Tuesday was the anniversary of the horrific killing of Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old man, who was murdered by three white vigilantes while jogging through the Satilla Shores (Brunswick/Glynn County) neighborhood.
As the prosecution’s case moves forward, Hank Klibanoff and his Emory University students produced a powerful seven-part Buried Truths podcast on the Ahmaud Arbery murder.
By John Vodicka
In my time in our courtrooms, I am constantly affected by something I’ve heard, something I’ve seen. By images. Sadly, these occurrences are often disturbing and heart-wrenching, leaving me aghast or angry, sometimes deflated.
This past Thursday, I observed Municipal Court misdemeanor arraignment proceedings. There were 10 defendants in the courtroom that morning. Thirty minutes into the hearings, a … Read the rest
Locally:
There is still no public information coming out of the ACC sheriff’s office (or from local public health officials) about COVID’s spread (or containment) in the Clarke County jail. At least one elderly prisoner in the local jail was hospitalized recently with the virus. His public defender told John Vodicka that he agonized for several days not knowing whether his … Read the rest
This week makes two years since the first court watch training event at Oconee Street United Methodist Church, an event more than 60 people attended.
The training generated what has become the “Athens Area Courtwatch Project,” which has established a regular presence in the ACC courtrooms.
Since early 2019, more than three dozen people have spent hundreds of hours observing … Read the rest
A vigil will be held Tuesday, Feb. 16 at noon at the Athens-Clarke County Courthouse in remembrance of the lynching of John Lee Eberhart, who was murdered by a mob on February 16, 1921.
Participants will gather on the steps of the Athens-Clarke County Courthouse where, 100 years ago on Feb. 16, a mob broke into the building and, proceeding … Read the rest
The LYDN initiative has curated a list of resources and continues to add books, podcasts, lectures and other media that explore racism and white supremacy in America’s history and culture.
Some of the featured resources include:
Returning and new Love Your Damn Neighbor (LYDN groups) will hold a virtual gathering on Feb. 28 as they begin another season of the inner work to dismantle white supremacy.
The meeting will be on Sunday, Feb 28, 7-8 p.m. and is for all LYDNers, whether they joined us last fall or this spring now. The group will talk about accountable … Read the rest
Each fall at Oconee Street UMC, children are invited to the altar to stand with their Sunday school classes and officially start the new year. The kids who are promoting to a new Sunday school class take a ceremonial step to join a new group and meet a new teacher.
While we currently aren’t meeting for in-person Sunday school or … Read the rest
To the Athens community and especially our Black and Brown siblings:
Following in the steps of Jesus who, in love, offered healing and liberation to all he encountered, who wept over unrepentant cities, and who expressed anger at injustice and oppression, we are angered and grieved at the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and Breonna Taylor – among the … Read the rest