics from the AJC","site_title":"National Politics"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"National Politics"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"National Politics","_id":"/politics/national-politics","ancestors":{"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/","/politics"]},"order":{"AmpNav":2006,"default":2006,"SectionMap":1136,"ComposerNav":2008}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./politics/national-politics","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/politics","name":"Politics"},"tags":[{"text":"Washington Insider"},{"text":"politics.ajc"},{"text":"teamsusan"},{"text":"trump-administration"}]},"label":{"tease_label":{"display":true,"text":"Opinion"},"custom_label":{"display":true,"text":"Washington Insider"}},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"cffb9268e6cfca38e23bd588e7a11d421bad8d9195c973d49d564242a9a55b0b"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Alex Brandon/AP","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Alex Brandon","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"Trump","width":5230,"caption":"President Donald Trump (right) and Elon Musk (left) spoke with reporters in the Oval Office of the White House on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. 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(Alex Brandon/AP)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"425c44eb-5b03-4ce5-89fa-69e74b50003b"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/AJTCZTITM7SRHGASWVG5KTMHTY.jpg","height":3491,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/AJTCZTITM7SRHGASWVG5KTMHTY.jpg?auth=cffb9268e6cfca38e23bd588e7a11d421bad8d9195c973d49d564242a9a55b0b&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},"canonical_url":"/politics/jamie-dupree-shine-a-light-on-the-budget-work-of-elon-musk-and-donald-trump/AWC4LH2JJBAA3APWCJL4PSREY4/","canonical_website":"ajc","display_date":"2025-02-13T10:00:00Z","credits":{"by":[{"org":"For The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","name":"Jamie Dupree","additional_properties":{"original":{"author_type":"freelance"}},"type":"author"}]},"subtype":"Article","headlines":{"basic":"Jamie Dupree: Shine a light on the budget work of Elon Musk and Donald Trump "},"first_publish_date":"2025-02-13T10:00:00Z","last_updated_date":"2025-02-13T13:38:37.826Z","_id":"AWC4LH2JJBAA3APWCJL4PSREY4","teaseImageObject":{"auth":{"1":"cffb9268e6cfca38e23bd588e7a11d421bad8d9195c973d49d564242a9a55b0b"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Alex Brandon/AP","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Alex Brandon","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"Trump","width":5230,"caption":"President Donald Trump (right) and Elon Musk (left) spoke with reporters in the Oval Office of the White House on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. Musk was accompanied by his son. (Alex Brandon/AP)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"425c44eb-5b03-4ce5-89fa-69e74b50003b"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/AJTCZTITM7SRHGASWVG5KTMHTY.jpg","height":3491,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/AJTCZTITM7SRHGASWVG5KTMHTY.jpg?auth=cffb9268e6cfca38e23bd588e7a11d421bad8d9195c973d49d564242a9a55b0b&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"FDN3Z7XBOZFYLMCFMB6RITJSQM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"date":"2025-02-11T13:48:46.456Z","replies":[],"pos":68,"comment":" ","type":"insert","user":"George Hanns","email":"George.Hanns@ajc.com"}],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"A few years ago, a colleague asked me what I believed to be the “endgame” for all the chaos we had witnessed in America’s school boards. "},{"_id":"DBHBCQSARNALNL5CZPKQHBU7MA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"My answer to that question was simple: It’s not about the book bans, the bathrooms or the mythical “indoctrinators” teaching our kids basic math, science and history. Rather, this was about the dismantling of trust, oversight and institutions."},{"_id":"DFZMAXBTQJABREFS66ODOECVM4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"date":"2025-02-11T13:49:35.127Z","replies":[],"pos":193,"comment":" ","type":"insert","user":"George Hanns","email":"George.Hanns@ajc.com"}],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"We bear witness to this unraveling today as the American government plummets into extreme chaos with no end in sight, undergoing an actual coup led by oligarchs in suits rather than the “commonfolk” exhibiting the extreme behavior we have watched divide neighbors in those board meetings. The end result is a nation that mirrors the worst of itself, quelling the exceptionalism it claims and denying diversity it no doubt needs — and has always needed — to survive."},{"_id":"SZWRNMUYOJA2LHM3BZBHB4RW3Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"That school board chaos encompassed the uprisings of the so-called parental rights movement that topped your local news<b> </b>broadcast, riled up Facebook forums and demonized educators and students alike with precision and uniformed attacks marketed as “concern” for our most vulnerable population."},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"e0e1c05f3086d7d5fa6c35aba13e3257a034b70d828818709af67bb09bb8cad5"},"vanity_credits":{},"caption":"Nicole Carr is a journalist and journalism professor at Morehouse College. Courtesy","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/LJRKQU6I6ZEBJJISMDBOCXSBXE.jpg","licensable":false,"credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"name":"Con","type":"author","byline":"Con"}]},"subtitle":"Nicole Carr","width":4445,"_id":"LJRKQU6I6ZEBJJISMDBOCXSBXE","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/2UOHb1_R8pTOr54H1GWmNc4eEGo=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/LJRKQU6I6ZEBJJISMDBOCXSBXE.jpg","owner":"eric.stirgus@ajc.com","keywords":[],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/2UOHb1_R8pTOr54H1GWmNc4eEGo=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/LJRKQU6I6ZEBJJISMDBOCXSBXE.jpg","link":"","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/LJRKQU6I6ZEBJJISMDBOCXSBXE.jpg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/2UOHb1_R8pTOr54H1GWmNc4eEGo=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/LJRKQU6I6ZEBJJISMDBOCXSBXE.jpg","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/v2cfNSPyTkdhZ7a4-DjiuXk__6g=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/LJRKQU6I6ZEBJJISMDBOCXSBXE.jpg","version":0,"originalName":"Nicole Carr 2025 headshot_4446x2501.jpg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[]},"created_date":"2025-02-10T21:09:13Z","last_updated_date":"2025-02-10T21:09:13Z","height":2500,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/LJRKQU6I6ZEBJJISMDBOCXSBXE.jpg?auth=e0e1c05f3086d7d5fa6c35aba13e3257a034b70d828818709af67bb09bb8cad5&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"BLLWIQIFZBBG3FNG5BBOM2QGUM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"I was asked for my thoughts on the “endgame” because I’d been <a href=\"https://www.propublica.org/series/chaos-at-the-school-board\"><u>researching</u></a> and reporting on the movement in a different way from 2020-2023. "},{"_id":"XWVGM4QWFVA2XPSG3CQFXXDZGM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"That included uncovering exactly who was providing and financing this message, pushing for the passage of identical local and state legislation designed to dismantle undefinable “woke” education and how a minority coalition of loud and predominantly white people (not necessarily parents) managed to co-opt and mesh the meaning of diversity, equity and inclusion, critical race theory, public health measures and various curricula into an all-out war on educators and marginalized communities in the name of states’ or individual rights."},{"_id":"65JMKCNLLRB23BLAXYVGNSRKIE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"What we, particularly those of us in “mainstream media,” so comfortably called a conservative movement was actually pretty radical in theory and action. It was also in lockstep with movements of our past that resulted in the use of mint julep textbooks and resistance to integration well into the 1980s."},{"_id":"4DRXNULHKZGNDDPKNHNC3IE5JU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"I traveled the country to talk to people being assaulted, followed home and finding what appeared to be a bullet hole in their living window after a conflict at a school board meeting. "},{"_id":"BSUU4G7X4NBDZFX4BZ3ZJANVCE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"In <a href=\"https://www.propublica.org/article/conservative-transformation-wayne-new-jersey-school-board\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.propublica.org/article/conservative-transformation-wayne-new-jersey-school-board\">New Jersey</a>, I learned how a lifelong Republican and school board member had become the target of his beloved party when he wouldn’t affirm false accusations about the board’s motives. It was eerily similar to the experiences members of the GOP had amid the “Big Lie” about stolen elections. "},{"_id":"26223U66EJDDZMIF4ZNPT6AC64","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"Right here in Georgia, I <a href=\"https://www.propublica.org/article/georgia-dei-crt-schools-parents\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.propublica.org/article/georgia-dei-crt-schools-parents\">uncovered</a> moblike harassment targeting an educator who was asked by the Cherokee County school system to apply and take on a diversity, equity and inclusion job, only to become the target of unspeakable juvenile and dangerous behavior that followed her to Cobb County’s school system. The campaign to get her fired was led by locals and people who were in no way connected to or living near the district itself. "},{"_id":"LY76SHKFXZEZHDJFGIP6SHZ5QI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"Parents had undergone training that included material from the unaccredited Prager University as they received advice on how to cook up enough emotion, chaos and video footage to appear on Tucker Carlson’s now defunct prime-time cable network show. School board members had security in parking lots and in front of their homes. The parents had been taught their kids were being demonized in school for being white."},{"_id":"B3UMFMHA4NGMZGVVPDXB4BPLIE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"But the story was bigger than that. "},{"_id":"MTS6N53SNRF3TD3DZZDJJNWRIA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"It was about the newly formed coalitions asking people to anonymously track and report educators they deemed “woke” (reporters, don’t ever let someone else use the term without asking the person to define it). And it was about this sort of coalescing of chaos that makes it difficult to understand the alleged issue at hand, often times because evidence does not support the claims used to anger or excite fear in the accusers."},{"_id":"3VCKTOINJRDYLGPVGA7GSAAEYU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"Perhaps the portion of the 2022 story that stood out to me the most was buried at the end. "},{"_id":"2CSEF3W24ZG4DORDEZ35VX5P6Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"Cherokee County Schools had banned the word equity from its district initiatives to avoid the backlash and fervor of the movement. No one had successfully explained to or convinced detractors that DEI — as defined and laid out in public documents by the districts themselves — was in service to children with Individualized Education Programs, physical disabilities and an array of socioeconomic experiences. "},{"_id":"EWIZHWWMNBCGNITSY2YLLYFQAA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"It was clear that, coupled with the hysteria of Critical Race Theory, everything was taking on a “new” meaning and the public relations blitz was now shaping a subculture set to move us to where we are today."},{"_id":"42FKGMYRD5EJZC5LFAK5EV5KVI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"date":"2025-02-11T14:00:17.172Z","replies":[],"pos":205,"comment":"test","type":"insert","user":"George Hanns","email":"George.Hanns@ajc.com"}],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"After exhaustive reporting that included interviewing and tracking hundreds of people, I knew enough to recognize what we were witnessing would not end at the school board. The school board was the testing ground for the current fall of democracy. And we cannot pretend we did not see it coming. "},{"_id":"EFPO7ZF6OFFVNLREX6OVOIHGWI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"As we watch federal employees targeted and placed on DEI watch lists, remember that the same mechanisms were deployed by “conservative” groups against educators who became so disheveled they didn’t understand what they could teach and when, even if the material met longtime standards."},{"_id":"GEF5WH57V5F67AJXEASBAHJ43E","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"When we think about the level of chaos that ensued in our nation’s Capitol, remember the uprisings in the school board and who was held accountable for harm and who was not. "},{"_id":"CBGKBWW6F5BHPD76CU6S32LAWM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"When we think about the legacy of school vouchers, remember that data is already showing us we’re <a href=\"https://www.propublica.org/article/segregation-academies-school-voucher-money-north-carolina\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.propublica.org/article/segregation-academies-school-voucher-money-north-carolina\">maintaining</a> segregation academies across the country. When we think about President Donald Trump’s desire to <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/trump-again-promises-to-abolish-the-us-department-of-education/CA6SVY5X2BCK3JLVXLOU2GTBA4/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/trump-again-promises-to-abolish-the-us-department-of-education/CA6SVY5X2BCK3JLVXLOU2GTBA4/\">dismantle the Department of Education</a>, think about where you’ve recently heard that idea before. "},{"_id":"65W5SDLTY5BSTHSWZH6U5TQB54","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"Yes, it took flight in your school board meetings. And when we think about who has led these movements — do not ignore the fact that race is indeed a factor. "},{"_id":"S4BWDF2NIZCVZDYM2JMJJRMQVY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"This is not the makeup of a multiracial democracy at work. This is dripping in the language, overtures and undertones of white supremacy, no longer hidden under a blanket of short-lived political correctness. Education is the great equalizer, so when one seeks to maintain or gain power, education is the target."},{"_id":"ATEIZOOREREUTNUV4FW5TP7L3E","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"The public school system is the one institution most of us will pass through in our lifetime. It’s where we’re molded from our earliest years. It’s where we are socialized and shaped. It’s where we learn how to deal with conflict and sensibilities before we shoot off into the world. "},{"_id":"WG7F7GRMUVFFBN5TJ2PPGDEE2I","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"It took federal government action to force a more equal playing field for access to and resources for the schoolhouses. And it’s the new federal government that is returning us to a place the majority of us do not want to be."},{"_id":"RGNY4TE3SJCC7K6DMANGTHH4KM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"We may not bear witness to the chaos at the school board any more. The goal has been met. The unraveling — on a much higher level — has begun. "},{"_id":"KOAJPDEK7NG23GZARBX5RFZSHI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"But the next time you think what’s happening in your backyard doesn’t resonate with our greater democracy, think again."},{"_id":"3CFA7WVDJZCX7NG2MQPGTA7LRI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"<i>Nicole Carr is a journalist and journalism professor at Morehouse College.</i>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":""},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/news","/"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1049,"ComposerNav":1003}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"teameric"},{"text":"trump-administration"},{"text":"UATL"},{"text":"black community"}]},"label":{"tease_label":{"display":true,"text":"opinion"},"custom_label":{"display":true,"text":"opinion"}},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"1efa9210de856b9e9e947df22c32fe166b2cb08d5a9619166c3191e783470bd4"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"arvin.temkar@ajc.com","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Arvin Temkar","type":"author","byline":"Arvin Temkar"}]},"subtitle":"04XX22 CHEROKEE BOOK BAN","width":1600,"caption":"Audience members applaud at a Cherokee County school board meeting in Canton on Thursday, April 21, 2022. 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Going to school could make a person better, they knew, and their lives better, too."},{"_id":"FAJSIMSOB5DIFIMA3NOEBG45EQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739298759916},"type":"text","content":"Even though many men of the era considered it to be a waste of money to send a girl to college (they should be getting married and having children after all), both of her parents encouraged her to apply to a local college. They also helped her pay for it, along with her jobs as a secretary and ice cream scooper."},{"_id":"WSTBGUBRVZCFHLTQVBER4UTGVU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":51,"comment":"Ph.D "}],"comments":[],"_id":1739298759917},"type":"text","content":"Years later, she also earned a master’s degree and Ph.D. in education and paid for both of those with a combination of grants and jobs, too."},{"_id":"XTFOYSFMRVHRJOF5KEGPVJYZJM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739298759918},"type":"text","content":"While all of this was going on, she married my father, an Air Force Academy cadet. Thanks to her college degree, she was always able to work as a high school English teacher wherever they were stationed at various Air Force bases around the country."},{"_id":"XLXBWRZDQNEFLGYEN7TJL3BQ44","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739298759919},"type":"text","content":"Her entire career focused on helping other students get to college or graduate school, no matter their circumstances. With jobs at the University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, Morehouse School of Medicine and plenty of others, she worked for decades to raise money to make colleges and graduate schools in Georgia better, stronger and more accessible."},{"_id":"CSE277PJ7ZFPTDOXHJZLRYLSMM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":33,"comment":"local "}],"comments":[],"_id":1739298759920},"type":"text","content":"This is all to explain why, when leaders in Gwinnett County approached my father to run for the county school board 30 years ago, he told them confidently, “I’m not the one you want.” He suggested they ask my mother to run instead."},{"_id":"MMV4RQZ6ZJFORPXP5LJLHDCCCE","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"TGR23OMVKNAZNDCGCVQKHNQZTA"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Patricia Murphy: One politician almost never says ‘reform,’ and he’s changing everything","url":"https://www.ajc.com/politics/patricia-murphy-one-politician-almost-never-says-reform-and-hes-changing-everything/2DSGVFRBJJBDJMJ5OFXNXNYCDA/"},{"_id":"5HT7J7LCCZCE3BHNG5C45IHONQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[{"date":"2025-02-11T22:07:46.241Z","start":376,"end":379,"text":"added \"and\" here","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1739298759921},"type":"text","content":"That began 28 years of the lowest paying, highest stress, most beloved job of her life. For the uninitiated, serving on a local school board starts by getting elected and then, almost immediately, getting in your car to crisscross the county for four years. There are the monthly board meetings, of course, which can last up to eight hours, and visits to lawmakers in Atlanta and in Washington to make the case to fully fund the public schools. There are budget meetings and site visits, planning sessions and trainings."