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The Atlanta Community Press Collective (ACPC) empowers Atlantans to engage in civic participation and build a city led from the bottom up by holding government and those in power to account, changing narratives to center marginalized voices, expanding the possibilities of engagement, and spotlighting the stories of those fighting for a more equitable future.
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Stop Cop City, anti-police violence proponents note legal victories and continue fighting

‘It seemed like every town in America had something going on’: Week of Action against Flock and ALPRs gets people engaged

What to expect in Georgia’s special congressional runoff

Popsicles and the FBI: Organizers launching week of action against Flock and ALPRs

Potent, mislabeled and easy to buy: Inside Georgia’s kratom market

Atlantans organize ahead of Zoning Committee vote on West End data center

Flock, Ring and Atlanta’s network of more than 28,000 integrated cameras haven’t improved city’s crime clearance rates

As the FIFA World Cup comes to Atlanta, homeless services expand

Marietta City Council tables approval of new data center

Proposed data center on Powers Ferry Place in Marietta faces backlash

Matt Scott

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Karina Teichert

Samantha Hamilton

Photo story by Rita Harper Tuesday’s 2026 election was a historic day for Georgians, who elected the first Black woman to governor in the U.S., the first openly non-binary or trans person to a state House in the Deep South and the first Japanese American to the Georgia state House. Voters gave Democrats control of the Georgia state House for the first time since 2004, the Governor's Mansion for the first time since 2003 and came within 2,000 votes of a trifecta, narrowly missing control of the state Senate. Voters did not go to the polls alone. From cookouts and poll monitoring to chaplains and DJs, election protection efforts came in many varieties on Election Day in Metro Atlanta.

Georgians voted for a sea change Tuesday. Keisha Lance Bottoms becomes the first Black woman elected governor in the U.S. Democrats are poised to take the state House for the first time since 2004, and Republicans narrowly hold the Senate. Three House races are still too close to call, and District 151 heads to a Dec. 1 runoff. Full breakdown at the link in our bio.

Some voters in Gwinnett and DeKalb counties have shown up to the wrong polling places. In Gwinnett County, ACPC/285 South spoke with six people who came to the precinct to cast their ballots but were told they must go to a different location. Two translators working as volunteers at the voting site said that, between 7 and 11 am, they encountered at least 25 people who were at the wrong polling location. A poll watcher at the Clarkston precinct in DeKalb County estimated 100 people had shown up to the wrong precinct by 11:30 a.m.

Check out ACPC's live coverage of Election Day in partnership with 285 South on atlpresscollective.com.

Double your money when you support ACPC through Dec. 31, 2026! Thanks to our partners at NewsMatch, any one-time donation to ACPC will be matched up to $1,000. Want more impact? Become a monthly donor, and NewsMatch will gift ACPC 12x your first month's total! Your support directly impacts our ability to provide the accountability reporting Atlanta needs. After a year of layoffs and one local newsroom closure, it's more important now than ever to support local news outlets like ACPC.

Correction: The Barna case was in the Middle District of Pennsylvania. There is no Northern District of Pennsylvania. Georgia State Patrol troopers met Neil Sardana and Maggie Birgel at the security check point in a Georgia State Capitol auxiliary building to inform them that they were banned—under threat of arrest—from the premises and from attending Public Service Commission meetings. It had been ten months since activists disrupted a lame-duck meeting in protest of a deal that was ultimately approved for Georgia Power by the then all Republican Commission.

The Southern Center for Human Rights filed a lawsuit against the city of Atlanta over a failure to turn over records used to advise the City Council on the city’s sale of the Atlanta City Detention Center.

The Atlanta City Council approved the sale of the Atlanta City Detention Center in an 8-7 vote Monday afternoon. The adopted resolution authorizes the mayor to finalize the sale. The City Council will later consider additional legislation governing how the city and county operate within the facility. The city has requested one floor of the detention center to continue holding persons detained on city-level charges.

Atlanta’s interim inspector general—who was hand picked by Mayor Andre Dickens—looks likely to be appointed to that role permanently, without having to go through a competitive candidate search. Dickens appointed interim IG LaDawn Blackett within two weeks of the resignation of former IG Shannon Manigault, who was, at the time, conducting several investigations into the Dickens administration. The Governing Board of the Office of the Inspector General had opened a 60-day public comment period regarding Blackett’s pending appointment. The comment period ends Dec. 7, 2026. Written comments can be directed to OIGBoard@atlantaga.gov.

