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A GOP Sweep
KEMP WINS, AND SO DO DOWN-BALLOT REPUBLICANS
By Jill Nolin news@flagpole.com
Hm comment
Building Trust
NEW BOARD PROVIDES CIVILIAN OVERSIGHT OF POLICE
By Mokah Jasmine Johnson news@flagpole.com
G eorgia’s U.S. Senate race may be headed
for a runoff, but Republicans swept all
other statewide races and dashed Georgia
Democrats’ hopes of building on recent
electoral wins to loosen the GOP’s grip on
state government.
In addition to sending Gov. Brian Kemp
back for another term, voters re-elected
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger,
Attorney General Chris Carr and state
School Superintendent Richard Woods
for four-year terms. They also gave Kemp-
appointed Insurance Commissioner John
King his first elected term. Georgians
promoted a trio of Republican state sena
tors—Burt Jones, Tyler Harper and Bruce
Thompson—to higher office.
Jones overcame concerns about the role
he played as a fake elector in the 2020 presi
dential election to become lieutenant gover
nor. He was one of the two GOP candidates
endorsed by former President Donald
Trump who survived the primary election.
Jones won with the narrowest margin with
51.4% of the vote to Democrat Charlie
Bailey’s 46.4%, giving him enough to avoid
a runoff. In Georgia, the top vote-getter
must reach 50% to win without going into
overtime.
“Our campaign was successful because
we ran a positive, truthful campaign
focused on the issues that Georgians truly
care about,” Jones said in a statement,
referring to economic messaging like a
pledge to continue cutting the state’s
income tax rate.
Bailey, a former prosecutor who put
democracy at the center of his campaign,
conceded last Wednesday. “Last night,
across the entire country, voters stood up
and fought back against attacks on our
democracy,” Bailey said in a statement Nov.
9, the day after Election Day. “Although
we came up short, the fight to defend our
democracy must continue. The survival of
our nation depends on it. I will never give
up on that fight, and I will never give up on
the fight to ensure every Georgian has an
equal shot and an equal opportunity.
“Now we must focus all of our efforts on
re-electing Senator Warnock to the United
States Senate,” Bailey said. Warnock will
face Republican Herschel Walker in a Dec. 6
runoff after neither candidate reached 50%.
State Sen. Jen Jordan, who ran for attor
ney general and put reproductive rights
at the center of her campaign, racked up
more votes than any Democrat other than
Warnock. She finished with nearly 13,000
more votes than the
Democratic nominee
for governor, Stacey
Abrams, even though
Jordan was farther
down the ballot. But
it wasn’t enough. Carr
ended up with 51.9%
of the vote. Jordan
conceded Wednesday
morning, and Carr
posted a message on
social media shortly
afterwards saying he
had won another term.
“Over the next
four years, I look
forward to building
on the progress we
have made attacking
gangs, human traffick
ing, elder abuse and
more,” Carr posted to
Facebook.
Jordan—who flipped a Cobb County
Senate seat in 2017 and made national
news in 2019 for her dissent during the
debate on Georgia’s abortion law—hinted
of more to come. “Although this chapter has
come to an end, the fight for a safer, more
equitable Georgia continues,” Jordan said
in a statement Wednesday. “We may not
have received the results we were hoping
for last night, but the work is far from over.
It is now more important than ever that
we continue to support and elect leaders
who will prioritize the health and safety of
Georgia families. Leaders who will stand up
for women and defend our right to make
the most personal decisions about our own
bodies. Leaders who will reject partisan
political agendas and put people first.”
In the race for agriculture commissioner,
Harper will take the reins from Republican
Gary Black, who unsuccessfully ran for the
U.S. Senate. Harper beat Democrat Nakita
Hemingway by 8 points.
Thompson was elected labor commis
sioner, succeeding outgoing Commissioner
Mark Butler. Thompson beat Democratic
state Rep. William Boddie by nearly 7
points.
