Why's It Always Gotta Be Georgia

I think about the ship while going through a box of smoke, knowing that they slopped the most spit flames, dropping rope, Rick James cows approach, big brain, dropping clothes, flip the table because we need that swift change, not the post going through the concert pros. But I'm keeping honest though Dope Knife rap phenomeno. While playing dominoes linga Frank's Revolution, I'm saying vominos, looking down the barrel of a gun, yelling geronomo, goo, hey, this is dope knife,

and are waiting on reparations, hurry up? All right? So we are here with Devin Barrington Ward, a founding member I believe of the Black Futurist Group. Yes, absolutely, all right, Well you know I am a new UH City council candidate UM here. I was so exciting, Like I heard that you were maybe going to run. I didn't know that you were like in, yeah, that's all my paperwork,

it's official. Congratulations, Thank you, thank you, so thank you so much for joining us today to talk a little bit about just everything that's been going on in Georgia lately. UM And we talked about this a little bit before we started recording, but I think you said something very insightful, and we love the listeners also sharing this discussion of like why is so much crazy shit happening in Georgia right now? Georgia is is ground zero for what is

the past. We're at the intersection of what's the past

and what is possible for the future. UM And when I say that, UM, we are a jurisdiction of state, particularly in metro Atlanta, but across Georgia where there are lots of black people like yourself that are in UM leadership, that are decision makers, that are you know, trying to blaze the path forward for something that is different, that are an extension of the vision and the dream that Maynard Jackson had when he first ran for office in Atlanta.

UM And we are also still in a state that very much is plagued by history that has not been resolved, the history that has not been atoned for, in a history that's still celebrated. UM. And so there is a battle when you have a county like the Cab County that has had black leadership for so long. UM. But in the Cab County, I mean there is also the world's largest monument to the Confederacy. The symbolism is is quite powerful. And so it is UH symbolism that illustrates

why Georgia is in the situation that it's in. Of course, this would be happening in the cradle of the civil rights movement. This is truly white supremacies last stand. Then the battle lines in the battle UM. The battlefield most certainly runs through Atlanta, just like it did during the Civil War. UM. And so while the methods UM at this point, UM have you know been a battle that has been waged in the political process, UM, we also know that it has real consequences as far as UM

life and death. UM. We saw an insurrection that was connected to the fact that black people UM and a part of a broader coalition UM of people of color and white people would sense sent John ass Off and m um Don alsof and Reverend Warnock Um a Jewish man and a black pastor that used to uh that is still the pastor of Dr King's Church, even eizer Um. The response was to try and uh stage and insurrection

to overthrow an election. And what it really was about saying was, um, you know, we don't believe in democracy because democracy allows black people and people who don't look like me to have a voice. And I heard something on NPR today that was really um thought provoking, is that democracy only works if we care for one another. The poor fundamental belief of democracy is that people outside

of yourself map um. And so democracy in America will never truly function so long as we continue to collude and make bedfellows with by supremacy. And so in Atlanta uh and in Georgia uh Stacy Abrams and her candidacy

UM was a indication that the tide is changing. And so of course we would see in the legislature that respond with egregious odor suppression legislation because it is a response to what is the inevitable, which is that the me equal inherent Yeah, exactly, And so I love for you to talk as well a little bit about UM, your background and organizing and particularly uh you're organizing that you've done with the Black Futurist Group and even more

granular than that, y'all's effort that's still ongoing to close the the Atlanta jail. M hm. Well, you know, I can tell you all of the great things and organizing that I've done as far as like being a co movement builder, helping start um b y P one hundred and it's in in in its exception UM and more broadly than movie for Black Lives UM and for b l UM. But my advocacy and my activism and my organizing is shaped by my lived experiences as a black weird men's grown up here in the South. UM. I

have parents who are Caribbean. I have parents who had me who we're young. I've seen all of the things that I fight for daily, like affordable housing and fighting to reimagine public safety and reduce the scope of the criminal legal system UM and to reform how we build wealth in black communities. Is a direct result of having the background that I have. I saw my dad get beat up by the Cab County police UM, and nothing happened to them, UM, and I was five years old.