},{"_id":"FXOZNXSIDZETLGKJ66L7MI4K7U","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":48,"comment":"local "}],"comments":[],"_id":1739298759922},"type":"text","content":"For my mother, mornings often included going to schools to see principals, teachers and students. Evenings might be filled by sitting in on a high school band practice or cheering on a middle school basketball team. And then there were the late night phone calls from parents. I can’t count the number of times I heard my mother ask whoever was on the end of the line, “How can I help?”"},{"_id":"6PEGUSXWH5BYHPA7GRXQ43KBU4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739298759923},"type":"text","content":"For all of this, she and the other school board members were paid $9,000 per year, with their salaries later tied to the Legislature’s pay. It wasn’t a lot for the time it took, but that was OK, because my mom always had a full-time job. And because it was never about the money."},{"_id":"MRH7MKANKFDYLCLLPSUWXJHUYU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":281,"comment":"service-members "}],"comments":[],"_id":1739298759924},"type":"text","content":"I’m sharing all of this at this tumultuous moment in politics, because my mother is just one of the hundreds of thousands — maybe millions — of public servants and elected officials in this country who have made it what it is. They are mayors, social workers, teachers, lawmakers, service members and librarians. Even the members of Congress I’ve disagreed with on one issue — or lots of issues — are usually there because they’re trying to make their communities a better place."},{"_id":"42NNSTYV7VBJHMWDZTH3BV4W5I","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"NYVDLMHGCJEOVAAYKK66WIQECE"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Patricia Murphy: The all-out lobbying blitz behind Gov. Brian Kemp’s ‘tort reform’","url":"https://www.ajc.com/politics/the-all-out-lobbying-blitz-behind-gov-brian-kemps-tort-reform/I7XYTJJNFNGWPDWPYFME7SPSZ4/"},{"_id":"FJZYUJQINJEO7JCSRWZXTKEZIA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739298759925},"type":"text","content":"So, of all of the terrible trends in modern politics, the demonization of public servants is the one that is most appalling to me. And the effort now to blame nearly all of the country’s problems on the people who work for it is both dishonest and cynical."},{"_id":"ABHCMMMP7NBOHN2MXBECHFFGZY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":328,"comment":","}],"comments":[],"_id":1739298759926},"type":"text","content":"There are exceptions to every rule, of course, as well as many, many ways to streamline the government that it is past time to pursue. But we may realize too late that the government employees being fired or locked out of their offices now are the same ones who keep our streets safe, our communities healthy, our markets stable and our democracy peaceful and enduring. Some of the most essential features of American life are only made possible by the public servants among us."},{"_id":"4RHXHT62TFHEVKNEMZWDVRJ2WM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":389,"comment":"debt-free "}],"comments":[],"_id":1739298759927},"type":"text","content":"My mother retired from the board in January, and last Friday night, my mother was named “The Citizen of the Year” in Gwinnett County. In the time she was on the school board, working with so many others who supported the school system, Gwinnett County Public Schools grew from about 86,000 students in 1996 to 183,000 last year. To accommodate the growth, the county built 76 new schools, debt free. They’ve been named the best school system in the country twice."},{"_id":"GXBWMZMCCVCR5EEARE5HS7JK3E","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":209,"comment":","}],"comments":[],"_id":1739298759928},"type":"text","content":"Most importantly, children from any and all circumstances, countries and backgrounds have been able to enroll in top-quality public schools and go on to become doctors and entrepreneurs, Heisman Trophy winners and even teachers who returned to work in the schools where they grew up."},{"_id":"JMXYU6Z6WJA47M43LCV6OY3U4M","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739298759929},"type":"text","content":"That Citizen of the Year trophy is now displayed at my parents’ house, along with dozens and dozens of family photos from milestones and moments across my parents’ 65 years of marriage. One of my favorites is the photo of my mother on the day she earned her Ph.D. from Georgia State University."},{"_id":"PREBUM6KXREZVFF2QJVRQZRZVE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739298759930},"type":"text","content":"Wearing her cap and gown, she stood next to her parents, who had flown all the way from Denver to watch their daughter become “Dr. Mary Kay Murphy.” You’ve never seen two people so proud."}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"Gwinnett County leaders approached my father to run for the county school board 30 years ago. 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She graduated from Vanderbilt University and holds a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University.","expertise":"11, Politics","type":"author","twitter":"https://twitter.com/MurphyAJC","contributor":false,"custom_ajc_website":"ajc","bio_page":"/staff/patricia-murphy/","last_updated_date":"2024-06-24T23:00:32.175Z","byline":"Patricia Murphy","email":"patricia.murphy@ajc.com","slug":"","image":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/arc-authors/ajc/44863e24-68a5-407e-90cd-3becade4c39c.png","longBio":"Patricia Murphy joined the AJC’s politics team in 2020 from CQ-Roll Call, where she was a nationally syndicated political columnist. Previously, she was the Capitol Hill Bureau Chief for Politics Daily, a columnist for Newsweek/ Daily Beast, and a contributor to Garden & Gun and the Washington Post. Before working in journalism, Patricia was a staffer for three U.S. senators. An Atlanta native, Patricia graduated from The Westminster Schools and Vanderbilt University, and holds a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University.","fuzzy_match":false,"author_type":"Staff","firstName":"Patricia ","books":[],"podcasts":[],"awards":[],"location":"Atlanta","_id":"patricia-murphy","status":true}},"type":"author","version":"0.5.8","url":"/staff/patricia-murphy/","slug":""}]},"subtype":"Article","headlines":{"basic":"Patricia Murphy: In praise of my favorite public servant"},"first_publish_date":"2025-02-12T11:30:00Z","last_updated_date":"2025-02-12T11:55:26.056Z","_id":"J43TAGJ76JETDIVRKKEM6MPTCE","teaseImageObject":{"auth":{"1":"c3b2de39a2af2f271e3495283dc5dcf024a029e2876439dab904b0532aac1431"},"credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"name":"Courtesy ","type":"author","byline":"Courtesy "}]},"subtitle":"Mary Kay Murphy Gwinnett School Board","width":1284,"caption":"Dr. Mary Kay Murphy, speaking at an event in 2020, retired from the Gwinnett County School Board in January after 28 years of service. (Courtesy)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/Q6TNAFSECVH3BNY5SOZ7GJWM7I.jpeg","height":1190,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/Q6TNAFSECVH3BNY5SOZ7GJWM7I.jpeg?auth=c3b2de39a2af2f271e3495283dc5dcf024a029e2876439dab904b0532aac1431&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"PK6TFEMU4NCOZFOBYUWVBDLR7Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739293719697},"type":"text","content":"Competition makes almost everything better — whether it be a boxer, a hamburger joint or a politician."},{"_id":"EZNKQWNJHZBTXCQPMKFAIXBUQY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":9,"comment":"Atlanta’s mayor’s "}],"comments":[],"_id":1739314057048},"type":"text","content":"So, with the mayor of Atlanta’s election coming up this year, I, for one, wouldn’t mind seeing a competitive race."},{"_id":"E6VOUBS4SNGHLIY7WKEZM5NN2U","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739314057049},"type":"text","content":"But I will be, no doubt, disappointed, as <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta-news/three-years-after-taking-office-mayor-dickens-sees-a-more-stabilized-city/P4WRVBTNL5GVDAACLOIAGOKWPQ/\" target=\"_blank\">Mayor Andre Dickens will</a> probably chalk up a decisive victory against a gadfly or two."},{"_id":"MC6AG64C3VA73ETLPZ45CEQSS4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":215,"comment":"a "}],"comments":[],"_id":1739315392379},"type":"text","content":"Dickens is roundly well-liked, although an opponent could take him <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/columnists/opinion-atlantas-communications-mayor-slips-on-some-wet-pavement/NSEQVQZRKRBZNM2AWHXLGWDOOU/\" target=\"_blank\">up on his tepid response to the water crisis</a> last year, his going after the city’s inspector general or the death of a homeless man last month when an encampment was being cleaned up."},{"_id":"RFPF3KWA2ZFH3LLHGNNENQNBW4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739314057050},"type":"text","content":"Simply put, hardly anyone of note ever runs against a sitting mayor in Atlanta. It’s an unwritten rule that you don’t mess with a mayor’s second term. It’s almost preordained that a mayor is elected to an 8-year ride."},{"_id":"TTUMN5GB4ND3DNFNESG5IRIXXE","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"VYSNSLU4ZVBE3F2LVBIR7TK7CY"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"The rise and reign of Atlanta’s Black mayors","url":"https://www.ajc.com/uatl/the-rise-and-reign-of-atlantas-black-mayors/GQY7H2VTZ5EP7LDL3RLENRQOEE/"},{"_id":"7Q4GSL3JVRFR5KERPMTQAVGVGI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739314057051},"type":"text","content":"There’s a long history to this. Since William Hartsfield, of airport fame, was elected to the job in 1937, only two incumbents have been rousted from their seats. One was Hartsfield, himself, who got beat after his first term by someone named Roy LeCraw."},{"_id":"DCBH54IMMNFX7JVRCTC4NMAAEA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":68,"comment":"Harstfield "}],"comments":[],"_id":1739314057052},"type":"text","content":"LeCraw, only months into the job, stepped down to join the Army and Hartsfield then returned to office, where he remained for 20 years."},{"_id":"YHTIURSBA5AZ5CNX7MDM3PPXHQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739314057053},"type":"text","content":"Since then, the only mayor to lose was Sam Massell, who was defeated in 1973 by Maynard Jackson, the city’s first Black mayor."},{"_id":"6FNB4QIS4REP5GCN5AFNN7SUBM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739314057054},"type":"text","content":"In fact, the only time a mayor had a close call was in 1997, when longtime <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/news/local/things-know-about-former-atlanta-councilman-marvin-arrington/nt5YJ29TiFd5roM6O5VfzK/\" target=\"_blank\">City Council President Marvin Arrington</a> lost a relatively close runoff to Mayor Bill Campbell."},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"auth":{"1":"ad7bd118c864df3840969e194c9bf140afa6b2071ffb48a59051a38cc34a537b"},"vanity_credits":{},"caption":"Atlanta mayoral candidate Marvin Arrington lost a relatively close runoff to Mayor Bill Campbell in November 1997. (AJC File)","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/SMZ6M236FNBQZJRN35T2AI2RXQ.jpg","licensable":false,"credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"name":"Rich Addicks","type":"author","byline":"Rich Addicks"}]},"subtitle":"Atlanta City Council President Marvin Arrington Sr","width":1998,"_id":"SMZ6M236FNBQZJRN35T2AI2RXQ","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/t5vM5eWPWhcyNqVtle_DUIKX_X4=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/SMZ6M236FNBQZJRN35T2AI2RXQ.jpg","owner":"peter.corson@ajc.com","comments":[],"keywords":[""],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/t5vM5eWPWhcyNqVtle_DUIKX_X4=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/SMZ6M236FNBQZJRN35T2AI2RXQ.jpg","link":"","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/SMZ6M236FNBQZJRN35T2AI2RXQ.jpg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/t5vM5eWPWhcyNqVtle_DUIKX_X4=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/SMZ6M236FNBQZJRN35T2AI2RXQ.jpg","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/U954QUEzGC_HPpG02GGb1Gl_y3U=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/SMZ6M236FNBQZJRN35T2AI2RXQ.jpg","version":0,"originalName":"Marvin Arrington 2 election night 11251997.jpg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":"M5QPGZEVX5HMRMZKHONG6HODRA"},"created_date":"2021-01-28T23:12:12Z","last_updated_date":"2021-01-28T23:12:12Z","height":1346,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/SMZ6M236FNBQZJRN35T2AI2RXQ.jpg?auth=ad7bd118c864df3840969e194c9bf140afa6b2071ffb48a59051a38cc34a537b&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"E33OUXBPLBBN3G4I4C4B4JKDXY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":205,"comment":"civil rights movement "}],"comments":[{"date":"2025-02-11T23:55:26.038Z","start":227,"end":248,"text":"capitalize when referring to specific push, per AP","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1739314057055},"type":"text","content":"Arrington had a shot at defeating the prickly Campbell but then shot his mouth off — as he was wont to do. Arrington derided Jackson, a Campbell supporter, as having been “passing in Cleveland” during the Civil Rights Movement, rather than helping the cause in the South. He tried to backtrack his statements but got beat 53% to 47%."},{"_id":"RYPMWYBNL5GH3PHNS2RZDTKEMY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739314057056},"type":"text","content":"To run against an incumbent, who are now limited to two terms, you must be courageous or crazy. Or perhaps both."},{"_id":"CQTAJ7YFIRAWNLWKS5TOKUFWLE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739314057057},"type":"text","content":"To campaign against a sitting mayor, you must convince other community leaders to support you publicly and financially. And when things go bad, supporters, like the losing candidate, are left on the outside."},{"_id":"FBDUZDYXPVHDTBNXHINSHCPB4Q","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739360019720},"type":"text","content":"After Campbell won reelection, former Mayor Massell, who at the time was the head of the Buckhead Coalition and an Arrington backer, found it necessary to write a letter of apology to the victorious mayor."},{"_id":"I5HVGSJMNNETXFQCER6R2NDTZ4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":110,"comment":"COVID "},{"pos":174,"comment":"Bottom "}],"comments":[{"date":"2025-02-11T23:56:24.313Z","start":121,"end":124,"text":"added -19, per preferred AJC style","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"},{"date":"2025-02-11T23:57:11.853Z","start":187,"end":194,"text":"fixed spelling of bottoms","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1739314057058},"type":"text","content":"<a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/columnists/opinion-atlanta-mayoral-race-awaits-but-wholl-run-is-wait-and-see/TZQ2RDEPTREA7CBBNCY36VAMEM/\" target=\"_blank\">Four years ago, I wrote a similar column about such uphill battles</a>. At the time, violent crime was raging and COVID-19 was in its second year. Still, then-Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who was considering a second term, would have been hard to beat."},{"_id":"IG22ZDPHY5FQLGKDSGRNEXYXQI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739314057059},"type":"text","content":"Of the politicians then in office, only then-Council President Felicia Moore raised her hand to take a go at the office."},{"_id":"NQHXVUIWIJGO5DLE7GKOSMYRMQ","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"DURVWGGUGBHW5BPOVFOGYVHIGQ"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Atlanta spent only 10% of infrastructure funds approved by voters in 2022","url":"https://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta-news/atlantas-only-spent-10-of-infrastructure-funds-approved-by-voters-in-2022/EURHES63CNBBXPPPADRCOEXARA/"},{"_id":"OEDGLWJIPVF6XFJ5ACLTLQBUXE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":83,"comment":"day dreamed "}],"comments":[{"date":"2025-02-11T23:58:26.634Z","start":95,"end":105,"text":"one word, per merriam/AP","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1739314057060},"type":"text","content":"I noted at the time that a bunch of her fellow council members, including Dickens, daydreamed about sitting in the mayor’s office. But few wanted to stick their necks out. At the time, Dickens said he’d love to be mayor. “It’s a timing thing, and when the timing is right, I’ll make that abundantly clear,” he said, not exactly answering my question."},{"_id":"PQKIPPWUZ5FGJFMPVYHEN57OKI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739314057061},"type":"text","content":"Soon, the timing was right. Four months later, Bottoms <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/columnists/opinion-atlanta-mayoral-job-in-a-spin-as-bottoms-bows-out/XDFB3LPOHFDTPK3WPAOMIMIBLE/\" target=\"_blank\">surprisingly announced she was not going to run</a>. Suddenly, the door was opened for Dickens, who jumped in, <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/columnists/opinion-can-hizzoner-save-atlanta-ex-and-next-mayor-says-he-can/TNEWE2LOAVDA3BSTRQWKVFFBXA/\" target=\"_blank\">as did former Mayor Kasim Reed</a>, who missed his old romping ground."},{"_id":"DBBI2WJOXRCEBMRCW4VGH5OE4A","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739314057062},"type":"text","content":"Conventional wisdom (which I agreed with) was that Reed would meet his nemesis, Moore, in the runoff. But Dickens, who was not well known, <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/columnists/opinion-will-atlanta-voters-prefer-lone-ranger-or-swell-guy-for-mayor/TRWGNYAIGRDYVCVEOIUE3LJOEA/\" target=\"_blank\">was able to craft himself as a fresh face</a> and squeaked into the runoff, where he prevailed. He was helped by the entrenched Black Southwest Atlanta political establishment coalescing around him, as it did 24 years earlier around Campbell."},{"_id":"LVUI5OIOYBFK3E6LKLJAVJBMNM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739314057063},"type":"text","content":"It didn’t matter that Moore, like Arrington, was Black. They were said to be the “Buckhead” candidates, which is Atlantaspeak for white."},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"copyright":"2024 Atlanta Journal-Constitution","address":{"locality":"Atlanta","region":"GA"},"auth":{"1":"071917cebf1fa3176e25d322363b0e5eaa2d7305b4abe0cdacc750754e20f9c5"},"vanity_credits":{},"caption":"Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens (center) stands with Shirley Franklin (from left), Valerie Jackson, the Rev. Gerald Durley, Keisha Lance Bottoms, Kasim Reed and Bill Campbell during a celebration commemorating the 50th anniversary of the inauguration of Mayor Maynard Jackson at the Atlanta City Hall Atrium on Monday, Jan. 8, 2024, in Atlanta. Valerie Jackson is the widow of Maynard Jackson. (Jason Getz/AJC)","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":["65984c632104173ada535d39"]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/Q3EE4BZALVHCDF4E2RO7BZPEJM.JPG","licensable":false,"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Jason.Getz@ajc.com","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Jason Getz","type":"author","byline":"Jason Getz"}]},"subtitle":"010823 maynard jackson","width":8192,"_id":"Q3EE4BZALVHCDF4E2RO7BZPEJM","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/qpgrPJvhLkd-Ch8h4WNUq_3FJUc=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/Q3EE4BZALVHCDF4E2RO7BZPEJM.JPG","owner":"sandra.brown@ajc.com","comments":[],"iptc_job_identifier":"65984c632104173ada535d39","keywords":["altanta","mayor"],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/qpgrPJvhLkd-Ch8h4WNUq_3FJUc=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/Q3EE4BZALVHCDF4E2RO7BZPEJM.JPG","link":"","takenOn":"2024-01-08T00:00:00Z","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/Q3EE4BZALVHCDF4E2RO7BZPEJM.JPG","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/qpgrPJvhLkd-Ch8h4WNUq_3FJUc=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/Q3EE4BZALVHCDF4E2RO7BZPEJM.JPG","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/SJ6jQsavu6ZDTL5Qg_xrlKh9L8Q=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/Q3EE4BZALVHCDF4E2RO7BZPEJM.JPG","version":0,"originalName":"aajc-012823-maynard-jackson-profile_CETXLGUUOJRRM3HJMR3QPFC6NQ.JPG","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":"4ICETU55PJEWFI5VZRCVOVKIPQ","iptc_title":"Multimedia Journalist"},"created_date":"2025-01-31T17:25:03Z","last_updated_date":"2025-01-31T17:25:03Z","slug":"010823 maynard jackson","height":5464,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/Q3EE4BZALVHCDF4E2RO7BZPEJM.JPG?auth=071917cebf1fa3176e25d322363b0e5eaa2d7305b4abe0cdacc750754e20f9c5&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"UZ7VG2Q4PFBKRMLIG5QKJWPX5M","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739314057064},"type":"text","content":"Dickens this week said he hasn’t heard of any opposition out there and would like to keep it that way. He added a warning that he can get rough, if need be, like he did last time."