If you could divide me into three parts, I'm part-sports fanatic, part-political junkie, part-nerd.
Atlanta, GA
Joined July 2013
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Shoutout to Lawrence Brannen, an incredibly courageous Augusta, GA resident who has continuously spoken out against predatory for-profit probation practices. GA lawmakers must end this exploitation. @AndyPierrotti
theaugustapress.com/letter-t…
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GA prison spending plans on deck in today’s House Public Safety Budget Subcmte hearing, including funds to expand contracts boosting the PRESENCE of prison health care. But how can incarcerated Georgians ACCESS them w/ unaffordable health co-pays? #gapol vimeo.com/showcase/8988927?a…
Today, a GA House Budget Subcmte will discuss new prison spending plans, including ~$100M to expand prison health contracts. What remains unclear is how this boosts access w/o reducing prison health co-pays, a pivotal part of incarcerated Georgians’ ability to access care. #gapol
Please share: If you or someone you know lives in a GA county affected by Hurricane Helene (see the list of affected counties in the link) and have lost employment bc of the disaster, there’s still time to apply for Disaster Unemployment Insurance. #GApol dol.georgia.gov/press-releas…
Today’s GA Prisons Study Cmte hearing included justice-impacted people courageously testifying against GA’s prison system’s inhumanity. And study cmte recommendations ignoring calls for decarceration, slavery abolishment, greater oversight & rising prices on basic needs. #GApol
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It also included continued shameful attempts among lawmakers to compare their civilian hardships - i.e. lack of home air conditioning or young adult peer pressure - to the daily life threatening pressures & conditions faced by those inside of prison facilities. #GApol
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"Lawmakers convening in 2025 must decide what portrait of GDC they see. Believe an agency saying it's on the right path & who regards crisis reports as propaganda? Or treat it as a failing agency leaving Georgians in/out of its prison walls unsafe?" #gapol ajc.com/news/investigations/…
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No room for more inhumanity, economic harm & forfeiture of tax revenue by targeting/jailing migrant families. GA’s jails & economy are already strained from criminalizing people bc of their inability to pay excessive court/probation fines & fees. #gapol ajc.com/politics/if-trump-in…
Yesterday’s “Let’s Talk About It” roundtable hosted by @BarredBusiness & @GaBudget was a raw, honest convo w/ community about economic insecurity faced by justice-impacted GA families, and needed integrity in policy conversations/choices shaping GA’s criminal legal system. #gapol
Great to see @FOX5Atlanta cover my latest analysis on several cities’ abusive reliance on fines & fees to backfill budgets. We need more spotlight on how local govts too often replace lost tax revenue w/ that from criminalization via fines & fees. #gapol fox5atlanta.com/news/metro-a…
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Furthermore, disaggregated state workforce data (see thread below) outlines the ongoing racial disparities in Georgia’s unemployment trends, making it clear that the August unemployment spike hit Black workers harder than others. #StateJobsDay
Today's #StateJobsDay numbers show Georgia's unemployment rate increased from 3.4% to 3.6% in August—a significant jump. This rise reflects more active workers losing jobs, outpacing the number of people who transitioned from the sidelines to job searching or employment.💼
Per @EconomicPolicy, after their significant employment growth in 2023:
•Black Georgians became 2.7X more likely than white Georgians to be unemployed by 2nd qtr 2024.
•Per DOL data, Black workers climbed to 64% of Georgia’s UI rolls by August - their highest share since 2021.
This #LaborDay, let's reflect on transformative social movements, such as the 7/31 worker justice rally at Amazon's ATL6 facility. Like other movements vs oppression-economy policy (i.e. Civil Rights, #StopCopCity) it was met with police repression & "outside agitator" rhetoric.
Workers & advocates including @forrespect, @Teamsters & @RaiseUptheSouth held a rally at Amazon's ATL6 facility in solidarity against Amazon's repeated intimidation, neglect of worker safety/security and unfair wages.
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According to the latest report from @OxfamAmerica, based on wage policies, worker protections, and rights to organize, GA ranked 50th out of 52 states for best places for working families to thrive. Best and Worst States to Work in the US | Oxfam (oxfamamerica.org) #GAPol
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Fresh off the release of our Budget Primer, @IfeFinchFloyd and I joined North Atlanta Labor Council’s “Labor, Faith & Community” event on Saturday, highlighting our latest budget analyses and engaging partners on past & future state policy pushes around economic security. #gapol
@GaBudget just released our signature piece on all things state budget! Analysis of state spending on K-12, Higher Ed, Housing, Safety Net, Health Access, State Prisons, and more! See the link below 👇🏾 gbpi.org/georgiabudgetprimer…
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Join us virtually on 8/13 at 3pm as @GaBudget highlights our signature budget publication! Among other topics, I’ll highlight how lawmakers prioritize spending for two state agencies at the core of many labor issues in GA: the Dept of Labor and the Dept of Corrections. #GAPol
Our annual budget primer is launching SOON and we would love to discuss all of our findings with you! Sign up for our virtual town hall that will take place next Tuesday at 3pm at our RSVP link here: bit.ly/4dcfk5Z
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As election pressures rise, consider how GA candidates engage on topics like funding state/local govts & if they support the status quo of allowing cities to balance budgets by pushing working-class families into debt, poverty & criminalization. #gapol atlantanewsfirst.com/2024/07…
Thank you @TelemundoNews for this national spotlight on abusive court fines & fees practices in Doraville. Practices may differ across GA localities, but disproportionate harms to low-income, families of color are much the same. GA lawmakers must improve safeguards. #GAPol
To view the full story that aired last week, click the link here: telemundo.com/noticias/amp/r…
Such an inflammatory opinion article published by CNN. Willfully neglecting so many factors/assumptions that are part of workforce mobility. A 🧵 on a few (among countless) important economic points to add to this reality-detached opinion piece. cnn.com/2024/07/21/opinions/…
1) Implicitly saying worker productivity hasn't increased over the years & that increased pay standards harm low-wage earners - is patently false. Pay standards haven't kept up w/ worker productivity growth, particularly for those earning the lowest wages. epi.org/publication/moral-po…
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Beautiful, beautiful news!!! Thank you @FCC!
BREAKING! The @FCC just sided with families across the country and MASSIVELY REDUCED prison and jail phone and video call rates. The new rules, passed unanimously, will impact 83% of incarcerated people and save families over $500 MILLION annually. Here’s what you should know…🧵
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Spread the word! 👇🏾 #gapol
NEXT WEEK July 15th, the Georgia Coalition for Paid Leave will have our KYR training for the new paid leave law! If you are a public sector worker, this is the training for you! Register here: 9to5.org/go/1010kyr
#paidleaveforallga #paidleaveforall #gapol #HB1010
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