Those are the type of experiences that shape the experiences, excuse me, that shape the advocacy that myself and other frontline organizers engaging on a daily basis. And so it's why the Black Futures Group UM I founded it. Co founded it to really reimagine the ways in which we use the systems that we have, the systems that we have dreamed up through creativity and black excellence and the

brilliance and of of our collective community. UM. How do we UM reimagine our pathways towards liberation in our in our lifetime. UM. A future where we are no longer UM, you know, engaging with voter suppression, the future where we are no longer engaging with police brutality and an expansion

of the police state. UM. A truly reimagined future that's grounded in the perspective that black lives do matter, and that in order for the world to be said, we have to um UH and our our greatest atrocity, which is the ongoing UM hatred and death in genocide against black people across the world, and so UM more granular UM that means doing the hard work of like uh you know, being on the campaign to close the Atlanta City Detention Center, a campaign that was dreamed up by

Maryland Win, a formally incarcerated woman who helped ban the Box under Nathan Deal UM and said that, you know, her last work would not be finished until she saw

the Atlanta City Detention Center closed. And so she worked in partnership with immigrant right communities UM, with people from the queer and trans community like Solutions Not Punishment Collaborative and Racial Justice Action Center and Project South and Southerners on New Ground to formulate this alliance that has successfully UM introduced the end of cash fail of the City in Atlanta help end the contract of the City of

Atlanta had with UM the federal Immigration Customer Enforcement authority to hold undocumented people UM and uh you know, to decriminalize cannabis after the killing of DeAndre Phillips, a black father who was murdered by an Atlanta police officer who was on undercover, who was in UM playing clothes and only engaged with DeAndre because he smelled cannabis coming from the car UM and that was probable cause for him to UM open fire and UM you know, send another

black father to a graveyard and sent a home um and so all of these things, these reforms again birthed out of the experiences in the trauma of our people, help inform the public policy that we use um to

what we call dismantle and starve the beast. And so we because of these reforms, we were able to drastically reduce the population of the Atlanta City Detention Center and put it on a pathway where now we went from seven hundred people on any given day at the City Detention Center to less than thirty and so that and and and that is the testament of of a broad coalition of people focused on justice now and taking really actionable steps towards liberation through something as granular as a

city detention center, but a city detention center that was built one of the first Olympic facilities because Atlanta at the time did not want to acknowledge that it had a problem as far as people um, you know, suffering

from substance abuse and mental illness and homelessness. And we decided to try and lock away our problems instead of owning our our our community members, instead of owning people um and and recognizing that these are our this is our constituency, this is our community need, these are our neighbors, and it's imperative that we provide solutions and oppunchments. Um and So now we're moving in that direction, there's still work to be done. The mayor um has introduced a

plan to close the City Detention Center. We are in negotiations with her to bump up that date of the City Detention Center closure because unfortunately, our newly elected sheriff, who ran on a platform that he was going to engage in criminal justice reform, has doubled down on trying to expand the Pulton County Jail, instead of working with the court system, working with community, the district attorney to ensure that we can appropriately decarcerrate the facility because there

are people there who are not thrust the public safety, who can be at home while their cases being adjudicated. There are people there who don't even need to go to court. They just need to have some services. They need some housing, they need some food, they need some healthcare. Um and So instead of moving in that direction, he's trying to um reneg on the reforms that he initially supported as a member of the task force to close the Atlanta City Detention Center, a task force that I

was proud to be a member of. And so we're holding everyone accountable to what they said they were going to do, including the mayor who says that she wants to get Atlanta out of the jailing business. I agree with that as well, um, But also the sheriff who says that he wants to engage in criminal justice reform. And we know that criminal justice reform or um, you know, things that are rooted in the abolitionist lens doesn't start

