The GPR Digest - November 8, 2023
Election Day roundup, G7 calls for humanitarian pause in Gaza, and more
GPR FEATURES
New Articles
After Groveland Four Exoneration, Georgia Could Do The Same For Leo Frank
In one of the dark moments in Georgia’s history, in 1913, Jewish factory manager Leo Frank was wrongfully convicted for murder and later lynched by an anti-Semitic mob in 1915. Writer Monroe Harless argues that the case of the “Groveland Four,” a group of young Black men who were convicted of assaulting a white woman in 1949 in Florida but later exonerated by the state in 2021, provides a framework for how Georgia could posthumously declare Frank innocent.
Born Without A State: The Global Crisis of Stateless Nations
Around the world, due to conflict, climate change, and shifting borders, stateless peoples are groups who are denied citizenship from any country and rejected from their homes. Writer Ana Valencia details the struggles faced by stateless peoples in the modern day, including discrimination, displacement, and a lack of legal protection.
A Mountain For Us All
Mountains are imposing figures not just in the physical landscape, but in human cultures, too. Writer Vikram Bharadwaj explores the cultural and religious significance of mountainscapes to Native Americans and their subsequent exploitation by colonial forces.
GEORGIA
Elisa Zarate wins race for ACC Clerk of Court
Yesterday, Elisa Zarate was elected (Red & Black) as the Athens-Clarke County Clerk of Superior and State Court in a special election. Zarate previously served as Clerk of Court in an interim position, after the resignation of the previous Clerk, Beverly Logan. Zarate, endorsed by the ACC Democratic Party, won 64.5% of the vote in an election that saw just 12% turnout. She defeated Andrew Griffeth, who ran as a nonpartisan candidate.
Judge rules that DA Deborah Gonzalez violated Marsy’s Law
A judge for the Western Circuit Superior Court found (Athens Banner-Herald) on Monday that District Attorney Deborah Gonzalez violated a law protecting the rights of victims of crimes during the prosecution of a South Carolina man charged in the death of a cyclist last year. Athens-Clarke County originally charged the driver, Harrison Waldrop, with felony vehicular homicide and drunk driving; Waldrop later accepted a plea deal from Gonzalez’s office and pleaded guilty to misdemeanor vehicular homicide for 24 months of probation.
However, the wife of the victim alleged that she did not receive proper notice from Gonzalez’s office of the plea deal and did not receive an opportunity to provide a victim impact statement. Georgia’s version of Marsy’s Law gives victims of crimes and their families rights to be notified of court actions and to provide impact statements.
Gonzalez will receive a reprimand from the judge, but will not be fined. Gonzalez admitted to another Marsy’s Law violation earlier this year in a case of rape and child molestation.
New poll from NYT/Siena offers insights into 2024 presidential race in Georgia
This Sunday, the New York Times and Siena College published the results of a poll on the 2024 presidential election in six key swing states: Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Georgia. The poll found that President Donald Trump leads President Joe Biden among respondents in all states except Wisconsin. In Georgia, Trump edges Biden by six percentage points, a significant change from Biden’s 0.23% margin of victory in the 2020 election.
However, Biden still beats Trump among respondents from Fulton and Dekalb Counties and Atlanta’s other inner suburbs. Over the last three years, voters in Georgia’s booming suburbs and cities have propelled Democrats to key electoral victories, including Biden and Sens. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff.
When asked about the most important issues to consider for the 2024 election, 60% of respondents listed economic concerns as more important than social issues. Nearly 60% of respondents said that abortion should be mostly or always legal, including 33% of Republicans. If someone other than Biden were the Democratic nominee, 45% of respondents said they would vote Democratic, compared to 38% who said they would vote for Trump.
NATIONAL
Democrats amass victories fueled by abortion rights in key Election Day contests
Democratic candidates and liberal referenda have seen decisive electoral success in the last year since Dobbs v. Jackson overturned a federal right to abortion—and yesterday’s elections continued the trend (New York Times). Democrat Andy Beshear, the incumbent governor of Kentucky, won reelection against Republican Attorney General Daniel Cameron in a race that saw Democrats revive their support in the coalfields of the eastern half of the state. Beshear has attacked Cameron for his support of an abortion ban with no exceptions for rape or incest.
In Virginia, where Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin hoped to see his party gain control of the state legislature, Democrats held control of the State Senate and gained a majority in the House of Delegates. Youngkin, who perhaps hoped (Bloomberg) to leverage a strong victory last night into a 2024 candidacy for president, pledged to enact a 15-week abortion ban with exceptions, what he called a “moderate” restriction.
Ohio approved ballot referenda to enshrine a right to abortion in the state constitution (Issue 1) and to legalize recreational cannabis (Issue 2) with formidable support. Ohio’s Republican governor and statehouse largely opposed Issue 1. Earlier this year, a judge blocked (Guardian) Ohio’s no-exceptions six-week abortion ban, which the state’s Supreme Court could have reinstated if not for the approval of Issue 1.
