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.
1. Jon Ossoff’s stock trading bill
Georgia US Senator Jon Ossoff has introduced a bill to ban the trading of stocks by US Congresspersons and Senators. Ossoff campaigned extensively on this during the 2020 campaign trail, leveling claims on improper use of information by then-Senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler. Ossoff himself owns stock, opting to move his stock into a blind trust, a non-familial custodial trust, that manages his financial portfolio.
The bill has put him in the crosshairs of Democratic House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi. Nancy Pelosi’s husband Paul Pelosi is a San Francisco-based entrepreneur whose stocks have become a point of contention for the right, conspiracy theorists, and anti-big business individuals. Paul Pelosi’s stock transactions in 2021 have come under increased scrutiny due to his wife’s non-movement on the issue. Paul Pelosi in 2021 sold off $5 million in Alphabet (Google’s parent company) stock, in addition to his portfolio performance currently being ahead of the average rate of return for the S&P. This has led to several online trackers and memes of Paul Pelosi, as well as other members of the House and Senate who have stocks. Ossoff’s legislation is not the only Democrat-introduced bill to appear, as Virginia Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger has also introduced a similar bill in the House. The moves by both seem to put The Dems at odds with a base of high profile donors as well as members of their own party ahead of the midterms.
2. Raphael Warnock is going all-in on voting rights
Senator Warnock now has been focusing exclusively on the restoration of voting rights as a part of his 2022 re-election campaign. Since the November 2020 election, the GOP is on a slow-moving path to take over via state legislatures. They are winning.
The problem is a messaging issue—the GOP has successfully refrained their current voter suppression as ‘election reform’ and ‘election integrity’. This is historically a part of white disinformation campaigns that have proceeded elections.
For Warnock, this is historically an important right to maintain, putting him at a serious likelihood of having to defend this against his GOP challenger this year. Warnock has wasted no time, by openly attacking national voter suppression efforts while highlighting the need for the passage of national voting rights legislation. That bill was The John Lewis Voting Rights Act, which was voted down 52-48 in the Senate.
Voting Rights legislation is needed, the Dems are not moving
Due to the rampant gerrymander, hundreds of anti-voting bills across the country, the conservative Supreme Court’s support of voter suppression initiatives, the Dems have to pass a counter to these measures, so far they’ve failed. Add in a full-court press of misinformation by the GOP on Black participation, they’ve managed to add a strong misinformation strategy on using the currently proposed voting rights legislation as ‘a government takeover’.
White’s and Republicans have differing views on voting rights
Another problem is voting rights is a Black issue, at least according to polling. It indexed very low against Republicans across racial demographics and was only an issue of importance for Democrats. The GOP’s ability to cast doubt on an election they controlled from the very beginning. Current Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has already made an issue out of a problem that didn’t exist— ‘unlawful’ voters beginning last year. It’s textbook misinformation. It’s his campaign strategy—‘voter security’.
This constant messaging of illegal voters since the election of Donald Trump in the 2016 and the 2020 presidential campaigns has led to a general belief among Republican/conservative voters. Making a wider gulf in distrust against Democrats, regardless of whether they actually are in charge of elections or not, resulting in a wider swath of conservative support for restricting access to voting. This has also emboldened GOP state legislatures, election boards, and Secretaries of State to enact a slew of new restrictions to voting.
3. A racist law clerk of an Atlanta-based federal judge who says that she ‘hates black people’ has been given the okay
A racist law clerk who says that she ‘hates black people’ has been given the okay after an inquiry. Crystal Clanton, the law clerk for Bill Pryor, Chief Judge of the federal appeals court here in Atlanta has been cleared of any wrongdoing over whether or not she is fit to be a clerk for a federal judge. The selection of Clanton set off alarms for judicial watchdogs due to her inclusion in a 2017 New Yorker profile of conservative campus organization Turning Points USA (TPUSA).