with jailing more people. It starts as figuring out how we get when people home, um, and recognizing that bringing people home doesn't mean that they have to be a threat to public safety if we are truly intentional about to wrap around services that our community and that our government provides, because um, it's actually a cost benefit. Because you know, as a county commissioner UM in Athens Cark County, that it is cheaper to provide someone services than to

jail them. It is cheaper to build mental health facilities than to build prisons and jails, um. And so we've got to hold local government accountable. And so that's the work that the Black Teachers Group allows me to do along with advocating for UM the end of HIV with our clients, the Black Aids Institute UM, and reimagining the cannabis industry UM through our grant with the Drug Policy

Alliance UM. And so the Black Features Group has allowed me to UH think, use my imagination UM to dream of a future uh that is greater than the one that we're currently in. Today we talked a lot about local efforts around reimagining public safety and trying to enact abolitionist future. Let's move to the state legislature and talk about some attempts at that level to style me that

word we have. I don't want to go there either, but you know, people people want to know and people don't understand, Like especially with the marquee like voter suppression bill that was passed last a week, a lot of people are missing some of these, like you know, also very critical pieces of legislation that respond to other issues of racial justice. I we've been fighting for for over a year and maybe people might not even pay paying

attention to. Unfortunately. Yeah, I think, UM, it's really important that we give people a timeline, Like I mean, voter suppression in Georgia has been happening since you know, black people got the right to them. And so let's just be clear, none of this is new. It is just remix itself and you know, come up with and in another form. But it is the same Jim Crow beats that we continue to track to slay in our communities. And the end of the State Capital is where Jim

Crow lives in Georgia. Because it is codified into our laws. That means that Jim Crow is oftentimes seen throughout our laws. And this voter law that was just passes is another example of that. More recently. It is a history that is in response to what happened in when Brian Camp as Secretary of State oversaw his own election and urge people from the voter rolls. I personally was impacted when I received a wrong voter registration card that had my

name spelled wrong. Now I'm a business owner, I've been a registered lobbyists, I've worked at the state capitol, i have a driver's license in Georgia. There's no way that they couldn't match my name up with public databases and address to make sure that they sent me the right voter registration car. Luckily, I was still registered to vote at another address and I was able to go and vote there so that I could participate in that historic election.

In what happened to me happened to so many other Georgians who were either furge from the voter rolls or sent wrong voter registration cards, forced to vote provisional goal to jump through a bunch of different groups, and we saw the ramifications of that cheating, and it led to

theacy Abram's being cheated out of the election. But just like black women always do, he said all right that I got you, I got you, hold on, I'll be back, starts fair fight and engages in lawsuits against the state of Georgia and holding the Secretary of State accountable to what our current what what our previous election laws were. That's forward what happens uh black people, A black woman based the nation right because Georgia turns blue, something that

doesn't happen since Georgia isn't blue. I love that Reverend James would all the a c P President made it really clear Georgia's black, okay, And that doesn't mean that nobody else doesn't live here, but it means that we're grounded in the black politics that is grounded in the needs of everyone, right, Um, And so we did this because not just because it was good for black people, but it was for good of the country, which is good for black people and everybody who lives here, even

the folks who can't come to the conclusion that this is the right thing. So then we do that. Then we also we not only send Biden and Kamala Harris, first black woman to the White House, we also send dot ofs of and Reverend Warnock to the U. S. Senate to make sure that Joe Biden has a Senate where he can get something done like the COVID relief package, which I as a progressive, as an unabassed progressive, wanted to see much more done. But I recognized that, Um,

until we get rid of the filibuster. This is what we were able to get done. And that would have been impossible had it not been for the leadership of Stacy Abrams and so many other black organizers across the state of Georgia like ourselves. And so the response to that was, Wow, we lost an election for the first time in thirty years in Georgia. What are we gonna do. We're gonna say you can't hand out water in long lines, because we know we love to have long lines at