},{"_id":"RY2GO7V4JVCQ3DILJSZR6WRHHI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739314057065},"type":"text","content":"“Every punch I threw and every punch I took, everybody felt all,” he said. “I don’t know if anyone wants to be hit like that. This is a full-contact sport.”"},{"_id":"RRQCCXR5KRCSFDUA2RBXLMTORM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739314057066},"type":"text","content":"Word has it — that is, five people involved in politics told me — that Reed is gearing up for another shot to retake his old job."},{"_id":"BGIVROUTUNDCVCHN44BT7KYEC4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739314057067},"type":"text","content":"“Aww, hell no,” Reed told me when I called. “I think that’s people saying that to bother Andre.”"},{"_id":"Q6BXZFVHFJCLJDLHGD6P6TKVYA","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"H5ATFZJGJZBE7P56KE5ID4HZDA"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"TORPY: Atlanta’s Corner of Death to get some new life","url":"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/columnists/torpy-atlantas-corner-of-death-to-get-some-new-life/XRQTVRUXIBEV7LXQKT6DEEGRYI/"},{"_id":"SNC6R2E74FB4PMPV3F4H3GGZEE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739314057068},"type":"text","content":"Franklin, who got 90% of the vote her second time, told me the term limits make an incumbent more steadfast in hanging onto their seat. “If you consider a U.S. Senate seat is six years, a mayor just has two more,” she said."},{"_id":"67U35FR7OJBGBFYKKRXO7DCA2Q","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739314057069},"type":"text","content":"“It’s very hard to raise money against an incumbent because of campaign disclosures and people don’t want to be identified as a donor,” she said. “That’s because the power and the influence” the office wields."},{"_id":"ABXVXYG75FHFFPPDD5RNK5NZRA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739314057070},"type":"text","content":"Dickens has $1.4 million in the coffers, disclosures say."},{"_id":"D5V5UOOVOJGLJKWXLDE7DLDSYU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739314057071},"type":"text","content":"“The incumbent mayor already has their system in place, their apparatus, their money,” Moore told me. “People will support an incumbent mayor because they want to win. When in doubt, they lean toward the mayor.”"},{"_id":"2ULYJDHSH5BMXIT5KCXJQ246FI","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"FVMWYJ7C4RGXZKJEO6VC477G7E"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"OPINION: Lawsuit alleges more than dirt covers up a Piedmont Park sinkhole","url":"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/columnists/opinion-lawsuit-alleges-more-than-dirt-covers-up-a-piedmont-park-sinkhole/SMHQWFP5NND2ZHO3DQB3BBEVQA/"},{"_id":"HBFFSTKOMBBIVJZGMAVOXQTYIY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739314057072},"type":"text","content":"So, why’d she take the risk four years ago, throwing in against an incumbent."},{"_id":"RK5UMWZBNZDHROVNQ2F4KZCPUM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739314057073},"type":"text","content":"Moore, who made a name for herself talking about ethics and corruption for two decades on the council, said she just couldn’t wait another four years."},{"_id":"FUKRHL2B3ZC6DHFVCBPABPADAY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":8,"comment":":"}],"comments":[],"_id":1739314057074},"type":"text","content":"“I said, ‘I’m going to take the steering wheel from the captain or get off the Titanic.’”"},{"_id":"JMECKE5IERCYFNISQGGG2AIYZQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739314057075},"type":"text","content":"A few months later, she was in the water."}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens will probably chalk up a decisive victory against a gadfly or two."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/opinion/columnists","parent":{"default":"/opinion"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/opinion","name":"AJC Columnists","description":"Articles by columnists from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","_id":"/opinion/columnists","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/opinion","default":"/opinion","MainMenu2024":"/opinion","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/opinion"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"Articles by columnists from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","site_title":"AJC Columnists"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"AJC Columnists"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"AJC Columnists","_id":"/opinion/columnists","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/","/opinion"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/opinion"]},"order":{"MainMenu2024":2002,"SectionMap":1074,"ComposerNav":2003}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./opinion/columnists","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/opinion/columnists","name":"AJC Columnists"},"tags":[{"text":"torpy at large"},{"text":"atlanta-news-metro.ajc"},{"text":"torpy-rss"},{"text":"teamdan"},{"text":"localnews.ajc"},{"text":"local government"}]},"label":{"tease_label":{"display":true,"text":"OPINION"},"custom_label":{"display":true,"text":"ONLY ON AJC: TORPY AT LARGE"}},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"b0cd5485e8311fae07f5d1ff0723f6a55767c2ed06d7fe0c9f44e3ef4d3e0e8e"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Miguel Martinez-Jimenez","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"MIguel Martinez","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens","width":8192,"caption":"Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens discusses his political journey with AJC reporter Riley Bunch at Atlanta City Hall on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. He reflects on the challenges he has encountered on his path to office. 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He reflects on the challenges he has encountered on his path to office. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"AJC Freelancer","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/NJIPL47DGWPBDBHQ2BZY3F7PKY.JPG","height":5464,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/NJIPL47DGWPBDBHQ2BZY3F7PKY.JPG?auth=b0cd5485e8311fae07f5d1ff0723f6a55767c2ed06d7fe0c9f44e3ef4d3e0e8e&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"PAKE7A2DTZDOHDGLLXEEWLMRZI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739306019804},"type":"text","content":"Be careful when expressing your opinions in Villa Rica, or you might violate a new policy limiting the tone and content of public comment at city council meetings."},{"_id":"NJIT3NGHPRERZNNQMUNCHFOU6U","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739306019805},"type":"text","content":"Following several lengthy meetings late last year, during which residents expressed concerns about road construction — specifically, the city’s intent to seize property using eminent domain and allegations of impropriety between the city and the construction companies — city officials responded by changing the rules on public comment."},{"_id":"RNKICUQ6KRBEPPX7RPFGCQXDLQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739306019806},"type":"text","content":"Under the new rules, anyone who wants to speak at a city council meeting in Villa Rica must publicly state their name and home address."},{"_id":"AXJX54E5XBCZFHR6RORWIRNJWA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739306019807},"type":"text","content":"City officials have also prohibited “personal, impertinent, slanderous or profane remarks,” according to the policy, which was passed Dec. 10 and went into effect in January."},{"_id":"MLOSFZYUAZGTPJ4EWWYKIRZKTU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":45,"comment":"ACLU"}],"comments":[],"_id":1739306019808},"type":"text","content":"On Monday, the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia issued a letter to Villa Rica city council members urging them to reverse the new policy."},{"_id":"CVEQKN6EANB7PG34E6ERM57PSM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739306019809},"type":"text","content":"In their letter, the ACLU cites numerous legal precedents in which similar policies and practices have been ruled unconstitutional. But it doesn’t take a legal expert to see where this move by city officials goes sideways."},{"_id":"VUSPNYLPRRAKRJX7NUQXALSCVE","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"5XSCMLYBAVEJDPNWDTLMT34CRU"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Judge OKs Georgia railroad’s use of eminent domain in controversial case","url":"https://www.ajc.com/news/business/landowners-to-appeal-after-judge-rules-railroad-can-force-property-sales/Q2BK545SH5DYZPEPDVZIQBGOBA/"},{"_id":"5KLRLHMBTVFRDOE5GFOQF7KT3I","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739306019810},"type":"text","content":"Villa Rica council members have already indicated a bent toward retaliation. One council member threatened some public commenters with a lawsuit when the speakers made allegations of impropriety."},{"_id":"2EZXGPDJPVBB5OWU6SZ4TPAIKQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739306019811},"type":"text","content":"No state law controls how public comment is conducted in cities and counties across the state, but we shouldn’t condone policies that support intimidation tactics."},{"_id":"3MELZQ2KWVABNPRTZGWFNX5XUE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739306019812},"type":"text","content":"A <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/news/local-govt--politics/listening-part-the-job-but-officials-can-limit-how-public-comments/5vYoQRnJBrLH4m0hkUtsfK/\" target=\"_blank\">2018 survey by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution</a> found that policies from 60 cities and counties were inconsistent, with some jurisdictions allowing people to speak whenever they want and however long they want, while other jurisdictions have strict time limits and topics that can be discussed."},{"_id":"6SNLFRZIYJE4VIZZEBHUCMIJS4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":230,"comment":"3"}],"comments":[],"_id":1739306019813},"type":"text","content":"There is a need for any city council or county commission to balance the amount of time devoted to public input with the time dedicated to conducting business. Most jurisdictions limit the amount of time for public comment — three minutes per speaker is a popular range — but limiting the time per speaker doesn’t necessarily keep things civil or productive."},{"_id":"B42EMNYW75EHJMMFABLSU4UJ4M","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739306019814},"type":"text","content":"In August 2024, after College Park residents voiced frustrations about transparency and inefficiencies in the City Council, <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta-news/college-park-council-meeting-turns-to-shouting-match/IS2HXY46G5EKVD2NTH4Q6U6UO4/\" target=\"_blank\">a two-hour meeting turned into a shouting match</a>. City business was crammed into the final 15 minutes, during which officials appeared to rush through voting on certain agenda items."},{"_id":"YCGCPOBAUZCCRHEMNJGMA3NPJA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739306019815},"type":"text","content":"Some jurisdictions have more unconventional rules for public speaking."},{"_id":"JJX3RQJ6HNC4ZHMFRMGAQTPH24","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"JROBA53WSNFEZLE3FT6A5CDLZI"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"RHONE: The DEI hit list is an assault on history","url":"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/columnists/opinion-the-dei-hit-list-is-a-hit-on-history/LMJUIWMI7FCGNKX5HS4AG7UP6Y/"},{"_id":"FCZHO523DBGLXLVVUU56GSX5MQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739306019816},"type":"text","content":"In Cobb County, council members approved a plan last year to split public comment in two periods, with half near the beginning of the meeting and half near the end. They previously prohibited anyone speaking during the public comment portion of the meeting from using audio and visual media since technical difficulties made it hard to consistently rely on those tools. "},{"_id":"4QRPTQOJO5FJJPSQ5HA5DD7ZWM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739306019817},"type":"text","content":"But let’s get back to Villa Rica."},{"_id":"HIZK3YDRNBE4HMZ2PPFQNMC34Q","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739306019818},"type":"text","content":"Many jurisdictions set time limits for public comment, require advance sign-ups or enforce standards to manage vulgar or disruptive comments, but requiring speakers to reveal their home addresses in a roomful of observers seems like a backhanded way of making sure no one says anything remotely controversial or challenging."},{"_id":"XUIQXYDNSNGF3P7EOE6XNBNTOE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739306019819},"type":"text","content":"Villa Rica city council members have prohibited any speech that is deemed “personal, impertinent, slanderous or profane remarks,” but those are vague terms that leave too much room for interpretation. Speakers are likely to be confused about what they can and cannot say in their comments."},{"_id":"AAQGZ7Z2K5GIRNPXSLF46EMPXQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739306019820},"type":"text","content":"Would speakers no longer be able to direct their comments to a particular council member because that would make it too personal? If someone makes an unflattering statement, would a council member have the power to call it slanderous and shut it down without proving it to be false?"},{"_id":"57VZ5OFAF5GGJNIL64JYUQDFRU","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"MSZBQ6VSVBG4DGCMPNIJVJJYJY"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"RHONE: Stop the encampment sweeps and make the plans public","url":"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/columnists/rhone-stop-the-encampment-sweeps-and-make-the-plans-public/US55SCKNDZGLNFRVRBWA3RCJQQ/"},{"_id":"KMK33STITNDQTOE377DLFABNZA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739306019821},"type":"text","content":"Speakers should be able to express themselves during public comment periods without fear that those comments will fall under some hazy definition of prohibited speech. And they should not have to state their home address and fear retaliation from elected leaders or fellow residents who don’t agree with their viewpoints."},{"_id":"PHM7NHCWHZCV3CE3GPBLFIMHFM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739306019822},"type":"text","content":"“Speech on matters of public concern is ‘at the heart of the First Amendment’s protection’ and ‘should be uninhibited, robust and wide-open,’” ACLU of Georgia attorneys wrote in the letter to the Villa Rica officials."},{"_id":"3BPUWK2HURBKVLD6Z27VJSXV2Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739306019823},"type":"text","content":"If Villa Rica council members want to encourage a more respectful exchange between residents and city officials, they should act with integrity instead of resorting to intimidation."},{"_id":"4CEPMNHT3ZBBHOOFBCWCWE3EZM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739306019824},"type":"text","content":"<i>Read more on the Real Life blog (</i><a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/real-life-blog/\"><i>www.ajc.com/opinion/real-life-blog/</i></a><i>) and find Nedra on Facebook (</i><a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/AJCRealLifeColumn\"><i>www.facebook.com/AJCRealLifeColumn</i></a><i>) and X (</i><a href=\"https://twitter.com/nrhoneajc\"><i>@nrhoneajc</i></a><i>) or email her at </i><a href=\"mailto:Nedra.Rhone@ajc.com\"><i>nedra.rhone@ajc.com</i></a><i>.</i>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"Be careful when expressing your opinions in Villa Rica, or you might violate a new policy limiting the tone and content of public comment at city council meetings."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/opinion/columnists","parent":{"default":"/opinion"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/opinion","name":"AJC Columnists","description":"Articles by columnists from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","_id":"/opinion/columnists","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/opinion","default":"/opinion","MainMenu2024":"/opinion","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/opinion"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"Articles by columnists from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","site_title":"AJC Columnists"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"AJC Columnists"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"AJC Columnists","_id":"/opinion/columnists","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/","/opinion"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/opinion"]},"order":{"MainMenu2024":2002,"SectionMap":1074,"ComposerNav":2003}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./opinion/columnists","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/opinion","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Opinion","description":"Opinion articles from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","_id":"/opinion","additional_properties":{"original":{"sponsor":{"sponsor_url_open_new_tab":"false","sponsor_desktop_banner":"","sponsor_mobile_banner":"","sponsor_url":""},"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","subnav_opinion":null,"TopicsBar2023":"/","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","TopNav":null,"TopicsBar":null,"ComposerNav":"/","subnav_homepage":null,"default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null},"site":{"site_url":"/opinion/","section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"Opinion articles from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","site_title":"Opinion"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Opinion"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Opinion","_id":"/opinion","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":[],"TopicsBar2023":["/"],"MainMenu2024":["/"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"TopicsBar":[],"ComposerNav":["/"],"subnav_homepage":[]},"order":{"AmpNav":1033,"TopicsBar2023":1008,"default":1083,"MainMenu2024":1009,"SectionMap":1095,"ComposerNav":1012}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./opinion","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/opinion/columnists","name":"AJC Columnists"},"tags":[{"text":"lifestyle"},{"text":"atlanta-news-metro.ajc"},{"text":"real life blog"},{"text":"teamdan"},{"text":"opinion"},{"text":"localnews.ajc"},{"text":"local government"}]},"label":{"tease_label":{"display":true,"text":"OPINION"},"custom_label":{"display":true,"text":"Real Life with Nedra Rhone"}},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"4d47dfc5fe9d2941a602762e09b037c3490e5da3f919974b325abfec2285a18c"},"subtitle":"City of Villa Rica","width":3300,"caption":"Villa Rica police removed an individual from a city council meeting