The Parent Press: Injustice in Georgia
I hope that all of you are still staying home as much as possible and staying safe. I bought my family masks from a local craftswoman and just bought some masks that are good for exercising in. As a reminder, bars, night clubs, live-performance venues, and government-run pools are still closed. They are to remain closed through May 13th unless the Governor extends the deadline via a new executive order. Additionally, the shelter-in-place order still applies for those Georgians who are over 65 and “medically fragile” through June 12th. Another reminder: Augusta University has two testing sites in DeKalb at the Decatur Armory, 3736 Durham Park Road, Decatur, 30032 and at House of Hope Atlanta, 4650 Flat Shoals Parkway, Decatur, GA 30034.
Injustice in Georgia
I, like so many others, was distraught as video evidence emerged showing how the confrontation between Greg and Travis McMichael and Ahmaud Arbery unfolded in Brunswick in late February. The wrong-headed, racist vigilantism perpetrated by the McMichaels, resulting in the murder of Arbery, is unconscionable.
Arguably worse is the fact that if the video had not surfaced publicly, the McMichaels may never have been arrested. That one of our state's district attorneys, George Barnhill, argued that the video exonerated the McMichaels -- after he acknowledged he had a conflict and would be recused from the case -- is pretty shocking. His actions have rightfully been condemned by a national association of district attorneys.
Barnhill's analysis of the case shows the lengths to which many will take the sort of "good guy with a gun," "self-defense," and "stand-your-ground" mentality that has contributed to so many murders that should never have happened. The damage wrought by widespread gun ownership and excessive use of force in our society - and it's impact on young black men in particular - makes my blood boil. Here, it seems clear to me that the attack was racially motivated. The McMichaels had not witnessed Arbery commit any crime that would provide a foundation for a citizen's arrest. I'll wait to see how justice unfolds, but it seems pretty clear that being a young black man jogging through a white neighborhood placed Arbery in danger, and it's a danger that would not be shared by individuals of other races. It is in moments like these that I am reminded of Georgia’s painful history of racial violence - particularly of lynchings - and the fact that we still have so much work to do on racial issues here both in the state and around the country.
What is truly disturbing is how long it took for the McMichaels to be arrested, and how close the small-town south Georgia justice system came to declaring that there was no problem at all with the actions taken by the McMichaels. Now, Attorney General Christopher Carr has appointed Cobb County District Attorney Joyette Holmes -- a black woman appointed by Kemp when that office was vacated by now-GBI Director Vic Reynolds-- as the lead prosecutor, and he has also asked the Justice Department to review how the case was handled from the outset. (As a side note, there have been a variety of high-profile tragedies involving the Brunswick DA, Jackie Johnson, and the Glynn County Police Department in recent years. If you are interested in this relevant history, look up the Caroline Small and Cory Sasser cases.)
I am pleased that Gov. Kemp, Attorney General Carr, and GBI Director Reynolds have taken the Arbery case very seriously in the last few days. We need justice for Ahmaud Arbery. I hope Georgia can show the world that we have progress on civil rights since the days of Jim Crow lynchings by ensuring these two men face an appropriate punishment. Having the McMichaels penalized for their actions would send an extremely important message to other regular citizens who would consider pursuing someone with their weapons drawn, and demonstrate that our state values all lives. Behavior like this cannot be countenanced.
In the meantime, many protests have been held demanding that Ahmaud and his family receive justice and that his story is told to the world. I am proud to stand behind these protestors who are fighting to make this state and country more whole. On Friday, I ran 2.23 miles as many around the country are doing to show their support for Ahmaud. I encourage you to take action by standing up for racial justice in whatever way you can. You can consider donating to the NAACP (who have been leading the crusade for Ahmaud’s justice) here, peacefully protesting, or even just by telling his story through word of mouth. When we all come together and apply pressure to the system, we give Ahmaud’s story the attention it deserves and show we will not tolerate any act of racism, no matter how small.
Georgia Needs a Hate Crimes Law
Last session and earlier this session, I called for the Georgia State Senate to pass legislation to fight against hate crimes targeted at people based on their race, religion, sexual orientation, or disability. In 2019, HB 426, the hate crimes bill, passed the House in a vote of 96-64, but it never made any progress in the Senate. It was assigned to the Judiciary Committee, on which I serve, but it never has gotten a hearing. This leaves Georgia as one of only four states in the country without any type of legislation that makes the punishment for crimes motivated by bias against a group more severe.
Today, I, along with many others, am reiterating my call for the General Assembly to pass a strong law against hate crimes when we reconvene. I was pleased to see that Governor Kemp is open to such legislation, and I hope that is a position he maintains over the next few months. A hate crimes bill should have been passed long before the death of Ahmaud Arbery, but now the need for it is demonstrated.
Legislative Session Will Likely Resume on June 11th
According to an email sent to my legislative assistant last week, most legislative staff will report back to Capitol Hill on June 1st in preparation for resuming legislative session on June 11th. Some committees will likely meet before June 11th although it’s still unclear whether or not some of those meetings will be done virtually the way the Appropriations subcommittees are currently meeting. Some specific safety protocols, including visitors and staff using thermal scanners and masks, have been provided to staff but not legislators and the public yet. As we learn more, we will keep you informed. In addition to a robust safety plan, my office has asked that we make a plan for conducting legislative business remotely and that the legislature provide opportunities for meaningful engagement with the public. Now more than ever it is vital that constituents be informed of and involved in the legislative process.
