Members of the Emergency Management Association of Georgia gather for a monthly area meeting at JumpinGoat Coffee Roasters in Cleveland on October 10, 2023. (Bryce Barrett/White County)
Emergency management officials are the first line of defense when disaster strikes. The regulations and techniques they employ change and evolve, adding to the already stressful nature of their jobs.
The Emergency Management Association of Georgia (EMAG) plays an important role in keeping emergency managers (EMs) updated on changes and training opportunities impacting their profession.
Recently, EMAG brought together EMs from across northern Georgia for its Area 1 monthly business meeting in Cleveland. The October 10 gathering provided them with an opportunity to learn, coordinate, and network.
A ‘hub for regional preparedness’
In a presentation streamed to local emergency management agencies across the state, GEMA/HS Training and Exercise Manager Melissa Slocumb shared updates to federal grant requirements. The director of UGA’s Institute for Disaster Management, Dr. Curt Harris, spoke about the university’s disaster management programs and capstone internship program.
That presentation was of particular interest to Habersham County Assistant EMA Director Melanie Bellinger, who also serves as EMAG’s state treasurer.
“UGA has a Certified Public Health (CPH) intern program that will allow the interns to work directly with EMAs to have a better understanding of what EMA does and assist them with day-to-day requirements of the position,” she explains.
While Bellinger says meetings such as this help “improve our knowledge in our position,” they also help with relationship-building. Area 1 covers 24 counties.
“The Area 1 Monthly EMAG Meeting serves as a hub for regional preparedness and collaboration. With representatives from counties around the region, the meeting offers a platform for local emergency managers to network and collaborate,” says White County Public Information Officer Bryce Barrett. “This allows local emergency management agencies to share updates in emergency management and foster more efficient mutual aid responses between counties.”
A ‘great networking tool’
Habersham County EMA Director Lynn Smith knows full well the impact these regional meetings can have. She served as Area 1 co-chair and then chair for four years before moving to the state level. For the past twelve years, Smith has served as EMAG’s state secretary.
“We meet monthly to share and discuss events in our respective areas. It is a great networking tool and gives you the opportunity to meet your neighbor that you may have to depend on during a disaster,” Smith says. “I have been deployed to multiple counties after tornados to assist. It is a very rewarding job.”
EMAG represents the interest of all the state’s local EMAs at the state level.
“We are their voice to the Georgia Emergency Management Agency,” Smith says. “We meet quarterly with GEMA command staff and discuss any concerns that the locals may have.”
White County Emergency Services Division Chief Don Strength now occupies the Area 1 Chair Smith previously held.
Another important function of EMAG is that it helps emergency managers maintain their required certification through continuing education. The organization sponsors an annual state conference where attendees can get their training and education hours.
Smith says, “We want to help as much as we can by keeping our neighboring counties up to date and prepared for anything that is coming in the future.”
Taylor Swift is, beyond debate, one of the most popular and successful musical artists of her generation. She’s won over legions of fans with her music and attracts constant media attention.
Her concert film for “The Eras Tour” is an entertaining, visually stunning, and high-powered spectacle, but also occasionally exhausting and breathless.
The film runs about 168 minutes long, playing in front of a massive crowd at the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. The concert divides the superstar’s songs into different eras based on the titles of her albums: Lover, Fearless, Evermore, Reputation, Speak Now, Red, Folklore, 1989, an acoustic set, and concludes with Midnights.
She begins the concert with a bodysuit and boots, singing songs such as “Lover” and “The Man.” The latter consists of her adding a sequined blazer with a set that looks like an office.
She then segues into her country section by playing such hits as “Love Story” and “You Belong With Me.” By the time she gets to her Evermore set, she performs “Champagne Problems” over a moss-laden piano. “Tolerate It” is performed by a set designed to emulate Citizen Kane.
I’m the farthest you’ll get from a “Swiftie,” so I had to do my homework on a lot of her songs, but I can say with all certainty she knows how to electrify a crowd. Swift has a magnetic stage presence, and everyone from the band to the backup dancers is equally as effective and passionate about giving her fans a stellar show.
