ICE raids Hyundai plant; Atlanta public schools to merge; Michael Hardwick book

Summary

Georgia Today Podcast – September 5, 2025

Host: Sophie Gradis (Georgia Public Broadcasting)
Featured Interviews: Martin Padgett, Orlando Montoya, Amanda Andrews, Chase McGee
Main Topics: Major ICE operation at Hyundai's Bryan County plant, Atlanta Public Schools mergers, the legacy of Michael Hardwick, and more

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Episode Overview

This episode provides in-depth coverage of several major stories in Georgia: a massive federal immigration enforcement operation at a Hyundai electric vehicle plant, upcoming consolidation plans for Atlanta Public Schools, and a feature interview about a new book chronicling the life of Michael Hardwick, the man at the center of a pivotal LGBTQ Supreme Court case. The show also touches on local commemorations, ongoing legal cases, and major developments in education and infrastructure.

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Major Topics & Discussion Points

1. Large-Scale ICE Operation at Hyundai Plant

[00:05 – 01:36]

• Summary:
  Federal officials detained 475 workers at Hyundai’s expansive Bryan County electric vehicle plant after a months-long investigation. Officials stress this was not a classic “immigration raid,” despite the involvement of over 400 agents and the transfer of detainees to the Folkestone ICE Processing Center. No criminal charges have been announced.

  • The Georgia Democratic Party criticizes the operation as a “politically motivated fear tactic.”
  • South Korean diplomats are being dispatched to Georgia due to concerns over the treatment of South Korean automaker Hyundai.

• Quote:

  • “Together, we are sending a clear and unequivocal message that those who exploit our workforce, undermine our economy and violate federal laws will be held accountable.”
    — Stephen Schrank, DHS Special Agent in Charge [01:24]

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2. Georgia National Guard Deployed to Washington, D.C.

[01:36 – 02:32]

• Summary:
  Governor Brian Kemp announces that over 300 members of the Georgia National Guard will be sent to Washington, D.C. to help with President Trump’s declared “crime emergency.” The deployment has drawn sharp criticism from D.C. officials as an unprecedented use of state military for domestic policing.

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3. One-Year Memorial of Apalachee High School Shooting

[02:32 – 03:10]
Reporter: Chase McGee

• Summary:
  On the anniversary of the Barrow County mass shooting, community members gather at Apalachee High School for a memorial honoring the victims—two teachers and two students.
  • The phrase “Love Prevails” has become a rallying slogan in the community.

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4. Atlanta Public Schools Merger & Consolidation Plans

[03:10 – 04:04]
Reporter: Amanda Andrews (with input from Tracy Richter and Martin Padgett)

• Summary:
  APS officials propose merging select elementary and middle schools to balance enrollment and minimize disruption.

  • Scenarios include combining Pre-K to second grade facilities to create comprehensive elementary or middle schools.
  • Buildings such as Sutton Middle School’s sixth grade campus may be repurposed.
  • Research cited indicates that changing school environments may cause temporary learning regression.
  • Public input is solicited via an online survey open until September 15.

• Quote:

  • “When you change buildings, there’s also some regression in learning because not only are you learning a new grade and new content, you're learning new environments.”
    — Tracy Richter, APS Board Consultant [03:44]

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5. Rockdale County’s Legal Battle After Biolab Chemical Fire

[04:04 – 05:30]

• Summary:
  A federal judge rules Rockdale County cannot recoup public emergency response costs from Biolab after last year’s chemical fire, citing Georgia's free public services doctrine. However, the county’s lawsuit for negligence, damages, and public health impacts continues. A Clean Air Act claim has been dismissed but can be refiled.
  • Biolab stands accused of neglecting safety, resulting in mass evacuation and toxic smoke.

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6. Georgia Tech Faces Federal Scrutiny and Announces Record Gift

[05:30 – 05:44]

• Summary:
  President Angel Cabrera alerts to the financial risks posed by the Trump administration’s cancellation of $15 million in research funding.

  • Announces a landmark $100 million bequest from alumnus John Durstein.