And Raffensperger, who benefited from
Democratic crossover voting in the primary,
beat Democratic state Rep. Bee Nguyen
by about 9 points. Raffensperger was one
of Trump’s top targets following the 2020
presidential election and had already sur
vived an intense intraparty challenge earlier
in the year. ©
This article originally appeared at georgiarecorder.
com.
Who do you call when your rights have
been violated? For many, the answer would
be the police. But what if you were mis
treated or your rights were violated by a law
enforcement officer?
When someone becomes a victim of
police misconduct, it can be difficult for
them to accept the outcome, because
complaints against officers are often dealt
with in-house and away from the public.
This means that if someone files a com
plaint against an officer, the agency they
are employed by—whose rules, policies
and procedures they are sworn to abide
by—investigates and
determines whether
the complaint was
founded or not. Even
more crucially, that
agency determines
what action, if any, to
take in response.
This is why civil
ian oversight is a
necessary part of our
public safety system.
Simply put, it brings
community members
into the review pro
cess and gives them
the ability to make
recommendations.
We can trust that an
investigation against
a police officer is
being handled fairly
because our neigh
bors are reviewing
it, too. In doing so,
civilian oversight
allows law enforcement agencies to become
more transparent and accountable for their
actions, as well as responsive to the needs
and concerns of their communities.
On Oct. 25, the Athens Anti-
Discrimination Movement (AADM) hosted
a dinner and discussion around civilian
oversight and police reform. During this
event, one attendee voiced that they had
had only good interactions with Athens
police officers and believed improvements
were unnecessary.
Over the years, the AADM has received
several serious complaints from Athens
citizens about members of our criminal
justice system, from the excessive use of
force and discriminatory practices by law
enforcement officers to poor jail conditions
experienced by inmates. Many of the com
plainants came to us because their voices
were not being heard or concerns were not
fully addressed after filing a complaint with
the proper law enforcement agency. Some
reached out to our organization first due
to fear of retaliation against them or their
loved ones. And their reasons for feeling
that way are plausible.
According to the Police Scorecard, in
Georgia from 2016-2021, only 19% of the
3,665 civilian complaints of police mis
conduct were ruled in favor of civilians.
Those statistics also show that between
2013-2021, a Black person was nearly twice
as likely to be killed by a police officer than
a white person, and the Latinx population
was also disproportionately affected.
While some may believe that there are
no issues or inequities in policing, these
statistics and community complaints sug
gest otherwise. It is clear, at the very least,
that the line of trust between law enforce
ment and a portion of our community is
broken, especially when it comes to Athens’
more marginalized neighborhoods. This is
where civilian oversight is vital—bridging
gaps and ensuring our public safety systems
work for everyone.
That’s why it’s important for the Classic
City to support the Public Safety Civilian
Oversight Board (PSCOB). In November
of last year, after AADM and several com
munity leaders in Athens led the push,
the Athens-Clarke County Commission
voted unanimously to create the PSCOB to
oversee several public safety departments.
After being appointed this year, the PSCOB
underwent orientation with the various
departments and offices involved so that
they could gain a better understanding of
how these departments operate and where
improvements need to be made. Overall,
those meetings were productive and posi
tive; departments have been forthcoming
with information and responsive to the
board’s questions and concerns. They are
now in the process of creating their board’s
bylaws—rules and procedures that will
guide the Board through their important
work.
True change, however, only happens
when we come together to support it.
We need our community to back the nine
members of the PSCOB by attending these
meetings and demonstrating that we are
interested and dedicated to fostering trans
parency and accountability in policing in
Athens. The PSCOB meetings are open to
the public to attend and observe. The next
meeting will be on Nov. 16 from 5:30-7:30
p.m. at Athens City Hall. ©
Gov. Brian Kemp arrives with his family at the Winterville train depotto
cast their votes.
Mokah Jasmine Johnson
NOVEMBER 16, 2022- FLAGPOLE.COM
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