in December, sparking a change to public comment policy at city council meetings. ACLU Georgia has asked the Council to reverse the policy and its treatment of public speakers, both of which unconstitutionally infringe on people's rights to speak freely on matters of public concern. (Villa Rica Police Department via The New York Times)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"6fa12dc0-f99c-4219-910f-a0a911a4d4c7"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/47UDAC4MEZIXEBCQQJC56ZPOWU.jpg","height":2472,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/47UDAC4MEZIXEBCQQJC56ZPOWU.jpg?auth=4d47dfc5fe9d2941a602762e09b037c3490e5da3f919974b325abfec2285a18c&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},"canonical_url":"/opinion/columnists/rhone-in-villa-rica-restrictions-on-public-comment-threaten-free-speech/VB3AV3QIKZDGTBYD62SY5MXZFU/","canonical_website":"ajc","display_date":"2025-02-12T10:00:00Z","credits":{"by":[{"image":{"version":"0.5.8","url":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/arc-authors/ajc/98f2f50c-d4da-49ae-9bde-27e4311ab5ad.png"},"socialLinks":[{"site":"email","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links.","url":"nedra.rhone@ajc.com"},{"site":"twitter","deprecated":true,"deprecation_msg":"Please use social_links.","url":"https://twitter.com/nrhoneajc"}],"social_links":[{"site":"email","url":"nedra.rhone@ajc.com"},{"site":"twitter","url":"https://twitter.com/nrhoneajc"}],"name":"Nedra Rhone","description":"Nedra Rhone is a lifestyle columnist for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution where she has been a reporter since 2006. A graduate of Columbia University School of Journalism, she enjoys writing about the people, places and events that define metro Atlanta.","_id":"nedra-rhone","additional_properties":{"original":{"lastName":"Rhone","image":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/arc-authors/ajc/98f2f50c-d4da-49ae-9bde-27e4311ab5ad.png","role":"Lifestyle Columnist","education":[{"name":"University of Pennsylvania, Bachelor's degree in Economics"},{"name":"Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism"}],"longBio":"Nedra Rhone is a lifestyle columnist for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution where she has been a reporter since 2006. A graduate of Columbia University School of Journalism, she enjoys writing about the people, places and events that define metro Atlanta. She has written about style, entertainment, personal finance and the environment for the AJC. Previously, Rhone was a staff writer at Newsday where her first assignment was covering the devastating impact of 9/11 on the families and communities of Long Island. She later covered K-12 education for Long Island's 125 school districts and is a Pulitzer Prize finalist for her reporting on women in hip-hop. ","org":"ajc","affiliations":"The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","bio":"Nedra Rhone is a lifestyle columnist for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution where she has been a reporter since 2006. A graduate of Columbia University School of Journalism, she enjoys writing about the people, places and events that define metro Atlanta.","expertise":"2,7,16","author_type":"Staff","firstName":"Nedra","twitter":"https://twitter.com/nrhoneajc","books":[],"podcasts":[],"awards":[],"custom_ajc_phone":"404-526-5465","custom_ajc_website":"ajc","_id":"nedra-rhone","last_updated_date":"2024-08-01T19:40:05.320Z","byline":"Nedra Rhone","email":"nedra.rhone@ajc.com","status":true}},"type":"author","version":"0.5.8"}]},"subtype":"Article","headlines":{"basic":"RHONE: In Villa Rica, restrictions on public comment threaten free speech"},"first_publish_date":"2025-02-12T10:00:00Z","last_updated_date":"2025-02-12T15:40:33.913Z","_id":"VB3AV3QIKZDGTBYD62SY5MXZFU","teaseImageObject":{"auth":{"1":"4d47dfc5fe9d2941a602762e09b037c3490e5da3f919974b325abfec2285a18c"},"subtitle":"City of Villa Rica","width":3300,"caption":"Villa Rica police removed an individual from a city council meeting in December, sparking a change to public comment policy at city council meetings. ACLU Georgia has asked the Council to reverse the policy and its treatment of public speakers, both of which unconstitutionally infringe on people's rights to speak freely on matters of public concern. (Villa Rica Police Department via The New York Times)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"6fa12dc0-f99c-4219-910f-a0a911a4d4c7"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/47UDAC4MEZIXEBCQQJC56ZPOWU.jpg","height":2472,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/47UDAC4MEZIXEBCQQJC56ZPOWU.jpg?auth=4d47dfc5fe9d2941a602762e09b037c3490e5da3f919974b325abfec2285a18c&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"HDDH4TZCM5ETFFHFOSUSCC7ZK4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":114,"comment":"<i>- </i>"},{"pos":208,"comment":"<i>- </i>"}],"comments":[{"date":"2025-02-07T20:27:55.542Z","start":0,"end":10,"text":"added \"safe\" to hed, per eric stirgus","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"},{"date":"2025-02-07T20:06:06.885Z","start":116,"end":117,"text":"em dashes instead of hyphens","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1739315990704},"type":"text","content":"<i>“Character education programs teach children how to listen to their sixth sense. These programs teach life skills — they teach our youth how to love themselves and, equally important, how to care for others.”— Pam McNall, CEO and founder of </i><a href=\"https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://respectfulways.com/__;!!JZyed81S!ncmw0PYH7KVUQCAdLIPJ0WOsRnkFdOPuAkRHhV_9xLqpg7ezK_5groI5r_Isz_q4trVKEi-SWtzgcfG0epul58k$\"><i>Respectful Ways</i></a><i>.</i>"},{"_id":"QRPPYJTXX5FCJBQOGUFCCPIIMI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739315990705},"type":"text","content":"Over the last few years, I have had the privilege of being a volunteer mentor to Pam McNall. The experience has been worthwhile for both of us. We both have learned a lot."},{"_id":"P3MEWXUDN5EODCC5TRYKU7RIQI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":16,"comment":"public-school "}],"comments":[{"date":"2025-02-07T20:06:58.707Z","start":30,"end":43,"text":"no hyphen, per AP","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1739315990706},"type":"text","content":"I have numerous public school teachers in my family. They are not in this occupation for the money or because it is easy. It is not. All are very dedicated and motivated to help school children. However, some are finding it to be more difficult than when they began their careers. And, in this age of cellphones and the internet, McNall has taught me a tremendous amount about why our school kids are having such difficult behavioral problems."},{"_id":"VJS47WZMNJANNPX5Z3B4ELSR4E","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"FTJFARTD75ADNJPQ2MJY5ZXS7E"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Georgia House Speaker pushes student mental health database after Apalachee shooting","url":"https://www.ajc.com/politics/georgia-house-speaker-pushes-for-school-safety-legislation-after-apalachee-shooting/5RRYEEABDNA3RJLWDKFDC6WU5Q/"},{"_id":"VJNKYT5DYBE2TPL5GWF2HU246M","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":183,"comment":","},{"pos":468,"comment":"before "}],"comments":[],"_id":1739315990707},"type":"text","content":"They attach their self-worth to social media likes and comments — and spend up to 10 hours a day online. Science has <a href=\"https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/blue-light-has-a-dark-side__;!!JZyed81S!ncmw0PYH7KVUQCAdLIPJ0WOsRnkFdOPuAkRHhV_9xLqpg7ezK_5groI5r_Isz_q4trVKEi-SWtzgcfG0oC2ZzfY$\">proven</a> that this level of brain imbalance can have lasting effects — physically, mentally and emotionally. Student mental health, <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/education/georgia-students-private-battle-anxiety-disorders-in-the-classroom/GHFOO54WSRB3TIANIC2OWKIJQE/\" target=\"_blank\">anxiety</a> and depression are at an all-time high in U.S. schools. But prioritizing trauma-informed care is not happening. In fact, the number of behavioral specialists and <a href=\"https://blog.csba.org/school-counselor-ratios/\" target=\"_blank\">counselors</a> available for hire in public schools is below recommended levels. The question remains: Where are students to turn if they don’t have the emotional help they need nor programs available like Respectful Ways?"},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"5d49c38fcc0329c350b818218b426556e332cbb985d18de7bc0e91207ced713f"},"vanity_credits":{},"caption":"Jack Bernard, a retired business executive and former chair of the Jasper County Commission and Republican Party, was the first director of health planning for Georgia. (Courtesy)","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/JQLKFZZNQJB65IDL25AZOBAXMI.jpg","licensable":false,"credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"name":"Contributed","type":"author","byline":"Contributed"}]},"subtitle":"Jack Bernard cropper","width":431,"_id":"JQLKFZZNQJB65IDL25AZOBAXMI","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/-XSlvE7jxw8A1saGnZubNlebFFY=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/JQLKFZZNQJB65IDL25AZOBAXMI.jpg","owner":"eric.stirgus@ajc.com","comments":[],"keywords":[],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/-XSlvE7jxw8A1saGnZubNlebFFY=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/JQLKFZZNQJB65IDL25AZOBAXMI.jpg","link":"","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/JQLKFZZNQJB65IDL25AZOBAXMI.jpg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/-XSlvE7jxw8A1saGnZubNlebFFY=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/JQLKFZZNQJB65IDL25AZOBAXMI.jpg","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/8oMvF3ITJ6HQwAbnJ5ms01XpBSg=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/JQLKFZZNQJB65IDL25AZOBAXMI.jpg","version":0,"originalName":"Jack Bernard.jpg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":"E5DIS555UNDVXOLJ4KKIWLMEOQ"},"created_date":"2025-01-27T20:22:33Z","last_updated_date":"2025-01-27T20:22:33Z","height":242,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/JQLKFZZNQJB65IDL25AZOBAXMI.jpg?auth=5d49c38fcc0329c350b818218b426556e332cbb985d18de7bc0e91207ced713f&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"LGHJHQHXHFCFNM4GHJEQ6GPCPA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739315990709},"type":"text","content":"According to Sen. Emanuel Jones, D-Decatur, “Georgia has the <a href=\"https://georgiarecorder.com/2025/01/28/georgia-democratic-senators-bill-would-create-statewide-database-to-flag-students-who-pose-a-threat/?emci=b198c410-d5dd-ef11-88f8-0022482a9579&emdi=58ee3257-49de-ef11-88f8-0022482a9579&ceid=327468\" target=\"_blank\">eighth highest rate</a> of unintentional shootings by children in the United States.” That disturbing situation is not something we Georgians want to discuss, but we must. Jones has introduced a bill to address the problem via both mental health measures and reasonable gun control, such as <a href=\"https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69631\" target=\"_blank\">safe arms storage</a>. On the other side of the isle, House Speaker Jon Burns, R-Newington, has introduced a <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/politics/georgia-house-speaker-pushes-for-school-safety-legislation-after-apalachee-shooting/5RRYEEABDNA3RJLWDKFDC6WU5Q/\" target=\"_blank\">school safety bill</a>, pushing the law enforcement end and establishing a student mental health database."},{"_id":"KJRV3Y2T7JCGTE6RRHMNMJ6Y4A","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"CLV3U7Z6ABF2JEHIZALZ2YKDJU"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Georgia Republicans and Democrats disagree on legislation after Apalachee school shooting","url":"https://www.ajc.com/politics/georgia-legislature-takes-diverting-paths-toward-school-safety/XP5QSO3XGVCX7HDI222MEXZV7I/"},{"_id":"NWUOSQE6TJDW7OBXQ6LXK5DKPM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739315990710},"type":"text","content":"Our society must do something meaningful about school violence at the source now, not later. By teaching life skills and social skills, we can intercept a tragic situation before it evolves into a shooting. Otherwise, we should all be afraid for current and future generations of America’s students. It is clearly a nonpartisan issue."},{"_id":"GVF22DH3ZFBU7MXT2MYFPIHOE4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739315990711},"type":"text","content":"We need our youth to recognize when something just isn’t quite right. However, listening to your intuition takes practice for young people. It takes reasonable social skills, plus emotional intelligence, to accomplish that aim."},{"_id":"OM7DYLEX6RES5GTCKOGKWTQFZY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739315990712},"type":"text","content":"A student’s brain is like a muscle; it must be exercised or it will deteriorate. If we don’t teach our girls and boys how to empathize with others, they will never develop — or will lose — that precious ability. We do not need kids pulling out their cellphones to record a school fight. Instead, our children should know that they must do something about it. Because they understand that it’s morally wrong to stand by and simply do nothing."},{"_id":"3DA4GBGO3JBDLB45KHQ5OXPRZA","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"5UC7433IMZFZPD4JEGDSM6ZWXE"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Kemp to dole out extra $50 million in Georgia school security grants","url":"https://www.ajc.com/education/kemp-to-dole-out-extra-50-million-in-georgia-school-security-grants/YIDUIWD6QBBHFPG5MSMSDDY43Y/"},{"_id":"7XO2CZFG2BF7PKDIQDPBZIPNE4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":114,"comment":" above"}],"comments":[],"_id":1739315990713},"type":"text","content":"Families and religious institutions can help us to obtain this goal. But they cannot do it alone. As McNall stated, a significant part of the solution lies in establishing student well-being programs at our schools. We must fix this problem at the source through character education and teaching emotional intelligence at our schools, which will make all the difference in the world to that struggling kid thinking about bringing a gun to school."},{"_id":"6K64SNSMXRHRPHVCR2XCJ3H7SM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1739315990714},"type":"text","content":"<i>Jack Bernard, a retired business executive and former chair of the Jasper County Commission and Republican Party, was the first director of health planning for Georgia.</i>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":"Schools can improve student well-being through character education and teaching emotional intelligence."},"description":{"basic":"According to Sen. Emanuel Jones, “Georgia has the eighth highest rate of unintentional shootings by children in the United States.”"},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/news","/"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1049,"ComposerNav":1003}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"teameric"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"parenting"},{"text":"opt-test"}]},"label":{"tease_label":{"display":true,"text":"opinion"},"custom_label":{"display":true,"text":"opinion"}},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"1356f763f9bee37956ad29d42cbd0738b4b42f41399e10288183f29cb9ffff2c"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"contributed","type":"author","byline":"contributed"}]},"subtitle":"Elementary launches Social Emotional Learning & Wellness program","width":4032,"caption":"Students at Baggett Elementary School in Norcross are part of a new program to increase social and emotional learning. (AJC 2022)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/LFHCGCC4YNEVZP4FVAHBWUXDWM.png","height":3024,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/LFHCGCC4YNEVZP4FVAHBWUXDWM.png?auth=1356f763f9bee37956ad29d42cbd0738b4b42f41399e10288183f29cb9ffff2c&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},"canonical_url":"/education/get-schooled/our-children-must-feel-and-be-safe-in-their-schools/7QL6RDEIFNDTBJJJAQSSPJJWFI/","canonical_website":"ajc","display_date":"2025-02-12T10:00:00Z","credits":{"by":[{"org":"","name":"Jack Bernard","additional_properties":{"original":{"author_type":""}},"type":"author"}]},"subtype":"Article","headlines":{"basic":"How we can make our children feel safe in their schools"},"first_publish_date":"2025-02-12T10:00:00Z","last_updated_date":"2025-02-12T10:00:09.484Z","_id":"7QL6RDEIFNDTBJJJAQSSPJJWFI","teaseImageObject":{"auth":{"1":"1356f763f9bee37956ad29d42cbd0738b4b42f41399e10288183f29cb9ffff2c"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"contributed","type":"author","byline":"contributed"}]},"subtitle":"Elementary launches Social Emotional Learning & Wellness program","width":4032,"caption":"Students at Baggett Elementary School in Norcross are part of a new program to increase social and emotional learning. (AJC 2022)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/LFHCGCC4YNEVZP4FVAHBWUXDWM.png","height":3024,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/LFHCGCC4YNEVZP4FVAHBWUXDWM.png?auth=1356f763f9bee37956ad29d42cbd0738b4b42f41399e10288183f29cb9ffff2c&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"JLPQHV3JYNAN3BEAA2A6QO3GL4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738944775590},"type":"text","content":"As a lifelong athlete in a post-Title-IX world, participating in high school basketball, tennis, track and field and on the USA Handball team, I have experienced firsthand the continued inequalities girls face in sports."},{"_id":"PCT7MT53GJAQLIJJNWZWB27PLE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738944775591},"type":"text","content":"The reality is that decades after Title IX was enacted to help level the playing field, girls are still cheated out of true fairness in sports every single day. Spending our time focused on vulnerable transgender youth is a distraction from the real problem at hand."},{"_id":"4HJGBDA7ERECZABZQQFKNLAT7Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738944775592},"type":"text","content":"As my Republican colleagues in the Georgia Senate push <a href=\"https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69274__;!!JZyed81S!kcQBUeklzh1vkSmK2b1k-mlN8bYZezl-Uvdx5v1nEDpVdlkFuE9W-RKhXZZfTKit9Pyw8-rE3XXfCco$\" target=\"_blank\">Senate Bill 1</a> through the General Assembly, we must call out the potential harm this bill poses to our trans girls and name out loud the problem of true equity that women continue to face in almost every arena."},{"_id":"KOQI2YNSWFD7DJEJCCFP7AXRT4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738944775593},"type":"text","content":"We must turn our focus to the real issue at hand — true fairness and safety in girls’ sports — instead of resorting to the bully tactics that the Republican “Fair and Safe Athletic Opportunities Act” has become."},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"193f661552993dddc1300a9c8154294380e74335fea65a25bd75a21754e71383"},"vanity_credits":{},"caption":"Senator Kim Jackson is the Georgia state Senator for District 41 in DeKalb County. (ACLU of Georgia)","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/TLXYZWN7KZAP7KHXTFCTELC6TA.jpg","licensable":false,"credits":{"affiliation":[],"by":[{"name":"Contributed","type":"author","byline":"Contributed"}]},"subtitle":"Sen. Kim Jackson","width":5409,"_id":"TLXYZWN7KZAP7KHXTFCTELC6TA","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/cbcNnvVyszc5qk5JoSvMKGcPscc=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/TLXYZWN7KZAP7KHXTFCTELC6TA.jpg","owner":"eric.stirgus@ajc.com","comments":[],"keywords":[],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/cbcNnvVyszc5qk5JoSvMKGcPscc=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/TLXYZWN7KZAP7KHXTFCTELC6TA.jpg","link":"","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/TLXYZWN7KZAP7KHXTFCTELC6TA.jpg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/cbcNnvVyszc5qk5JoSvMKGcPscc=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/TLXYZWN7KZAP7KHXTFCTELC6TA.jpg","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/ZWJ3JLgN7hSfFgJboTKaof9BDsQ=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/TLXYZWN7KZAP7KHXTFCTELC6TA.jpg","version":0,"originalName":"Sen.