We’re back on the airwaves on WRFG Atlanta 89.3 with a rebroadcast of a previous episode, “Georgia’s police brutality problem,” featuring Sylvia, Aja, and Jess. While we continue to roll up our sleeves to work on new stories and some important (and exciting!) structural changes behind the scenes, we are airing a few episodes we feel deserve more airtime, recognition, and consideration.
For each rebroadcast, we are joined by Mainline reporter and researcher Sylvia Johnson with a new introduction reformatted for present day. You can find the original episodes on The Mainline Podcast, streaming wherever you get your podcasts.
Today’s episode originally aired in March 2021—and things have really changed since then. Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is no longer running for re-election, and Felicia Moore is no longer the only contender for the mayor’s office. Georgia’s voter suppression bill SB 202, originally introduced as HB 531, had not yet passed, and Rep. Park Cannon hadn’t been violently arrested for attempting to view Gov. Brian Kemp’s signing of the bill. The COVID vaccine was just becoming widely available and many of us were waiting for more arrests of the J6 insurrectionists.
As Sylvia says in today’s introduction, “It all seems so long ago, but much of the conversation you’re about to hear is still relevant today.” This episode touches on the importance of direct action and mutual aid, plus the media and objectivity, focusing on an article & database Sylvia created documenting police shootings and grand juries in Georgia.
We will return with new episodes on Oct. 22—and some other updates from our newsroom in the meantime. Stay tuned, get free. 📡
