Georgia Today: Court postponed for a Georgia prosecutor, cold snap death toll, and 2022's best album

Peter Biello: Welcome to the new Georgia Today podcast from GPB News. Today is Thursday, Dec. 29. I'm Peter Biello. On today's episode, new developments in the case against the former Georgia prosecutor who has been charged with meddling in the investigation of the 2020 killing of Ahmaud Arbery. It is unclear how many people died in the recent extreme cold snap. A Georgia musician captures the essence of 2022 with their latest album. And we'll return to a memorable story from the GPB Newsroom, that of a group of women skateboarders leading political discussions of life after Roe v. Wade. These stories and more are coming up on Georgia Today.

Caption

This jail booking photo provided by Glynn County Sheriff's Office, shows Jackie Johnson, the former district attorney for Georgia's Brunswick Judicial Circuit, after she turned herself in to the Glynn County jail in Brunswick, Ga, on Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2021. One of the men convicted of murder in the street chase and fatal shooting of Ahmaud Arbery spoke with Johnson, his former boss, the local district attorney, several times by phone in the days and weeks following the 2020 killing, according to a court document filed Thursday, May 4, 2022.

Credit: Glynn County Sheriff's Office via AP, File

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Peter Biello: A judge has postponed a court hearing for a former Georgia prosecutor accused of meddling in the police investigation of the killing of Ahmaud Arbery. Superior Court Judge John R. Turner ordered that former District Attorney Jackie Johnson's court appearance planned for Thursday be rescheduled. Johnson has not appeared in court since she was indicted in September 2021 on charges of violating her oath of office and hindering the police investigation into Arbery's killing. Johnson denies any wrongdoing. Three white men in pickup trucks chased the unarmed Black man before one of them fatally shot him in 2020. All three were later convicted of murder. One of them, Greg McMichael, had worked for Johnson.

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Peter Biello: It is unclear how many people died from cold exposure during the record-setting holiday freeze. GPB's Grant Blankenship reports it could take months for officials to know exactly how many.

Grant Blankenship: Macon-Bibb County Coroner Leon Jones believes two chronically homeless men found dead in the days before Christmas were killed by the cold — believes, but doesn't know.

Leon Jones: Autopsies are going to be done, but we don't know when the autopsies are going to be done.

Grant Blankenship: Jones says the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab is performing those autopsies. In Fulton County, the medical examiner investigator could only say cold-related deaths were, quote, "very likely." Cobb and Gwinnett County officials reported none. Bibb County Coroner Leon Jones says being absolutely sure about hypothermia or any other cause of death matters.

Leon Jones: People have loved ones, you know, and they want to know what their loved one died of.

Grant Blankenship: Meanwhile, there is apparently no statewide record for the number of cold deaths in the last week. For GPB News, I'm Grant Blankenship in Macon.

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Peter Biello: Republican State Rep. Sam Watson of Moultrie has resigned his House seat to run for an open Senate seat in Southwest Georgia's 11th District. That open Senate seat is being vacated by Dean Burke, who is resigning to take a job as chief medical officer of the Georgia Department of Community Health. Watson was elected in 2012 to represent House District 172, which at the time included portions of Colquitt, Tift and Thomas counties. The district now no longer includes Tift County, but instead takes in a portion of Cook County. A farmer by trade. Watson has been active on agricultural issues in the General Assembly. He served on the House Agriculture Committee, as well as the Appropriations, Natural Resources and Environment and Ways and Means committees. Gov. Brian Kemp has scheduled special elections on Jan. 31 to fill both seats.

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Members of the Lady Rippers skateboarding group gathered in July 2022 to talk about abortion and reproductive rights at Village Skatepark in Atlanta, following the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Credit: Amanda Andrews / GPB News

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Peter Biello: Another story you may have missed in 2022: A network of skaters called the Lady Rippers is bringing people together around the sport in a specific, topical way to discuss the Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade. GPB's Amanda Andrews takes us to the skate park.

Unidentified: A bit overwhelming for everybody. So it's really good to know that there's a community and people came out here to talk about this. So it gives me a hope.

Gray: So thank you for coming. My name is Gray and my pronouns are she/they. And when I saw this decision, I didn't want to work. I didn't want to really do much else besides be here in my community. And be just around people that are are just as enraged.

Genie Pacheco: Hi, my name is Genie and I am the creator of Lady Rooms.

Abiey Jenkins:  I'm Abiey. I'm a co-founder of Lady Rippers. Basically, we we host events. We just want people to have a safe, supportive environment to go to because we've realized most people don't have that, especially in the skate community.

Speaker 6 This is just kind of a space, like, for people to talk about how they're feeling. Express themselves. I know that's very, like, "whatever." Like, how do you actually talk about what you're feeling right now? It can be difficult, but this is just, like, a space where we want to show up for you guys and be there for you.