-Kim-Jackson-1038[93]_5409x3043.jpg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":1738869220391},"created_date":"2025-02-06T18:33:30Z","last_updated_date":"2025-02-06T18:33:30Z","height":3042,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/TLXYZWN7KZAP7KHXTFCTELC6TA.jpg?auth=193f661552993dddc1300a9c8154294380e74335fea65a25bd75a21754e71383&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"YJWANQGM6BCGNHITEU2PIGOEXQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738944775595},"type":"text","content":"I have introduced <a href=\"https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69576__;!!JZyed81S!kcQBUeklzh1vkSmK2b1k-mlN8bYZezl-Uvdx5v1nEDpVdlkFuE9W-RKhXZZfTKit9Pyw8-rELWL-DHI$\" target=\"_blank\">SB 41</a>, the “Equal Opportunities for Girls in Sports Act,” which lives up to its name by addressing the ongoing, unequal treatment girls experience in sports across Georgia. This bill opens up a real conversation about true “fairness” and “safety” in girls’ sports that will level the playing field and acknowledge the barriers faced by female athletes."},{"_id":"N375WE66BJEG7MWQLRI5HC7D7Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":157,"comment":"Inequities like the girls soccer coach working twice as long (averaging 20 games a season) while making a third of the pay of the football coach (averaging 10 games a season)."}],"comments":[{"date":"2025-02-06T22:30:49.550Z","replies":[{"date":"2025-02-06T22:38:47.077Z","text":"great! george is out for the night, so i will unbold the updated text and move it for print now.","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"start":333,"end":423,"text":"Jackson's office agreed to this change.","user":"ERIC STIRGUS","email":"Eric.Stirgus@ajc.com"}],"_id":1738944775596},"type":"text","content":"Barriers like being made to practice late at night or early in the morning when it’s still dark outside to accommodate the boys team’s practice preferences. Inequities like some girls soccer coaches making a third of the pay of the football coach. A real conversation about how some girls’ sports teams are assigned teacher supervisors with no coaching experience because the pay inequity is so steep that a qualified coach won’t take the job."},{"_id":"IHQVTECDARB7JFN5GVGXIAYBYA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738944775597},"type":"text","content":"The list goes on."},{"_id":"DYRO5DW2J5GLDBAOEEIPKRAJT4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":0,"comment":" Sports media headlines highlight the accomplishments of the boys soccer team but not the girls soccer team that wins the state championship."}],"comments":[{"date":"2025-02-06T19:34:41.845Z","replies":[{"date":"2025-02-06T20:04:22.705Z","text":"Maybe:\n\nSports media headlines highlight the accomplishments of the boys basketball team that wins the state championship much more than the girls basketball team that wins it all. ","user":"George Hanns","email":"George.Hanns@ajc.com"},{"date":"2025-02-06T22:28:56.386Z","text":"Her office agreed to your suggestion.","user":"ERIC STIRGUS","email":"Eric.Stirgus@ajc.com"}],"start":270,"end":412,"text":"May be wrong, but I think these would be treated similary in local print or tv. I'd definitely agree there would be a disparity between coverage of a football title and any girls sport. A better example here may be a disparity between boys basketball and girls basketball. Where I've worked, those two have been treated pretty equally, but I'm sure that's not the case elsewhere.","user":"George Hanns","email":"George.Hanns@ajc.com"}],"_id":1738944775598},"type":"text","content":"Attention given to football teams far and above outweighs that given to any girls teams at their schools. Stretched-thin medical professionals and physical trainers who are hired to care for all school athletes are commandeered by the football and boys basketball teams. Sports media headlines highlight the accomplishments of the boys basketball team that wins the state championship much more than the girls basketball team that wins it all."},{"_id":"CCWHVHANGFHCTDXP75TZ2DMZ7Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738944775599},"type":"text","content":"While professional female athletes are finally receiving greater recognition and heralded as role models for young women, troubling trends continue for our youth."},{"_id":"A3PDFGRXZ5AADHFSUGQVECN4LE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738944775600},"type":"text","content":"By age 14, <a href=\"https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/do-you-know-the-factors-influencing-girls-participation-in-sports/__;!!JZyed81S!kcQBUeklzh1vkSmK2b1k-mlN8bYZezl-Uvdx5v1nEDpVdlkFuE9W-RKhXZZfTKit9Pyw8-rE9ODFH00$\" target=\"_blank\">girls are dropping out of sports</a> at two times the rate of boys, for <a href=\"https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/do-you-know-the-factors-influencing-girls-participation-in-sports/__;!!JZyed81S!kcQBUeklzh1vkSmK2b1k-mlN8bYZezl-Uvdx5v1nEDpVdlkFuE9W-RKhXZZfTKit9Pyw8-rE9ODFH00$\" target=\"_blank\">reasons</a> including bullying, social isolation and discrimination based on their real or perceived sexual orientation. Women in their 20s are twice as likely to <a href=\"https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://scwomenlead.net/women-who-played-sports-are-more-likely-to-be-business-leaders/__;!!JZyed81S!kcQBUeklzh1vkSmK2b1k-mlN8bYZezl-Uvdx5v1nEDpVdlkFuE9W-RKhXZZfTKit9Pyw8-rEupB1t44$\" target=\"_blank\">report safety concerns</a> from their youth sports experiences as are those in their 40s, citing concerns about injury, safety and poor coaching."},{"_id":"TKHS6U4ACBCSDFF6F33LNJJKNM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738944775601},"type":"text","content":"Creating more equal opportunities for girls in sports during their formative years benefits them later in life."},{"_id":"7OWXH52NWZAC3GUK5FMAHXWKTQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738944775602},"type":"text","content":"Among <a href=\"https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://scwomenlead.net/women-who-played-sports-are-more-likely-to-be-business-leaders/__;!!JZyed81S!kcQBUeklzh1vkSmK2b1k-mlN8bYZezl-Uvdx5v1nEDpVdlkFuE9W-RKhXZZfTKit9Pyw8-rEupB1t44$\" target=\"_blank\">women</a> between ages 20 and 80 who played sports in their youth, 69% hold at least one formal leadership role outside of the family. The Women in Sports Foundation says that 80% of women who are Fortune 500 CEOs played sports in their earlier years."},{"_id":"E24VMQ54MRHYBLPQSF6KH5VVY4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738944775603},"type":"text","content":"The message is clear: Girls benefit exponentially from equitable access to quality sports in school."},{"_id":"HYT47HBB7JDUXHYKQZEE3RSWLQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":0,"comment":"S.B. "}],"comments":[],"_id":1738944775604},"type":"text","content":"SB 41 seeks to help level the playing field for Georgia girls by providing equal athletic opportunities by enforcing common sense guidelines, including:"},{"list_type":"unordered","_id":"JS7UL5O5QNGTXCIECPCVMQACGQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"indent":0},"type":"list","items":[{"_id":"522WGCEDVBF2BPGCCXZJW2SN3Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"indent":0},"block_properties":{},"type":"text","content":"Bar students from being treated differently based on gender"},{"_id":"4A636HZS3RCA3FUWXYXI73RZZI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":110,"comment":"both gender"}],"comments":[],"indent":0},"block_properties":{},"type":"text","content":"Require schools to provide equal compensation, medical and training facilities and supplies for boys and girls sports teams"},{"_id":"45E2NCF5XBEH3I57WCHF52AJKY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"indent":0},"block_properties":{},"type":"text","content":"Commensurate compensation for girls coaches based on “actual time” in the sports season"},{"_id":"UAQJY5CD75FTBFPUB5HDCV32A4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"indent":0},"block_properties":{},"type":"text","content":"Require equitable publicity/media"}]},{"_id":"3XKWH4SOFZGABBETZ3APCP6T4U","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738944775606},"type":"text","content":"Georgia’s female athletes need real solutions to their real problems. Our trans girls are the farthest problem from what is actually hindering our kids’ ability to play."},{"_id":"F236UE43MRAADLMKHNIDBAB6UA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":113,"comment":"S.B. "}],"comments":[],"_id":1738944775607},"type":"text","content":"We have a long way to go to level the playing field in girls sports. So let’s solve our real problems by passing SB 41."},{"_id":"5HPJXKHAIRDWROWVTJLZUVXRSQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738944775608},"type":"text","content":"<i>Kim Jackson is the Georgia state senator for District 41 in DeKalb County.</i>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":""},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/news","/"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1049,"ComposerNav":1003}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"teameric"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"legislature"},{"text":"parenting"},{"text":"georgia-news.ajc"},{"text":"high school sports"}]},"label":{"tease_label":{"display":true,"text":"opinion"},"custom_label":{"display":true,"text":"opinion"}},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"clonedChildren":[],"basic":[],"clonedFromParent":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"4c8f4d26ca045d2479f7a85752854577a091276a1aef2da1b6947ceadc00e9bd"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"022123 HS BUFORD","width":4270,"caption":"Duluth center Adriana Saria-Alvarez (15) and Buford guard Ava Grace Watson (2) battle for a rebound in the first half of their first round game of the GHSA Class 7A girls playoffs at the Buford Civic Center on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023, in Buford. A Georgia state senator writes in an op-ed that athletics programs for girls need more support. (Jason Getz/AJC)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"AJC Freelancer","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/DD66J2XOBNU2ISDQXRLG2NWIIE.JPG","height":2847,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/DD66J2XOBNU2ISDQXRLG2NWIIE.JPG?auth=4c8f4d26ca045d2479f7a85752854577a091276a1aef2da1b6947ceadc00e9bd&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},"canonical_url":"/education/get-schooled/senate-bill-41-provides-real-solutions-to-the-real-problems-of-girls-in-sports/EFLWDTHJQRHWXEVSWII7HCCPNM/","canonical_website":"ajc","display_date":"2025-02-10T10:00:00Z","credits":{"by":[{"org":"","name":"Sen. Kim Jackson","additional_properties":{"original":{"author_type":""}},"type":"author"}]},"subtype":"Article","headlines":{"basic":"Senate Bill 41 provides real solutions to the real problems of girls in sports"},"first_publish_date":"2025-02-10T10:00:00Z","last_updated_date":"2025-02-10T10:00:13.79Z","_id":"EFLWDTHJQRHWXEVSWII7HCCPNM","teaseImageObject":{"auth":{"1":"4c8f4d26ca045d2479f7a85752854577a091276a1aef2da1b6947ceadc00e9bd"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"022123 HS BUFORD","width":4270,"caption":"Duluth center Adriana Saria-Alvarez (15) and Buford guard Ava Grace Watson (2) battle for a rebound in the first half of their first round game of the GHSA Class 7A girls playoffs at the Buford Civic Center on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023, in Buford. A Georgia state senator writes in an op-ed that athletics programs for girls need more support. (Jason Getz/AJC)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"AJC Freelancer","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/DD66J2XOBNU2ISDQXRLG2NWIIE.JPG","height":2847,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/DD66J2XOBNU2ISDQXRLG2NWIIE.JPG?auth=4c8f4d26ca045d2479f7a85752854577a091276a1aef2da1b6947ceadc00e9bd&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"3I7J523E2REL3EUEQ5NYRSKOSI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":5,"comment":"G"}],"comments":[],"_id":1738874491923},"type":"text","content":"Say goodbye to the Tuskegee Airmen."},{"_id":"L277DCGXS5G7BKDMBD7ST2GAR4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738874491924},"type":"text","content":"Bid farewell to Women’s History Month, Holocaust Days of Remembrance and National Hispanic Heritage Month."},{"_id":"NGJZFC5W3BAT3KPIRBM4YA6QBE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":114,"comment":"D"},{"pos":125,"comment":"E"},{"pos":136,"comment":"I"}],"comments":[],"_id":1738874491925},"type":"text","content":"Scrubbing history is just one way federal agencies and contractors have responded to the executive order banning diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the federal workplace."},{"_id":"ML3MJQ45QFBATKUUE6RQQMR7FA","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"X3PNHGMSBRAMJOX5OI65AUGDVE"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"The federal government is on the run — from equal rights","url":"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/opinion-the-federal-government-is-on-the-run-from-equal-rights/IPQOHACHMJE7JKKNXPBJIA3EWI/"},{"_id":"SSRLXIOYVJGW5A2LAUTGGMBPDU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738874491926},"type":"text","content":"In the chaos that ensued, some of these actions, at least the ones that sparked public outcry, have been paused, reversed or revised."},{"_id":"4X36H6SOFZB5TPILBQUNPFQX2U","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738874491927},"type":"text","content":"Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the Air Force to restore the history of the Tuskegee Airmen to training materials, but the lesson was clear: The erasure of DEI programs would not only threaten efforts to diversify the workforce but could also result in the erasure of history and culture."},{"_id":"H24H2N4TKFF6BLCPIS3FTOVLLA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738874491928},"type":"text","content":"I thought about this a lot last week as the The Atlanta Journal-Constitution launched its 10th anniversary Black History Month coverage titled <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/uatl/ajc-black-history-month-series-turns-10/C4JM546GRRD75A7SKIMGUYGUHY/\" target=\"_blank\">“Atlanta Unveiled: How African Americans Shaped our City.”</a>"},{"_id":"NTZPV5MI3ZC3HBFT5AJBL4P2TU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738874491929},"type":"text","content":"For the series, I wrote about Atlanta’s Black architects and the iconic buildings they have designed."},{"_id":"XI5WHMSS5BFZHNZ7OXYU7QAEDQ","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"O3TBTX5TKJGZHEF4AVKTRLZOOI"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Despite challenges, Georgia’s Black architects make their mark on Atlanta","url":"https://www.ajc.com/uatl/despite-challenges-georgias-black-architects-continue-making-their-mark-on-atlanta/UOEMGBNQWVDAHABCM6S7327WZI/"},{"_id":"D4UXX7F3CRB7BDWBML4C2DSHG4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738874491931},"type":"text","content":"So many readers wrote to thank me for sharing the lives of these often unheralded builders of Atlanta. And some of them shared the names of other Black architects in Atlanta whose stories are less well known."},{"_id":"URT4BNGEHNDN7BC6HJQF5H6XAE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738874491932},"type":"text","content":"Since history is being erased as I write, I am going to share some of those names right here."},{"_id":"REIGYC2RPRCKBHIYFXYUCQH45I","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738874491933},"type":"text","content":"Cordell Ingram was a Tuskegee graduate who came to Atlanta in 1976 and worked on designs for Philips Arena and several venues for the 1996 Olympics."},{"_id":"ZECWQ52HHFF3JELWTVCIMBCX54","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738874491934},"type":"text","content":"In Ingram’s 2004 obituary, friend Robert Brown, another Tuskegee-educated architect, called Ingram a pioneer in getting important project management jobs for Black architects. Brown, who founded his Atlanta-based firm in 1984, has built a portfolio of schools, performing arts centers and other structures across DeKalb and Fulton counties that showcase his design talents."},{"_id":"D2XCV2RMTJESDAEZ6OHDX4GAXI","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"GUH55FRUEZBQHM6XXMAMXMMRAA"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"LGBTQ event at Federal Reserve Bank seeks new home after Trump DEI order","url":"https://www.ajc.com/news/business/lgbtq-event-at-the-atlanta-fed-seeks-new-home-after-trump-dei-order/ASNFOZHRP5A77D5HXYWLQFIN7U/"},{"_id":"ROKGZBT5XJC2PMVKKSZMO5U5M4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":299,"comment":"Ala"}],"comments":[],"_id":1738874491935},"type":"text","content":"Tarlee Brown (no relation to Robert), also a Tuskegee graduate, designed the Auburn Avenue Research Library, but his promising career was derailed when he was involved in a corruption case and told prosecutors he paid a kickback to Richard Arrington Jr., the first Black mayor of Birmingham, Alabama."},{"_id":"VQ3BPRDCINHRRLKNU6TEL42AB4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738874491936},"type":"text","content":"J. Max Bond Jr. — who designed Freedom Hall, the Administration Building and the reflecting pool at the King Center — spent part of his childhood in Atlanta, attending Booker T. Washington High School, before heading off to Harvard University and becoming one of the most influential Black architects of the 20th century."},{"_id":"NXGGYMZMGRDXVEVWVRZ3MYTC3Q","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":130,"comment":"the North Carolina State School of Design "}],"comments":[],"_id":1738874491937},"type":"text","content":"Arthur Clement, a retired architect turned independent historian, was the first Black student to earn an architecture degree from North Carolina State University’s School of Design. He moved to Atlanta in 1975 after serving in the U.S. Army, one of the many Black architects summoned by then-Mayor Maynard Jackson (his cousin) to take part in the building of Atlanta."},{"_id":"E7GJA64FQVAH3JFY55WGKQMDNE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738874491938},"type":"text","content":"Clement worked at Heery and Heery Architects with another Black architect named Rayford Newman. It was a small community and most Black architects in Atlanta crossed paths while working at larger firms or moonlighting for Black firms to make extra money."},{"_id":"IN4FCIU5CBHHNIEMDE7ORMTF74","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":117,"comment":"Rev. "}],"comments":[],"_id":1738874491939},"type":"text","content":"Newman’s daughter, Helen Smith, told me her father was vice president at Heery and Heery and worked on the design of Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School and Peyton Forest Elementary School. He later joined the Black-owned firm J.W. Robinson & Associates, but died shortly after at age 39. A conflict over his role in the company led to a lawsuit, said Smith, who was only 13 years old at the time."},{"_id":"SCPYHH46LVHHJP4TGRRDSPONJY","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"MEVO7NNBDVGL3OU5SCD5WCXPHI"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Trump’s executive orders are already beginning to change Georgia policy","url":"https://www.ajc.com/news/business/trumps-executive-orders-are-already-beginning-to-change-georgia-policy/I7DQA6QLDZDHXFDPGHZFK4O2FE/"},{"_id":"KOAOZVMEUVHM7JL5TEGTHANEXE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738874491940},"type":"text","content":"When her mother died last year, Smith discovered a trove of her father’s documents — his licenses, old articles and his briefcase still filled with papers. There was so much of her dad’s story she didn’t know, and she wanted to make sure others knew his name."