The concert’s only weakness is that, like Swift herself, the film almost never gives us a chance to breathe. Just when we think the concert might be winding down, there’s another set of four or five songs that she’s ready to unleash. The experience can be mildly jarring at times.
When she arrives at the show-stealing finale with “Karma,” we’re a little grateful the sensory overload seems to know when to say enough is enough, finally.
The Eras Tour film won’t win any converts, but it will thrill Swifties of all ages, and that’s really its only function. No more, no less.
Grade: A-
(Rated PG-13 for some strong language and suggestive material.)
Customers enjoy a hotdog lunch and socialize with their neighbors during Customer Appreciation Day at White County Farmers Exchange- (Photo by Dean Dyer/WRWH.com)
CLEVELAND, Ga. – The White County Farmers Exchange is celebrating 95 years of service. The Exchange held a customer appreciation day on Friday, October 13. President and CEO Gilbert Barrett said the Exchange, founded in 1928 by farmers in and around White County, now covers 14 counties in Northeast Georgia.
“The Northeast Georgia Area really supports us very well,” Barrett said. “Of course, our focus is agriculture, but [we] have a lot of walk-in business of the lawn and garden folks, and that is a big part of our business as well.”
From remote to regional
According to its website, farmers in the once remote region of northern Georgia founded the White County Farmers Exchange because they needed a place to buy bulk goods at competitive prices.
E.J. Huff, the county extension agent at the time, guided and promoted the agricultural cooperative. The co-op did not have employees and was overseen by the extension office. Initially, the White County Farmers Exchange (WCFE) was set up to handle TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority) fertilizer demonstration farms.
During the Great Depression, Huff, virtually alone, kept the organization going. He had an old truck which he loaded with potatoes from farmers in the area. Once the truck was full, Huff would take the potatoes to Atlanta, sell them, and return to give the farmers their share of sales.
In 1969, the Exchange purchased land one mile south of the city square in Cleveland and built its present store.
The Farmers Exchange diversified its offerings in the 1970s and ’80s. The cooperative added custom fertilizer and lime application services and custom spray services. They also added a hardware line.
In the ’90s, the White County Farmer Exchange built a fertilizer storage warehouse. In 1999, it became an independent Southern States dealer.
A new approach
In October 2002, the WCFE board implemented a new management approach. They hired Barrett as manager and the management team administered a new marketing and customer service plan.
Over the last nine years, sales volumes have “significantly increased,” the group says.
“The cooperative has expanded its product lines to offer one of the most complete one-stop shops for agricultural supplies in Northeast Georgia,” the WCFE website states.
In addition, the co-op has added crop consulting, soil testing, nutrient management planning assistance, customer purchasing reports, delivery service, rental equipment, and farmer educational and networking events to its line of services.
At Friday’s celebration, Barrett pledged the cooperative would continually look for better ways “to serve our members’ needs.”
Gene Wallace Martin, age 68, of Clarkesville, passed away on Saturday, October 14, 2023.
Born on October 5, 1955, in Toccoa, he was a son of the late Marvin J. Martin, Jr. and Lilly Bernice Wilburn Martin. Mr. Martin worked most of his life as the owner and operator of Martin Logging. He was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed deer hunting and fishing. Gene was also a sports enthusiast who loved watching NASCAR, the Atlanta Braves, and the Georgia Bulldogs, but most of all, he loved being with his family. Mr. Martin was a member of Hollywood Baptist Church.
Survivors include his loving wife of 38 years, Bernice “Lois” Hunnicutt Martin of the home; sons and daughters-in-law: Jason Gene Martin (Leslie) of Jefferson, Randall Brady (Carol) of Baldwin, and Phillip Brady (Lynn) of Toccoa; daughter, Wanda Brady of Cornelia; grandchildren: Destiny Lia Martin, Tonya Brady, Amanda Brady, Sophia Provitera, Brandon Provitera, Michael Provitera, Carly Holden, and Kinley Holden; great-grandchildren: Colton Brady, Brylie Deaton, Henry Deaton, and Hayden Littrell; sister and brother-in-law, Barbara Pitts (William “Bill”); brother and sister-in-law, Larry Martin (Debbie); nieces, Brandy Hoffacker and Karen Ellard; and great niece, Anniston Whitlock.