• Quote:

  • “We’re ready to do our part in helping our government be more efficient, but without adequate funding from somewhere, we simply cannot afford to do that important work we do on behalf of the American people.”
    — Angel Cabrera, Georgia Tech President [05:30]

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7. Infrastructure and Economic Development Updates

[05:44 – 07:50]

• U.S. Funding for Georgia’s Ports:

  • $66 million allocated to Savannah and Brunswick ports for operations and maintenance; includes a study on deepening the Savannah harbor.

• Centennial Yards Redevelopment:

  • First residential tower opens as part of a $5 billion redevelopment transforming underused downtown Atlanta land.

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8. Feature Interview: The Legacy of Michael Hardwick

[07:50 – 14:34]
Guest: Martin Padgett (author, "The Many Passions of Michael Hardwick")
Interviewer: Orlando Montoya

• Summary:
  Martin Padgett discusses his new biography of Michael Hardwick, whose 1982 arrest under Georgia’s sodomy law led to the landmark Supreme Court case Bowers v. Hardwick. Initially, Hardwick never intended to be a symbol; he was “a normal 20-something guy” active in the community, not the media.

• Case Details:

  • Hardwick’s legal troubles began with a disputed open container citation, culminating in his arrest when police entered his bedroom and found him with another man.
  • Despite initially being hesitant, he became an activist — buoyed by the ACLU — and challenged the law all the way to the Supreme Court.
  • Ultimately, the Court ruled against him, saying states could legislate based on morality, entrenching anti-sodomy statutes and fostering discrimination.

• Quotes & Memorable Moments:

  • "He was a bartender, he was a landscape designer... He was, we call that just being a normal guy. He was a normal 20-something guy... He was very well known. It was never his intention to become the symbol of the movement, but it happened to him."
    — Martin Padgett [08:06]
  • "I think he became an activist because he felt like these were his rights. And privacy is supposed to be a right that’s extended to all Americans..."
    — Martin Padgett [10:11]
  • “Several of the clerks who worked on some of the memoranda for this case talk about how AIDS was always in the background of the case. The argument always was, it is permissible for states to rule on something or to create a law that supports public health, but they have to define how it's applied.”
    — Martin Padgett [11:55]
  • “I know that the system works, and when I set out to do this...I always had in the back of my mind that what I was setting out to do was try to change the law. Not necessarily to change it, though. Even if I could just lay a foundation for future change after that decision.”
    — Michael Hardwick [12:32]
  • “Just about everything negative that could happen to a queer person in the 1980s happened to Michael Hardwick. Despite all that, he was resilient, and he had the inspiration to take the learnings he had tried to bring to himself and use those to cushion himself against the outside world.”
    — Martin Padgett [14:09]

• Hardwick’s Later Life:

  • Moved to Miami, became a well-regarded artist.
  • Remained a symbol of perseverance and resilience amid the AIDS crisis and ongoing LGBTQ discrimination.

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• ICE/Hyundai Detentions: 00:05 – 01:36
• Georgia National Guard/Washington, D.C.: 01:36 – 02:32
• Apalachee High School Memorial: 02:32 – 03:10
• Atlanta Public Schools Mergers: 03:10 – 04:04
• Rockdale County/Biolab Fire: 04:04 – 05:30
• Georgia Tech President’s Speech: 05:30 – 05:44
• Ports Infrastructure, Centennial Yards: 05:44 – 07:50
• Michael Hardwick’s Life & Supreme Court Case: 07:50 – 14:34

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Final Notes & Recommendations

• To learn more about Martin Padgett's book The Many Passions of Michael: Sex and the Supreme Court in the Age of AIDS and the legacy of Bowers v. Hardwick, listeners are encouraged to check out GPB’s Narrative Edge podcast.
• For further updates on these and other stories, visit gpb.org/news.

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This episode offers a compelling mix of news reporting and long-form human interest, anchored by a remarkable story of legal struggle and resilience at the heart of the LGBTQ rights movement.

Transcript

[Martin Padgett]

Foreign.

[Sophie Gradis]

Welcome to the Georgia Today Podcast. Here we bring you the latest reports from the GPB newsroom. On today's episode, 475 workers are detained in a massive operation for federal immigration enforcement at Bryan County's Hyundai plant. Atlanta Public Schools plan some mergers and a new book profiles the story of an Atlanta man whose arrest and trial made him an icon of the LGBTQ community.