},{"_id":"BUG7ZJ5G7ZHUXF2TPQEIGPJK2I","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738874491941},"type":"text","content":"“It is important for young people coming up to hear these stories so they have a better appreciation of what can and cannot happen,” Smith said."},{"_id":"AMQ5HDLNMBGH5FVJ2FWDCEUILY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":178,"comment":", a Tuskegee graduate,"}],"comments":[],"_id":1738874491942},"type":"text","content":"Smith wasn’t the only daughter who wanted to make sure her father’s legacy was remembered. I also heard from Rashida Trimble Winfrey, whose father, Tuskegee graduate Carl Trimble came to Atlanta in 1973."},{"_id":"AQPRCJXP5RDWNIEMUXFAGEE3A4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738874491943},"type":"text","content":"Trimble was a founding member of the National Organization of Minority Architects and was known for aggressively pressing the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games to give 50% of design contracts and full partnerships to women- and minority-owned firms."},{"_id":"RUYB6PWDLJGCZDUXCEOBBUXDVE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738874491944},"type":"text","content":"He wrote an editorial and took out a full-page advertisement in The Atlanta Journal, decrying the lack of opportunities for Black architects in public and private deals."},{"_id":"U7E5MIVYRJBO3KAP4AS663UXLA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":178,"comment":"personal "}],"comments":[],"_id":1738874491945},"type":"text","content":"Trimble knew the problem wasn’t a lack of talent, it was lack of access. Black architects, he said, struggled to gain proximity to decision-makers who granted contracts to their friends and political cronies."},{"_id":"WCLTMTVACREBJOLE2VRKWGXAWU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738874491946},"type":"text","content":"Now, the president who granted jobs to personal friends and political cronies wants us to believe everyone has “individual opportunity.”"},{"_id":"T56QZC3NBJAVDGLCNX5TBNSVPU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738874491947},"type":"text","content":"When we erase the histories of people like Trimble or the Tuskegee Airmen, we lose those details that remind us how little has changed in two generations."},{"_id":"OEBVS6FLNZFFDM3USAFUIFUJ7U","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738874491948},"type":"text","content":"We forget the struggle and strife on which their accomplishments were built."},{"_id":"UBYTPG5IZRBT5BZVTIK2DMIIBY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738874491949},"type":"text","content":"We sweep their stories under the banner of DEI and convince ourselves there is no work to be done."},{"_id":"IPE6WA4BR5GTXBAUDIAVILM6GQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738874491950},"type":"text","content":"<i>Read more on the Real Life blog (</i><a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/real-life-blog/\"><i>www.ajc.com/opinion/real-life-blog/</i></a><i>) and find Nedra on Facebook (</i><a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/AJCRealLifeColumn\"><i>www.facebook.com/AJCRealLifeColumn</i></a><i>) and X (</i><a href=\"https://twitter.com/nrhoneajc\"><i>@nrhoneajc</i></a><i>) or email her at </i><a href=\"mailto:Nedra.Rhone@ajc.com\"><i>nedra.rhone@ajc.com</i></a><i>.</i>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"Scrubbing history is just one way federal agencies and contractors have responded to the executive order banning federal Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/opinion/columnists","parent":{"default":"/opinion"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/opinion","name":"AJC Columnists","description":"Articles by columnists from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","_id":"/opinion/columnists","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/opinion","default":"/opinion","MainMenu2024":"/opinion","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/opinion"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"Articles by columnists from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","site_title":"AJC Columnists"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"AJC Columnists"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"AJC 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Jared Golden, D-Maine."},{"_id":"CDPAMAV6JFEZXNKS3QKPZZ23XE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738792024312},"type":"text","content":"Security aides barred Democratic lawmakers from entering several government buildings in recent days, as Democrats demanded answers about what Musk was up to."},{"_id":"5SW6NGFPQ5GTRATU2V55JB57JE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738792024313},"type":"text","content":"“People voted for lower gas prices and cheaper eggs, not Elon Musk and his chaos,” added U.S. Sen. 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He spent the week sending mean tweets to Democrats, even accusing some of criminal acts — while offering no evidence of wrongdoing."},{"_id":"RQHVCTNPPFHBVD2WXCLLYRPAEI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738792024315},"type":"text","content":"While Democrats denounced Musk, Republicans welcomed him as a breath of fresh air and said they are not worried that Congress was giving up its “power of the purse.”"},{"_id":"Q77JQUMKXJHHLBFALULDK2RJK4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738792024316},"type":"text","content":"“The Executive Branch of government in our system has the right to evaluate how Executive Branch agencies are operating,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson."},{"_id":"4O3PDMWKPZHTZHXRPRSSBPC6EU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738792024317},"type":"text","content":"Republicans picked an<a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/usaid-security-leaders-on-leave-after-trying-to-keep-musks-doge-from-classified-info-officials-say/6C63S3WYLREEVNNDGLAUM7AJLM/\" target=\"_blank\"> easy first target in USAID</a>, mainly because foreign aid isn’t very popular, and it wasn’t hard to generate “America First” outrage with handpicked examples of the agency’s work."},{"_id":"XK65BFPBMRELVKTOSO7BSS3Z2A","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"J6UUHEGRAFAWRJDMRIJJDGHMB4"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Jamie Dupree: Trump is ready to act — with or without Congress","url":"https://www.ajc.com/politics/opinion-trump-is-ready-to-act-with-or-without-congress/K7I6AFNC5BHGJFUBLM7TIMAP7I/"},{"_id":"DNJVYMTD5VGOFIMFTKL2QQ3TSM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738792024318},"type":"text","content":"Things like spending $1.5 million for diversity training in Serbia or $70,000 for a diversity musical in Ireland were a hanging curveball for Republicans."},{"_id":"2Q2ZKB5CJ5HHHAUV4HYHMNIKHY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738792024319},"type":"text","content":"“USAID is one of the worst offenders of waste in Washington,” said U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa."},{"_id":"MKOPGZOQBNHB5OOXYSLJ4ACKCU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738792024320},"type":"text","content":"In a sense, this is also a larger story about Congress giving up power. Instead of lawmakers approving individual line items, most agencies are given wide discretion in awarding grants."},{"_id":"J7C44XB3LZH57HSH3SB33W4F6U","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738792024321},"type":"text","content":"That’s how you get $32,000 for a transgender comic book in Peru."},{"_id":"FCZLLPM2CBB5RGXOJKAQC4BLRM","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"YWQWDI3J2RG5LIYAAWNIXSU47I"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"OPINION: As Trump and Musk run wild in Washington, Congress is conspicuously absent","url":"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/opinion-as-trump-and-musk-run-wild-in-washington-congress-is-conspicuously-absent/DJG7NQ6EQVFCXMF3Q25VDLDMXI/"},{"_id":"ZPFA6EHU4RGIHLUKC57G5E5KEA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738792024322},"type":"text","content":"While Democrats raised their voice against Musk, they certainly didn’t win this first skirmish over spending."},{"_id":"ZYJZZO6QRFHABEHS27MXTZHIW4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738792024323},"type":"text","content":"“This is no way to govern,” argued U.S. Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., who once worked at USAID, as supporters of the agency rallied outside the Capitol on Wednesday."},{"_id":"JOS5XPNSIRAFNGFREUQN3ZFYHY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738792024324},"type":"text","content":"“Detusk Musk not USAID,” read one sign."},{"_id":"445BDG3AVJBKDBQO52I2QEKQFE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738792024325},"type":"text","content":"Democrats have Musk in their sights. Whether that’s a winning political argument is another question."},{"_id":"63MQCJQL7NBBBBP55IFY4IRXQE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738789043872},"type":"text","content":"<i>Jamie Dupree has covered national politics and Congress from Washington, D.C., since the Reagan administration. His column appears weekly in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. For more, check out his Capitol Hill newsletter at </i><a href=\"http://jamiedupree.substack.com/\"><i>http://jamiedupree.substack.com</i></a>"},{"_id":"OO6LDA6USNGYVEJGXAYJXSNZ7Q","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738789043873},"type":"text","content":"<br/>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":"Musk has galvanized the party as it rallies against his attacks on government spending."},"description":{"basic":"Democrats reeling from 2024 election losses unite to go after billionaire Elon Musk."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/politics","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Politics","description":"Political news with a Georgia focus, including the Georgia Legislature, Congress, White House, presidential elections and Georgia Congressional Districts.","_id":"/politics","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","TopicsBar2023":null,"BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","TopNav":null,"TopicsBar":null,"ComposerNav":"/","subnav_politics_georgia_voter_guide":null,"subnav_politics":null,"subnav_homepage":null,"default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null},"sponsor":{"sponsor_url_open_new_tab":"true","sponsor_desktop_banner":null,"sponsor_mobile_banner":null,"sponsor_url":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Politics","cohort_desktop_image":"https://ajc.com/resizer/LpAESXu0BTwsSDeQLp18BAqU4po=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/BCKCGHVE7BDDFAIG227UGBIHGE.png","cohort":"true","cohort_mobile_image":"https://ajc.com/resizer/z7HOEqoRgd1IrHhGNKo18ZMZ6yM=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/6JJWNPQW4VAURI4S76GONE5UY4.png","cohort_image_gradient":"false"},"site":{"site_url":"/politics/","section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"Political news with a Georgia focus, including the Georgia Legislature, Congress, White House, presidential elections and Georgia Congressional Districts.","site_title":"AJC Georgia Politics | What's really going on in politics"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Politics","_id":"/politics","ancestors":{"TopicsBar2023":[],"MainMenu2024":["/"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"TopicsBar":[],"ComposerNav":["/"],"subnav_politics_georgia_voter_guide":[],"subnav_politics":[],"subnav_homepage":[]},"order":{"AmpNav":1035,"default":1085,"MainMenu2024":1003,"SectionMap":1131,"ComposerNav":1013}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./politics","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/politics/national-politics","parent":{"default":"/politics"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/politics","name":"National Politics","description":"Latest news about national politics from the AJC","_id":"/politics/national-politics","additional_properties":{"original":{"sponsor":{"sponsor_url_open_new_tab":"true","sponsor_desktop_banner":"","sponsor_mobile_banner":"","sponsor_url":""},"parent":{"AmpNav":"/politics","default":"/politics","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/politics"},"site":{"site_url":"/politics/national-politics/","section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"Latest news about national politics from the AJC","site_title":"National Politics"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"National Politics"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"National Politics","_id":"/politics/national-politics","ancestors":{"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/","/politics"]},"order":{"AmpNav":2006,"default":2006,"SectionMap":1136,"ComposerNav":2008}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./politics/national-politics","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/politics","name":"Politics"},"tags":[{"text":"Washington Insider"},{"text":"politics.ajc"},{"text":"teamsusan"}]},"label":{"tease_label":{"display":true,"text":"Opinion"},"custom_label":{"display":true,"text":"Washington Insider"}},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"3a1f8f85d6209dab3bd86d759b043da6decedac5b63f39b830a8e7966d46ee64"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"arvin.temkar@ajc.com","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Arvin Temkar","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"PHOTOS: Inauguration photos - Arvin\r","width":3300,"caption":"Elon Musk speaks before President Donald Trump arrives at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. for his inauguration parade on Monday, January 20, 2025. 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(Arvin Temkar / AJC)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"AJC Freelancer","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/S2FMLQ75RJHVRLP3WX52TL7GSY.JPG","height":2201,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/S2FMLQ75RJHVRLP3WX52TL7GSY.JPG?auth=3a1f8f85d6209dab3bd86d759b043da6decedac5b63f39b830a8e7966d46ee64&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"2VEZMAT7XJANTACW3T4RGVVNDY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[{"date":"2025-02-05T20:19:04.332Z","start":0,"end":5,"text":"tweaked hed from \"A school culture war raging, but not one what you might guess\" to \"A school culture war rages, but not one you might guess\"","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1738788002156},"type":"text","content":"There are many hot button issues regarding children, parents and schools brewing in the 2025 Georgia General Assembly. One might even call them “culture wars.” However, there is a much more important culture war raging over our children presently and it isn’t one that has anything to do with conservative vs. progressive or Democrat vs. Republican. It has nothing to do with transgender bathrooms, school vouchers or vaccines."},{"_id":"WS3MIYNPNZASHO2VLDXSJAQHKA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738788002157},"type":"text","content":"It’s a culture war of dignity culture and victimhood culture."},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"5a156eb5d29a4d03b035c0e794cf8734f5567bde859d51e649a4fe0ab5cc0ac1"},"caption":"Beth Collums is an Atlanta-based writer. Her professional background as a child and family therapist and passion for offering support to families gives her a uniquely insightful perspective on the intersection of mental health, relationships and education","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"related_content":{"derivative_of":[{"referent":{"id":"UB7DVBKF5BESRNAHQTHZ535EAI","type":"image"},"type":"reference"}]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/FJ6IOGZOMJGSDAEBH3DH54X5KI.jpg","geo":{},"licensable":false,"credits":{"by":[{"name":"Contributed","type":"author","byline":"Contributed"}]},"subtitle":"Beth Collums","width":2544,"_id":"FJ6IOGZOMJGSDAEBH3DH54X5KI","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/arq6ZYkRpWBghtNrfLdpllzauR4=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/FJ6IOGZOMJGSDAEBH3DH54X5KI.jpg","owner":"maureen.downey@ajc.com","comments":[],"keywords":[""],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/arq6ZYkRpWBghtNrfLdpllzauR4=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/FJ6IOGZOMJGSDAEBH3DH54X5KI.jpg","takenOn":"2023-05-18T18:55:04Z","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/FJ6IOGZOMJGSDAEBH3DH54X5KI.jpg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/arq6ZYkRpWBghtNrfLdpllzauR4=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/FJ6IOGZOMJGSDAEBH3DH54X5KI.jpg","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/VeH6jQclLVwjVa2BR5VkQ9JnieQ=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/FJ6IOGZOMJGSDAEBH3DH54X5KI.jpg","version":1,"originalName":"bethnew.jpg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":"7FN7NELZZRGVDMS4TR76M6L5HI"},"created_date":"2024-11-08T18:04:08Z","last_updated_date":"2024-11-08T18:04:27Z","height":1908,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/FJ6IOGZOMJGSDAEBH3DH54X5KI.jpg?auth=5a156eb5d29a4d03b035c0e794cf8734f5567bde859d51e649a4fe0ab5cc0ac1&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"KECLZLUQUNEQZBVAVKQJ5RPM7Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":220,"comment":"‘ "},{"pos":227,"comment":" ’"},{"pos":366,"comment":"non-violent "}],"comments":[{"date":"2025-02-05T20:30:10.061Z","start":382,"end":392,"text":"no hyphen, per AP","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1738788002159},"type":"text","content":"<a href=\"https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://brill.com/view/journals/coso/13/6/article-p692_2.xml?ebody=abstract*2Fexcerpt__;JQ!!JZyed81S!hL2GcQzxJQ7aZOYWYXq5Xh2M3F5PDwA9-qD-00nyalAo8a6AnpVn_E_AYmATWzhwlJi3Gq8LTIgZVZkhzLjKTg$\">Sociologists</a> have informed us of a rise in victimhood culture and the decline of dignity culture. They describe a large-scale moral shift occurring toward imbuing conflict in socially ambiguous situations and seeing the “other” as direct opposition. On the other hand with dignity culture, “when intolerable conflicts do arise, dignity cultures prescribe direct but nonviolent actions” to find middle ground."},{"_id":"MBZX7CEXPRCZBFUNWNIKCVA6CQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[{"date":"2025-02-05T20:34:09.250Z","start":503,"end":504,"text":"closed out quote","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1738788002160},"type":"text","content":"In victimhood culture, “the aggrieved actively seek the support of third parties as well as those that focus on oppression.” Every conflict becomes pregnant with moral superiority. Research <a href=\"https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/unraveling-the-mindset-of-victimhood/__;!!JZyed81S!hL2GcQzxJQ7aZOYWYXq5Xh2M3F5PDwA9-qD-00nyalAo8a6AnpVn_E_AYmATWzhwlJi3Gq8LTIgZVZlfgh8EMw$\">on the victimhood mindset</a> postulates, “While splitting the world into those who are ‘saints’ versus those who are ‘pure evil’ may protect oneself from pain and damage to their self-image, it ultimately stunts growth and development and ignores the ability to see the self and the world in all of its complexities.”"},{"_id":"ED7E5PBXA5GZNLDNM6TXF2FUOA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738788002161},"type":"text","content":"Have you fallen into the victimhood mindset? Ask yourself: Is President Donald Trump pure evil? Or heaven sent? Is the opposing political platform morally corrupt and is yours without fault?"},{"_id":"JB7P4AT4YZDYVFNDU46Q2APFAM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":100,"comment":"‘ "},{"pos":106,"comment":" ’"},{"pos":114,"comment":"‘ "},{"pos":119,"comment":" ’"}],"comments":[],"_id":1738788002162},"type":"text","content":"This is a key job of the parent; to help our children see that everyone has value and no one is all “good” or all “bad” no matter what they do, think or say. So how can we teach our children to fight against beliefs siloed by polarized thinking?"