Protests against Trump at the state capitol; Public housing lawsuits; Abortion access

Summary

Georgia Today Podcast Summary Release Date: February 6, 2025
Host: Orlando Montoya
Reporter: Sarah Kalis
Produced by: Georgia Public Broadcasting

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1. Amended State Budget Approved by Georgia House

The Georgia House Appropriations Committee approved an amended budget for the fiscal year ending in June, allocating $40 billion to address the state's pressing needs. Representative Sarah Kalis provides an in-depth look into the allocation:

• Hurricane Relief: Millions of dollars directed towards Hurricane Helene relief efforts.
• School Safety Initiatives: Enhanced funding to improve safety measures in educational institutions.
• State Prison Repairs: Significant investment in repairing and upgrading state prison facilities.

Notable Quote:
“This budget contains very important additions, primarily as it relates to Hurricane Raleen, Hurricane Helene and the safety and security of our prisons.”
— Matt Hatchett, House Appropriations Committee Chair (01:12)

The amended budget now moves to the Senate for approval, with both legislative chambers expected to finalize the full budget by the end of the session.

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2. Protests Against President Trump at the State Capitol

Today saw significant demonstrations at the Georgia State Capitol, where hundreds protested against President Donald Trump and his administration's policies. The protests addressed various issues, including:

• Immigration Operations: Concerns over the administration's immigration policies.
• Elon Musk's Authority: Reactions to Musk's expanding influence and decisions.
• Website Terminology Changes: Opposition to the removal of specific terms from official state websites.

Notable Quote:
“The amount of rights being taken away and the push for people like me... my friends, my family to hide is what I'm here to protest."
— Ashley Hammond, 19-year-old Protester from Hart County (02:22)

These grassroots protests sprang from social media mobilizations and mirror similar demonstrations occurring in other state capitals nationwide.

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3. Democrats Push for Voter Decision on Abortion Access

Democratic state senators unveiled a resolution aiming to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot, which would safeguard access to abortion until fetal viability. Atlanta State Senator Sally Harrell voiced the motivation behind this initiative:

Notable Quote:
“We all know and love women of reproductive age, and we can't help but wonder, what if that happened to my loved one. To my daughter, to my granddaughter, to my wife, to me.”
— Senator Sally Harrell (02:56)

The resolution requires a two-thirds majority in the legislature to proceed to the ballot—an unlikely scenario in the current Republican-controlled legislature. Nonetheless, the effort underscores the Democrats' commitment to protecting reproductive rights in Georgia.

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4. Legal Challenges Facing Public Housing Authorities

Public housing authorities in Georgia are embroiled in lawsuits that could alter how landlords are held accountable under state law. The core of the issue revolves around sovereign immunity, which currently protects housing authorities from many lawsuits.

Case Highlight: Carmelo Ross vs. Macon Housing Authority

• Background:
  Fifteen-year-old Carmelo Ross was tragically killed in a drive-by shooting near a public housing complex in Macon. His parents sued the Macon Housing Authority, alleging negligence due to the area's high crime rates and insufficient safety measures.

• Legal Barrier:
  The Macon Housing Authority invoked sovereign immunity, effectively shielding themselves from the lawsuit. This legal doctrine, rooted in British common law, traditionally protects government entities from being sued except under specific circumstances.

Notable Quote:
“Sovereign immunity dates back to British common law and the idea that the king can do no wrong.”
— James Adomoly, Attorney Representing Carmelo Ross’s Parents (06:12)

Additional Insights:

• Following Carmelo’s death, the housing authority implemented surveillance cameras and increased police patrols, which coincided with a decline in homicides in the area.
• Similar lawsuits are pending in Augusta, Columbus, and Atlanta, with plaintiffs arguing that housing authorities have failed to maintain safe living environments.
• Critics like Mike Walker, a personal injury attorney, argue that sovereign immunity prevents victims from seeking justice not only in violent crimes but also in cases involving hazardous living conditions, such as mold or lead contamination.

Notable Quote:
“By giving housing authorities this power to protect themselves from expensive litigation, it's not just victims of violent crime that could be kept from seeking damages.”
— Mike Walker, Atlanta Attorney (07:35)

The Georgia Supreme Court is set to rehear a pivotal case from Augusta, which could have far-reaching implications for public housing lawsuits across the state.