Speaker 7  I would like to, like, I guess, just hear perspectives on, like, what — what are some things that could be implemented to to kind of combat, like not being able to just go to a clinic.

Speaker 8: My name is Mari Meneses Pimentel. My pronouns are she/they. It's really hard to say, just because, like, we don't want people stockpiling this stuff and not being connected to a network. That's been my fear because — I came to this event purely to talk about abortion and to see what's gonna and what's what's the temperature in the room, you know? And then how do you know that you're plugged into the correct network — or not even the "correct" network, I don't want to put it that way. But a network that is going to help the most marginalized and the most affected by this decision, because think about the Black maternal death rate. 

Speaker 6: A lot of marginalized communities have been living in a post-racial world for a very long time. Hi, my name is Kate. I use she/her pronouns and I am the founder and editor of a publication called WAQ — W-A-Q, with a Q — and so, like, but it makes me sad that I even have to say "it's such a privilege that up until this point I felt like I had more bodily autonomy" because it should just be a right for everyone.

Credit: File photo

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Peter Biello: The Atlanta Braves have signed catcher Sean Murphy to a six-year contract worth $73 million that runs through the 2028 season. The deal includes a $15 million club option with no buyout for 2029. That would give Murphy a seven-year deal worth $88 million. The 28-year-old Murphy was acquired from Oakland in a three-team trade earlier this month that included the Milwaukee Brewers. Murphy says it'll be an honor to play with talented young players like Michael Harris II and Ronald Acuna Jr.

Sean Murphy: Going forward, I can't imagine this team being anything but great for the next several years.

Peter Biello: As catcher last season, Murphy threw out 19 baserunners and his caught stealing percentage of 31% was third best in baseball among catchers with as many attempts.

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Peter Biello: If you wanted an album that perfectly captured 2022, you'd be hard pressed to find a better one than Bellringer. The latest full-length release from Georgia musician Mariah Parker performing as Linqua Franqa. Example No. 1: At a time when organized labor is gathering strength, Parker offers this track, "Wurk." That's w-u-r-k.

Linqua Franqa (singing): Which side are you on, my people? Which side are you on? Which side are you on, my people? Which side are you on?

Peter Biello: Parker is now working for the Service Employees International Union, supporting fast food workers in Georgia. Just a few weeks ago, Parker released a song in collaboration with the union, "Coming For Ours."

Linqua Franqa (singing): Hey! This ain't business as usual buzz / y'all ain't finna continue to use us as pawns / we comin' for ours / Stuck in W's in this joint / We comin' for everything, and a union for all, hey!

Peter Biello: All their musical uplifting of unions has gained so much popularity that they were asked to perform "Wurk" at the AFL-CIO convention in Philadelphia, where President Biden also made an appearance. Example No. 2: In "The Tree," Parker explores the consequences of violent political rhetoric with an imagined scenario of a threat appearing at their doorstep.

Linqua Franqa (singing): Sometimes it feels like I'm always being watched / by the feds, by the white supremacist and the cops / now my personal security people watching' my house and"

Peter Biello: Parker says in the course of their work, including as an Athens-Clarke County commissioner — a position they resigned this summer — they have been the target of violent threats. And while some of Parker's work grapples with difficult subject matter — mental illness, political violence, racism and structural inequities — there is a more heartfelt side to this album. Which brings us to example No. 3: "13 Weeks," a song about choosing to become a parent.

Linqua Franqa (singing): I saw the ultrasound / a little paw, the thumb pronounced / the little heartbeat thumping / "wow" is all I said / My jaw practically struck the ground as I suddenly really loved the child / But then again

Peter Biello: The song "13 Weeks" is something of a follow-up to their song released a few years ago, "8 Weeks," which recalls the experience of having an abortion .

Linqua Franqa (singing): in November, I never thought the sun would shine again, but now I'm on the other side

Peter Biello: Parker says in a state like Georgia, where abortions after about six weeks are now illegal with few exceptions, where Medicaid hasn't been expanded and parental support is hard to come by, it's important to be innovative in pushing for political ends. Music is one way they can.

Linqua Franqa (singing):  the racism that makes us sick is set in stone, so send them off / Spend a billion on keeping our people housed and showered and allowanced and a pouch in all our kitchens' fridges stocked / Then we won't have to spend it on  time keeping 'em prison locked / I really don't understand what makes this decision hard

Peter Biello: Mariah Parker, a.k.a. Linqua Franqa. You can find a link to their music at GPB.org. And that is it for today's edition of Georgia Today. We've heard from Linqua Franqa on the podcast today. Now let's hear from you. Are there Georgian musicians that have rocked your world this year? Please do let us know about them. If so, you can send us a note by email. The address is GeorgiaToday@GPB.org.

I'm Peter Biello. Thank you so much for listening. We'll see you tomorrow.