Chamian Cruz

I wrote about Anna Lange's case with @lucaswaldron.bsky.social back in 2023. Among the takeaways was just how taxing this judicial rollercoaster has been for Lange and other trans people hoping for coverage.

www.propublica.org/article/geor...

ICE relied on sheriff’s office to fight releasing Spanish-language reporter in Georgia, records show • Georgia Recorder The federal immigration case against a jailed, Spanish-language journalist has been bolstered by the help of a metro Atlanta sheriff’s office, public records show. Mario Guevara’s two-month confinemen...

The federal immigration case against a jailed, Spanish-language journalist has been bolstered by the help of a metro Atlanta sheriff’s office, public records show. Mario Guevara’s two-month confinement in immigration detention has drawn outcry from free press and immigration advocates.

Atlanta-based program helps men rebuild their lives, disrupting the jail-to-homelessness pipeline The CaringWorks Hope House is a 70-bed facility that supports adult men from across the state who have experienced homelessness and are in recovery from substance abuse. But it's bracing for the effec...

For a decade, the Fulton County Public Defender’s Office and the United Way of Greater Atlanta have joined forces to help people recently released from jail with a place to land. Now some worry it faces a difficult path forward. Story dropped July 29, 2025. www.wabe.org/atlanta-base...

New Georgia law offers domestic violence survivors pathway out of prison Georgia's Survivor Justice Act, which took effect on Tuesday, gives domestic violence survivors increased opportunities to argue that they acted in self-defense.

A new law in Georgia gives domestic violence survivors increased opportunities to argue that they acted in self-defense before and after they've already been serving time in prison. Story dropped July 2, 2025. www.wabe.org/georgia-offe...

What Compliance With Fascism Looks Like It isn't Marines marching down Main Street. It's local cops behaving like the rules don't matter and getting away with it.

Mario Guevara didn’t get arrested because he was undocumented. He got arrested because a local Doraville cop had an excuse to screw with a news reporter at a protest, and he took it.

He’s stewing in a Folkston ICE box because the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office thought burning him bought goodwill.

Salvadoran journalist arrested in Georgia is fighting deportation in ICE detention A Salvadoran journalist was arrested in Georgia while covering a protest. He ended up in ICE detention and is awaiting a deportation hearing.

For NPR: A journalist in Georgia who livestreamed his own arrest while covering a No Kings protest is still fighting deportation to El Salvador. He is authorized to live and work in the U.S. Story dropped June 25. www.npr.org/2025/06/25/n...

Hispanic reporter arrested at DeKalb County protest released from jail but could still be deported Online records show a Spanish-language journalist who livestreamed his own arrest at a weekend protest outside Atlanta was released from jail just before 3:30 a.m. on Wednesday, but it is not yet clea...

BREAKING: I’ve confirmed local journalist Mario Guevara is in ICE custody. His attorneys tell me they’re getting ready to ask for bond. www.wabe.org/hispanic-rep...

Metro Atlanta reporter under ICE hold following arrest at protest A metro Atlanta journalist who was detained at a protest in DeKalb County while livestreaming to his hundreds of thousands of followers is still in custody because of his immigration […]

New: A metro Atlanta journalist who was detained at a protest in DeKalb County while livestreaming to his hundreds of thousands of followers is still in custody because of his immigration status. www.wabe.org/metro-atlant...

Georgia AG threatens domestic terrorism charges as protests against Trump's policies spread Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr is threatening domestic terrorism charges for anyone who incites violence during this weekend's planned protests against the Trump administration.

Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr is threatening domestic terrorism charges for anyone who incites violence during this weekend's planned protests against the Trump administration. It wouldn’t be the first time this has happened. More: www.wabe.org/georgia-ag-t...

Two nonprofits team up to reopen homeless shelter in the heart of Gwinnett's immigrant community As nonprofits grapple with losing federal funding, two in Gwinnett County are teaming up to reopen a homeless shelter for women and children that had shut down for nearly three years.

As nonprofits grapple with losing federal funding, two in Gwinnett County are teaming up to reopen a homeless shelter for women and children that had been shut down since December 2022. www.wabe.org/homeless-she...

RICO case against ‘Stop Cop City’ activists chugs along Georgia prosecutors in the sweeping racketeering case against activists opposed to Atlanta’s public safety training center say they have collected an additional 57 gigabytes worth of evidence, nearly ...

Georgia prosecutors in the sweeping racketeering case against activists opposed to Atlanta’s public safety training center say they have an additional 57 gigabytes worth of evidence, nearly two years after the indictment was handed down. www.wabe.org/rico-case-ag...

Atlanta Public Safety Training Center opens after years of controversy In many ways, the ribbon cutting of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center had all the makings of a typical ceremony: government officials, light refreshments and an actual ribbon. But what Atlanta...

In many ways, the ribbon cutting of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center had all the makings of a typical ceremony. But what wasn’t so typical was what it took to get to Tuesday’s event, four years after the facility was first announced. www.wabe.org/atlanta-publ...

After prison, Gwinnett library teaches people how to become their own boss The Gwinnett County Public Library’s New Start Entrepreneurship Incubator program supports a growing but largely overlooked subset of aspirational entrepreneurs who have struggled to find work after g...

The Gwinnett County Public Library’s New Start Entrepreneurship Incubator program supports a growing but largely overlooked subset of aspirational entrepreneurs who have struggled to find work after getting out of prison. Story dropped April 28. www.wabe.org/after-prison...