},{"_id":"N52DUI6OIRGWTPFEDYA6GYQZJ4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":88,"comment":"5 "},{"pos":341,"comment":"all "}],"comments":[],"_id":1738788002163},"type":"text","content":"Let’s look at infants and young children. Ever hear a toddler say “I love you” and then five minutes later in the Target aisle throw a tantrum and say “I hate you?” When kids are very young they grow in internalizing that even when mommy says you can’t have another cookie, mommy is not all bad. She provides a toy and the child sees her as good again. This cycle goes on and these tiny paradoxes create the opportunity for the child to reconcile that mommy is not all good or all bad, but instead a mixture of loving actions who can both frustrate and provide relief."},{"_id":"3B4WA6TLIBH5BHZETRKH2CT4NU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738788002164},"type":"text","content":"Like most ways we teach our children, gradual development comes in a million tiny lessons over time. We need to encourage their growth by challenging assumptions and introducing complexities of thought, situations and people."},{"_id":"TCFFPDCJMZEVBEIWHBMFJLGEII","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":116,"comment":"blindspots "},{"pos":190,"comment":"like minded "},{"pos":231,"comment":"‘ "},{"pos":235,"comment":" ’"},{"pos":272,"comment":"‘ "},{"pos":278,"comment":" ’"}],"comments":[{"date":"2025-02-05T20:25:33.126Z","start":127,"end":138,"text":"two words, per merriam/AP","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"},{"date":"2025-02-05T20:26:13.581Z","start":213,"end":224,"text":"hyphenate as a compound modifier","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1738788002165},"type":"text","content":"For older kids and teens, parents can watch Fox News and CNN with them and discuss how each perspective has glaring blind spots and legitimate strengths. Adolescents develop through finding like-minded people but we can teach that “us” should never come at the expense of “them” through shaming or belittling."},{"_id":"INZLIBN2T5BWBPFT7SSID4E7Q4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[{"date":"2025-02-05T20:27:12.835Z","start":276,"end":277,"text":"added comma here","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1738788002166},"type":"text","content":"Teachers can empower students to think critically through the many layers of any given topic when constructing a viewpoint and actively listen to someone with a differing opinion. Developing lasting relationships with people of diverse views leads us to engage them as friends, not as foes. Isolation breeds dichotomous thinking."},{"_id":"OMXPLU6M4VE3ZHTQ6LQVSENNYA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":42,"comment":"newsfeeds "}],"comments":[{"date":"2025-02-05T20:28:00.832Z","start":52,"end":62,"text":"two words, per AP","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1738788002167},"type":"text","content":"This is a hard road though. Social media, news feeds and influencers all tend to lead us to conclusions of our own tendency. The nature of algorithms is ever narrowing of original viewpoint, not expanding."},{"_id":"2RFTPMP7C5HWLJKJXW4QJCAVNI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738788002168},"type":"text","content":"If victimhood culture seeks to heighten the extremity of the offense and gain an army of supporters, the dignity culture seeks common ground. As described by <a href=\"https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2007471917300078*:*:text=Dignity*2C*20face*2C*20and*20honor,-Leung*20and*20Cohen&text=In*20dignity*20cultures*2C*20individuals*20are,in*2Dgroup*20harmony*20and*20modesty.__;I34lJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUl!!JZyed81S!hL2GcQzxJQ7aZOYWYXq5Xh2M3F5PDwA9-qD-00nyalAo8a6AnpVn_E_AYmATWzhwlJi3Gq8LTIgZVZkCfQacUQ$\">researchers</a>, in a dignity culture “individuals are construed as relatively equal, with each having a stable and internal sense of worth.”"},{"_id":"TDBJBJE3SVFWRILIFGS2PNYFNY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738788002169},"type":"text","content":"But compromise doesn’t get clicks … or votes."},{"_id":"IM4T6S3R2VDZHHIWCIAZJXCLII","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738788002170},"type":"text","content":"There is a great vilification of anyone who disagrees with someone with a victim mindset, every conflict becomes a conflict of good and evil, right and wrong, between morality and wickedness. An obvious flaw to this logic, all conflict is not based on moral absolutes, in fact most conflict is not. Preserving the dignity of those you are in disagreement with is no longer rewarded or even admired. Compromise is seen as weakness and dog eat dog is the rule of the day — for both parties and political extremes."},{"_id":"WZHG25KOHVFGBOHT6XGUYBXM2E","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738788002171},"type":"text","content":"We can teach our kids that real strength is shown by finding middle ground, and compromise is how we make forward progress in democracy. Real power is not bullying or demanding your own way, rather it is listening and seeking common ground for public good. We’ll see if the 2025 Georgia General Assembly can lean into dignity culture or if they will succumb to the current trend of victimhood culture."},{"_id":"JSBWNOHM5NBENJ3L46AVV5ANP4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"pos":67,"comment":","}],"comments":[],"_id":1738788002172},"type":"text","content":"No matter what though, we must teach our kids to reach out, lean in and move toward others, especially those with which we don’t agree. It’s impossible to see eye to eye if we’re always standing on a soap box."},{"_id":"TP2IHHT7GZGPHHRSFMAIDKB6PQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[{"date":"2025-02-05T20:32:23.392Z","start":0,"end":4,"text":"added tagline info","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}],"_id":1738788002173},"type":"text","content":"<i>Beth Collums is an Atlanta-based writer with a professional background in child and family therapy. She often writes about mental health, relationships and education.</i>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":""},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/education/get-schooled","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Get Schooled","description":null,"_id":"/education/get-schooled","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"subnav_opinion":"/","default":"/","ComposerNav":"/education"},"site":{"site_url":null,"site_keywords":null,"site_about":null,"site_description":null,"site_title":null,"site_tagline":null},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Get Schooled","cohort_desktop_image":null,"cohort":"false","cohort_mobile_image":null},"_admin":{"alias_ids":["/education/get-schooled"]},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Get Schooled","_id":"/education/get-schooled","ancestors":{"subnav_opinion":["/"],"default":[],"ComposerNav":["/education"]},"order":{"subnav_opinion":1002,"ComposerNav":2002}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education/get-schooled","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"},{"path":"/education","parent":{"default":"/"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/","name":"Education","description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","_id":"/education","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/","default":"/","MainMenu2024":"/news","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"School and education news from metro Atlanta and Georgia from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. including Atlanta Georgia schools: Atlanta, Gwinnett County Schools, Cobb County, DeKalb, Fulton, Clayton, Buford, Marietta, Decatur, city of Atlanta schools","site_title":"Atlanta Schools: Education and School News"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"Education"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"Education","_id":"/education","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/news","/"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/"]},"order":{"AmpNav":1027,"default":1077,"MainMenu2024":2005,"SectionMap":1049,"ComposerNav":1003}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./education","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/education/get-schooled","name":"Get Schooled"},"tags":[{"text":"get schooled"},{"text":"teameric"},{"text":"school-news.ajc"},{"text":"georgia education"},{"text":"parenting"}]},"label":{"tease_label":{"display":true,"text":"opinion"},"custom_label":{"display":true,"text":"opinion"}},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"4b7b7be2bfe0bcf2bef43b5789415d5a95f58f8c38130dba7533403280e4a8cd"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"arvin.temkar@ajc.com","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Arvin Temkar","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"Emory University Protesters and Encampment\r","width":3300,"caption":"Pro-Palestine protester Taqi Hasan of Snellville (foreground) demonstrates as supporters of Israel hold a Passover gathering at Ali’s Cookies in Decatur on Thursday, April 25, 2024. Guest author Beth Collums writes that educators must play a role in helping children learn how to find middle ground and compromise to avoid victimhood culture. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"AJC Freelancer","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/3WFKI3DTF3KTK4LWJ2I26DUTE4.JPG","height":2201,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/3WFKI3DTF3KTK4LWJ2I26DUTE4.JPG?auth=4b7b7be2bfe0bcf2bef43b5789415d5a95f58f8c38130dba7533403280e4a8cd&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},"canonical_url":"/education/get-schooled/a-school-culture-war-raging-but-not-what-you-might-guess/OZJDZEXRSRBA3JTSOXZIM2I2PA/","canonical_website":"ajc","display_date":"2025-02-06T10:00:00Z","credits":{"by":[{"org":"","name":"Beth Collums","additional_properties":{"original":{"author_type":""}},"type":"author"}]},"subtype":"Article","headlines":{"basic":"A school culture war rages, but not one you might guess"},"first_publish_date":"2025-02-06T10:00:00Z","last_updated_date":"2025-02-06T10:00:06.662Z","_id":"OZJDZEXRSRBA3JTSOXZIM2I2PA","teaseImageObject":{"auth":{"1":"4b7b7be2bfe0bcf2bef43b5789415d5a95f58f8c38130dba7533403280e4a8cd"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"arvin.temkar@ajc.com","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Arvin Temkar","type":"author"}]},"subtitle":"Emory University Protesters and Encampment\r","width":3300,"caption":"Pro-Palestine protester Taqi Hasan of Snellville (foreground) demonstrates as supporters of Israel hold a Passover gathering at Ali’s Cookies in Decatur on Thursday, April 25, 2024. Guest author Beth Collums writes that educators must play a role in helping children learn how to find middle ground and compromise to avoid victimhood culture. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)","type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"custom","name":"AJC Freelancer","category":"wires"},"url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/3WFKI3DTF3KTK4LWJ2I26DUTE4.JPG","height":2201,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/3WFKI3DTF3KTK4LWJ2I26DUTE4.JPG?auth=4b7b7be2bfe0bcf2bef43b5789415d5a95f58f8c38130dba7533403280e4a8cd&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}}},{"content_elements":[{"_id":"TFXNIT5LENDIJI4LVYUVYZQCEA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738708931136},"type":"text","content":"Not too long after I started working at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, an editor sent a terse note about a column I’d written on voting reforms. “Don’t use the word ‘<a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/politics/how-to-speak-like-a-georgia-legislator/ANOFBQ56AVCYVPZPJFZSLUNHZY/\">reform</a>,’” he wrote."},{"_id":"NKJDH4KEYNBYNP4G5RAYDT6FOU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738708931137},"type":"text","content":"That’s weird, I thought. What else would I call it? But read or listen closely, and you’re unlikely to see the word “reform” in much of the AJC’s politics coverage. Tort reform isn’t “tort reform.” Education reform isn’t “education reform.” And health care reform most definitely isn’t “health care reform.”"},{"_id":"ZN4DBBRA7NA7JNPW5BRFYGUQYA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738708931138},"type":"text","content":"There’s a reason behind the “reform” phobia for journalists, though, and it isn’t about grammar or being politically correct. Instead, it’s through years of experience watching lawmakers and politicians propose changes to a current system and trying to tell you, even without telling you, that it will be better for you in the end."},{"_id":"PJAYCU5XBVCGLKJYLGTMLNKRLY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738708931139},"type":"text","content":"“Reforming” something literally means improving it for the better or rebuilding it. And what could be bad about that? Absolutely nothing, and that’s why reform is probably not the right word for most policy proposals, since nearly all changes result in winners and losers. Before you know which one you are, calling a proposal a reform is just doing the work for the politician trying to convince you it’s a good thing."},{"_id":"QLZYSMNA3VC63MOZMPFDYT735E","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738708931140},"type":"text","content":"The biggest reform going at the Georgia Capitol right now is Gov. Brian Kemp’s <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/politics/kemps-proposal-sets-the-stage-for-a-high-stakes-fight-that-has-divided-the-gold-dome-for-decades/YBMIW2G745GBLKJOUV6ECABGMA/\" target=\"_blank\">“tort reform” proposal</a>. But you <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/news/what-is-tort-reform-and-why-the-ajc-doesnt-call-it-that/2TDFHUAGXBANFOU6FL5LB2R3ZE/\" target=\"_blank\">won’t read about “tort reform” in the AJC</a>. Instead you’ll read about Kemp’s proposed “litigation overhaul,” or “proposed lawsuit limits.”"},{"_id":"XL7Q4F73WFDHJEBUUPD5WWZEMQ","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"2IA6L7DDZRB3TM5XEYOX3GEF4U"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Patricia Murphy: The all-out lobbying blitz behind Gov. Brian Kemp’s ‘tort reform’","url":"https://www.ajc.com/politics/the-all-out-lobbying-blitz-behind-gov-brian-kemps-tort-reform/I7XYTJJNFNGWPDWPYFME7SPSZ4/"},{"owner":{"id":"ajc"},"copyright":"Matthew Pearson/WABE","address":{"locality":"Atlanta ","country_name":"USA","region":"GA"},"auth":{"1":"085408edd8edab693c81e885cf8e7755cc2354b04b64117efccf49eb7661315d"},"caption":"Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp speaks during a news conference pushing for new lawsuit limits on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025 in Atlanta. 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The potential losers, depending on which version of the bill gets passed, could be plaintiffs attorneys and, in some cases, the people who hire them. Getting those “reforms” to balance out for regular Georgians will be the key to the debate this year. But is it a change for the better? You’ll be the judge."},{"_id":"C7QU3JQ33VAO5CHPK6WREWGWJQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738708931142},"type":"text","content":"Recent political history, especially the kind with speechwriters and consultants, is full of examples of “reforms” proposed in Washington that may or may not have turned out to be change for the better."},{"_id":"37URAOX5NJCCBDYJE4X5BS2OQA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738708931143},"type":"text","content":"President George W. Bush was a big “reformer.” After sweeping into office promising to be a “compassionate conservative,” Bush laid out his plans for tax reform, Social Security reform, welfare reform, tort reform and education reform, all <a href=\"https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2002/04/20020430-5.html\">in a single speech</a>."},{"_id":"HHTJ2FECRNCDFHB5ILXVMY3P6A","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738708931144},"type":"text","content":"Bush came after President Bill Clinton’s era of government reform, including campaign finance reform. Clinton also had his <a href=\"https://clintonwhitehouse4.archives.gov/WH/New/other/sotu.html\">own version</a> of welfare reform, which was entirely different from Bush’s welfare reform. Are you seeing the problem?"},{"_id":"NNAXHHCTLNCLLKA2S6PZ3P3LUA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738708931145},"type":"text","content":"Fast forward to the 2008 presidential campaign, and you’ll see Democrats debating among themselves about what “health care reform” means. Then-Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton argued health care reform should require every American to have health insurance, while Sen. Barack Obama’s plan was meant to make health insurance available and affordable, but not required."},{"owner":{"id":"ajc"},"workflow":{"status_code":4},"auth":{"1":"b0ceb7acd6a77ea5b8e23116c4ef84debfda8bd1b629aa37413014646162eb29"},"caption":"In this Thursday, Oct. 28, 1993 file photo, first lady Hillary Clinton, holds a copy of the Clinton health care plan as she kicks off a campaign at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md. 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Years later, when Republicans promised health care reforms of their own, they mostly meant they’d repeal the reforms the Democrats had just enacted."},{"_id":"TIMWFYT2PJCA3NIC6ZYHI6EB4E","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738708931147},"type":"text","content":"Like Bush, President Joe Biden was big into the idea of reforming things, too. Earlier in his Senate career, Biden championed criminal justice reforms under the 1994 Crime Bill, which significantly toughened penalties for drug offenses. Later, as president, Biden’s revamped “criminal justice reforms” proposed to do just the opposite."},{"_id":"Z6GIZZXYYBAALJ6WEPYCJRUEIM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738708931148},"type":"text","content":"During his four years in office, Biden also proposed a new round of Social Security reform, ethics reforms for the Supreme Court, gun safety reforms, tax reform and comprehensive immigration reform. Biden also had a fondness for “commissions,” and proposed several to study possible reforms."},{"_id":"JXME6EKC6ZFO7N35ICMT4DF4YM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738708931149},"type":"text","content":"One politician who rarely uses the word “reform” is President Donald Trump, and it’s instructive to see not just why he doesn’t talk about reforms — but also how that’s worked out for him."},{"_id":"J4JHZ42TIVEL5BQQQVFBSRGMK4","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"TOQP6EVVQ5B43BLURJJEXUQCWE"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"Patricia Murphy: Welcome to Trump 2.0 — Immigration arrests, funding freezes, chaos all around","url":"https://www.ajc.com/politics/opinion-welcome-to-trump-20-immigration-arrests-funding-freezes-chaos-all-around/OXZ4CJ6EHVGKJLDSRS4O4ZZWRA/"},{"_id":"YVHDG7MC6JCE7DDVGG73SCOHLQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738708931150},"type":"text","content":"“Reforming” something would mean that Trump was planning to change the current government systems in America for the better. But as we’ve learned, especially in the last two weeks, Trump isn’t in office to change the system. He’s there, by his own description, to destroy it. And that’s exactly what his most devoted base of supporters sent him to do."},{"_id":"XJPDNDIIHVEC7EZKQTJYKV7AKQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738708931151},"type":"text","content":"Trump never used the word “reform” in his <a href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/19/us/politics/trump-rnc-speech-transcript.html\">convention speech</a> over the summer, nor in his <a href=\"https://au.usembassy.gov/the-inaugural-address/\">inaugural address</a> last month. He spoke for an hour and a half at his <a href=\"https://www.rev.com/transcripts/trump-rally-in-georgia\">September rally in Savannah</a>, for example, and never promised to reform anything."},{"_id":"UOJSFOV4DNFAXJNYTKO7MXDMLE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738755118360},"type":"text","content":"Instead of tax reform and energy reform, he told his rally, “We’re sitting on trillions and trillions of dollars under our feet. Let’s use that to make America rich again. Is that OK? We’ll pay off the debt. We’ll reduce your taxes. It’ll be a beautiful thing.”"