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5. Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones Proposes Department of Government Efficiency

Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones introduced a proposal for a state-level Department of Government Efficiency, aiming to streamline regulatory processes and reduce bureaucratic overhead.

Key Points:

• Objective:
  The department would focus on deregulating and optimizing government operations to enhance efficiency.

• Political Context:
  The Republican plan for this department passed the state Senate last year but faced opposition in the House, preventing its passage today.

• Alignment with Federal Trends:
  Jones highlighted that this initiative mirrors efforts by the Trump administration to reduce regulatory burdens at the national level.

Notable Quote:
“We always add more regulations. Very few times do we take them away. And I think that it's always good for us to do a reset on our regulatory fronts and that's what this bill would do.”
— Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones (11:04)

The proposal continues to garner attention as proponents argue it will foster a more business-friendly environment in Georgia by cutting unnecessary red tape.

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6. Additional News Highlights

• Water Infrastructure Funding:
  The Georgia House approved an amended budget including $500 million for a new water intake on the Savannah River. This project is crucial for supporting the growth associated with the new Hyundai electric vehicle manufacturing plant in Bryan County, potentially alleviating southeast Georgia’s water shortages.

• Columbus Alcohol Sales Exception for Super Bowl Sunday:
  Columbus has made an exception to its ban on Sunday alcohol sales to accommodate Super Bowl Sunday festivities. Mayor Skip Henderson announced that February 9th would be designated as the exception, allowing residents and visitors to purchase alcohol on this event-specific Sunday.

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Conclusion

Today's episode of Georgia Today delivered comprehensive coverage on significant state issues, from legislative budget amendments and political protests to critical debates over public housing laws and reproductive rights. The discussions highlighted the dynamic interplay between government policies, community activism, and ongoing legal challenges shaping Georgia's future.

For more detailed reports on these stories and other topics, visit gpb.org/news or subscribe to the Georgia Today podcast to stay informed on the latest developments affecting the Peach State.

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This summary is based on the February 6, 2025, episode of the Georgia Today podcast by Georgia Public Broadcasting.

Transcript

[Orlando Montoya]

Hello and welcome to the Georgia Today Podcast from GPB News. Today is Thursday, February 6th. I'm Orlando Montoya. On this podcast, you'll hear the latest reports from GPB's news team. And you can send us ideas of your own. Send us feedback, too. Eorgatodaypb.org Coming up on today's episode, we'll tell you about a protest at the state Capitol. Hundreds of people showed up to demonstrate against President Trump and his policies. Legal challenges from local public housing authorities could hurt the way landlords are held accountable under the law. That's another story we'll have today. Also, Democratic state senators want Georgia voters to decide on abortion access.

[Sarah Kalis]

We all know and love women of reproductive age, and we can't help but wonder, what if that happened to my loved one?

[Orlando Montoya]

These stories and more are coming up on this edition of GEORGIA today. The Georgia House this morning approved an amended budget for the fiscal year that ends in June. GB's Sarah Kalis reports on what's in the $40 billion package.

[Sarah Kalis]

The amended budget adds millions of dollars in Hurricane Helene relief, school safety initiatives and money to make state prison repairs. House Appropriations Committee Chair Matt Hatchett said the funds will address urgent needs. This budget contains very important additions, primarily as it relates to Hurricane Raleen, Hurricane Helene and the safety and security of our prisons. The budget, which adds to the current fiscal year's budget, will now move to the Senate for their approval. Both chambers still need to vote on the full budget for the upcoming fiscal year by the end of the legislative session. For GPB News, I'm Sarah Kalis. At the State Capitol.

[Orlando Montoya]

Hundreds of people protested President Donald Trump and his administration at the state Capitol today. In two separate demonstrations, participants expressed a variety of concerns, including immigration operations, Elon Musk's powers and the removal of certain terms from official websites. 19 year old Ashley Hammond came to the Capitol from northeast Georgia's Hart County. The amount of rights being taken away and the push for people like me.

[Sarah Kalis]

My friends, my family to hide is what I'm here to protest.

[Orlando Montoya]

The two grassroots protests grew out of posts on social media. Similar protests arose in other state capitals across the country. Democrats in the state Senate want Georgia voters to decide on abortion access. A resolution unveiled yesterday aims to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot that would, if passed, protect access to abortion until fetal viability. Atlanta State Senator Sally Harrell we all.