DOJ cancels grants for gun-violence and addiction prevention, victim advocacy In an email to staff, the head of the Justice Department’s Office of Justice Programs said the canceled grants don’t align with Trump administration priorities.

The Justice Department on Tuesday canceled hundreds of grants to community organizations and local governments, including funding for gun-violence prevention programs, crime-victim advocacy and efforts to combat opioid addiction, according to an email obtained by The Post.

Prosecution, defense say trial of accused Apalachee school shooter's father should move to another county Both sides in the case against a Georgia father accused of buying the gun used by his son to kill four people at Apalachee High School last year agree his trial should be moved to another county, but ...

Both sides in the case against a Georgia father accused of buying the gun used by his son to kill four people at Apalachee High School last year agree his trial should be moved to another county, but where is yet to be determined. www.wabe.org/will-the-tri...

CDC Teams That Study Gun Violence and Collect Data Are Decimated by Layoffs The Trump’s administration’s cuts come after the field of gun violence research saw renewed federal support during the Biden era.

A preliminary memo from the Trump administration proposes cutting CDC programs on gun violence, injury prevention, youth violence prevention, per CNN. After those teams were decimated by layoffs earlier this month, experts told us what the losses could mean for gun violence prevention more broadly:

New tools in ‘federal arsenal’ are busting Mexican drug cartel operations in metro Atlanta, authorities say Federal authorities arrested five individuals in Norcross early Tuesday morning for allegedly laundering over $1 million into Jalisco New Generation — a Mexican drug cartel that’s been designated as a...

Federal authorities arrested five people in Norcross for allegedly laundering over $1 million into Jalisco New Generation — a Mexican drug cartel that’s been designated as a foreign terrorist organization under the Trump administration. www.wabe.org/new-tools-in...

White House cites AI energy needs as reason for coal production boost President Trump signed executive orders to bolster coal production with the White House claiming it as part of an effort to meet the energy-intensive needs of artificial intelligence data centers. NBC...

the price we pay: news.yahoo.com/news/white-h...

Some Texas school districts consider a new option for campus safety: drones A Texas start-up says for districts still unable to put the legally mandated armed guard in every school, its drones could be an option.

Texas schools might have a new way to improve school security: drones.

‘Judges are hungry for this’: Georgia nonprofit is helping moms in prison reunite with their kids and reducing recidivism Over the last several decades, women’s incarceration has grown much more rapidly than men’s, especially in rural areas, according to the Vera Institute of Justice. Georgia nonprofit Motherhood Beyond ...

In the last few decades, women’s incarceration has grown more rapidly than men’s, according to Vera Institute of Justice. Georgia nonprofit Motherhood Beyond Bars aims to stop the cycle by supporting infants born to incarcerated mothers. Story dropped April 8. www.wabe.org/judges-are-h...

In the garden with this cutie ❤️

DeKalb County plans to conduct more police chases to address pedestrian deaths, street racing As DeKalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson sharpens her focus on combating crime, she has announced new policing strategies, including increased collaboration with the Georgia State Patrol and revi...

UPDATE: Traffic enforcement is about to change drastically in DeKalb County.

Gun safety advocates say not enough is being done in wake of deadly Apalachee High School shooting Families of students who survived the deadly shooting at Apalachee High School say Georgia lawmakers are not doing enough to protect children and communities from gun violence.

Families of students who survived the deadly shooting at Apalachee High School say Georgia lawmakers are not doing enough to protect children and communities from gun violence. www.wabe.org/gun-safety-a...

Ukrainian drone makers spot business opportunities in metro Atlanta, police work Gwinnett County officials and community development leaders are working to attract Ukrainian drone makers. They predict the technology could play a major role in public safety in the next few years.

"Ukrainian drone makers spot business opportunities in metro Atlanta, police work" dropped March 25. It looks at efforts to use Ukrainian drones for official government business as lawmakers eye banning drones from Russia and China. www.wabe.org/ukrainian-dr...

Georgia teen needed mental health care, his mom says. Now he's accused of stabbing a Fulton Jail guard An Atlanta teenager was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2023, but his mother said no one was able to get him the help he needed when she reached out. Now he's charged with killing his brother and stab...

"Georgia teen needed mental health care, his mom says. Now he's accused of stabbing a Fulton jail guard" dropped March 20. It's a reminder that there's usually more to a story than what's shared in a news release. www.wabe.org/georgia-teen...

Atlanta organizations vow to maintain momentum against gun violence An anti-violence organization is tapping Atlanta for an ambitious initiative that has shown promising results in curbing gun violence by investing in community groups already doing that work.

"Atlanta organizations vow to maintain momentum against gun violence" dropped March 7. The idea is that "those who are closest to the problem are closest to the solution.” www.wabe.org/atlanta-orga...

Gun safety advocates call for change at Georgia Capitol in first session after Apalachee shooting An Apalachee High School student is urging lawmakers to consider the issue of firearm access in their talks about improving school safety in the aftermath of the deadly shooting in Winder, Georgia, fi...

"Gun safety advocates call for change at Georgia Capitol in first session after Apalachee shooting" dropped Feb. 5. The Pediatric Health Safe Storage Act did not end up making it past Crossover Day. www.wabe.org/gun-safety-a...