During public comment on Aug. 15, 2022, organizers warned the Atlanta City Council that the proposed 700-bed lease offered to Fulton County at the Atlanta City Detention Center would not solve the county’s jail overcrowding and other humanitarian issues. Later that day, the council approved the four year lease with now provisions to force Hi Siri Fulton’s withdrawal at the end of the term. On Sept. 7, 2026, Council member Andrea Boone introduced legislation to sell the Atlanta City Detention Center to Fulton County, which was still experiencing jail overcrowding issues despite the detention center lease and leases at other metro Atlanta facilities. The City Council has a public working session to discuss the sale scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 27 at 1 p.m. in the City Council chambers at Atlanta City Hall.

Atlanta City Detention Center was once promised to become a “reimagined” facility for equity. In 2020, the facility had a jail population of fewer than 50 people each night. Six years later, the facility is likely to remain a jail for the foreseeable future. How did we get here?

Atlanta commissioned the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to conduct a resiliency study of the city’s drinking water infrastructure after major water main breaks left large parts of the city without access to clean drinking water for days in Summer 2024. Atlanta Watershed Commissioner Greg Eyerly presented the findings of that study to the City Utilities Committee last month. The bottom line: Atlanta is not spending anywhere near enough on replacing the city’s drinking water pipes, and, unless that changes, the number of water main breaks each year will continue to rise.

From Aug. 16 to Aug. 22 organizers, both new and experienced, are holding events across the country for the National Week of Action Against Automated License Plate Readers.

The Connect Atlanta surveillance camera network has grown eightfold since 2021, and there are over 5,000 Flock license plate readers in the Metro Atlanta region, according to the crowd geomapping website deflock.org. Officials say these cameras are critical in solving crimes, but data from the FBI shows the Atlanta Police Department’s clearance rates from 2021 to 2025 have not increased apace with the growth of the camera network. #atlanta #flock #surveillance

The compromise between surveillance and privacy hinges on the promise that surveillance provides security and helps solve more crimes. In Atlanta, the data does not back up that claim.

Come join us for our monthly trivia night this Thursday! Bring your friends, family, and neighbors. No RSVP necessary. #atlevents #atlantacommunity #trivianight #atlantacommunitypresscollective #voiceboxcocktaillounge

Photo story by Alyssa Pointer. Slide 1: (left) Bobby H., shows a sign he uses when asking people for money at a stop light on Windsor Street in Atlanta. (right) People attending a FIFA Fan Festival watch a soccer match between Brazil and Scotland at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, June 24, 2026. Atlanta has one of the most visited FIFA Fan Festival designated sites within the three countries hosting the events. Slide 2: (top) Atlanta Policing Alternatives and Diversion Initiatives (PAD) workers hand out food during a July 4 cookout. (bottom) PAD workers and volunteers and interns pack up food after hosting an Independence Day cookout at their facility. Slide 3: (top) Fans and supporters of the Morocco soccer team celebrate after the team beat Haiti during a FIFA World Cup match in Atlanta, June 24, 2026. (bottom) People leave Mercedes Benz Stadium following the Morocco/Haiti match. Slide 4: (top) Items left behind at a now-cleared unsheltered encampment located feet away from The Beacon on Cooper, a rapid housing residential property created for members of Atlanta’s unhoused community in Atlanta. (bottom) The remnants of the unsheltered encampment. Slide 5: The exterior of the Beacon on Cooper, a rapid housing residential property created for members of Atlanta’s unhoused community Slide 6: (top) An individual eats during an Independence Day cookout at the PAD headquarters. PAD is serving free meals during their extended hours of operation with the FIFA World Cup. (bottom) A sign displayed in the lobby of PAD shows their extended hours during the FIFA World Cup. Slide 7: Morocco fans celebrate after their team’s victory over Haiti. Slide 8: Bobby H. asks drivers to spare money near a stop light on Windsor Street. Bobby is living at the Gateway Center, a residential program for the unhoused, after a divorce left him living unsheltered. The Gateway Center helped Bobby secure employment but did not provide immediate bus fare. His job is located in Lithonia and bus far costs about $30 per week. In addition to the bus fare, Bobby provides financial assistance to his daughter and her two children.

Atlanta City Council Member Jason Dozier introduced legislation to prohibit the use of certain city trust funds to pay for consultants or lobbyists after ACPC published an investigation into the mayor’s office spending over $370,000 on consultants in support of the Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative. Check the link in bio for more.