voting precincts. We're going to saying that the Republicans can take over county elections, um as they see fit, as a direct response to Fulton County. We're going to outlaw mobile voting precincts as a direct response to Fulton County, which, uh, you know not only always goes blue, but this time went blue at a higher level than it had previously

done before. Um. And so the response to all of that, um uh is uh in Senate Bill two oh two is really a reflection of how Republicans and folks who are grounded and a white supremacist Jim Crawl narrative see

how really went down? Um And instead of just losing and figuring out how to retool their party, figuring out how they shed some of these really archaic beliefs so that they could increase their chances at you know, winning political office in the future, they recognize, no, actually, we don't want to um let go of these racist, m patriarchal, homophobic, and transphobic policies. No, we want to embrace that we

want to double down on that. We want to double down on our support for the rich and how we don't care about poor people. And so in order for us to double down on that, because we recognize that that is not a winning message across the state, so in order to increase our chances to win, we have to cheat. And so that is what these voter suppression laws are about. I hope that was as good as an explanation as I can give right there. Just yeah, cover to cover. So what so where do we go

from here as organizers around this law that has to pass. Yeah, so we organize. You know, I love a good false and fail safe. And and I think it's very clear that we didn't just send John ass Off and Reverend Warnock to d C because there and to men. We sent them there to get a job done. And the job that they have to get done is to lobby to their colleagues and lobby to the administration. And it's time to stop the collusion with the filibuster because it is a old practice of of an era that we

say we want to end. Right um, The filibuster is grounded in racism and a white supremacist history about essentially trying to protect the minority party but not protect minority folks, and that's unacceptable. UM. And so we need to get rid of the filibuster so that we can pass HR one, so that way it would nullify UM anything that the Republicans here in Georgia can cook up to try and

UM impress Trump voters. And let's also be clear, like Brian Kemp, if you're listening, you might be listening and your people are listening. I want you to be really clear, like it's over for you, bro, Like you know you're getting primary. Trump is going to primary somebody against you, and you probably won't make it out your primary, and if you do, you will be so battered and so bruised.

And you see that the momentum is on our side, the numbers is on our side, and you've done nothing other than fire people up and get and getting people really excited about making sure you're a one term governor. UM. I personally am excited about it because he was involved with allowing our state representative part Cannon to be arrested. I was arrested in eighteen in response to the election, along with then state senator now congresswoman to Kimi Williams.

So one thing I want to say is we see the last black woman that you arrested went to Congress, So be careful what you do here, because where's Park going to go after this? UM, you know, funk around and find out absolutely. And you know what is also really clear is is that UM, you know, Brian is making policy decisions out of desperation because he knows that. UM. While them there is a wing of the Republican Party that has been taken over by Trump that's not palatable

for a general election. Nobody wants to deal with that nonsense. People are not going for a governor who campaigns with a shotgun on TV anymore. If you know, we're not We're not going for that. UM. And I think people recognize where UM, the mistake of being apathetic let us for four years, and UM, we're realizing that we can't make that mistake again because people like Donald Trump, people like Brian Kemp are essential threat to humanity now just

the black people. UM. In that UM we're talking about, it's like organizing more, getting more people out seeing that Brian kempt us defeated. You know, in some conversations I've had with organizers, we've been thinking about how to respond to the specific contours of the law. So like if you have to have a picture I D in order to vote absentee going to door to make sure people have what they need to get that in in addition

to the other forms of canvasing the picture. So have you thought it all about the ways that are organizing might shift around, Um, the particular contours of the laws that has been passed. Absolutely, I already know that. You know for me like, um, you know how you walk up work around making sure that you aren't giving people water inline. You give them water when they drive into

the parking lot boom. You make sure you make sure that they have a lunch box when they before they get in line and they've got a lunch block at the parking lot. You know, it doesn't matter. We'll get our people what we need. So whether we figure out workarounds like that for you know, not allowing folks to get water INLINE will go to the courts if we

