The Parent Press: Vote Tomorrow!, Save the Date for Town Hall, Justice Reforms Needed Now

It has been another difficult week for our state and our nation. 

Institutionalized inequality and racism are unfortunately nothing new, but their dramatic incarnation in recent weeks with the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and others have catapulted them on the national stage once again.  The names of the victims burned into our psyches right now represent many other Black men and women who were forced out of this world much too soon. Many of us, especially Black advocates and constituents, have been fighting for systemic change at the state level for years, and we are glad to have more voices speaking up and joining the fight. However, let’s be clear that we have a long way to go.  Recent events have been a wake-up call for many white people in our country, but we need both Democratic and Republican leaders at all levels to do more than denounce anti-blackness. In particular, we need our Republican colleagues to recognize that our society has never given Black Americans “boot straps” to “pull up” and improve their lives. We haven’t done it for centuries, and we still aren’t doing it now.

I stand in solidarity with those in the uprising who are fed up and ready for change now. However, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said it better than I can when she said we have to articulate more than our anger and articulate our solutions instead.  You can’t compare a loss of life to a loss of property, but I don’t want the voices of our Black brothers and sisters to be drowned out by white noise about fires, looting, and property damage.

 I also recognize that I have more work to do internally as a white woman of privilege and as a legislator. I am committed to doing the work until it’s done, but I know that none of us can do it alone.  We need to together employ strategies for chipping away at institutional racism. We have a chance to make some progress when the legislative session resumes for two weeks on June 15th, but we will still have much left to do.  

That’s why we must not only push our state legislators but also our mayors, county commissioners, city council members, and police chiefs to enact models of change at the local level. Then as Killer Mike said, we must “plot, plan, mobilize, and strategize” so that we can use those local examples as models for enacting state-wide changes that affect all Georgians.  Voting is part of that strategy so make sure you either head to the polls on Tuesday, June 9th or turn in your absentee ballot ASAP (see below for more information). 

UPCOMING VIRTUAL TOWN HALL:

Monday, June 15th from 6-7:30 PM, Representative Becky Evans and I will host a Virtual Town Hall about legislative issues as we resume session!

Georgia Primary Election Is TOMORROW -- June 9th!

Georgia’s primary election will be held, at long last, on June 9th.  All registered voters were sent absentee ballot applications several weeks ago.  If you have received your absentee ballot and haven’t yet turned it in, DO NOT MAIL IT. Ballots must be received by June 9th at 7 PM in order to be counted. You should instead take it to one of the drop boxes in DeKalb.  The Democratic Party of Georgia (DPG) has some great resources about voting by mail.  You can see all of DeKalb County’s dropbox locations on the Voter Information page here.  The most convenient to District 42 are at  Brookhaven City Hall –  4362 Peachtree Rd NE, Brookhaven, GA 30319 and at the Voter Registration Office – 4380 Memorial Dr., Decatur, GA 30032 (2 drop boxes).

If you requested an absentee ballot but never received it, I encourage you to to go vote in person.  You can check your status at https://www.mvp.sos.ga.gov/MVP/mvp.do and call the DeKalb County Elections office at 404.298.4020  or the DPG hotline at 1-888-730-5816 to have them walk you through what to do. 

If you have ANY issues with casting your vote, I encourage you to call DPG’s voter protection hotline number: 1-888-730-5816.

Needed Reforms to Combat Institutional Racism

The tragic incidents of police brutality against the Black community and peaceful protesters fighting on their behalf have underscored just how present systemic racism remains in everyday life. Many progressive legislators have been pushing for changes that would help alleviate institutionalized racism for years, but we have only sometimes had enough Republican support to get them over the finish line. My hope is that the horrors of what we have seen recently will spur a bi-partisan consensus at the state level for much-needed reforms designed specifically to strengthen the treatment of Black citizens in our state and country.

