Raw sewage at Buford Highway apartments: I spoke with Luz Caranzo today and she told me she’s in the same situation as she was last week: no one has come to her apartment to fix the plumbing problem that has been causing raw sewage to erupt out of her bathtub since May 22nd. I visited her and two other families living at Villas de las Colinas 2 on Buford Highway in Brookhaven last week and reported on their living conditions, and the lack of action from their property manager. Read the story here, and check out this fundraiser for the families.
UPDATE: A spokesperson from the City of Brookhaven's Code Enforcement Division said that on June 6th, "Code Enforcement officers visited each effected unit spoke with tenants, ran water, observed repairs and clean-up. All units have had plumbing issue resolved, apartments cleaned." I visited Luz's apartment on the morning of June 8th. She said that there had been plumbing work done outside of her apartment. She showed me the bathrooms - there had not been any sewage eruptions in the past few days. She said that no one had come into her apartment to clean the floors or address any water damage - and said that she had been cleaning the floors herself. I overheard from a local advocate that residents in a neighboring building were experiencing sewage eruptions. I will continue to report on this story and publish updates.
Visitation at Stewart Detention Center reinstated: After a two year pause on visitation, family members and friends can finally visit their loved ones that are being held in detention at the Stewart facility in Lumpkin, Ga. El Refugio, a nonprofit based in Lumpkin that supports those detained in Stewart, posted this note about what people should know before they visit. People interested in visiting should call 299-838-5000. Read here for more information.
City of Atlanta launches a new language access program: The City of Atlanta’s Office of Immigrant Affairs announced details today about iSpeakATL - a new initiative mandating elected officials, part-time, full-time and contract employees to complete trainings on language access and cultural competency. The city has also hired Language Access Coordinators to support the program. The point of the whole thing is to make it easier for those with limited or no English to access services. Details from the city here.
“But My Soul is in Afghanistan” - This feature story in GSU Magazine tells the story of what life has been like in Atlanta for a group of young Georgia State students who evacuated Afghanistan when the Taliban took over in 2021. “Alizada is careful to express how grateful she is to be safe in Atlanta, for the opportunity to study at Georgia State and for all the support she’s received from people who didn’t even know her. But she’s gripped by grief for all she’s lost and for the separation from her family and friends, guilt that she was able to leave Afghanistan when others couldn’t and an intense longing for the life she had before Aug. 15, 2021.” Read it here.
PRIDE and the South Asian community: Another great feature- this one from Khabar magazine - about Archit Seshadri - a journalist, actor, and yoga teacher - among other things. He talks to journalist Pooja Garg about what it was like to come out to his family, and why he went public with his story. Read it here.
