MARTA CEO Jeffrey Parker has died
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.
-Everyone is going through something, whether or not they tell you.
-If you or anyone you know is contemplating suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
-For access to services and immediate crisis help, call the Georgia Crisis & Access Line (GCAL) at 1-800-715-4225, available 24/7.
MARTA CEO Jeffrey Parker has died
In tragic news, MARTA CEO Jeffrey Parker has died. Parker died yesterday after a successful suicide attempt at the East Lake MARTA Station last evening. Details are still being withheld out of respect for the family, as well as completion by the DeKalb County Medical Examiner’s Office is complete. But MARTA has released a statement confirming the news this morning. There is no current motive for the action.
MARTA first tweeted out of disruption to service at 10:39pm, yesterday evening followed by another confirming an emergency at 11:27pm, and confirmed via public statement at 8:47am according to the Saporta Report, then through the former Twitter handle of Parker’s @CEOMARTA at 9:11am on today.
Parker dedicated his life to mass transit
Parker, a lifelong public transit advocate had dedicated 37 years of his life to public transit endeavors. Parker became CEO in the spring of 2018 after the departure of then-CEO Keith Parker (no relation) who departed to become the CEO of Goodwill of North Georgia. Parker’s initial 5-year contract was given a three-year contract extension in November of 2020, which was supposed to keep him as the head of MARTA until 2026. Parker prior to taking the CEO position unanimously in 2018 had a previous stint with MARTA from 2005-08 as the Senior Director of Transit Operations before departing in 2008 to become Commissioner at the Connecticut Department of Transportation.
Parker was the right CEO for the job
Parker was a lifelong transit advocate working within public transit, transit advocacy, and the private sector. Parker’s tenure is best remarked for maintaining the positive connotations with MARTA from both riders and supporters that started in the previous tenure. Parker wasn’t afraid of ambitions, as he asked for state leaders to get behind an ambitious $100 billion dollar, super-regional transit plan back at the State of MARTA address back in 2019. You can see Parker’s presentation on the idea below (21:33).
From my 1/14/2019 Saporta Report article:
By 2050 Atlanta is expected to be the sixth largest metropolitan area in the United States. This 49 percent population increase would put Atlanta behind only New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston and Chicago metro areas.
But this isn’t just limited to Atlanta. The United Nations projects that 68 percent of the entire globe’s population will be in cities by 2050. Also, the United States is projected to have a more than 40 percent increase in population by 2050 – reaching nearly 440 million.
Now $100 billion seems like a much more pressing priority for a future that will be reliant on a plethora of mass transit options.
As my colleague Maggie Lee broke it down, this equates to $2.5 billion per year for 40 years. This is compared to other large metros such as Los Angeles, which will be spending $120 billion on transit over 40 years, Seattle at $54 billion over 25 years, and the Washington DC metro area potentially allocating a whopping $500 billion in transit projects over 20 years.
In addition to seeking big swings at expanding the agency. Parker advocated for true regional expansion of MARTA into Gwinett County as well as train access into Clayton, including a 10-year agreement.
Parker’s era dealt with massive challenges outside of MARTA’s control
Parker’s ambitions came on an upswing in MARTA that would face some serious uphill challenges. The first was the Republican-led (Brandon Beach GA-21) and appointed the Atlanta Transit Link Authority, aka The ATL, a regional transit initiative that started in late 2018. The ATL then seemed like a long-term play to outright replace MARTA, on the terms of the backers of those not interested in MARTA. The second is the moving of the Gwinnett County vote on MARTA expansion from November 2018 to March 2019, resulting in a loss. Then again in 2020. Then in 2020, the pandemic hit the agency hard as ridership plummeted, as well as a decrease in much-needed revenues. This loss added to hardship as the agency made very contentious cuts to service as a result of revenue loss.
MARTA is not supported financially by the state of Georgia, it relies on ridership revenues, in addition to a special tax that is paid by residents of the city of Atlanta, Fulton County, DeKalb County, and Clayton County. The agency can also make money by monetizing its vehicles and train stations. This is an uncommon scenario but is a result of several racist anti-public transit initiatives and legislation that emerged in the 1960s/70s as MARTA was being founded.
Additionally, MARTA back in 2020 announced that the agency would not have to lay off workers due to $298 million in federal funds from the Trump administration. Despite this, staffing issues have persisted, resulting in shortages on top of a 50% decrease in ridership since the pandemic began. Which has included all bus services being moved to a Saturday schedule in mid-December. This move saw 96 of its 113 routes switch to that schedule on top of the previous re-routes.