Photo story by @alyssapointerphoto Click link in bio for the full story. As people from far and wide come to Atlanta to watch the 2026 FIFA World Cup, local organizers have raised questions about the city’s readiness to handle the influx of visitors while ensuring the city’s at-risk residents are cared for. David (fourth panel), 57, is one of those residents. He said he has faced intermittent bouts of homelessness over the past three years. Last year, the city launched its Atlanta Rising plan to end unsheltered homelessness for 400 unhoused residents ahead of the World Cup. Partners for Home, the nonprofit charged with carrying out the city’s homelessness initiatives, claims to have housed over 400 unsheltered residents. On Friday morning, David washed his clothes with a bar of soap beside Atlanta Rescue Fire Station 1 before heading to a nearby church for breakfast.

The fight for reproductive care in the South became all the more difficult as philanthropic and government funding dries up, forcing cut's to staff and programming at ARC-Southeast.

Atlanta spent more than $370,000 on consultants tied to the mayor’s Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative. Public records show those consultants helped shape messaging, outreach and public engagement around the $5.5 billion proposal. The same records also show some of them publicly supported the plan—speaking at meetings, appearing in city videos and posting online—without disclosing their financial ties to the city. The mayor’s office says there are no rules requiring that kind of disclosure. The plan is still pending before City Council. Read the full story at atlpresscollective.com and support investigations like this by becoming a monthly donor today.

Join ACPC on Tuesday, July 1st for Flock Forum, a community event on Zoom. Our first guest is a member of SASSI (Southerners Against Surveillance Systems and Infrastructure), a collective across the South researching and mapping surveillance infrastructure. Free and open to all. RSVP link in our bio. #FlockSafety #AtlantaNews #LocalNews #FlockSurveillance #CivicEngagement #ACPC #AtlantaCommunityPressCollective #SASSI #AtlantaCivics #AtlantaEvent

Millions of dollars from Atlanta's tax allocation districts have gone to the Atlanta Police Foundation to help fund the city's 28,000+ surveillance camera network. The city council is considering a plan to extend the lifespan of six of the city's TADs to 2056—a plan that would raise an estimated $7.7 billion if the city, Fulton County and Atlanta Public Schools sign on.

Correction: you can submit written comments to budgettalk@atlantaga.gov. The Atlanta City Council will hold a second public budget hearing at 7 p.m. on June 8, after they failed to meet quorum during the first—and originally only—scheduled public hearing May 20. Only three council members and the council president showed up to the first hearing, while dozens of residents attended, despite flood conditions across the city.

An independent local news outlet just shut down due to lack of funding. Atlanta is amid a battle over Mayor Andre Dickens’ $7.7 billion TAD extension plan, and Atlanta Civic Circle—the only newsroom with a dedicated affordable housing beat—won’t be there to help scrutinize the deal. This is how news deserts form: one newsroom closing at a time. We’ve seen in other cities that when newsrooms close, they are not easily replaced. Now is the time to support local news outlets. Only community funding can give us the stability to continue publishing.

Come join us for our monthly trivia night Friday June 5th from 7 to 9 pm EST. No RSVP necessary. See you there! #trivia #trivianight #atlantaevents🍑 #atlantacommunity

The Public Service Commission District 5 seat could swing control of the commission to Democrats for the first time in over two decades. The seat is open after Commissioner Tricia Pridemore announced this would be her last year, as she runs for Georgia’s 11th Congressional District. Three candidates have qualified in each the Republican and Democratic primaries on Tuesday, May 19.

With no Republicans running, Georgia House District 62 is set to be decided in the May 19 Democratic Primary—one now defined by heavy PAC spending tied to the sports betting industry. Early voting ends May 15.

For years, Georgia’s Public Service Commission (PSC) flew under the radar. Now it’s at the center of debates over rising power bills, voting rights, and who controls the state’s energy future. With two PSC seats up for election, Georgians will head to the polls May 19.

Atlanta City Council will be holding budget hearings throughout the month of May. The mayor’s proposed budget for FY27 dedicates nearly a third of the city’s $995M budget to the police department. Does this budget align with the budgetary priorities you want to see in Atlanta?

Join ACPC this Friday, May 8th, for our monthly trivia night! No RSVP necessary. We hope to see you there! #trivianight #atlantaevent #localnews #atlantacommunity

Late last year and in January of this year, the Trump administration issued policy memos blocking people from 39 countries from becoming naturalized citizens. In January, U.S. naturalizations fell to 33,000—the lowest total since the government began tracking monthly totals in 2022, according to NPR.

