Morning, y’all! I try to maintain a journaling practice, but it can be difficult to decide what to say, in the same way someone asking, “What do you want to eat?” makes you immediately forget what food is. When that happens, I set a timer for five or 10 minutes and write every word I know to shake it all out. Idolatry. Malediction. Pupil. Nematode. Fetch. Instinct. Old. Enlist. Telescope.
Let’s get to it.
OPENING DAY FOR THE ATL PUBLIC SAFETY TRAINING CENTER
After years of bitter struggles among law enforcement officers, city officials and activists; after innumerable protests and legal challenges, the controversial Atlanta Public Safety Training Center opens today in DeKalb County.
We’ll have more from the opening tomorrow, but for now, here’s a recap of the center’s difficult development history:
- How it began: In 2021, Atlanta City Council passed a proposal for a police training facility to combat rising crime in the city. The 85-acre site chosen for the project included part of the historic Atlanta forest, as well as the former site of the Old Atlanta Prison farm.
- Constant challenges from opponents: Environmental and social justice activists organized near-constant demonstrations against “Cop City” throughout its inception and construction. Groups levied several environmental and civil rights complaints in an attempt to halt development. Fringe activists instigated several arson incidents.
- A tragedy and its fallout: In January 2023, a Georgia state trooper shot and killed environmental activist Manuel Paez Terán during what police called a “clearing operation” of opponents near the center’s construction site. His death further frayed trust between the public and Atlanta’s leaders and law enforcement, which had already been tested by uneven promises of transparency.
- Rising costs: The center was initially projected to cost $90 million, with taxpayers footing about a third of the bill. In 2023, city officials admitted taxpayers may be on the hook for double that amount. In early 2024, the total cost projection jumped to $109 million.
🔎 READ MORE: 10 things you need to know about Atlanta’s Public Safety Training Center
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VISIONS FOR ATLANTA’S FIRST LGBTQ CENTER
Atlanta is on track to open its first dedicated center for LGBTQ residents by 2030. City Council leaders approved the plan last year, and now they want to hear from the people.
Organizers of a yearlong feasibility study are asking for community input on what resources people want at the center. That includes possible locations and funding sources.
The city is partnering with the Atlanta-Fulton County Recreation Authority.
Learn more about the project and how you can share you thoughts
This proposed hub for the LGBTQ+ community is an opportunity for the Authority to not only provide a safe, welcoming, exceptionally maintained facility, but also a place where resources and a sense of belonging can be gained.
100-DAY SPOTLIGHT: IMMIGRATION
The fine people on the AJC politics team and I were discussing: If President Donald Trump took office on Jan. 20, 2025, is the 100-day mark today or tomorrow? It depends whether that first half day counts. We think about these things so you don’t have to.
- The Trump administration is marking the occasion by ramping up its signature anti-immigration rhetoric. Yard signs with mugshots of immigrants accused of serious crimes have appeared across the White House lawn.
- Trump signed new immigration-related executive orders Monday. One mandates English-language proficiency for commercial motor drivers, such as truckers, even though such a requirement already exists. Another cracks down on “sanctuary cities.”
The first time, I had two things to do — run the country and survive; I had all these crooked guys. And the second time, I run the country and the world.
🔎 READ MORE: The AJC’s complete coverage on President Donald Trump’s first 100 days
MUST-KNOW POLITICS AND BUSINESS
🗳️ She’s running. Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms filed paperwork in apparent anticipation for a 2026 run for Georgia governor.
✍🏻 Gov. Brian Kemp signed a school safety law informed by last year’s deadly shooting at Apalachee High School. The next challenge is figuring out how to implement it.
🇨🇦 Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal Party won the country’s federal election, upending long-held expectations of a Conservative Party victory and cementing a Liberal majority in Parliament. The election was also seen as a referendum on Trump and his aggressive posturing against our neighbor nation.
🏗️ The BlackRock Foundation awarded a two-year, $1 million grant to the Technical College System of Georgia, which oversees 22 schools in the state. The funding will help train, and thus increase, Georgia’s construction and manufacturing workforce.
ATLANTA’S ‘BLACK MECCA’ REP, BY THE NUMBERS
The brilliant minds who put together UATL are exploring a fascinating question: Is Atlanta really the “Black mecca” it’s talked up to be? And if it is, what does that actually mean?
While we can certainly get cerebral about it, numbers always help. Here are some fascinating figures from the latest deep dive into the Black mecca question.
Demographics:
- 46% of residents within Atlanta’s city limits identify as Black or African-American.
- Atlanta has the second-highest amount of Black residents, with 2.3 million living in the metro Atlanta area. The highest? New York City’s metro area.
Wealth:
- In the city proper, the median household income for Black residents is $38,854, and $114,195 for white residents.
- In metro Atlanta, 48% of Black residents are homeowners, compared to 74% for white residents.
Progress:
- About 11% of businesses in metro Atlanta are Black-owned, a competitive figure that ranks above places like Memphis and Washington, D.C.
- Despite other real estate inequalities, metro Atlanta has the highest approval rate for Black mortgage applicants nationwide.
READ MORE: More revealing numbers, plus sources for the data above
NEWS BITES
Broadway actor who plays a (very important) corpse discusses his secrets to stillness
Looking dead is way more work than being dead.
That weird, warm sensation you feel in your chest? It’s called STATE PRIDE.
What your voice reveals about your health
Well, for one thing, you probably aren’t making it to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame :(
A carnivorous ‘bone collector’ caterpillar dresses in the remains of its prey
A legendary slay 💅
ON THIS DATE
April 29, 2003
From the front page of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Apple adds music to its menu. Apple Computer unveils several new music products, including an Internet music store where users can download songs and create their own CDs.
(Yes, I am going to pointedly ignore the blaring SARS headline.)
Anyway, can you believe the iTunes store is 22 years old? Man, we were so cool back in the day. Love to download songs and create my own CDs from the Internet music store.
ONE MORE THING
Monday’s “On This Date” feature mentioned Helen Braden, a young woman who in 1946 said she would never marry a GI. Well, the A.M. ATL family always delivers. Reader John T. did the research, and found Miss “Never a GI” married... yes, a military man!
“It left me wondering who the young lady ultimately married. Did she stick to her ‘guns’ or did some young GI change her mind,” John T. told me.
He sent along two obituaries that match perfectly with the information from the Atlanta Constitution article, revealing Ms. Braden married a man who served in the artillery in World War II.
“It would appear love can change a person’s mind ... in Ms. ‘Braden’ Bryant’s case lasting for almost 60 years,” he wrote.
Isn’t that sweet? Oh, the things a little curiosity (and a Wi-Fi connection) will uncover!
Thanks for reading to the very bottom of A.M. ATL. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact us at AMATL@ajc.com.
Until next time.
About the Author
AJ Willingham is an National Emmy, NABJ and Webby award-winning journalist who loves talking culture, religion, sports, social justice, infrastructure and the arts. She lives in beautiful Smyrna-Mableton and went to Syracuse University.