Turning Points USA is one of the many campus culture warrior organizations, with conservative digital media personalities Charlie Kirk and Candace Owens being key figures within the organization. Crystal Clanton was kicked out of TPUSA after her inclusion in the New Yorker piece which included her text messages being leaked from another TPUSA member. The messages in question stated directly that she ‘hated black people’ and texts degrading Muslims. This selection of Clanton as the clerk led to an investigation by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals after several members of Congress including Georgia Congressman Hank Johnson inquired.
What is a law clerk?
Bill Pryor, is an 11th circuit court judge who was appointed by George Bush in 2005, his court oversees cases in Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. A law clerk is a person who prepares the documents for judges to look at to make assessments on cases. Clerks are supposed to view all cases from an unbiased opinion, including analyzing objectively the work of both parties in a suit. It’s a very prestigious appointment. Often intersecting with class, privilege, combining high-level access from top law schools.
The GOP court stacking is continuing
Clanton has been touted as a rising conservative legal star. The GOP has been uber-successful in building a pipeline since the late 1960s-1970s shortly after the end of the Civil Rights Movement.
From my October 2020 newsletter: New Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett and the end of American democracy as we know it
This has been a 50-year exercise in vengeance by those aggrieved from the civil rights era. The strategy of attacking the courts, especially the Supreme Court has worked tremendously, as Democrats have put up just four Supreme Court Justices on the US Supreme Court in the last 53 years, while the Republicans have confirmed ten.
This includes the recent confirmation and 2020 of Amy Coney Barrett, who was a former law clerk under archconservative Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Clanton herself is the first person to be selected from the Antonin Scalia law school to become a clerk. Justice Scalia’s judgments and views on cases regarding African Americans have been one of the key agents in rolling back civil rights legislation. While Clanton has been seen getting very cozy on social media with current Justice Clarence Thomas and his controversial wife Ginni, who’s becoming a question of validity to the Supreme Court. Clarence Thomas is getting a statue in Georgia fwiw.
4. Buckhead is getting new policing and safety initiatives
Additionally, Atlanta city council member Mary Norwood has proposed a special Buckhead safety task force. This is on top of an announcement of a new announcement of another police precinct to be built within Buckhead. The move comes as Buckhead cityhood was dealt a small blow by having its statehouse bill moved to a Democrat-controlled committee. This doesn’t mean it won’t happen, sine e die is still weeks away and the Senate could introduce a bill or it could be included at the last minute.
5. The ‘anyone but abrams’ campaign is starting on Instagram
On ATLScoop a recent post regarding the upcoming state gubernatorial race, an unusual level of anti-Stacey Abrams comments emerged. Several accounts (many private, MAGA, black conservative accounts) have begun using the phrase anyonebutabrams or anyoneexceptabrams.
The move is unusual but is a common trope of astroturfing amongst right-wing/right-adjacent social media disinformation campaigns. The term anyonebutabrams began in 2018, during the gubernatorial election but did not gain much traction outside of a few individual users. The earliest was on Twitter in July of 2018, on Facebook in September of that year, and has now migrated to the comments of ATLScoop.
From my June 23rd, 2021 newsletter: Atlanta is losing the narrative
If it continues at this rate, there’s no telling what the 2022 Governor’s and midterm races are going to look like as the accounts will likely be both bigger and have a bigger amplification engine because of further entrenchment within traditional media. In the case of ATLScoop, the Buckhead secession Facebook group, Nextdoor communities, and adjacent accounts, the narrative is now in their hands.
It shouldn’t be a surprise that the GOP, who when not suppressing votes, are building a 2022 campaign on ‘supporting’ the police and ‘law and order’ policies. In 2020, the mixed messaging and racially charged ‘urban’ violence ads, was at best, mixed results. This reflects a longer issue for the GOP which may have peaked at white voter support over the last decade in Georgia. Both Georgia and the national GOP, who devoid of actual ideas have successfully wedged themselves within the culture wars, this time as the anti-BLM, pro-law enforcement party. As a result, the GOP has seen a resurgence in political activity as well as a pivot by groups of people who are typically not for their platform—African Americans and young people. More importantly, the GOP and ‘law and order’ Democrats are likely to be more successful in 2021.