[Martin Padgett]

Just about everything negative that could happen to a queer person in the 1980s happened to Michael Hardwick. Despite all that, he was resilient.

[Sophie Gradis]

Today is Friday, September 5th. I'm Sophie Gradis, and this is Georgia Today. Officials with the U.S. department of Homeland Security say 475 people were detained as the result of a month's long criminal investigation. Most of the people detained were sent to Georgia's Folkestone ICE Processing Center. The the operation took place yesterday at the sprawling Bryan county site where South Korean automaker Hyundai manufactures electric vehicles. Federal officials say the operation, which they denied was an immigration raid, involved more than 400 agents. There have been no criminal charges filed yet. Special Agent in Charge Stephen Schrank gave details on the operation today in Savannah.

[Martin Padgett]

Together, we are sending a clear and unequivocal message that that those who exploit our workforce, undermine our economy and violate federal laws will be held accountable.

[Sophie Gradis]

The Georgia Democratic Party called the enforcement operation a politically motivated fear tactic. South Korean officials raised concerns, saying the country is sending diplomats to the area. More than 300 members of the Georgia National Guard will be sent to Washington, D.C. to help President Donald Trump's crackdown on the city, Governor Brian Kemp said today. The soldiers and support staff will assist in what the president calls a crime emergency. District officials have blasted the deployment as an illegal use of the military for domestic policing. Thursday marked the one year anniversary of a mass shooting at Apalachee High School in Barrow county that killed two students and two teachers. Members of the community gathered on campus last night to remember those who were lost. GPB's Chase McGee has more.

[Chase McGee]

Just after sunset, hundreds gathered around the flagpole at Apalachee High School one year after local law enforcement addressed the public. From this spot, students brought signs and bouquets of flowers, creating a makeshift memorial. A large sign honored the four victims, teachers Christina Irami and Richard Aspinwall, and students Christian Angulo and Mason Schermerhorn. Below the names were the words Love Prevails, a slogan that's since been embraced by the community. The ceremony ended with a candlelight vigil like the one held in downtown Winder a year ago. In the hours after the shooting For GPB news, I'm Chase McGee in Winder.

[Sophie Gradis]

Officials from Atlanta Public Schools are planning to merge and consolidate schools to balance enrollments. GPB's Amanda Andrews has more on the facility changes.

[Amanda Andrews]

Current closure scenarios include plans to combine schools serving select grade grades like pre K to second, with nearby facilities to create one full elementary or middle school. This could mean buildings like the Sutton Middle School sixth grade campus could be repurposed. Tracy Richter is working with the APS board on this project. He says the goal of merging is to minimize learning disruptions for students.

[Chase McGee]

There's research out there that talks about.

[Martin Padgett]

When you change buildings. There's also some regression in learning because.

[Chase McGee]

Not only are you learning a new.

[Martin Padgett]

Grade and new content, you're learning new environments.

[Amanda Andrews]

The public can share their opinions on these initial proposals in an online survey through September 15th. For GPB news, I'm Amanda Andrews.

[Sophie Gradis]

Metro Atlanta's Rockdale county won't be able to recoup the cost of its emergency response to last year's chemical fire at the Biolab facility in Conyers. A federal judge ruled this week that Georgia's free public services doctrine prevents governments from billing private companies for firefighters, mass evacuations and shelter in place orders. The county's lawsuit against the company that produces products to clean pools and spas is still moving forward. Claims of negligence and nuisance remain, along with efforts to recover damages for business losses, property values and long term community health impacts. The judge in this case also dismissed a Clean Air act claim on procedural grounds, but noted the county can refile it at a later date. Rockdale county first sued Biolab in October of 2024, alleging the company's lack of safety measures contributed to the fire that sent a toxic plume of smoke up in the air. If you want an in depth listen on the Biolab story, check out our podcast, Manufacturing danger, hosted by GPB's Pamela Kirkland. The president of Georgia Tech says the institution faces considerable risks with the Trump administration's heightened scrutiny of colle and universities. President Angel Cabrera presented his annual institute address on Thursday. In his speech, he said the Trump administration has canceled $15 million in research projects.