A grand jury indicted three people in Cobb County over a 2022 protest tied to the “Cop City” project. Georgia AG Chris Carr alleges that the group damaged and set fire to part of a Brasfield & Gorrie building—the lead contractor on the project ect at the time. We’re working to obtain the full indictment—stay tuned for updates. #atlanta #copcity #stopcopcity

Georgia House District 90 stretches down the eastern border of DeKalb County from just north of Emory University to DeKalb’s southern border with Clayton County. Two-term representative Saira Draper announced in March that she would not seek reelection, opening the primary field for the deeply blue district. Georgia’s primary election day is May 19. The registration deadline is Monday, April 20. Early voting begins on April 27 and runs through May 15. Five candidates qualified for the Democratic primary, however two dropped out quickly and Nicole Horn dropped out April 18. Only Hudgins and Leisa Stafford remain in the race.

Amid Grant Park’s pick-up basketball games and families out for a stroll on Saturday afternoons is a curious cast of characters meeting to discuss ICE and other serious issues. From 2-4 p.m., the little group shares a tiny stage made from a cardboard box. They also share a voice box. They are the animal puppets of puppeteer Mary Eddie, a young organizer who has made The People’s Puppet Show her mission since mid-December. The Show’s mission is to use entertaining puppetry as a vehicle for informed conversations with neighbors about political issues affecting their everyday lives—and what they can do about it. Read the full story on atlpresscollective.com or click in the link in bio.

Dunwoody City Council has approved a $15,000 contract with police technology company Flock Safety after months of delays over security and privacy concerns. The vote comes after negotiations over data use, cybersecurity issues and revelations that Flock employees accessed private camera feeds connected to the city’s network. Most residents who spoke on the contract during public comment sessions voiced their disapproval. The city council also approved a new master services agreement—the overarching contract that governs its relationship with Flock. The new agreement is intended to address some of the concerns raised by residents and city officials. by @mattacpc photos by @maybud12 Read more at the link in bio.

Dunwoody City Council has delayed a vote on its Flock Safety contract twice following concerns raised about privacy, data sharing, and security. At recent meetings, residents questioned oversight, raised concerns about how data is shared across agencies, and pointed to potential vulnerabilities in the system. The proposal returns for a third time today.

It’s Local News Day! So, today, we’re asking you to do a few things. Most importantly: share one or more of your favorite ACPC stories on your social media or in group chats. Tell your friends it’s Local News Day and a critical time to support outlets like ACPC. Second, become a donor to keep this work alive! Third: Check out the work of some of the other fantastic local news outlets in our city, including @atlanta_civic_circle @285southatl @capitalb_atl @canopyatlanta @wabenews @thexylom

🍑 Think you know ATL? 🍑 Join us for trivia night at Voicebox Cocktail Lounge - Friday, April 3rd from 7 to 9 pm EST. All skill levels welcome. See you there! Trivia Night is just one wat we bring our community together. To support independent, nonprofit journalism in Atlanta please donate via the Give Butter campaign link in our bio. #atlanta #localnews #trivianight #ACPC #atlantacommunity

In partnership with Working Families Power, Housing Justice League, Atlanta Community Press Collective, and Capital B, @civicatlanta is bringing their next TAD Talk to SW Atlanta! We’ll break down how Tax Allocation Districts (TADs) work and discuss what’s at stake for your neighborhood. Join us to make sense of them, ask questions, and connect with neighbors. SW Atlanta Townhall 17 March 25 @ 6pm 9 Pittsburgh Yards RSVP in bio or at bit.Iy/tadevent (plus details for our TAD Talks in SE Atlanta and the Westside!)

Atlanta’s ‘Cop City’ is open, but the controversy around it isn’t over. This week: • An anonymous Stop Cop City protester was identified after ProtonMail shared data with authorities. • Jack Mazurek reached a plea deal in the Atlanta police vehicle arson case. • There was a motions hearing to dismiss domestic terrorism charges in Dekalb County • And more than $2.8 million spent by Atlanta defending the project in court. #Atlanta #StopCopCity #CopCity #AtlantaPolitics #newsupdate

The Atlanta Police Department said that it “has not assisted any federal law enforcement agencies with immigration enforcement activities this year,” but records reveal that on at least 15 occasions, investigators scoured thousands of cameras to track migrants. An APD spokesperson said the now-retired detective who conducted the 12 searches using variations of ‘locate alien’ as the reason was working on a multi-agency Transnational Organized Crime task force unit investigating ‘an international fraud matter, again having nothing to do with immigration enforcement. #atlanta #atlantanews

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