WABE Week Recap: Modification to the Arrest Act for Residents and Florida V. Georgia in Water Wars

Governor Brian Kemp is pushing for a bipartisan proposal to repeal the controversial Georgian law on the arrest of citizens. The law is used to defend the men who hunted and shot Ahmaud Arbery in Braunschweig almost a year ago.

Political limbo for two cases of excessive police violence …

This screenshot from a body camera video provided by the Atlanta Police Department shows Rayshard Brooks talking to Officer Garrett Rolfe (left) in the parking lot of a Wendy’s restaurant in Atlanta on June 12th. (Atlanta Police Department via AP)

According to lawyers for the victims and their families, two high-profile cases where Atlanta police used excessive force last summer are in political limbo. WABE’s Lisa Hagen reported that these attorneys met with the new Fulton County’s district attorney on Tuesday.

Lawyers for two college students who were dragged out of their car and verbally abused by Atlanta police during the summer protests say they want a special prosecutor to deal with the case. This also applies to lawyers for the von Rayshard Brooks family who were fatally shot in a Wendy’s parking lot in June.

Fulton District Attorney Fani Willis declined to prosecute the officers who killed Brooks, one of whom is charged with murder. The attorney general has twice refused to take the case.

“It’s frustrating that both incidents were videotaped [and] Actions were taken that left the whole country behind and saw justice and then … nothing, “said lawyer Chris Stewart, who represents two families of the victims.

“Your attention is gone. They are completely different people, ”said Charles Young, the father of college student Messiah Young, who was pulled out of his car with Taniyah Pilgrim and cursed by the police. “He’s more of a recluse right now.”

The officers involved in the Young and Pilgrim cases were charged.

And Brooks ‘family lawyers have doubts about the reasons for DA Willis’ rejection in his case. Willis says her predecessor created a conflict of interest by indicting the officers involved.

An attorney for one of the criminals charged with the shooting of Brooks has argued in court that the case should be dismissed because of the legal battles.

Florida versus Georgia in the “water wars” …

WABE Week Recap: Modification to the Arrest Act for Residents and Florida V. Georgia in Water WarsThe Apalachicola River oyster fisheries have suffered in recent years. Florida says it’s because not enough water is flowing out of Georgia, while Georgia blames Florida’s own mismanagement after the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. (Mark Wallheiser / Associated Press-File)

On Monday, Florida and Georgia attorneys will again argue in the US Supreme Court over water rights. The outcome of the fall will have an impact on communities and economies in both states. Molly Samuel from WABE worked with WFSU in Tallahassee to break down the impact on both states.

With and without electricity …

Georgia Power BuildingGeorgia Power said the company learned from the polar vortex of 2014 and has since winterized facilities, so low temperatures here may not be as threatening as they are in Texas. (Wikimedia Commons)

The Texas power outage is causing officials across the country – including here in Georgia – to think about what’s next for energy reliability.

Georgia Power, owned by the Southern Company, said in a statement to Susanna Capelouto of WABE that she learned from the polar vortex of 2014 when temperatures dropped to minus six and has since winterized facilities so low temperatures may not so high are a threat here.

However, according to Emily Grubert, a professor at Georgia Tech, energy companies should learn not only from considering cold weather, but also from the Texas power failure.

“I think the general lesson from this, and from last year’s power outages in California, is that the grids are facing challenges that are beyond their needs,” said Grubert.

Tom Fanning, CEO of Southern Company, said he had already spoken to the Biden Administration about making power grids not only reliable but also more resilient for national security reasons.

The COVID-19 vaccine and the breed …

vaccineGeorgia’s new COVID-19 vaccine dashboard shows most of the vaccinations given in the state were given to whites. (Michael Ciaglo / Getty Images)

The majority of the COVID-19 vaccine doses given in Georgia went to whites. WABE’s Sam Whitehead reports that this is in line with the state’s new COVID-19 vaccine dashboard released this week.

“That’s what the dashboard is for: It should give us the data where we need to go,” said Governor Brian Kemp. “What do we have to do? Whether it’s in the African American community, Latino, Asian, whatever it is. “

Kemp said the hesitation of the vaccine in color communities could be a reason for the trend. However, public health experts and advocates have raised concerns that the state is not doing enough to get doses to marginalized groups.

Do you remember a flourishing civil rights symbol …

A portrait of longtime congressman and civil rights activist John Lewis is featured in this aerial view Thursday at Freedom Park in Atlanta.  The artist Stan Herd created this earthwork in recognition of Lewis' life and work.Artist Stan Herd created this John Lewis earthwork piece in Atlanta Freedom Park to honor the longtime congressman and civil rights activist. (Angie Wang / The Associated Press)

Volunteers are planting hundreds of trees and flowers along the John Lewis Freedom Parkway this weekend in honor of the late Congressman and civil rights icon. There will be more than 300 flowering trees, flowering shrubs and fields of daffodils stretching from the park to the boulevard.

Lewis died in July after battling pancreatic cancer. He would have turned 81 on Sunday.