Police reform

While I believe many police officers are good, hard-working people, police do not have enough accountability in our state. There are a number of reforms that have been discussed that I believe are simple, rational solutions to end police brutality. The Southern Center for Human Rights, the Use of Force Project, and the 8 Can’t Wait Campaign are some of the leading organizations pushing for these reforms. They recommend that local and state leaders push to pass the following eight changes regarding “use of force:”

Ban chokeholds & strangleholds

Require de-escalation

Require warning before shooting

Require exhausting all alternatives before shooting

Duty to intervene by other officers

Ban shooting at moving vehicles

Require use of force continuum

Require comprehensive reporting - see HB 636

Evidence shows that these actions can decrease killings by police by 72%. All levels of government should work toward enacting these logical reforms, and I am prepared to stand behind any of these changes should they be debated in the Georgia State Senate.

Hate Crimes

I have been overwhelmed (in a good way!) by the number of people who have emailed and called my office asking for the Georgia State Senate to pass HB 426 regarding hate crimes. Perhaps it has finally resonated with Republican leaders how absurd it is that we are one of only four states without a law specifically prescribing harsher penalties for those who commit hate crimes. The killing of Ahmaud Arbery was just one instance of an act that targeted an individual because of the color of his skin. Tougher sentences for perpetrators of racial, ethnic, gender, or religious-based crimes is one way not only to hold people accountable for their despicable actions but also to send a powerful message about how despicable our society finds violence committed specifically because of the victim’s physical or personal attributes. 

Citizens Arrest/Stand Your Ground

If the case of Ahmaud Arbery proved anything, it’s that permitting citizen’s arrests is unsafe and does more harm than good. We delegate specific responsibilities to police for a reason - ideally, they are properly trained and equipped to handle situations warranting an arrest. Allowing ordinary citizens, particularly armed ones, to take these matters into their own hands is archaic, illogical, and can easily result in violent and deadly outcomes. I am working toward repealing or drastically reforming this law, and while it may be difficult to achieve during the remainder of the 2020 Session, I am hopeful we can lay some groundwork. 

Stand Your Ground laws are likewise bad policy that easily lead to tragedies. This is another law we will be working on repealing.

Medicaid Expansion

Solving the issue of racial inequality requires narrowing the economic gap between white and Black Georgians. For years, I have supported legislation for Georgia to expand Medicaid and provide health care to our citizens who are most in need. Those without health insurance in Georgia, who fall into the Medicaid gap, are disproportionately Black.   To deny them the Medicaid funding that the federal government has already allotted for our state is both immoral and terrible policy. 

Felony Voting Rights and Record Expungement

States around the country have begun the process of allowing felons who have served their criminal sentences in full to re-register to vote, but we have not made much headway on the issue in Georgia despite a study committee and legislation by Senator Harold Jones. It is my belief that those who have completed their punishment should be given the opportunity to be full-fledged members of society again, and that includes voting.

For those who do have criminal records, expungement for particular non-violent crimes should be made easier. Criminal records can follow you for years, affecting your ability to buy a house, car, or get a job. Encouraging programs to expunge records is an action that some legislators like myself have been trying to take for years to help those most affected by the criminal justice system be alleviated of the burden of past criminal records -- which also alleviates burdens on society, writ large, by allowing individuals to become fully participating members again.

State Budget Cuts

While budget cuts were predicted to be 14% across the board, Governor Kemp said on Wednesday that state budget cuts are now projected to be slightly lower at around 11%. While this is somewhat good news, it still means the budget is being drastically cut with proposed changes that would at times completely eliminate funding and much-needed services including those provided by the Emory Autism Center. I am concerned about the long-term effects these cuts will have on the state, especially when it comes to education and health care access. I will keep you all updated as we get further in the budget revision process, but I do recommend that email your budget cut concerns not only to me but also to the Appropriations Chairs, Senator Blake Tillery and Representative Terry England as well as the subcommittee chairs for the agency budgets you are most concerned about.  You can find Senate subcommittees here and House subcommittees here. 

Confederate Monument Legislation

My sons protesting at the DeKalb Confederate Obelisk.