have to about the GOP takeovers of local election boards. Um. And then the ultimate thing that we can do is Brian camp is not the only one who's on the ballot and we need to make sure that we get these um do you know, we need to make sure that we get do nothing democrats out of there and and primaries, UM, so that way we have real fighters down there at the General Assembly, people can actually join Park and Renita Shannon and Erica Thomas and some many

of the other black women and progressive legislators that are down there, so that we have a fighting chance. And then we also have districts that are primarily flipped. Um you know them quite well, um the one seven Tea with Melthel Johnson, the camp close you know absolutely, and so we we know what we have to do, uh, and so we'll do the workarounds. I think knocking on doors to make sure that people have what they need

so that they can go absolutee is amazing. I think making sure that we can provide our people with lunch boxes and water before they even hit the line, so that way that's not an issue either. But we'll work around whatever issues um um this law presents. And I'm also confident about our court battles as well. UM. And I think the lawsuits that the nb A C P file UM and uh A C l U and fair Fight I think will UM yield good results in court. I love that there's so many levels to it, and

ei there always are. It's like being in the streets in the courtroom, being on the ballot, like and we gotta, we gotta do use the multiplicity of tactics in order to win a FLA. There is no one tactic forwards liberation for our people. There's no tactic, one tactic for justice. There's a multitude of tactics and the multitude of pathways that we have to pay. And some of them include a lot of them run through the political system and also a lot of them involved dreaming up and building

our own systems as well. Absolutely absolutely one tactic that I've been seeing a lot, particularly from folks out of state, is hashtag boycott Georgia. And I wanted to ask your opinion on calls, particularly among folks in Hollywood, to boycott our state as a response to UM the legislation that was just passed before our weigh in with how I feel about it. I don't want to color the conversation without how I feel. I would love to hear your

thoughts on this big of hashtag and called action. Yeah, I feel like you should be taking direction from on the ground organizers. You should not be taking direction from people in Hollywood because I know, um, everyday working black people who work for Delta and who work for some of these other corporations that we are disappointed with, and we have to be nuanced with how we approach these things. UM. And I think whatever boycott strategy that we cook up

has to be cooked up with workers. It needs to be a boycott strategy that doesn't just attack uh, you know, voting rights issues, but it's an opportunity to expand issues around labor rights and worker rights. UM. And so we gotta be smart about how we move things, you know, as a community organized. I believe in strategy. I don't believe in, you know, just pop up activism. What's the strategy behind it, what's the end goal? You know, what's the long what's the long game, what's the short game?

And so I went supposed to say that I have the strategy for what a boycott strategy could look like. UM. Folks have to remember that when you know, people were doing boycotts, UM, particularly in the sixties. Yeah, it had a different economic impact because most of the black people were locked out of those economies in the first place, we have to right, Yeah, we're at a different time.

We're you know, for better or for worse, we are tied up in this economy to some extent, and so to boycott and not you know, take into account the impact that would have Black businesses that are serving as contractors too larger companies. Right. Um. I don't feel like they should have to suffer because you know, Coca Cola didn't do what they were supposed to do, which was to turn the FOCEL off and stop giving money to

these reckless Republicans. Right. Um. But with that being said, I do think that there are some taxes that we can use, um that are direct action tactics. Um. And I do think that boycott strategies are things that can work. But it has to be a strategy and just be something nature. And we have to figure out how will keep black people who are tied up in these economies for absolutely, I mean I can't agree more to try to encourage people, you know, listen to people who are

doing the work. You'll want to stay in, stay save rooms all day, great, listen to what you have to say. Actually, don't be following like Mark Hamill or whatever like producer or whatever Marvel thing you like on Twitter because because they said it, but like, who is out here going to be impacted first and foremost? Because I'm sus that you brought up like the labor struggle, like you know, the folks that keep this economy running. It's it's not

the CEO of Coca Cola. It's right, the gig work, the gig workers, the people who are doing do you know how many like that's like, that is such a reckless statement, you know what I mean? Black people provide adrian services to these film crews that come to Georgia, that provide transportation service to these film crews that come