The GOP and their supporters like ATLScoop + the Buckhead secessionists control the social narrative of Atlanta going forward for the 2021 city elections. I would implore those campaign staffers of all candidates that this is your warning. These groups have the potential to be what happened to the Democratic blindsiding via Facebook throughout the 2015/16 electoral cycle.
6. Khalid Kamau in South Fulton is staying in substandard housing as mayor
City of South Fulton Mayor Khalid Kamau has moved into the dilapidated Camelot Club Condominiums off of Old National Highway. He tweeted about the move in a promo video shortly after taking office. The condominiums were initially slated for demolition, Kamau became aware of the residents’ situation. The condominiums in question have been around since the 1970s and during their heyday even housed Atlanta Hawks legend Dominique Wilkins when he played for the Atlanta Hawks.
The move by Kamau is similar to what Atlanta’s first Black mayor, Maynard Jackson back in the 1970s. Jackson moved into Bankhead Courts housing projects, Jackson also halted the demolition of the Techwood Homes housing project.
7. KLB’s exit interview for NY Mag and the AJC
KLB’s exit interview for New York Magazine is worth reading, Why Did Keisha Lance Bottoms Quit?. The interview is best paired with the AJC’s interview which features more of a timeline of events, albeit the coverage is almost solely focused on crime. To which I have issued my thoughts on this juxtaposing by the AJC on several occasions.
8. VICE News decided to call people who made threats against Fulton County elections workers
VICE News recently produced a short video on the death threats experienced by Fulton County election workers resulting from the 2020 and 2021 elections. The video includes former Fulton County Board of Elections Director Rick Barron. Barron stepped down on December 31st.
Red Clay News
A massive 554-acre, $325 million dollar industrial park has been proposed for Banks County.
Atlanta Magazine has released its 500 Most Important Leaders list.
Georgia Trend Magazine has released its 100 Most Influential Georgians.
Cobb County held a redistricting open house this past week, you can watch the telecast via Facebook watch here.
Atlanta Housing will soon be tapping a developer for the redevelopment of the Atlanta Civic Center.
The Department of City Planning is currently holding an open application process for those interested in becoming downtown kiosks vendors.
Trae Young is now no.8 in NBA jersey sales
Emory alum Renji Bijoy has made the Forbes 30 Under 30 in tech
Fulton County Board of Commissioners has approved $1.2 million to study the cost and location of a new jail.
Johns Creek has hired a new director of economic development.
The city of Milton is launching a new police digital fingerprint system for alcohol permits.
MARTA is currently accepting comments on redesigning bus routes.
Dunwoody’s MLK Day of Service has been moved to February 5th.
Chamblee’s first openly gay mayor, Brian Mock, has outlined his agenda at his swearing-in ceremony. You can watch the whole thing here.
The Atlanta Beltline has hit a record $300 million in funding, aims to complete the full 22-mile walking trail by 2030.
The Next Atlanta - Gentrification
I was a guest interview I did with George Chidi (@neonflag) on Twitter/Facebook George Chidi), for Fox 5 Atlanta series The Next Atlanta. The topic is on gentrification in Atlanta, it features a myriad of perspectives including Gavin McGuire of the Grove Park Foundation, Stan Sugarman of Styrant Construction, and community member Sagirah Jones of Capitol View.
You can watch the interview plus others on the Fox 5 Website, a YouTube channel, and you can watch the video here on the Fox Soul YouTube Channel.
I was also a podcast guest on BLK IRL Podcast
In the interview, we talk about gentrification, tensions between "Old Atlanta'' and "New Atlanta'', plus other things. You can listen to all of it here.