COVID-19 Cases in Georgia
As of today, May 11th, there are currently 33,833 cases in Georgia. Georgia DPH, the CDC, and the AJC are providing continuous updates on the number of cases and documenting cases by county. Out of these cases, currently, 2536 are from DeKalb County. DPH is now updating some of their COVID-19 figures hourly. They have added comorbidities and demographic data, including race, when it is known.
As you can see above in the Situation Report from yesterday, DeKalb saw an increase of 28 cases, and you can also see the results of the growing outbreak in Hall County where many of the state’s poultry plants are located. Despite the Governor saying we have started “flattening the cure” and have taken the strain off of our healthcare system, I have watched our critical care bed capacity decrease over the last two weeks. I have also heard some medical experts say you should not open your state unless you have at least 30% of critical care beds available. This week we have fluctuated between 27 and 28% capacity according to the Situation Reports we receive daily. For the sake of our healthcare workers and those who end up in the ICU, I hope that we are as prepared as the Governor says we are.
Governor Says Everyone Should Get Tested
Last Thursday Governor Kemp encouraged all Georgians to go and get tested for COVID-19. While I believe that we should have waited until we had this testing capacity before opening up the state, I am glad to see progress in terms of the number of tests available in the state. According to the Governor, we now have 66 testing sites across the state. Like the Governor, I urge you to go and get tested. Simply use the AU ExpressCare app or call the DeKalb County Board of Health. They may ask you if you have symptoms, but remember that you no longer must have symptoms to be tested. After asking you a few questions, you will be given an appointment time and an ID number. Testing is free, and you will be able to stay in your car for drive-up testing. A colleague in Fulton County was tested last week and reported that she waited approximately 30 minutes, and the test itself only took about two minutes.
The AJC and Channel 2 have reported that some test results were lost and delayed, and while this is concerning, those cases appear to be in the minority and should not deter you from getting tested. From what I understand, most people receive their results in 2-4 days.
Some health care providers are also providing free antibody testing with your health insurance. If you previously had COVID-19 or were exposed to COVID-19, you should contact your health provider about getting antibody testing. As an example, Wellstreet Urgent Care is currently offering antibody testing at its locations.
COVID-19 Simulator
Georgia Tech has teamed up with Boston Medical, Harvard Medical School, and Massachusetts General Hospital to create a COVID-19 simulator. According to the Georgia case study, our state would have fared better if we had done a stricter lockdown for four weeks rather than our more permissive shelter-in-place order that didn’t quite last four weeks before the Governor began opening up hair salons, spas, bowling alleys, and such. Because the Governor decided to keep many businesses open during our brief shelter-in-place order, we will likely see cases and deaths continuing to rise in May, June, July, and even August. As a result, there is also a chance we will have to shut down the state again with more stringent measures and for longer.
More Contact Tracing Is Still Needed
Georgia still needs to be better equipped in terms of contact tracing. While we have made progress including a statewide app that is being piloted in three metro Atlanta counties, we still need more. NPR has data on 44 states and the District of Columbia where “states reported having at least 11,142 contact tracers working now.” Georgia has not provided the number of contact tracers to NPR, but Public Health Commission Dr. Kathleen Toomey has said that there is a plan to have as many as 1,000 people. While other states have goals of thousands of contact tracers, we have set the bar lower. In order to have our state safely open for business, we need t0 dramatically increase the number of contact tracers in Georgia. In fact, some medical health experts recommend that states have 30 contract tracers per 100,000 people in the state. According to that recommendation, Georgia should be aiming for more than 3,000 contact tracers rather than 1,000.
For more information and to apply to be a contact tracer, visit:
https://www.governmentjobs.com/jobs?keyword=contact+tracer&location=georgia
Georgia Primary Absentee Ballots
I wanted to share with you all an extremely useful podcast posted on the AJC with Greg Bluestein and Mark Niesse, government reporters for AJC, that covers details on how to mail in your ballet and other useful information for this primary election. In addition, in DeKalb, there are two ballot drop boxes. If you place your ballot in these drop boxes then you do not have to pay for postage. Otherwise, you are responsible for your own postage. In addition, as mentioned in my last newsletter, some voters have not received the small internal envelope, but instead got a white sleeve which is completely normal. You can just place your ballot in the sleeve and then place that sleeve in the large envelope. Please make sure to still sign the envelope in order for your vote to be counted! I also wanted to remind you that TODAY, Monday, May 11th is the last day you can register to vote for the Georgia primary election on June 9th.
If you’ve been having ANY issues with casting your vote, I encourage you to contact the email below, or call the Democratic Party of Georgia’s voter hotline number: 1-888-730-5816.
Email: voterreg@dekalbcounty.ga.gov
Fax: 404-298-4038
Mail: DeKalb County Registration & Elections
4380 Memorial Drive, Suite 300
Decatur, GA 30032
Stay safe, stay well, stay home.