to Georgia. Like all of these things are important aspects of the local economy, not just for you know, the community, but particularly black people, right, And we have to recognize how we use, how we wield and use our economic power. And it's got to be done in a way that can't just be done in a way that is emotional. Yeah, and it has to be done with people who are impacted and who are doing the work upon them. I

want to hear boycott strategies from working class people. I want to hear boycott strategies from what what the opinions are of poor black people on boycott strategies, because you know, how are they going to be impacted? And that doesn't mean that we you know, don't use it as attacked it. But it doesn't. What it means is that we don't cook it up in the vacuum by ourselves. And it's not just you know, people with privilege and access who are dictating for the rest of us how we are

supposed to respond. I feel that, I feel that for sure. Um to pivot back to public safety and closing. There's another bill that's been going through the state legislature this session, HB two eighty six, and it's I believe, not alone among the anti it's not. There's House Skill to eighty nine as well. But I know to eighty six is is is your neck of the woods. That's Houston Games, right. I don't blame him. I don't know. I think I think you live out there by you you know not

he does not for long. So we're gonna right, okay, exactly, let it okay, let it be down right. We will send we will send you home, m Houston Games. So, um, so what do these bills do. And I know you you testified in front of the Senate House set, a Senate House committee, a Senate committee in one of their hearings on some of these bills recently to give voice

to some of what makes some problematic. So if you can explain to the listeners what's going on at the state legislature level as well stripping the local control UM in the realm of public safety in addition to our elections decrity. Yeah, so let me give you I think history lessons are important. Right last year, this is recent history. Last year, uh, George Floyd, Brianna Taylor from od Oarbor,

he was killed by a former police officer. UM. All of those things culminate into the uprisings over the summer. And the uprisings over the summer are not just uprisings. There are uprisings that are anchored with a policy demand. Policy demand that was formulated by years of abolitionist work, years of reimagining public safety led by the Movement for Black Lives and for b l UM and other like minded organizations and institutions that are coming very clearly with

this demand that we must remove funding UM. The ways in which that we fund at the levels in which that we fund um to police in the criminal legal system because it's not working. Black people aren't safe, and the broader community keeps saying that they don't feel safe. And so there was a very clear demand, particularly in the City of Atlanta and in Athens Park County, around

repurposing and reallocating resources in the police department budget. In the City of Atlanta, our budget is two hundred and fifteen million dollars a year. Two hundred and fifteen million dollars a year. The police department is one of the highest, if not the highest, outside of the Aviation Division UM as far as our costs for our city budget, and it is insane because what we haven't seen is as that budget continues to fluctuate, people in my community continue

to say we don't feel safe. We don't feel safe, not just from people who could do us harm in the community, we don't feel safe from the people who are supposed to make us feel safe, for which of the police. But we have to recognize that that's a false dichotomy because policing in this country was grounded out of slave control, and so it has never been about public safety, not particularly the the safety of all citizens.

It's been about oftentimes protecting white property, protecting white people, and anything that has an extension or tentacles from that um and it's never been about protecting black and brown people.

And so because of that um, we in Atlanta, via council Member Antonio Brown, introduced the Rayciard Brooksville which seeks to lock box a portion of APGS budget to serve as a negotiation and bargaining chip to make sure that we're actually going into negotiations with the police department about how we're going to reimagine public safety with an actual bargaining chip, which is your budget, a portion of your budget. There were so many lives that were shared about that

that bill, that it was gonna fire police officers. There was that was not what's what's gonna happen. That we were going to cut sixty sixty seven million dollars from the police department budget. That was not what the final

number was. That was what was going to be with hell until the police Department in the City of Atlanta went through a reimagining public safety period for approximately six months, and then the rest of the money would be relinquished to support whatever recommendations and legislation moving forward on how the police department would be reorganized under this new structure. So I think it's important that people understand what the Ray Show Brooks Bielle was supposed to do and what

it wasn't supposed to. Because of that, that bill almost passed. It only lost by one vote. One of those votes against the Ray Show Brooks Bielle was Dustin hillis the council member that I am challenging in council. Just not hallelujah to see it. We love to see it. Um. And so because of that, Houston gains besides representative for the listeners. You know, um, if you could hold two political officers, girl, why that's what we need to change. And you can be the commissioner and the state rep.

