RIP Young Dolph, Justice 4 Julius Jones, sham trials, and the Beltline got some funds
The Update - 11/18/21
Welcome to the King Williams newsletter. I am 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.—Also, stay strong dad!
I had to take some time off, but I’m back, let’s get back into the news!
1. Early voting in the 2021 Atlanta runoffs has started
The early voting period for the 2021 Atlanta municipal runoffs has begun. Voters in the city of Atlanta will be voting on Mayor, between City Council President Felicia Moore and City Councilmember Andre Dickens. As well as several city council positions: City Council President, City-Council Post 3 At-large, District-1, District-3, District-4, District-5, and District-12. Plus two school board races: School Board -District-2, School Board - District-7 At-Large.
Fulton County early voting information can be found here, most polling hours are 9am-6pm. While DeKalb County early voting can be found here and most days are 8am-6pm. Plus I’ve included the most recent debate between Dickens and Moore below.
You can vote right now during the early voting period until next Wednesday, November 24th. If this is your first time voting, you will need to make sure that you bring one form of valid ID. This includes a state driver’s license, state ID, military ID, or US passport. To find out where your early voting location, times, voter registration status, and Tuesday location, visit the Secretary of State’s my voter page, https://www.mvp.sos.ga.gov/MVP/mvp.do.
2. The BeltLine receives $16.5 million in federal funds from the Biden administration
The Atlanta BeltLine has received a $16.5 million funding source from the federal government courtesy of the recently passed infrastructure bill. The long-drawn-out effort by the Dems will be dispursing billions to several projects across the country. While most have been towards highway repair and maintenance, others are for transit and mobility initiatives like the Atlanta BeltLine.
Georgia’s Democratic US Senators, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock took to Twitter to celebrate the win. This came as the two visited the city of Atlanta earlier this year alongside US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, with a stop at the Atlanta BeltLine.
The funds will be used to complete a southeastern segment that starts at I-20 at the Glenwood Park real estate development, going further south just past Slater Elementary (see map). A location walking distance from the University Avenue Wendy’s where Rayshard Brooks was killed in the summer of 2020.
Still no word on whether the national Dems will have another spending bill coming up. But it would be good for the city of Atlanta, MARTA, and the BeltLine to go all-in for funding for transit while the Dems still control the House and the Senate.
3. The McMichael trial in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery
The Travis and Greg McMichael trial for the February 2020 killing of Ahmaud Arbery is still ongoing in southeast Georgia.
The defense has come under intense scrutiny for the previous DA’s and Glynn County Police Department in the mismanagement of the case. It is also under scrutiny for picking 11 White jurors, to 1 Black juror. This includes a selective screening process that has removed most of the would-be Black jurors. Or the statement of ‘not wanting Black preachers’ to sit in on the trail with the family of Arbrey. While McMichael’s attorneys are holding on to the veneer of the killing being self-defense.
The trial is of increased interest as the case is a litmus test for a statewide Attorney General (the state’s top cop race) between incumbent Republican Chris Carr versus Democratic challenger Jen Jordan.
* This originally stated that the Glynn County Sheriff’s office, initially investigated the case. That was incorrect. It was the Glynn County Police Department. - 11.21.21
4. The Kyle Rittenhouse Trial verdict is coming soon
The trial for Kyle Rittenhouse, the then-17-year-old who drove across state lines from Illinois to Wisconsin, to ‘defend property’ is currently in the deliberation phase of the jury. Rittenhouse arrived in late August 2020 to Kenosha, Wisconsin after protests broke out in the shooting of Jacob Blake, who was shot 7x in the back in front of his kids as he was walking into his van. Police said he was reaching for a knife, he was not. Blake would be permanently paralyzed.
Rittenhouse came armed to the protests, was chased by protestors after brandishing his gun, then shot three, killing two. He is on trial for whether or not he was the aggressor or in ‘self-defense’.
The judge is being comically inept
The trial has been under a cloud of scrutiny over Judge Bruce Schroeder, whose antics including a Trump campaign ringtone of ‘God Bless The USA’ that went off during the hearing, his back-and-forth with prosecutors, his demand that the two killed by Rittenhouse cannot be called victims, a joke about Jacob Blake being shot, his ‘a black’ mental gaffe, and his alleged ties to the defense.
Rittenhouse’s case has also drawn ire for the makeup of the jury, which included initially a list of 20 jurors to serve on the jury. Only one was a POC—Latinx. Or today, which saw Rittenhouse himself be able to select his jurors from a random drawing in the courtroom. In the process, removed 6 more jurors, giving Rittenhouse a 7 female, 5 male jury to decide his fate. As a result, troops have already descended on the courthouse in anticipation of riots in a likely not guilty verdict. He faces 5 felonies.
If there was only a framework to understand how the justice system examines cases on the basis of race, class, practitioners, procedures, judges, laws, and political ideologies…
5. The execution of Julius Jones is today in Oklahoma
The state of Oklahoma is still on track to execute Julius Jones today. Jones’s case has been in dispute since he was sentenced in 1999. Due to a questionable presentation of evidence not presented to the jury to the case, a trial which had questions of racial biases in the jury, a description of the criminal not matching Jones, and the actual killer claiming that he set Jones up. This has led to the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board voting 3-1 on November 1st to grant clemency to Jones. This same board also recommended commuting Jones’s sentence in September.