[Sarah Kalis]

Know and love women of reproductive age and we can't help but wonder, what if that happened to my loved one.

[Orlando Montoya]

To my daughter, to my granddaughter, to.

[Sarah Kalis]

My wife, to me.

[Orlando Montoya]

The resolution would require two thirds of the legislature to approve its placement on the ballot, and so it's unlikely to gain that support in the Republican controlled state legislature. Local public housing authorities have been fighting in court to try to change the way they can be held responsible by tenants under Georgia law. At risk is the ability for people who live in public housing and who are hurt living there to hold their landlords accountable. Cheap V's Sophie Gratis has more Carlos.

[Sarah Kalis]

Ross remembers his son Carmelo Ross as Melo Ross jokes that his son wanted to be Mr. Superstar. He wanted to be a rapper. He pulls up one of his songs posted online, that's Melo. He like to play basketball and he just pretty much like to hang out. Always twisting his hair all the time cause he had long dreads, long dreads and he always twisted hair always in the mirror. Carmelo was sweet, always calling his dad to check in and make sure he'd taken his medicine. Melo made it known that you you gonna love him cause he gonna do something to make you laugh. He make you mad soon like when he got a tattoo in secret he gonna make you laugh. It was three days after Carlos Ross birthday when 15 year old Carmelo was killed in a drive by shooting while visiting Anthony Holmes, a public housing complex on Macon's west side. Carmelo was with some friends when it happened. One was shot in the hand. They said a car came rolled by and then like they said like the third or the fourth time the car came back they went to shoe. Ross and Carmelo's mom sued the Macon Housing Authority over Carmelo's death. They alleged that despite knowing about criminal activity on the street where their son died, the Housing Authority had not done enough to keep the apartment complex safe. Homicides had happened there before based on death certificates. In an area less than a mile from where Carmelo was shot, about one person had been killed every year since 2019. Another young person was killed there just a year after Carmelo. The Macon Housing Authority denied responsibility through something called sovereign immunity, meaning that they cannot be sued except in very particular circumstances because they are part of the city government, county government, municipality government, depending on where they are. James Adomoly, a lawyer out of Atlanta, represented Carmelo Ross parents in court. Sovereign immunity dates back to British common law and the idea that the king can do no wrong. Today it protects state and federal agencies like the post office or police departments from some lawsuits, essentially saying we don't want all these lawsuits draining the state treasury. Only recently have housing authorities like Macon's started asking for the same protection from tenant lawsuits. They can't necessarily afford to be anywhere else. And then we say, sorry, the courthouse.

[Orlando Montoya]

Doors are closed to you.

[Sarah Kalis]

That's a problem. This summer, Georgia supreme court will rehear a case out of Augusta after lower courts ruled to grant sovereign immunity to the housing authority there. Mike walker is a personal injury attorney in Atlanta. The plaintiff in that case, a lady named Christina Guy, she was shot on the front porch of her apartment. It was during a robbery. Guy sued the Augusta housing authority over negligence. She lost that case. So she appealed. Really, if you look it up, it's an extremely dangerous apartment complex, tons of crimes. It's a very unsafe place to live. Enough public housing tenants have sued over crime in Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus and Macon that their landlords submitted a letter of support for sovereign immunity during the appeals process. In the guy case, the the Georgia supreme court now has that amicus brief in the materials they will later consider. Mike Austin is the housing director in Macon. He says suing housing authorities over crime in public housing is problematic because they, quote, can never guarantee safety. Unfortunately, crime happens everywhere, but we can.

[Orlando Montoya]

Do things and we do do things to help with safety.

[Sarah Kalis]

After 15 year old Carmela Ross was killed, the housing authority installed surveillance cameras around high risk neighborhoods and paid for extra officers to patrol at night. Since then, the trend of a homicide a year where Carmelo died has ended. But safety costs money, which Austin says housing authorities don't have a lot of.

[Orlando Montoya]

If you're going to be an affordable housing operator, you've got to be very, very disciplined because you have a finite amount of rent revenue that you've got to deal with.

