A.M. ATL: A strike at Waffle House

Morning, y’all. I have a letter board in my office that I use to arrange cryptic sayings ahead of the workweek. This week, it’s “What would Sheri do?” in honor of gospel songbird Sheri Jones-Moffett. Her version of “Encourage Yourself” is the centerpiece of many spirited (and private) car ride performances of mine. Sometimes you DO have to encourage yourself. Sometimes you DO have to speak victory during the test. I detect no lies.

Let’s encourage ourselves through this Monday.

ANGER GROWS OVER DETAINED GA. STUDENT

Protesters gathered in Dalton to support a Georgia college student detained by ICE.

When 19-year-old Ximena Arias-Cristobal was arrested for a minor traffic violation and detained by ICE in early May, her story struck a chord. In a twist of painful irony, her father, Jose Francisco Arias-Tovar, had been arrested and detained by ICE for a traffic violation just a month before.

Now, the Dalton college student’s arrest is gaining more scrutiny.

• Arias-Cristobal was arrested May 5 for allegedly disregarding a “no turn on red” sign. She was also cited for driving without a license.
• However, police dashcam footage released to the public didn’t match the story.
• Police now say another driver in a different car committed the violation that led to her apprehension and arrest.
• Dalton city authorities dropped the charges against Arias-Cristobal, but she remains in ICE detention.
• The young woman settled in Whitfield County with her family, who entered the U.S. illegally, when she was 4 years old.
• Last week, protesters gathered near downtown Dalton to demand her release, chanting “Ximena belongs, Ximena stays, we won’t look the other way.”
• An immigration advocate at the protests said traffic stops that lead to ICE arrests are extremely common, even if they don’t garner as much media attention as Arias-Cristobal’s.

🔎 READ MORE: ‘Nobody’s above the law. But the law needs to be just and fair:’ Dalton community members share opinions on the arrest

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MARTA RENOVATIONS

The Five Points Station's Star Wars-like concrete canopy will be replaced with a translucent version.

The first phase of MARTA’s Five Points station renovation is finally underway after 10 months of delays. Now, commuters may see their schedules mucked up instead.

• The first phase of the renovation involves tearing down the station’s concrete canopy for eventual replacement, and installing new street-level bus bays and green spaces at the station.
• MARTA riders told the AJC they’ve already experienced inconveniences with bus schedules.
• The $230 million overhaul was supposed to be completed before the 2026 World Cup games in Atlanta, but officials have admitted that’s not going to happen.

In other MARTA news: MARTA police are supposed to conduct an active shooter drill Monday evening around 7 at their Lindbergh headquarters. However, police are also searching for a suspect who shot two people on a MARTA train bound for East Point on Sunday.

A FAMILY’S PAIN BRINGS GA. ABORTION LAWS INTO FOCUS

A protester holds a sign challenging changes to Georgia's abortion law in 2023. The law is now being used to keep a brain-dead pregnant woman on life support.

A pregnant brain-dead Georgia woman is being kept alive without regard for her family’s wishes at a hospital run by Emory Healthcare because doctors say Georgia’s abortion laws require it.

• Adriana Smith, a 30-year-old nurse and mother, was only two months pregnant when she was declared brain-dead in February.
• Citing Georgia’s strict abortion laws, doctors said Smith has to be on life support until the fetus is developed enough to be delivered.
• Her family says they have not been given a say in how to handle Smith’s death (brain death is, by all medical standards, death). They say they worry not only for her 7-year-old son and the state of the fetus, but the possible hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills it could take to keep Smith’s body alive for several more months.

The case has aroused horror nationwide and raised obvious questions about women’s health and right to personal agency.

In Smith’s case, the conversation goes deeper. Black women are also less likely to be believed by doctors, and they have a higher maternal mortality rate. Smith’s family said the 30-year-old had gone to a different hospital complaining of severe headaches and collapsed a day later. When she was declared brain-dead at the Emory facility, doctors said she had blot clots in her brain.

It isn’t clear what Smith said to medical staff or what treatment was offered, but the familiarity of her story has made the situation all the more dire for Black health advocates.

🔎 READ MORE: Why doctors and legal experts seem stymied by Smith’s case

MUST-KNOW POLITICS AND BUSINESS

⚕️Former President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer. He and his family are “reviewing treatment options with his physicians,” a statement from his office said.

🗳️ House Republicans narrowly advanced President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful” tax break bill out of a key committee during a rare Sunday night vote. Conservative holdouts are demanding quicker cuts to Medicaid and green energy programs before giving their full support.

💸 Confused about the state of your student loans? We feel you. Here’s a guide on their current status, as well as the status of several popular repayment and loan management plans.

⚠️ BioLab will not resume manufacturing in Rockdale County after a huge chemical fire at the plant last September. The company hasn’t said what it plans to do with the Conyers facility.

WAHO ON STRIKE

Lakesha Buckley (center), an organizer with USSW, led the rally to demand $25-an-hour wages and improved security outside a Waffle House on Windy Hill Road.

Workers at a Waffle House on Windy Hill Road in Marietta went on strike last Friday demanding better security, pay raises and other policy changes.

• The demonstration was organized by the Union of Southern Service Workers, and staff were supported by about two dozen other demonstrators.
• Several workers described unsafe working conditions related to abusive customers. One banner at the demonstration read “I fear for my life at work.”
• The workers also want a base pay of $25 an hour. Current base pay for Waffle House workers starts at $3 an hour.
• Servers said the company deducts 30 cents an hour that’s supposed to go toward a discounted server meal, but the money gets taken out whether or not a server actually eats.

🍳 Waffle House has seen several strikes and employee demonstrations in recent years.

NEWS BITES

Atlanta United loses again; coach says the team has ‘no killer instinct.’

Ow. Did someone accidentally touch a cursed object? Make a bum deal with a crossroads demon? Why is this happening to them?

Atlanta Dream drops season opener to the Washington Mystics

Let’s kick it into high gear, friends. Atlanta can have only one killer instinct-less team at a time.

How the ‘Like’ button changed the world

I don’t think humans were supposed to know the opinions of this many strangers. It’s unnatural.

Federal forecast for the upcoming Georgia summer: hot, muggy, sweaty, etc.

Best part about Georgia summers? Feeling a little bit damp all the time. Like a hairy salamander. Mmm.

ON THIS DATE

May 19, 1929