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Georgia Today: Family of killed protester speaks; antisemitism in Atlanta; Okefenokee to UNESCO
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On the Monday Feb. 6 edition of Georgia Today: The family of the protester killed at 'Cop City' speaks, anti-Semitism in Atlanta, and protecting the Okefenokee.
Peter Biello: Welcome to the Georgia Today podcast from GPB News. Today is Monday, Feb. 6. I'm Peter Biello. On today's episode, the family of the protester shot and killed by law enforcement at the planned police training center in Atlanta speaks out for the first time. Lawmakers react to antisemitic fliers found in some suburban Atlanta neighborhoods over the weekend. And the United Nations may make the Okefenokee a protected area. These stories and more are coming up on this edition of Georgia Today.
Story 1
Peter Biello: The family of a man shot and killed on the property of a planned police training center in DeKalb County is speaking publicly for the first time since the environmental activist died Jan. 18. GPB's Amanda Andrews reports.
Amanda Andrews: Attorneys representing the family of Manuel Teran say official results are pending, but a private autopsy shows he was shot at least 12 times by multiple guns. His mother, Belkis Teran, says she's trying to make sense of her son's death.
Belkis Teran: We are horrified by all that has happened to Manuel. I never thought that taking care of her part would be a dangerous thing.
Amanda Andrews: Attorneys for the family say they're looking for any video or audio recordings of the shooting from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. But the GBI says they're still processing evidence. Family lawyer Jeff Filipovits also called domestic terrorism charges against some of the protesters untenable.
Jeff Filipovits: Is there anyone who is at a protest liable for everything that happens out of protest now? Are these all domestic terrorists? Is this a law that anyone wants? Is this a rule anyone wants, no matter what side of the political issue you are on?
Amanda Andrews: During the press conference, several law enforcement agencies began another operation in the forest to clear out protesters in advance of the construction of the proposed facility. For GPB News, I'm Amanda Andrews.
Story 2
Peter Biello: Georgia's only Jewish state lawmaker was among hundreds of people who got antisemitic fliers thrown on their lawns in five counties in metro Atlanta over the weekend. Sandy Springs state representative Democrat Esther Panitch says she's scared and angry not just about the fliers, but about a recent rise in antisemitic acts that she and her family personally have witnessed. Speaker John Burns opened the state House session this morning by saying that hate has no place in Georgia. He then joined Panitch and dozens of her colleagues as she took to the floor to call out hate crimes.
Esther Panitch: We know you stand with the Jewish people against hate in Georgia. I am heartened by all the love and support I have felt this morning. We all know it might be the Jews today, but the same people will come after you tomorrow.
Peter Biello: Panitch has filed a bill that would define antisemitism in state law. The Anti-Defamation League says Georgia reported more than 200 hate crimes in 2021, the highest number in decades. The Dunwoody and Sandy Springs police departments are investigating this weekend's incident.
Story 3
Peter Biello: Georgia's secretary of state for the first time has endorsed the idea of Georgia becoming an early primary state. Republican Brad Raffensperger tells the Associated Press that he'd back an early primary, but not until 2028. President Joe Biden and the Democratic Party are pushing to realign primary calendars for 2024. Former state lawmaker Edward Lindsay told GPB's Political Rewind that Raffensperger's position highlights the challenge Democrats face in their planned primary shakeup.
Edward Lindsay: There's a lot of moving parts behind the scenes that both parties have got to work out before they settle on what order the primaries will be. And so I suspect that we're several months away from seeing what actually happens.
Peter Biello: Raffensperger says Georgia would be a great early primary state because it has a good cross-section of engaged voters from both major parties.
Story 4
Peter Biello: Oral argument before the state Supreme Court begins tomorrow in the case of five Georgia college professors who want public colleges and universities in the state to be able to ban guns from campus. In 2017, state lawmakers removed public colleges and universities from the designated school safety zones where weapons are prohibited. That effectively prevented the state's public colleges from banning guns in classrooms. Among the professors hoping to keep guns out are two that run studios and labs containing canisters of compressed gases that could explode if struck by a bullet. A Fulton County trial court dismissed the professors' lawsuit last August and denied their request for declaratory relief. In their appeal, the professors argue that they have standing to sue because the 2017 law puts their safety at risk. The state has argued their safety concerns are merely speculative and do not serve as grounds to sue the state.