The future of MARTA and mass transit
Parker in his final State of MARTA address a few days ago announced that the agency maintained a balanced budget.
This was followed by the announcement of several key updates including a $180 million dollar update of Five Points Station.
This was alongside a $300 million dollar update to the additional 38 MARTA train stations, a new last-mile partnership with Uber/Lyft, and the announcement of 250 new CQ400 trains from railroad train manufacturer Stadler in a deal announced in 2019. The deal will see MARTA replacing its current 40-year old trains beginning in 2023, with all new trains systemwide by 2028. This is on top of a $923 million dollar aid package given to the state of Georgia for regional transit by the Biden administration due to the passing of the Dems infrastructure bill.
Parker’s temporary replacement
MARTA Board members Jim Durrett and Robbie Ashe have both stated that Parker was not under consideration to be fired from the job according to the Saporta Report. The board also held an emergency meeting this afternoon regarding the passing as well as naming Collie Greenwood as the interim General Manager of MARTA. Greenwood has spent over 30 years with the Toronto Transit Commission prior to joining MARTA in 2019 as Chief of Bus Operations and Urban Planning, before moving to Deputy General Manager of Operations and Planning in 2021.
Parker’s death is still a shock to all
The announcement of Parker’s death has been a shock to the community of transit advocates, coworkers, political officials, and Atlantans at large. Mayor Andre Dickens has released a statement, alongside Governor Brian Kemp, House Speaker David Ralston, US Congressman David Scott, US Congresswoman Nikema Williams, DeKalb County Commissioner Lorraine Cochran-Johnson, State House member Bee Nguyen, and State Senator Jen Jordan to name a few. Several major transit groups including the American Public Transit Association (APTA), Amalgamated Transit Union, the Georgia Conservancy, The Atlanta Beltline, and The Atlanta Regional Commission have all released statements of condolences.
Suicide is a lot to deal with
Parker’s death is unexpected and tragic. There is no right or wrong way to process an unexpected death. Suicide is a silent epidemic and often we’re not equipped to handle it. Suicide was as of 2019 the tenth leading cause of death in the US, since the start of the pandemic it’s actually been a decline in 2020, but it’s complicated.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, with verification from the CDC from 2019:
Suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the U.S. One person dies by suicide about every 11 minutes. It is the second leading cause of death among people ages 10 to 34, the fourth leading cause of death among people ages 34 to 54 and the fifth leading cause of death among people ages among those ages 45 to 54.
Even in Georgia, suicide was the 10th leading cause of death according to 2019 data. This corresponds to a national correlation with middle-aged white men having the highest rate of suicide according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
According to the data, men are nearly 3x more likely to complete suicide than women. This is because men often attempt more violent means for self-harm. Also due to the socialization of men not seeking help, men typically do not seek out available services. Additionally, women are more likely to suffer from anxiety-related illnesses, while men are more often to engage in substance abuse with a concurrent mental health disorder.
How to identify someone who is suicidal?
There is no one key identifier as to who is suicidal. But there are sometimes in which people have exhibited behaviors that are concurrent with attempts at self-harm. The best option is to have this person if possible see a mental health professional who can better assess the situation. But if you are not able to I’ve included a few from a reputable source below. But again please see a mental health professional or call one.
From the Mayo Clinic: What are some of the most common suicide warning signs?
Being sad or moody: The person has long-lasting sadness and mood swings. Depression is a major risk factor for suicide.
Sudden calmness: The person suddenly becomes calm after a period of depression or moodiness.
Withdrawing from others: The person chooses to be alone and avoids friends or social activities. They also lose interest or pleasure in activities they previously enjoyed.
Changes in personality, appearance, sleep pattern: The person’s attitude or behavior changes, such as speaking or moving with unusual speed or slowness. Also, they suddenly become less concerned about their personal appearance. They sleep much more or much less than typical for that person.
Showing dangerous or self-harmful behavior: The person engages in potentially dangerous behavior, such as driving recklessly, having unsafe sex, or increasing their use of drugs and/or alcohol.
Experiencing recent trauma or life crisis: Examples of crises include the death of a loved one or pet, divorce or break-up of a relationship, diagnosis of a major illness, loss of a job, or serious financial problems.
Being in a state of deep despair: The person talks about feeling hopeless, having no reason to live, being a burden to others, feeling trapped, or being in severe emotional pain.