I know you could do both. I can well, I can put on like a mustache and some glasses like I'm feared of, like runners, like I don't know richmth white guy, and it's like, oh, I'm here down, yeah, yeah, right. We could do the opposite of what Rachel Bills are doing. It's okay, that would be funny, wouldn't it be funny? A bunch of black people going around and saying I'm going I'm just I'm trying to UM. I guess we

do have those people. They're called campus owns. But anyway, so you know that bill UM, you know, prompt Houston Games to introduce his bill at the State House UM, which is preemptively uh, deciding that counties and cities cannot cut any funding from their police to propping budget. Which let's let's us get into the particulars about that one. All of the counties, the county's lobbying agency, the organization, the Georgia Municipal Association, is adamantly opposed against because guess

what happened as your budgets. If you decide not to cut anything as your budgets go up, if there's a recession, if anything happens, you can never under that legislation, you can never cut your budget. No one wants to be handcuffed like that. But from a movement perspective, we don't

want to be handcuffed to broken public safety policies. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and over, and what we have been doing as far as public safety in Atlanta and across the state of Georgia is insanity because people are saying they don't feel safe. And so if Georgia spends eight point three billion dollars collectively between its local governments and state government on police, prisons and jails and people aren't feeling safe,

then that means we're doing something fundamentally wrong. And so Houston gains to introduce this legislation is handcuffing the rest of the state to a broken public safety policies because there is no correlation between an increase and police funding and an increase in public safety or a decrease in crime in our community. And so we just have to be honest about that. The data doesn't shake it out. It's just none of nothing supports that, and so we

gotta be real about it. And so I expect for uh, the Georgia Municipal Association or some county or some entity to suit because it's also a question around constitutionality because the state, and it's interesting we and so is the state gonna start mandating and saying that counties have to spend this much on education? Are they gonna start mandating and saying absolutely not on parks and rex and environmental justice?

You know, Republicans out there, I would be really wise about what you all support right now, because this is under the assumption that you all are always going to be the decision makers. And as a progressive, I love that when the numbers finally shake out in our favor, I would love the opportunity to dictate to all counties across the state that they fund fully fund public education.

You all are setting the president. So because for appreciate y'all be careful what you support, because they are progressives like myself and Maria and others who are in office who are going to be in office that are waiting in the wings to take your seats. And we will take what you built for us to build our communities in the ways that are equitable and liberation and freedom and scene within our lifetime, and we stop the oppression in the disenfranchisement um. And so that is where that

bill is right now. It did get passed by both the House and the Senate. It will be interesting to see if Bryan Kemp signs it. I think he will because he's trying to double down to a Trumpian basis not going to support him. Um. And then there's also House bill to eighty nine, which is a really scary piece of legislation because it would then increase some of the penalties for protesting, the felony charges. And so we already see the ramifications that Representative Cannon was charged to

felony stating legislator. And so what chance does the average citizen have as far as what they could potentially be charged with when often times we see that many of the times when these protests are escalated, it happens on the side of the police um with equipment that they've gotten from the U. S. Military decommissioned tanks and riot gear um and machines of war that shouldn't be used to police a citizen trick um. And so we've got real challenges that we have to address here in Georgia.