[Sarah Kalis]

But there's no cap on expenses and there is a public housing shortage. Hundreds of people are on waitlists for apartments around the state. The judge that sided with housing authorities in the Augusta case argued that budgets for public housing, which have gone up with more lawsuits and higher insurance premiums, should be protected because it's an essential government function. But attorney Mike Walker argues that by giving housing authorities this power to protect themselves from expensive litigation, it's not just victims of violent crime that could be kept from seeking damages. It's my belief that the housing authorities are raising this argument in all cases like those that deal with hazardous conditions inside apartments, including mold or lead pipes. Meanwhile, Walker and other attorneys have been told by judges that they have to wait for a supreme court decision on sovereign immunity before ongoing lawsuits, some years into arguments, can move forward. Let's come on the record. We call the case of Arthur Anthony surviving. Inside a courtroom last fall, Arthur Anthony was told he will have to wait for relief, too. Anthony sued the Augusta housing authority in 2023 over the death of his eight year old daughter Arbery a year earlier. You can tell that she was going to be something special. This is arbery's aunt, Jamilla McDaniel speaking in place of her brother Arbery's dad. Arbery, like 15 year old Carmela Ross, was shot in a random act of violence while playing outside. Later known gang members would be arrested. It happened at Dogwood Terrace, the same apartment complex at the center of the case that's headed to the state Supreme Court.

[Orlando Montoya]

It's.

[Sarah Kalis]

It's also where McDaniel grew up. Well, I've saw a couple of people get killed before in front of me.

[Orlando Montoya]

It was all random, like I said.

[Sarah Kalis]

She says crime hasn't stopped. I blame them responsible for what happened to her.

[Orlando Montoya]

They didn't take the proper precautions like they were supposed to.

[Sarah Kalis]

McDaniel says installing security cameras like they did in Macon hasn't been enough. She would like to see security gates at the entrance of a neighborhood like Dogwood Terrace. But now the city is tearing the apartments down. All residents are being relocated. The Augusta Housing Authority says it's because the apartments were out of code and that they plan to build something new. Back in Macon, Carlos Ross was able to move his family from the house they used to live in down the street from where his son was killed after he and Carmelo's mom settled their lawsuit with the Macon Housing Authority out of court for an undisclosed amount of money. It don't excite me like the money. I never had that much before, ever in my life. But it don't excite me like I'm not really. I rather have him back. You play classic with me. Yeah.

[Orlando Montoya]

Hold up.

[Sarah Kalis]

Ross says for the sake of Carmelo's siblings and his son's friends, he hopes the city of Macon does more to stem violence and the places they live. For GPB News, I'm Sophie Gradas. In Macon.

[Orlando Montoya]

Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones has introduced a plan he's calling a state level Department of Government Efficiency. The Republicans plan passed in the state Senate last year but didn't make it out of the house today. He told GPB's Donna Lowry the effort mirrors that being advanced by the Trump administration.

[Sarah Kalis]

We always add more regulations. Very few times do we take them away. And I think that it's always good for us to do a reset on our regulatory fronts and that's what this bill would do. It got a lot of attention now because that's something that they're doing on the Trump administration is moving towards doing on the national front.

[Orlando Montoya]

And we'll have more from Jones on that issue and other issues on Tonight's episode of GPB's Lawmakers at 7:00 on your GPB TV station. And if you happen to catch this after the program airs, you can find [e-mail] lawmakers some relief for southeast Georgia's water woes could be coming if funding approved by the Georgia House today makes it into law. State representatives approved an amended 2025 fiscal year budget that includes a half billion billion for a new water intake on the Savannah River. The measure is aimed at supporting Savannah area growth, especially the huge new Hyundai electric vehicle manufacturing plant in Bryan County. Columbus is making Super Bowl Sunday an exception to its ban on Sunday alcohol sales. State law allows local governments to designate one Sunday a year as an exception to their Sunday alcohol bans. Columbus Mayor Skip Henderson said in a news release on Tuesday that that exception this year would be this upcoming Sunday, February 9th. And that's it for today's edition of Georgia Today. As always, we encourage your feedback and encourage you to go to gpb.org news if you'd like to learn more about the stories that you hear on this podcast. We also encourage you to hit subscribe on this podcast that helps you and it helps us so you can stay current with us in your feed. I'm Orlando Montoya. Thanks for tuning in.

[Sarah Kalis]

Each morning it's a new opportunity, a chance to start fresh. Up first from NPR makes each morning an opportunity to learn and to understand. Choose to join the world every morning with Up First, a podcast that hands you everything going on across the globe and down the street, all in 15 minutes or less. Start your day informed and anew with up first by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts.