Welcome to my freemium newsletter by me, King Williams. A documentary filmmaker, journalist, podcast host, and author based in Atlanta, Georgia. This is a newsletter covering the hidden connections of Atlanta to everything else. For my dad, stay strong! I love you!
It’s been a minute, but I’m back. So much has happened in Atlanta, and the world at large, that I’m taking the next few days to catch us up on what has been happening.
Also, obviously, the Supreme Court's recent series of decisions is a topic of conversation. I promise we’re going to dive into those decisions but I want to make sure I get it right first.
Red Clay News:
1. Rudy Guiliani subpoenaed by a Fulton County grand jury
Former New York City mayor and former lawyer for President Trump, Rudy Guiliani has been subpoenaed by a Fulton County jury over his role in the attempt to overturn the 2020 election. This comes as DA Fani Willis is still conducting an ongoing investigation of the 2020 election. Willis’s office today has sent out ‘target letters’ to several persons of interest in Georgia who may have been involved in attempting to overthrow the election. Willis’s office is still considering whether or not to call in former President Trump to testify regarding his role in the 2020 election.
2. The Georgia Guidestones have been destroyed
The Georgia Guidestones, described as ‘America’s Stonehenge’ has been destroyed in what appears to be a detonation by someone caught on surveillance video.
Georgia’s Guidestones were erected in 1980 (not centuries ago) in Elbert County, near the Georga-South Carolina border in the northeast corner of the state. The Guidestones were erected by a local vendor who said he had been approached by a man under the pseudonym of R.C. Christian working for an anonymous group with the help of local man Wyatt Martin. Martin states that he knows the real R.C. Christian is but will not disclose it.
The unveiling of the Guidestones was secret, as the 1980 unveiling was covered by News Channel 4 WYFF, which has video of the event as well as a 1991 follow-up story, highlighting just how far conspiracies had begun to affect the town. Since the Guidestones were built, they have been a part of conspiracies, but have grown in prominence during the Trump era, coinciding with the rise of QAnon.
But the biggest national prominence comes from former 2022 Georgia Gubernatorial candidate Kandiss Taylor. Taylor as a part of her campaign stated she would like the ‘demonic’ stones to be destroyed. Taylor drew even more attention for her campaign slogan of ‘Jesus-Guns-Babies’, her very off-kilter tweets, and campaign videos.
The Guidestones have been a part of Taylor’s campaign, which garnered national attention. The Guidestones have reached international attention courtesy of HBO’s series Last Week Tonight with John Oliver which aired a special episode on both Taylor and the Guidestones. This increased notoriety may have been one of the reasons the Guidestones were destroyed by an anonymous individual. But they may be back.
3. Two high-profile murder convictions overturned
The Georgia Supreme Court has overturned the hot-car murder conviction of Justin Ross Harris. The State Supreme Court also overturned the murder conviction of Tex McIver, who in 2020 blamed the Black Lives Matter protests as cause for murdering his wife in their car during the summer protests.
While in the case of Justin Ross Harris, the Georgia State Supreme Court rules that Ross was not given a fair trial. It is still to be determined if Ross or McIver stand trial again.
4. Chattahoochee Brick Company will become a city park
In a significant win for historic preservation, the Chattahoochee Brick Company, a Jim Crow-era business specializing in convict leasing of African American men and women will now become a city park. The park will be the latest in a growing number of park spaces coming along the westside of Atlanta. The immediate location of the Chattahoochee River, which will soon be making its own massive redevelopment in the coming years will now have a dedicated park to anchor the upcoming projects.
The location of the site on the westside is a hot market as the neighboring real estate creations of ‘west midtown’ and the neighboring ‘upper westside’, bodes well for those looking to maintain history in the city. The park could also be an example for meeting new residential needs as well as meeting historic preservation standards. Standards that could be used as a guide for the still TBD Atlanta Prison Farm park conversion in southwest DeKalb/East Atlanta at the controversial ‘Cop City’ site.
For more on the history of convict leasing and Chattoohooche Brick, check the conversation below.
5. Jason Dozier introduces legislation to regulate parking decks in Midtown and Buckhead
Atlanta City Councilman Jason Dozier has introduced legislation to improve land use for parking decks in Midtown and Buckhead. The legislation aims to make better land use in the two most expensive and economically viable portions of the city. Dozier in the Twitter thread below outlines his rationale for pushing this legislation now.
Should Dozier’s bill be put to work, it could lead to more economic growth in both areas. By removing the need for parking lots, the available land that is typically used for large parking decks could be used for other things including more businesses, office buildings, or residential developments. As in the US, we are over-parked at a ratio of eight available spaces for every one vehicle.
The move also is the first in a move toward better land use practices as cities across the world are moving to remove parking minimums as well as usher in newer types of parking-centered developments. This isn’t a new idea as the Atlanta City Design commission has also recommended this effort as well.
For more on Dozier, I would refer back to my 2021 interview with him. You can listen here Substack and also on Spotify.
Other red clay news:
Invest Atlanta has opened up its new business recovery loan program.
The Village MicroFund has opened up applications for its fellowship program.
UGA’s Dr. Marshall Shepherd has been named SEC professor of the year.
Governor Kemp has extended the gas tax break until August 13th.
Athens-Clarke County commissioners are pushing a resolution to protect abortion rights.
Old Fourth Ward’s Guaranteed Income pilot has enrolled its first cohort.
The GBI is investigating a fatal Marietta police shooting in May of this year.
SCAD Savannah has removed a sign in front of the building named after Clarence Thomas.
Two Confederate statues have been removed in Macon.
Two dozen employees of Exchange Park splash pad in Decatur are claiming the county has not paid them in weeks.
Buckhead’s new police precinct has opened.
The Georgia State Patrol is now adding Chevy Camaros to its fleet in an effort to keep up with a faster generation of vehicles.
The Georgia State Supreme Court has also disbarred Rockdale County Commissioner, lawyer Sherri Washington after not properly representing three of her clients in 2017.
Georgia Gwinnett College has reached an $800,000 free speech settlement with several conservative Christian students who’ve claimed to be silenced by the university after complaints from other students on campus.
The Braves winning continues as the team is now on pace to surpass 3 million guests for the first time since the 2000 regular season.
DeKalb Board of Education approved a $257 million dollar maintenance plan.
Georgia Power proposes a 12% increase in billing over the next three years.
National News:
1. The Supreme Court will also take up a case in North Carolina, that could further undo The Voting Rights Act
The Supreme Court has agreed to take up a North Carolina gerrymandering case that could set a new national precedent for undoing voting rights. The case was struck down in February of this year on the grounds that it diluted Black voting power.
In the case of Moore v. Harper, this could do away with the need for state and local governments to follow the voting outcomes if they chose to do so. Several states such as Georgia, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Arizona which will all be in very tight midterm elections, could spell a problem for the Democrats in November. As well as further eroding of democracy at large under the supermajority, GOP-led Supreme Court.
Other national news:
Brett Kavanaugh was harassed by protestors at a DC-area steakhouse, then the steakhouse sided with Kavanaugh.
Derek Chauvin gets 21 years for violating George Floyd’s civil rights
Over 1 million people have switched from Democrats to Republicans in 2022.
A male Rhode Island GOP state Senate candidate punched his female Democratic opponent at an abortion rights rally.
The Department of Education has agreed to settle $6 billion dollars in student debt for 200,000 borrowers of some for-profit colleges.
Dartmouth is eliminating student loans for its undergraduate students.
A former Tesla worker rejects a $15 million dollar payout in a racial discrimination suit after a judge reduced his payout from its initial award of $137 million. While fifteen more Black Tesla employees are filing lawsuits.
The US Justice Department is opening a civil rights investigation into the Louisana State Police after increasing instances of police brutality.
The state of Florida is charging a 10-year-old with murder after she shot a woman who was fighting her mother outside of an apartment complex.
Wisconsin has banned the use of dropboxes for voting.
International News:
1. More Leftist leaders are being elected in South America
After Chile elected a new leftist-leaning president in December, the country is seeking to adopt a more Left-leaning constitution. For Chile, the constitution is the first big test of the new presidency alongside inflation and rising gas prices. Leftist governments are on the rise in South America as now Colombia has now done the same joining Honduras and Peru, who have also done the same recently. In the case of Colombia, the new Vice President is the first Afro-Colombian in the country’s history.
This sweep of leftist candidates has prompted many in the west, especially those invested in global trade or with pro-capitalist leanings to be alarmed. This has also been accompanied by a barrage of negative news and opinions in the US and Europe. This is prompting a question about another potential series of US-led interventions in the region.
Other international news:
Germany is abandoning nuclear power for coal as the country is claiming nuclear energy to be dangerous, alarming critics, and is looking to be all renewable sources of energy after 2030.
China is planning an ambitious effort to review every comment before posting it on social media to clamp down on potential dissent.
After several murders of local priests, a Catholic bishop is seeking a pact with narcos members to avoid more violence in Mexico.
President Biden has stated that the US will pledge $200 billion of an overall $600 billion dollar plan to invest in long-term goals of climate change, healthcare, and infrastructure.
The Netherlands is taking steps to make working from home a legal right.