Story 5
Peter Biello: Georgia is often touted as best for business. But some policy experts say the state is one of the worst for workers. GPB's Ellen Eldridge reports on the Family and Medical Leave Act 30 years after its passing.
Ellen Eldridge: The FMLA guarantees people can keep their jobs if they need it up to 12 weeks off for certain emergencies. But depending on where you live, leave can look very different. In Georgia, time off for maternity leave is protected, but a paycheck is not. Dr. Avenel Joseph is with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. She says Georgia's low income workers also lack access to Medicaid.
Dr. Avenel Joseph: So you're now sick, you're not able to get paid leave and you can't go to your doctor. And so the — the impact is sort of a triple whammy on workers, particularly service workers in the state of Georgia.
Ellen Eldridge: Joseph says the United States remains the only wealthy country in the world that does not guarantee paid leave for workers. For GPB News, I'm Ellen Eldridge.
Story 6
Peter Biello: Microsoft is stopping work on a 90-acre campus that promised thousands of jobs, affordable housing and other new business for Atlanta. A company spokesperson confirms the technology giant is, quote, "pausing the planning process" on the site on Atlanta's west side. The spokesperson says the land has not been sold and the company remains committed to other Microsoft developments in the region. The news comes after tech giants, including Microsoft, Alphabet and Amazon, all announced layoffs in the face of declining revenue.
Story 7
Peter Biello: A patient advocacy group gives Georgia's medical cannabis program a failing grade. Americans for Safe Access Rated states' medical cannabis programs for their accessibility, functionality and safety, among other measures. It failed 13 states, including Georgia, where lawmakers passed legislation to allow medical cannabis in 2015. Rules to sell and produce it, however, have been held up for years. Most recently, last week, the Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission approved and then rescinded rules aimed at clearing the way for low-THC dispensaries to open this year.
Story 8
Peter Biello: World Heritage sites are designated by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, scientific or other forms of significance. The sites are deemed to contain cultural and natural heritage considered to be of outstanding value to humanity. And there is a push for part of Georgia to become one of those World Heritage sites. GPB's Devon Zwald has the story.
Devon Zwald: Members of Georgia's congressional delegation are advocating for the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge to be designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. In a letter last week, seven Democrats and one Republican urged the Interior Department to nominate the Okefenokee for the designation. It was placed on a tentative list in 2008, but the designation was never awarded. The move comes as Alabama-based Twin Pines Minerals is seeking permits to mine titanium dioxide near the swamp's edge. For GPB News, I'm Devon Zwald.
Story 9
Peter Biello: Beyoncé won four Grammys last night, giving her the record for the most Grammy victories ever with 32 to her name. What's the Georgia Connection, you ask? Atlanta's Christopher Tricky Stewart and Terius "The-Dream" Nash are among the producers of Beyonce's recent album Renaissance. There are several other Georgia Grammy connections. Atlanta based executive Cannon Ken Grant says her highlight of Grammy week was being part of a Black music collective event where recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominee rapper and producer Missy Elliott was honored — the same Missy Elliott with a home in Cobb County. And Clark Atlanta University's Dr. Daniel Black contributed to actor-artist Malcolm-Jamal Warner's Spoken Word Poetry Album Nominee, Hiding in Plain View.
And that is it for today's edition of Georgia Today. It's going to be a busy week of news this week:. We've got the State of the Union address, state Supreme Court cases and various legislative goings on. Stay on top of the news by subscribing to this podcast. If it pops up in your feed tomorrow and for the rest of the week, you won't miss a thing.
And if you've got feedback, we'd love to hear it. Send it to us through an email. The address is GeorgiaToday@GPB.org. I'm Peter Biello. Thank you so much for listening. We'll be with you tomorrow.
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