Criminal Justice
Poultry workers fled Gainesville plants last week amid rumors of ICE raids
Rumors of a roundup by federal immigration authorities at poultry plants in Gainesville late last week sent scores of workers fleeing their jobs and caused a brief panic in an already worried community, according to local Latino advocates. “Hundreds” of poultry-processing employees rushed from several plant sites where they worked after hearing Thursday morning that […]
Georgia’s proposed hate crimes legislation gets renewed push
Georgia lawmakers are renewing calls to pass a bill defining and setting punishments for hate crimes committed in the state, one of only five that do not have a hate crimes law on the books. Supporters of the bill, which stalled earlier this year in the Georgia Senate, say it’s past time for the state […]
Bookman: Insane approach to gun laws ripe for change
A black-clad man in full body armor, using an assault weapon equipped with a 100-round magazine, opened fire in a Dayton nightclub district and killed nine people, wounding another 17, in the 30 seconds before being gunned down himself by police. Another shooter, this one in El Paso, walked into a Walmart armed with an […]
Lawmakers, clergy call for gun restrictions at vigil near Capitol
It took about 30 minutes to read aloud the more than 600 names of the people who died of gun violence in Georgia last year. Dozens of people stood in the blazing Georgia sun Wednesday at Liberty Plaza across from the state Capitol to memorialize these victims of gun violence and to issue a call […]
ICE audits of Georgia businesses spike this summer
Businesses in Georgia and across the country are receiving more scrutiny to determine if they employ undocumented workers, according to local immigration attorneys and U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officials. More than 100 federal audit subpoenas were sent this year through July 22 to businesses in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Alabama, said Lindsay […]
Weekend shootings in Ohio and Texas prompt call for tighter gun laws
State Democrats renewed calls for tighter gun laws in Georgia in the wake of the back-to-back mass shootings that left 31 people dead and dozens injured this weekend in Texas and Ohio. “Because of how our gun laws are in this nation and in this state, either one of those tragedies could have taken place right […]
Perdue wavers on supporting ‘red flag’ legislation
Georgia U.S. Sen. David Perdue stopped short of saying he would support “red flag” gun legislation, citing concerns that such a law could threaten a person’s due process rights. Bipartisan support appears to be growing for a federal law that would authorize law enforcement to take weapons away from a person the courts have found […]
Gang violence, maternal mortality among topics lawmakers will study
Georgia lawmakers are gearing up for another busy study committee season that will tackle topics as varied as the state’s high death rate for new and expectant mothers, combating gang violence and the prospects of legalizing horse race gambling. Some of these legislative panels, such as one focused on preventing gang and youth violence, are […]
GBI director says new anti-gang task force now assists 20 counties
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Vic Reynolds said Monday that the agency’s first-ever anti-gang task force is assisting more than 20 counties around the state with cases. The agency has already helped a south Georgia district attorney charge seven people with gang-related charges in rural Emanuel County last month, Reynolds said. Gang offenses carry tougher […]