Officials in Athens, Georgia have joined those in other cities and states, including Virginia and Alabama, to remove or make plans to remove Confederate monuments.  The Beacon Hill Black Alliance and Hate Free Decatur have been working on this issue for years, and the the Decatur City Commission recently passed a resolution supporting the removal of the Confederate obelisk in Downtown Decatur. For the last three years, I have sponsored a bill, SB 51,  that would allow local governments to remove, move, or alter these types of monuments. However, last year, the Republican-majority legislature decided to further protect these types of monuments instead.  DeKalb County added a marker contextualizing the monument, but it still stands.  Local governments should be able to support the will of the people and determine the best course of action to represent those people with regard to monuments displayed in places of honor in their communities, so I’ll keep working until my legislation is enacted.

Hate Crimes Bill Action Items  

As I mentioned earlier, it’s fantastic to be receiving so many emails on behalf of people who feel like I do, that Georgia needs stronger hate crimes legislation. As a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, I am proud to continue pushing for this bill and finally get it out of committee and onto the Senate floor when we return to session later this month. However, in order to increase the bill’s probability of passage, there are a few action items I recommend you take.

If the hate crimes bill (HB 426) is to make it to the floor, it must first pass out of the Senate Judiciary Committee. You can find a list of members of that committee here, along with their email addresses. Please be strategic and focus mainly on Republican members, especially Senators Bill Cowsert, John F. Kennedy, and Blake Tillery, as they may be able to be persuaded to support the bill in committee. I also recommend contacting the offices of Governor Brian Kemp (who you can contact here) and Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan (who you can contact here). Lieutenant Governor Duncan presides over the Senate, making him a valuable ally in the fight to get it put to a vote on the Senate floor. Finally, Governor Kemp’s signature will be needed if the bill passes so it’s important for him to hear from voters across the state. 

Every Democrat in the Senate has long committed to voting in favor of this legislation. In order to get this bill over the finish line, we should be much more focused on getting Republican support. The Georgia State Senate is currently divided between 34 Republicans and 21 Democrats. To get a majority of votes for passage, we will need 28 votes in favor. This means that in addition to the entire Senate Democratic Caucus, we must get seven Republicans to support the legislation.  Among the Republican senators I mentioned above, consider also contacting Senators P. K. Martin IV (R–Lawrenceville), Brian Strickland (R–McDonough), Kay Kirkpatrick, (R-East Cobb), Renee Untermann (R-Buford), and John Albers (R–Roswell). You can find information to contact all of them here.

In addition to emailing these Republicans, I ask you could contact them on social media, preferably by commenting on their posts. I also encourage you to connect with groups such as the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), and Georgia Equality, who have well-organized approaches. 

School Reopening Guidelines

In a document released Monday, the Georgia Department. of Education and the Georgia Department of Public Health informed school districts that they have “developed guidance to support districts and communities in determining their plans and strategies for reopening schools.” Here are some of the different paths recommended: 

Substantial Spread: This would include distance learning where schools are closed (buses would be used to deliver meals), and only essential staff would be entering the school

Minimal/Moderate Spread: School would be in-person with specific guidelines. In addition, other learning plans like hybrid models,  A/B schedules (students in 2 groups which would alternate between in-person and virtual), or distance learning (elementary in-person with secondary learning to potentially be virtual) 

Low/No Spread: School would be in-person with specific guidelines like keeping students spread out in hallways and having more detailed protocols when students and staff feel sick. 

The AJC has also provided more information about the recommended guidelines.

 COVID-19 Cases in Georgia & DeKalb

As of today, Monday, June 8th at 3 PM, there have been 52,497 known positive 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 the 50,621 cases in the state currently, 3,968 cases are from DeKalb County as are 124 deaths.  On Tuesday, June 2nd, DPH switched to once a day reporting at 3 PM. There is some discrepancy now that viral tests as well serology (anti-body) tests are being grouped together as are confirmed cases. Additionally, we do understand when you separate those groups that the totals are not adding up to the same numbers.

Testing Site Reminders

As a reminder, anyone in the state whether you have symptoms or not can be tested for COVID-19. Free testing through the DeKalb Board of Health can be scheduled online or by calling 404-294-3700 and selecting Option 1. Additionally, 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. Through the month of June, CVS has 23 testing sites, including one at the CVS Pharmacy located at 2738 North Decatur Road, Decatur, GA 30003.

Thank you for the honor of serving as your State Senator!