Jones is scheduled to be executed at 4pm CT/5pm ET, today. Republican Governor Ken Stitt has rejected the parole board’s findings, is not commuting the case, nor is he looking at any of the evidence that was not included in the original 1999 trial. This has led to several thousand protesters in Oklahoma including students who walked out of campus today. As well as a slew of activists and celebrities raising questions on the case, dismissal of the charges, or at least the need for a retrial.
6. Rapper Young Dolph was killed in Memphis yesterday
Rapper Young Dolph, born Adolph Robert Thornton Jr., was killed in a Memphis, Tennesse cookie store yesterday afternoon in front of his wife and child by an unknown gunman—he was 36 years old. Dolph was known for his citywide appeal which parlayed into a successful national independent rap career. Dolph started his career in 2008, gaining national attention in 2016, with the release of his album King of Memphis and feature on the OT Genesis single ‘Cut It’. Dolph, like the late Nipsey Hussle who was murdered in 2019 during a chance encounter were both known for their entrepreneurship endeavors, real estate plans, local investments in small businesses, youth engagement, and being champions for their neighborhoods.
Dolph and his wife Mia Jaye, who suffered the loss of her brother last year due to gun violence last year started a non-profit, plus a social media campaign entitled Black Men Deserve to Grow Old Too. The cookie company that Dolph visited, Makeda’s Cookies also has online ordering if you would like to support it. The location was a favorite of Dolph.
7. Travis Scott, Drake, Live Nation, and Apple Music are being sued for $750 million over the tragedy at Astroworld
The lawsuit comes days after the 10th victim has died from injuries at the concert. The pressures keep mounting for Scott as he still may face criminal charges for the incident. Some concertgoers are still in the hospital suffering injuries after a crowd rush to the stage caused many in the crowd to become trapped. Those trapped have suffered a myriad of injuries including brain damage, heart attacks, and respiratory damages. Nike has paused its upcoming release of a special edition shoe with Scott. In addition to Scott being replaced on multiple festival dates.
8. The House moves to censure Republican Paul Gosar over posting a video depicting killing AOC
The Democratic-controlled US House, voting along mostly party lines plus Illinois Republican Adam Kinzinger and Wyoming Republican Liz Cheney has moved to censure, GOP Rep. Paul Gosar. This came after Gosar posted an altered video of the popular anime series Attack on Titan. In that video, depicting the hero (Gosar with his face superimposed) using a sword to attack a giant, killing the monster, the video was eventually blocked by Twitter. The last time a member of the US was censured in 2010 was when Democratic Rep Charlie Rangel was censured for ethics violations. Kevin McCarthy, the House minority leader spoke in a tone that sought to undermine the seriousness of the threat of the video. McCarthy then went on to use a nonsensical red herring on how the video was really about the failures of the Democrats on immigration. Gosar’s own family members want him to be removed from Congress and believe the Dems are moving too slow in doing so.
Red Clay News:
There will be a BLM 5K at Piedmont Park this weekend.
A panel has passed a new Georgia Senate map that gives the GOP a 33-23 edge.
Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green has been fined $60,000 for going maskless in the House of Representatives. She is also unvaccinated.
Newton County Schools will no longer have mask mandates.
Georgia is on pace to have more police shootings this year than in 2020.
Gwinnett is activating 4 new speed cameras in 4 police zones.
A Georgia State dean has pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography
Marietta police are now training in jiu-jitsu.
A 700-gallon oil spill can now be seen on the Flint River that runs from East Point under the Hartsfield-Jackson airport.
Tickets have opened up for a January 2022 debut of the Obama portraits at the High Museum.
The Athens-Clarke County Commission has approved bonuses of $1,000 for all government workers. Funds are a bonus for working during the pandemic.
Athens-Clarke County has also approved a $4million dollar eviction prevention program.
National News:
Texas Governor Greg Abbot is now calling on the state to remove more books on the grounds of ‘pornography’. This comes as the state has banned critical race theory, the teaching of unfair history to white people, and a new law aiming to remove 850 books from Texas public schools.
January 6th, insurrectionist Jenna Ryan stated on Twitter that she was not going to jail because she has ‘blonde hair white skin’, she was partially right, she only got 60 days. She has a right-wing podcast, blames ‘the media’.
The Q-Anon Shaman Jacob Chansley has now received a four-year sentence for his role in the January 6th insurrection.
California has disbursed at least $20 billion to individuals who filed fraudulent unemployment benefit claims.
Zillow has offloaded 7,000 homes to a private equity firm.
Costco has raised its minimum wage to $17/hour.
The State Department has issued its first passport with X on the gender marker.
Portland and Pittsburgh have passed laws that make employers offer time off for employees after pregnancy loss.
An upgrade in privacy protections for the iPhone has cost Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Snapchat an estimated $10 billion in revenue.
White House has required all private employees to be vaccinated by January 4th.
The US will block travelers who survived covid but only took one shot.
International News:
The number of children found buried in Canadian residential schools has continued. This comes after a move to uncover the history of indigenous atrocities across the country.
Cabbies in London are having their brains studied for the navigating skills as a potential aid in studying Alzheimer’s
Women Handball players will be allowed to wear shorts instead of bikini bottoms in competition.
More Africans are migrating within Africa than to Europe.