Elsewhere, a Democrat won a seat on Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court after campaigning on abortion rights. In Mississippi, incumbent Governor Tate Reeves won reelection, though his opponent Brandon Presley put up a strong performance in the deep-red state.
Colorado police officer charged in death of Elijah McClain acquitted after another was found guilty
Earlier this week, a Colorado jury found (The Hill) Aurora police officer Nathan Woodyard not guilty of homicide and manslaughter in the death of Elijah McClain, a 23 year-old man who died in police custody in 2019. McClain was walking home from a store when officers detained him for appearing suspicious, handcuffed him, and placed him in a neck hold; paramedics then arrived at the scene and administered McClain an injection of ketamine. McClain died several days later, and an autopsy identified the ketamine injection as the probable cause of death.
Woodyard becomes the second officer to be acquitted in the case after a third officer was found guilty of negligent homicide.
Later this month, the jury will hear the cases of two paramedics who responded to the scene. Prosecutors argue that it was the injection of ketamine performed by the paramedics that ultimately resulted in McClain’s death. The trial comes two years after McClain’s family agreed to a $15 million federal lawsuit.
INTERNATIONAL
G7 urges a “humanitarian pause” in Gaza after Israel’s Netanyahu rejects calls for a ceasefire
At a meeting of the “Group of 7” (the U.S., UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan) today, G7 officials called for (Reuters) a humanitarian pause in the Israel-Hamas conflict to allow for the release of hostages and the flow of much-needed aid. The plea comes just two days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu doubled down on his rejection (ABC) of a ceasefire until all hostages are released.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, which is controlled by Hamas, over 10,000 people, including 4,000 children, have died (BBC) in Gaza since the outbreak of fighting a little over a month ago. Last week, Israel began ground operations in Gaza after conducting airstrikes for several weeks. Israeli strikes have targeted refugee camps (CNN) in Gaza, including one this past Sunday, as the Israeli military claims the camps harbor Hamas militants. The United Nations Secretary-General has warned that the Gaza Strip, where about half of the population is under 18, is becoming a “graveyard for children,” as 70% of the population is displaced. Shortages of food, fuel, and medical supplies have worsened the humanitarian situation in Gaza, as the WHO asserts that some doctors are forced to perform surgeries, including amputations, with no anesthesia.
Earlier this week, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a surprise visit (New York Times) to the West Bank to meet with the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, where he addressed growing violence from Israeli settlers in the area amidst the war in Gaza. Blinken then visited Iraq, where he hoped to signal to Iran and other Middle Eastern nations that the U.S. would not tolerate a wider escalation of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Pakistan plans to expel all undocumented Afghan refugees, as thousands are deported
Pakistan has opened (Reuters) additional facilities on its border with Afghanistan to process the thousands of Afghan refugees forced to leave the country. Pakistan announced that all Afghan immigrants without proper documentation would be repatriated, blaming the Afghan refugees, many of whom have lived there for several decades, for being involved in Islamist militant attacks and other crimes that put Pakistan's security at risk. The UN and other foreign governments warn that the expulsions could place millions of Afghans, many of whom fled the Taliban, at risk.
Pakistan is home to about 4 million Afghans, including about 600,000 who have entered since 2021. The expulsions could threaten as many as 1.7 million of those residents.
Major German airport in Hamburg shut down over hostage situation
On November 5th, a 35-year-old man parked (BBC) his car under a Turkish Airlines plane at the Hamburg Airport. With him was his 4 year old daughter, whom he had taken from her mother the evening before. The man was reported to have fired two shots in the air, as well as threw burning bottles from his car, which stopped the plane from taking off and forced its passengers to evacuate. The airport responded by canceling all commercial flights— a total of 256 flights with about 34,500 passengers— according to sources in Hamburg Airport.
After 18 hours, the man finally left his car and turned himself into the authorities without resistance. He and his daughter were uninjured. The reason for the crisis is said to have been a custody dispute between him and his ex-wife, the mother’s child, that escalated into the hostage situation. The airport seeks to resume its operations as swiftly as possible.
CULTURE
Scholastic reverses decision to separate books on race and gender at their book fairs
Scholastic, children’s publisher and host of popular book fairs in schools across the nation, decided to retract (New York Times) an earlier decision to separate books on race and gender at its book fairs. Earlier this year, Scholastic created (NBC) a new section of children’s books titled “Share Every Story, Celebrate Every Voice” and allowed schools to opt out of displaying the books. The section would have included books on historical figures such as Ruby Bridges, Malala Yousafzai, and Justice Kentaji Brown-Jackson.
Scholastic cited new legislation in over 30 states that prohibit certain books that discuss racism and LGBT issues as the reason for the decision. The company pointed to an “impossible dilemma” of either offering the books, or risking the jobs of school teachers and librarians. Still, Scholastic’s decision drew harsh criticism. After reversing the decision, Scholastic president Ellie Berger pledged that Scholastic would “redouble our efforts to combat the laws restricting children’s access to books.”