Making preparations: The person begins to put their personal business in order. This might include visiting friends and family members, giving away personal possessions, making a will, and cleaning up their room or home. Often the person will search online for ways to die or buy a gun. Some people will write a note before attempting suicide.
Threatening suicide or talking about wanting to die: Not everyone who is considering suicide will say so, and not everyone who threatens suicide will follow through with it. However, every threat of suicide should be taken seriously.
Additionally from the Mayo Clinic:
Changing normal routine, including eating or sleeping patterns
Doing risky or self-destructive things, such as using drugs or driving recklessly
Giving away belongings or getting affairs in order when there is no other logical explanation for doing this
Saying goodbye to people as if they won't be seen again
Developing personality changes or being severely anxious or agitated, particularly when experiencing some of the warning signs listed above
How to identify someone who is depressed?
Just as there is no clear identifier as to who is suicidal, there is no clear identifier to who is depressed. But it is a high probability that your friend, someone you love, or someone you know has been or will be depressed at some point in their lifetime.
I’ve included a few tips from a verifiable source on how to potentially identify someone who is experiencing depression. It is still best that you, coworker, classmate, friend, or your loved one be seen by a mental health professional to properly assess the situation.
What is depression?
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), the official manual used by the American Psychological Association, depression is a diagnosis. It can only be given after a person (who is being evaluated by a licensed professional) is experiencing five or more symptoms during the same 2-week period and at least one of the symptoms should be either (1) depressed mood or (2) loss of interest or pleasure also know as Anhedonia.
For simpler terms, I will use the Mayo Clinic it’s a mood disorder that causes persistent feelings of sadness and/or a loss of interest.
There are also types of depression
According to the National Mental Health Institute:
Two common forms of depression are:
Major depression, which includes symptoms of depression most of the time for at least 2 weeks that typically interfere with one’s ability to work, sleep, study, and eat.
Persistent depressive disorder (dysthymia), which often includes less severe symptoms of depression that last much longer, typically for at least 2 years.
This also includes other forms of depression (via the National Mental Health Institute):
Perinatal depression, which occurs when a woman experiences major depression during pregnancy or after delivery (postpartum depression).
Seasonal affective disorder, which comes and goes with the seasons, typically starting in late fall and early winter and going away during spring and summer.
Depression with symptoms of psychosis, which is a severe form of depression where a person experiences psychosis symptoms, such as delusions (disturbing, false fixed beliefs) or hallucinations (hearing or seeing things that others do not see or hear).
Individuals diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
What are the signs and symptoms of depression
Common symptoms of depression include (via the National Mental Health Institute)::
Persistent sad, anxious, or “empty” mood
Feelings of hopelessness or pessimism
Feelings of irritability, frustration‚ or restlessness
Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, or helplessness
Loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies or activities
Decreased energy, fatigue, or being “slowed down”
Difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions
Difficulty sleeping, early-morning awakening, or oversleeping
Changes in appetite or unplanned weight changes
Aches or pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems without a clear physical cause and that do not ease even with treatment
Suicide attempts or thoughts of death or suicide
Keep in mind the symptoms of depression are also similar to that of suicide. But it must be noted, those who are depressed may not ever have thoughts or act on impulses to commit suicide.
No one has to suffer in silence
No one should have to suffer in silence out of fear, shame, depression, anxiety, loneliness, or anything else. I’ve also included a video with three verified psychologists on popular misnomers about mental health. Even if you aren’t suffering, the tips in this video may help you understand someone who does!
Mental health resources are available via National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, as well as immediate crisis help, at the Georgia Crisis & Access Line (GCAL) at 1-800-715-4225, which is available 24/7. You can also text the Crisis Text Line “HELLO” to 741741.
I’m here to listen, even if you’re not experiencing a mental health issue
Due to the pandemic, as well as many people, being isolated from their family, friends, or simply not having any, I am also here to talk to anyone who needs to. I am not a mental health expert, I do not have the skills to handle a crisis but I am a person willing to listen. It doesn’t have to be about suicide, self-harm, or deeper issues, I am also here for people who are lonely, want to hear from another person, or develop a kinship.
But everyone deserves to have a kind ear listen to them for a little bit. If you want to just have someone to talk to you about anything, you can reply to me in this email, or via my social media channels @iamkingwilliams (IG/Twitter)! If you wish to talk over email, text, phone, zoom, or DM, let me know in the message!