But again, um, I think people, you know, Charles Blows book The Devil, you know, Black Power political manifesto is such a powerful uh narrative. And what is potentially possible because more and more people, even with all these bad bills, continue to move down to Georgia, More and more people continue to make Georgia home and there's a homecoming and there's a recognition that these bills will only have a very short term impact, UM, and and that UM, the

momentum and victory is really on our side. So it's all right, this is white supremacy in the death spiral. It's okay, and it doesn't take it else lightly, but it's gonna take its final l any day now. Oh yeah, oh yeah, Because you know, when I saw white supremacist storm in the US capital, I, oh my gosh, y'all, really, you're really are concerned about losing power because normally you're just sitting in an office and make decisions that impact

black people horribly. Normally you just run for office and be a Republican and do horrible and introduce horrible public policy on behalf of your constituency, or you in some places are a Democrat and do those things. And I said, at the point where you know, people are storming the capital, Marsha in the streets saying you won't replace us, this

must be white supremacy is really last date. And so it's it's a it's a beautiful thing to see, UM, but because the way that they're acting out, because it means that um, the ways in which they used to and that white supremacy power isn't working it UM and and recognition that the powers that the scales are really tipping towards the people who have been impressed for so long by your BS. Well, Devin, thank you so much for your time. Where can people follow you, donate your campaign,

find out more about what you work? Yes, so please visit devon for Atlanta dot com. My website will be up at the end of this week beginning of next week UM, and you can also find me on at blue Devin Barrington Ward devon for Atlanta UM. If you want to connect with the Black Futurist group, it's Black Futurist Group dot com. UM. And then you can always find me on Instagram and Facebook just typing Devin Barrington Ward or depping for Atlanta and I will pop up

same thing on Twitter. UM. And I hide in public, oh um. You know, come out to any of the rallies, UM protests, advocacy days. You know, I don't have a clone. It is actually me every picture of every protest going on in Atlanta. And it don't be on purpose. I'll just be out there doing my thing. I don't even be knowing that the campers be out there. I'll just be like, but um, you know, I thank God that I got my grandmother's photo jetness, thank God for granted,

thank God for grad. One thing I will end with is what UM, my lived experiences is what informs my advocacy. But it's also something that's in my DNA. My great grandmother, Aga Cassandra Bogel is a descendant of Paul Bogel. Paul Bogel is one of Jamaica's national heroes. He led a rebellion in eighteen sixty five against the British government. UM. Even though he was a freeman who owned land and could vote, he led that rebellion because his neighbors could not.

His labors weren't entitled. His neighbors weren't entitled to do process. His parishioners weren't entitled to the same safety and freedom he was able to experience just because he had wealth. Um and Uh it cost him him in his brother's life, but it also changed the course of Jamaican led to greater self determination. And so UM, you know, my advocacy and my activism is a extension of that UM inheritance of fighting for freedom and and and justice UM for

black people. On liberation in our lifetime. Um, and I fully believe that I will see it in my lifetime. You will too. I believe we will want. Yes, I believe we will win. Thank you so much again, Devon, Thank you there. This one goes out to Delta, the Coca Cola always other corporations, the bank or Republicans election

cycle after election cycle. Who didn't say ship And this is mother Fucus rushing votus depression laws to our state legislation for fuck you hey, here we go, here we go now that like the corporations want to come and say they just to prove sp twenty two when the Republicans and some episodes of the sound just feel like I'm spelling some funnel take especially considered friend, the thousands of the stuck is fake every time Republicans and nothing

mon complains and nothing things us in the power. And suddenly a mistake jump up the schools and office, making him and any harm and they intected a lot of make a democracy hart, Oh my god, where were y'all there in the legislative session, And what y'all gonna be nowt like votus depression cold look if the voters wanted

next elections. The rest of us don't have to get arrested without the sub right and checks to ben all all all of these justice and start cutting some checks, but to lay it went for depressions by also make conclusion of this these corporations, ain't you say, it's a matter of fact, corporations they ship the power. Would that we need to be the power with people to get your feet in the street the rest of the braces to win. Um, that's it. Have a good week. Hey,

im lingua franca, dope knife. If we are waiting on reparations, dope waiting on reparations as a production of iHeart Radio, Listen to Waiting on Reparations on the I Heart Radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.