[Martin Padgett]

We're ready to do our part in helping our government be more efficient, but without adequate funding from somewhere, we simply cannot afford to do that important work we do on behalf of the American people.

[Sophie Gradis]

Cabrera also highlighted Georgia Tech's growth. He announced the institute's largest ever single gift, a $100 million bequest from the late Georgia Tech alumnus John Durstein. The US has passed a massive funding bill that includes federal dollars for projects at the ports of Savannah and Brunswick. Southeast Georgia Congressman Buddy Carter said on Thursday that the U.S. army Corps of Engineers funding is includes $66 million for operations and maintenance at both ports. The bill also pays for a new study on deepening Savannah's harbor. It now goes to the U.S. senate for consideration. A $5 billion redevelopment project in downtown Atlanta has reached a milestone. Centennial Yards said on Thursday that it has opened the first residential tower and ground up building in the complex. The 19 story building has more than 300 apartment units. Centennial promises to transform a long underused part of downtown known mostly for rail tracks and parking lots, into a blend of entertainment, dining, shopping, hotels and apartments. When the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June of 2022, it said that the 1973 ruling which legalized abortion was quote, unquote, on a collision course with the Constitution from the day it was decided. Using similar language in 2003, the U.S. supreme Court overturned a Georgia privacy case from 1986, Bowers vs. Hardwick. It said that it was, quote, not correct when it was decided and not correct today. The man behind the Georgia case, Michael Hardwick, is the subject of a new book. It's the first biography of the man who became a folk hero in the LGBTQ community for standing up for his right not to be policed in his own bedroom. Martin Padgett wrote the biography called the Many Passions of Michael Hardwick. He spoke to GPB's Orlando Montoya.

[Orlando Montoya]

Martin, before we get to the case and the law, this is first and foremost a story of a man's life. So can you tell me who Michael Hardwick was and a little about his journey until just prior to the events that led to his case?

[Martin Padgett]

He was a bartender, he was a landscape designer. He loved to go out at night and drink and dabble in some other things. He was, we call that just being a normal guy. He was a normal 20 something guy. He was not out to grab media attention. He had a community that already gave him attention. You know, he was a good looking guy and he was popular. He was very well known. It was never his intention to become the symbol of the movement, but it happened to him.

[Orlando Montoya]

The arrest on sodomy charges on August 3, 1982. Can you outline what happened that led to his landmark case?

[Martin Padgett]

On the July 4th weekend of that year, Michael left the COVID which is the northeast corner of Piedmont Park. He was seen to have a beer bottle in his hands. His recollection was that he Threw the beer bottle in the trash can on the way out the door. He walked down the street, saw a police car pass by, and then he saw the police car turn around. It came back to him. And he was issued a ticket for open container.

[Orlando Montoya]

He says he threw the container away.

[Martin Padgett]

He said he threw the container away. The police officer said, well, you can, you know, challenge that in court. He believed that he had taken care of the ticket. He went downtown, paid the ticket, had a note written by the court clerk that it was taken care of and that the officer should decide whether he wanted to pursue the warrant or not. On August 3, Michael had come back to his apartment from work, had brought a friend home with him, was in his bedroom. The officer came to serve the warrant and got access to the house. It's disputed whether he was allowed to come in or whether he came in by himself and went back to Michael's bedroom, where he found him with another man. And according to Georgia law, that could carry a penalty of up to 20 years in jail.

[Orlando Montoya]

He was charged with sodomy, which was a felony 20 year crime at that time.

[Martin Padgett]

Yes.

[Orlando Montoya]

Lawyers come in and say, you ought to fight this. He initially says, I don't know. His mother was worried about him in all of this situation. And he wasn't an activist before he had been arrested.