},{"_id":"7D6PGOWPJJBYTG2Q6CPCUAZ7BU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738708931153},"type":"text","content":"And instead of talking about “immigration reform” this fall in <a href=\"https://www.c-span.org/program/campaign-2024/former-president-trump-speaks-at-turning-point-action-rally-in-duluth-georgia/650024\">Gwinnett County</a>, he said this: “We will stop illegal immigration once and for all. It will be ended. We will not be invaded. We will not be occupied, we will not be conquered.”"},{"_id":"J6WW27HQK5CLRDSYEP77CASKFI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738708931154},"type":"text","content":"Much of what Trump said during the campaign was exaggerated. Some of it was untrue. A lot even offended people, who voted for him anyway because they felt like they knew what they were getting with another four years of Trump."},{"_id":"7VASFMJM4VGSRPOYZWBQJ22MYA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738708931155},"type":"text","content":"If there’s any reform we could all get behind, it should probably be ditching the word “reform,” because it turns out that the one politician who never says “reform” is the same one in the process of changing almost everything."},{"_id":"CESVYGKAXVGJHDK5E7PHFQUMT4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[],"_id":1738708931156},"type":"text","content":"<br/>"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":"There’s a reason why journalists steer clear of the word and it has nothing to do with grammar or political correctness"},"description":{"basic":"We’ve learned Donald Trump isn’t in office to change the system. 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That conversation can get emotional because no opinion is more self-assured than of one parent judging the actions of another."},{"syndication":{"search":true},"subheadlines":{"basic":"Brittany Patterson’s youngest son had walked less than a mile from their home toward Mineral Bluff before the mom was arrested for reckless conduct by a Fannin County sheriff's deputy and taken to jail."},"description":{"basic":"Brittany Patterson’s youngest son had walked less than a mile from their home toward Mineral Bluff before the mom was arrested for reckless 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mom arrested after son found walking alone near home","basic":"Mom arrested after son found walking alone near home"},"websites":{"ajc":{"website_url":"/news/video/georgia-mom-arrested-after-son-found-walking-alone-near-home/5f600a00-e6a0-403c-855f-e7d973183c72/","website_section":{"path":"/news/video","_website":"ajc","name":"Videos","_id":"/news/video","type":"section","version":"0.6.0","primary":true}}},"_id":"5f600a00-e6a0-403c-855f-e7d973183c72","created_date":"2024-11-20T19:43:26Z","publish_date":"2024-11-20T21:32:55Z"},{"_id":"PDCMBJCJBJGZPGKFRGG6DT4S7Q","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"Last fall, a North Georgia <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta-news/her-son-walked-less-than-a-mile-from-home-she-was-arrested-hours-later/GTBT7743WFD3LBPTDDDQOEIG3M/\" target=\"_blank\">woman named Brittany Patterson</a> was handcuffed at her home and <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/columnists/torpy-bubble-wrapping-kids-even-in-hard-scrabble-north-georgia/VS6PV7VKANCTTDV5NFYVEGZSHU/\" target=\"_blank\">carted off to jail on reckless conduct charges</a>. Earlier in the day, her son, Soren, who was just shy of 11, had walked into the town of Mineral Bluff, about a mile away. A lady in town noticed the lad hoofing it along a two-lane road and called the Fannin County Sheriff’s Office."},{"_id":"A2WA3KQ3RRAN5FWC5LT2K6E6ZA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"Outrage over the arrest gave the case a national profile, with many parents feeling they, too, could get dragged in for letting Lil’ Johnny walk to the 7-Eleven."},{"_id":"QOILFWXWPZF5PHE3THQDRTUDY4","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"LQBIASYUW5B2FO6DPIPECHO4OY"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"TORPY: Lawsuit alleges more than dirt covers up a Piedmont Park sinkhole","url":"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/columnists/opinion-lawsuit-alleges-more-than-dirt-covers-up-a-piedmont-park-sinkhole/SMHQWFP5NND2ZHO3DQB3BBEVQA/"},{"_id":"RZPODDBS65A3RBEXC3BWKJUBME","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"date":"","replies":[],"pos":62,"comment":"legislature ","type":"insert","user":"","email":""}],"comments":[{"date":"2025-02-04T23:27:47.388Z","replies":[],"start":74,"end":85,"text":"capitalize when referring to specific state's legislature even when state's name is dropped, per AP","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}]},"type":"text","content":"Now there are two bills being introduced at the Georgia state Legislature, both aiming to protect parents from the long-arm of the law if their kids are caught out there free-ranging."},{"_id":"WHIP3YFMOVHZRHQCZPFNIBDS3M","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"One, from a national group <a href=\"https://letgrow.org/\" target=\"_blank\">called Let Grow</a>, is sort of a “childhood independence” bill that advises authorities not to assume children wandering about are <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/news/local/torpy-large-stranger-danger-always-lurking-only-media-shadows/5271qouHFXuLHe8vwBYB8M/\" target=\"_blank\">automatically in danger of abduction</a>. The bill says authorities shouldn’t swoop up children engaged in “independent activities” like playing outside or walking somewhere if their parents think they can handle that activity."},{"_id":"2XWI57AP5VAE7ACUJOULMXEVKI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"Lenore Skenazy, one of the founders of the group, and someone <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/news/local/bubble-wrapped-kids-search-safe-space/vJoQWBHyClgkSVeNdOyYTJ/\" target=\"_blank\">I’ve quoted several times</a>, has long advocated for parents to get out of their kids’ way, let them go out and play, skin their knees and learn how to deal with other human beings."},{"_id":"H2X3X5XNKNFEFIX7VHE33SADMA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"“Generally, parents know their kids better than some person on the street; that other person doesn’t know the child’s maturity or the parent’s situation,” she told me."},{"owner":{"sponsored":false,"id":"ajc"},"address":{},"syndication":{},"auth":{"1":"ad90f55193286cc8a158f545192708e618978d3caa377bafa3dab936e87163cb"},"vanity_credits":{},"caption":"Brittany Patterson and her son, Soren, enjoy some quality time together outside their home near Blue Ridge. She was arrested at her home by Fannin County deputies after Soren, now 11, walked by himself to a store about a mile away. (Bill Torpy/AJC)","source":{"system":"photo center","name":"AJC","edit_url":"","source_type":"staff","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"taxonomy":{"associated_tasks":[]},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/CXLW7KDPNBFS7LPK3MX757IYLQ.jpg","licensable":false,"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Bill Torpy","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Bill Torpy","type":"author","byline":"Bill Torpy"}]},"subtitle":"Brittany Patterson","width":4032,"creditIPTC":"Bill Torpy","_id":"CXLW7KDPNBFS7LPK3MX757IYLQ","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/Z3fMgW02xZPySoVrvwAykvFbuss=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/CXLW7KDPNBFS7LPK3MX757IYLQ.jpg","owner":"william.torpy@ajc.com","comments":[],"keywords":[],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/Z3fMgW02xZPySoVrvwAykvFbuss=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/CXLW7KDPNBFS7LPK3MX757IYLQ.jpg","link":"","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/CXLW7KDPNBFS7LPK3MX757IYLQ.jpg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/Z3fMgW02xZPySoVrvwAykvFbuss=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/CXLW7KDPNBFS7LPK3MX757IYLQ.jpg","ingestionMethod":"manual","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/PaeIVCTwEfPT59nTKeSmo4UqSTE=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/CXLW7KDPNBFS7LPK3MX757IYLQ.jpg","version":0,"originalName":"mom swing.jpg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"template_id":594,"galleries":[],"_id":"NDEUEQ5JQZHETBV4ONQ6XKDTS4"},"created_date":"2024-11-19T22:26:21Z","last_updated_date":"2024-11-19T22:26:21Z","height":3024,"image_type":"photograph","resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/CXLW7KDPNBFS7LPK3MX757IYLQ.jpg?auth=ad90f55193286cc8a158f545192708e618978d3caa377bafa3dab936e87163cb&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"S2OJTFOOAFHMNH4R5JAAUVV5SA","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"“There’s this new idea that a child is in danger every second that they’re not Velcroed to a parent,” Skenazy said. “If the parent can’t tell where the kid is, then he’s in the trunk of a car.”"},{"_id":"KYGXV2FUFJCW3NWPFUFN5EMUOM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"And society has churned those fears."},{"_id":"RBEAU545YJHIJPINHTXBQAGYCE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"“We’ve been told: ‘See something, say something,’“ she said. “But we don’t know what that something is.”"},{"_id":"P4YUR26GDBGXNMAOVFVCLFR5HI","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"So, just call the cops."},{"_id":"4WHHDAA22ZE7NIWQF6HJHJV7SE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"State Sen. Jason Anavitarte, a Republican from Dallas, said he will introduce the bill this week."},{"_id":"FDV6DOYYMFHPTMSYDRVCM4D2JE","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"MRUC4HGADVGMBME6VGHMG3ZC3I"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"TORPY: A $32.5M ‘oops’ leads to death that might cost all Georgia cities","url":"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/columnists/torpy-a-325m-oops-leads-to-death-that-might-cost-all-georgia-cities/VZBPDTK3BVHURKP43JC763Q2MM/"},{"_id":"J5QG7DDDKRGIPJE4236RSTNKFE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"The other bill is being pushed by David DeLugas, a metro Atlanta lawyer who <a href=\"https://parentsusa.org/\" target=\"_blank\">heads up ParentsUSA </a>and represents Brittany Patterson. He said the criminal case is in limbo. Fannin County prosecutors haven’t moved forward since her arrest, he said. Nor have they dropped the charges."},{"_id":"W4BXZBQDZJDDTDZCRUGIRQ4CJM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"DeLugas said his bill has “more teeth” than Let Grow’s. It lists three questions a 911 operator should ask if they get a call about a “neglected” kid."},{"_id":"7DXWGLNWVVFOXM3ZEM4B6BT4GM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"Does the kid appear to be hurt? Is the child in distress? Is there an identifiable risk or harm?"},{"_id":"O7HXU56BP5E7BHWBQSPKYXMU5Y","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"“If the answers are ‘no, no and no’ then don’t bother the kids,” DeLugas said. “I want law enforcement to be trained that if there’s nothing to see here, then there’s nothing to do.”"},{"_id":"L52UG4VGGJAV5F2VTDZWTKOLDM","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"The proposed legislation would also lift liability from law enforcement if they didn’t act and something happened to the kid."},{"owner":{"id":"ajc"},"workflow":{"status_code":4},"auth":{"1":"18769aeb4f4d77f19d135ee34f74f7da58938fd6f647b8fdc4685e4da076e6d0"},"vanity_credits":{},"caption":"Children play on the playground at Dobbs Elementary School in Atlanta on Wednesday, May 1, 2019. Research has shown that a decline in unstructured “independent” play has made children more anxious and depressed. (AJC File)","source":{"system":"Methode","source_type":"other","source_id":"d7fd4096-6dd7-11e9-9f94-aa70745b0fcc","additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"}},"type":"image","distributor":{"mode":"reference","reference_id":"8aec2b8c-455c-4816-903d-79fc8fdf8019"},"version":"0.10.9","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/YQNBRZH3V7AP7ACQA4P57GKPDE.jpg","licensable":false,"display_date":"2019-05-06T11:00:00Z","credits":{},"subtitle":"Atlanta schools to expand public access to playgrounds","width":2048,"first_publish_date":"2019-05-06T11:00:00Z","_id":"YQNBRZH3V7AP7ACQA4P57GKPDE","additional_properties":{"fullSizeResizeUrl":"/resizer/h2ma_48qlLxk0ZUOvhK_7SZqTYY=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/YQNBRZH3V7AP7ACQA4P57GKPDE.jpg","comments":[],"proxyUrl":"/resizer/h2ma_48qlLxk0ZUOvhK_7SZqTYY=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/YQNBRZH3V7AP7ACQA4P57GKPDE.jpg","link":"","takenOn":"2019-05-06T11:00:00Z","originalUrl":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ajc/YQNBRZH3V7AP7ACQA4P57GKPDE.jpg","published":true,"resizeUrl":"/resizer/h2ma_48qlLxk0ZUOvhK_7SZqTYY=/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/YQNBRZH3V7AP7ACQA4P57GKPDE.jpg","thumbnailResizeUrl":"/resizer/rEt_6aRijLe9AVhgQM-cqSHZx-8=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-ajc/public/YQNBRZH3V7AP7ACQA4P57GKPDE.jpg","version":0,"originalName":"https://www.ajc.com//rw/Pub/p10/AJC/2019/05/06/Images/newsEngin.24134724_050219-APS-parks-eh01.jpg","mime_type":"image/jpeg","restricted":false,"galleries":[],"_id":"ZUUGBJZ7MRENDMGX5PMTK6E6OI","publicationStartDate":"2019-05-06T11:00:00Z"},"created_date":"2020-06-27T15:24:17Z","last_updated_date":"2020-06-27T15:24:17Z","publish_date":"2019-05-06T11:00:00Z","height":1134,"resized_obj":{"src":"https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/YQNBRZH3V7AP7ACQA4P57GKPDE.jpg?auth=18769aeb4f4d77f19d135ee34f74f7da58938fd6f647b8fdc4685e4da076e6d0&width=1260&height=840&smart=true"}},{"_id":"2WJPOMFHG5E35EQ3YJ3POGIXNU","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[{"date":"2025-02-04T23:36:30.524Z","replies":[],"start":0,"end":4,"text":"reworked cutline above to better align with column","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}]},"type":"text","content":"Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver, a longtime Democratic legislator who is not part of either legislation, worries DeLugas’ bill “could create barriers to proper investigation.” She said school officials and child care workers are able to determine abuse or neglect when kids are enrolled in schools."},{"_id":"SBMBSLJS4RGJRL37RZ4UIXBXY4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"date":"","replies":[],"pos":106,"comment":"to ","type":"insert","user":"","email":""}],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"She said a small percentage of parents are using “home schooling” as a way to have their neglect or abuse go undetected. And such a bill might help those trying to avoid such oversight."},{"_id":"6Q6M6GV5HRHYTGRS254NBEE5YQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"“In terms of the issue of child welfare, meddling<i> </i>in families is not the highest issue,” Oliver said."},{"_id":"64Z2C52VG5DALDBJNJX3UHPZ6I","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"Tom Rawlings, the former director of the Division of Family and Children Services, has looked over DeLugas’ bill and largely agrees with it."},{"_id":"YC7M7XUNS5CAZABPLO6FJHZRDE","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"“We’ve set up a bureaucratic system to protect children with law enforcement and DFACS but sometimes that system can misfire,” he told me."},{"_id":"REIQ3AQXRZBUXOSZW3LYPDJHSY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"“A parent who reasonably believes a child can do things should not be charged with a crime and brought before child protective services,” Rawlings said. “It’s better that we clarify what we mean by ‘reasonable childhood independence.’”"},{"_id":"5452W5DSUZC7TNFEUJIMTXKB5U","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"And, as he put it, “reasonable parental decisions.”"},{"_id":"T2PHJLP2BJCHVCA2M7A37NJZYI","additional_properties":{"comments":[],"_id":"PZ4C6JL6X5EGVMB2YNGLKUCD6A"},"type":"interstitial_link","content":"TORPY: DeKalb sewer woes, a stinky saga that’s played through the decades","url":"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/columnists/torpy-dekalb-sewer-woes-a-stinky-saga-thats-played-through-the-decades/PXHUV3DS2BBN7H6V7WXOMN6PZU/"},{"_id":"LBNIXBFMKFCH5CNHBN5WDN66KY","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[{"date":"","replies":[],"pos":212,"comment":"smart phones ","type":"insert","user":"","email":""}],"comments":[{"date":"2025-02-04T23:35:05.487Z","replies":[],"start":225,"end":236,"text":"one word, per AP","user":"Amanda DeArmon","email":"Amanda.DeArmon@ajc.com"}]},"type":"text","content":"Research has shown that a decline in unstructured “independent” play — that is, opening the doors and telling kids to “Go outside!” — <a href=\"https://www.ajc.com/opinion/columnists/opinion-all-work-and-no-play-makes-jack-an-anxious-kid/QE7UXDW35NBMNABOTFWCO57QQE/\" target=\"_blank\">has made children more anxious and depressed.</a> That also fits with the rise of smartphones and increasing online activity. But that’s another story."},{"_id":"B3VEMTZ4NFB6LN7CBCB223VBO4","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"“We need to allow children to learn how to make mistakes and learn from them,” Rawlings said. “Everything is a balancing act. But in 95% of the cases, the parents are the best ones to figure out that balance.”"},{"_id":"A5C7VZZPYRHB5DESU6XCRTVL6A","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"He went on: “Technology is a golden handcuff. It allows parents to track children. But is that really great for the child to have a parent know where they are all the time?”"},{"_id":"LYJLMIWWYZEO7MSLV45G4LGWEQ","additional_properties":{"inline_comments":[],"comments":[]},"type":"text","content":"I think the answer he was looking for was “No.”"}],"subheadlines":{"basic":""},"description":{"basic":"Two bills introduced at the Georgia state legislature aim to protect parents from the long-arm of the law if their kids are caught out there free-ranging."},"taxonomy":{"sections":[{"path":"/opinion/columnists","parent":{"default":"/opinion"},"_website":"ajc","parent_id":"/opinion","name":"AJC Columnists","description":"Articles by columnists from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","_id":"/opinion/columnists","additional_properties":{"original":{"parent":{"AmpNav":"/opinion","default":"/opinion","MainMenu2024":"/opinion","BottomNav":null,"TopNavRedesign":null,"SectionMap":"/","MainMenuRedesign2021":null,"TopNav":null,"ComposerNav":"/opinion"},"site":{"section_comments_enabled":"Yes","site_description":"Articles by columnists from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","site_title":"AJC Columnists"},"navigation":{"nav_title":"AJC Columnists"},"inactive":false,"node_type":"section","_website":"ajc","name":"AJC Columnists","_id":"/opinion/columnists","ancestors":{"MainMenu2024":["/","/opinion"],"TopNavRedesign":[],"SectionMap":["/"],"MainMenuRedesign2021":[],"TopNav":[],"ComposerNav":["/opinion"]},"order":{"MainMenu2024":2002,"SectionMap":1074,"ComposerNav":2003}}},"_website_section_id":"ajc./opinion/columnists","type":"section","version":"0.6.0"}],"primary_section":{"path":"/opinion/columnists","name":"AJC Columnists"},"tags":[{"text":"torpy at large"},{"text":"atlanta-news-metro.ajc"},{"text":"torpy-rss"},{"text":"teamdan"},{"text":"localnews.ajc"},{"text":"local government"},{"text":"video-lro-test"}]},"label":{"custom_label":{"display":true,"text":"ONLY ON AJC: TORPY AT LARGE"}},"related_content":{"redirect":[],"basic":[]},"type":"story","promo_items":{"basic":{"auth":{"1":"d4ec0f074e149858cb002f334863d2c9da9bb67fc921fa8842d7e1c761175e80"},"credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Fannin County","type":"author"}],"by":[{"name":"Fannin County","type":"author","byline":"Fannin County"}]},"subtitle":"Brittany Patterson","width":1414,"caption":"Brittany Patterson is arrested at her home by Fannin County deputies after her almost 11-year-old son, Soren, walked by himself to a store about a mile away. 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