[Martin Padgett]

I think he became an activist because he felt like these were his rights. And privacy is supposed to be a right that's extended to all Americans and did not see why his situation would make that any different. The officer had come into the house without permission. He was approached by the aclu, and they convinced him that there could not be a more perfect case to challenge existing sodomy laws. And if Georgia's law was overturned, then that would hold a precedent. If they could get it to the Supreme Court, that could invalidate the sodomy laws that were still in effect in another 25 or 26 states at the time. So he thought it was worth it. All the attorneys involved looked at this and they said, person in the privacy of their own home. This is a great test case for substantive due process for privacy as it's been upheld. The Fulton county district attorney had decided not to prosecute the case because he didn't believe that Georgia's application of the law was just. He wanted to see it as a misdemeanor. And he knew that he had a big gay community in the city of Atlanta. And the political reality of the situation is you cannot strip so many people of rights. Maybe he thought it'd Be easier to get rid of their rights if there was a smaller group. But Atlanta had a thriving queer community of a couple hundred thousand people by that point. The state's attorney general decided that we're going to appeal it, take it to the Supreme Court. And they decided to hear it.

[Orlando Montoya]

The US Supreme Court eventually ruled against him, saying that Georgia had a right to create laws based on morality. If you read the ruling, you see words like deviant crimes against nature. The subtitle of your book says, in the age of aids. There was a lot behind the decision that wasn't just legal.

[Martin Padgett]

Several of the clerks who worked on some of the memoranda for this case talk about how AIDS was always in the background of the case. The argument always was, it is permissible for states to rule on something or to create a law that supports public health, but they have to define how it's applied. So the state is going to have to further delineate why they have the right to create this law. And that, I think, was the goal that they thought most reachable with the Supreme Court case on Michael's side. Send it back to the courts to decide what exactly are the contours of this law.

[Orlando Montoya]

Michael spoke with the legendary PBS journalist Bill Moyers a few years after the case.

[Michael Hardwick]

I know that the system works, and when I set out to do this, I never necessarily thought I was going to go to the Supreme Court. And I definitely didn't think I was going to lose at the Supreme Court. But I always had in the back of my mind that what I was setting out to do was to try to change the law. Not necessarily to change it, though. Even if I could just lay a foundation for future change after that decision.

[Martin Padgett]

Really there were a whole new. Whole new possibilities of discrimination that were codified so that queer people could be disallowed from adoption. That the states that had sodomy laws felt no urge to take them off the books. That there were states that looked to re engage queer sodomy laws that were specifically focused against queer people because now they had the Supreme Court's permission to do so. In many ways, the second class citizenship of queer people was affirmed and was prosecuted and people were persecuted. So many of the people who came to Washington in 1987 to protest at the march on Washington were there because of Michael. They were there because of the HIV epidemic.

[Orlando Montoya]

He became a star. He became a hero in the community.

[Martin Padgett]

Rock Hudson very publicly became sort of the face of HIV aids. And then not nine months later, Michael Hardwick lost the decision at the Supreme Court. So suddenly people could attach a real person's life to these theoretical things that they thought were distant and remote from them.

[Orlando Montoya]

This case changed Michael.

[Martin Padgett]

It did.

[Orlando Montoya]

It changed him so profoundly, he moved to Miami. He became an artist known for remarkable sculptures and installations.

[Martin Padgett]

Just about everything negative that could happen to a queer person in the 1980s happened to Michael Hardwick. Despite all that, he was resilient, and he had the inspiration to take the learnings he had tried to bring to himself and use those to cushion himself against the outside world.

[Orlando Montoya]

The book is called the Many Passions of Michael, Sex and the Supreme Court in the Age of aids. And thanks for speaking to me, Martin Padgett.

[Martin Padgett]

Thank you.

[Sophie Gradis]

Martin Padgett's book was the subject of a recent episode of narrative edge. That's GPB's podcast and video series about books with Georgia connections. It's co hosted by Orlando Montoya and Peter Biello. You can find Narrative Edge on your favorite podcast app or on YouTube. That's it for today's edition of GEORGIA Today. Thank you for listening. If you would like to learn more about these stories, please visit gpb.org news if you haven't yet subscribed to this podcast, take a moment right now and keep us current in your podcast feed. If you have feedback, we would love to hear it. Email us@georgia todaypb.org I'm Sophie Gradas and we will see you next week.