Funeral services are scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 18, 2023, in the Chapel of McGahee-Griffin & Stewart, with Rev. Kenneth Taylor and Rev. Jay Mull officiating. Interment will follow in Hollywood Baptist Church Cemetery.
The family will receive friends from 6-9 p.m. on Tuesday, October 17, 2023, at the funeral home.
Betty Brewer, age 66, of Hinesville, Georgia, passed away on Friday, October 13, 2023.
Born on June 11, 1957, in Johnson City, Tennessee, she was a daughter of the late Frank and Pauline Duncan Carroll. Ms. Brewer was a mother of three. Though she would tell you, she has 8 children. She was a homemaker and member of Elim Baptist Church in Ludowici, Georgia. She enjoyed taking care and being a mama to everyone that came into her life. Betty loved to read, play games (especially card games), and her cookies.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her brothers Glenn “Dubbie” Carroll, Charles “Bill” Carroll, and Frankie Carroll, and sisters Sarah Swanner and Sharon Howell.
Survivors include sons: John Brewer of Hinesville, Robert Brewer of Hinesville, Fredrick Brewer (Nicole) of Demorest, and Children she raised: Charles D (CD) Carroll (Daisy), Michael Carroll, Liv Collins (Michael), Josh Sibert (Stephanie), Dustin Turner (Logan); Grandchildren include Samuel Brewer, Amilya Webb, William Turner, Dustin Turner Jr., Paisley Turner, and a niece, who was more akin to a sister and lifelong best friend, Iris Trinidad (Ed). Surviving siblings include (brothers) Jon Jon Carroll, James Carroll, Ray Carroll, Frederick Carroll, and (sisters) Iris Knueker, DeRhonda Williams, Linda Nave, Kay Burke, Carol Decker (All of Tennessee); and many nieces and nephews.
Fire forced one resident from this Hall County home late Saturday, October 14, 2023. (Hall County Fire Rescue)
The Hall County Fire Marshal is investigating the cause of a house fire Saturday night southeast of Gainesville.
At approximately 8:50 p.m., Hall County Fire Rescue (HCFR) responded to the 3100 block of Poplar Springs Drive. First arriving units found a two-story residence with heavy fire in and above the garage, beginning to extend to the rest of the home.
Crews used the deck gun on top of the engine to knock down the bulk of the fire, says HCFR Public Information Officer Kimberlie Ledsinger.
Firefighters used multiple hoses to extinguish the flames inside the home and kept the flames from spreading to nearby homes.
No one was injured. The fire displaced one resident. The cause of the fire is unknown at this time.
DEMOREST, Ga. – For the second consecutive day, the Piedmont women’s soccer team saw its offense awaken in the second half, taking down Berea 2-0 on Sunday afternoon in Demorest.
Once again, it was Paige Kluba who broke the scoreless tie while Savannah Jerome added a key insurance goal in the final minutes to put the game away.
The win moves the Lions to 3-0-1 in conference contests at home and sets up a critical showdown at Maryville this week.
Much like Saturday, Piedmont’s offense struggled out of the gate, but the Lions did control possession and went to the half scoreless against the Mountaineers.
Then, in the 55th minute, Kluba delivered a beautiful strike on a free kick that beat the Berea goalkeeper to the top left corner of the net.
Although it turned out be the only goal the Lions needed, they tacked on one more for good measure in the final minutes on a perfectly sequenced double assist from Victoria Sierra to Zoe Harrison as Jerome finished the play for her third goal of the season.
The Lions held a 31-4 shot advantage while goalkeeper Maggie Leger made a pair of saves.
Up next, the Lions will battle rival Maryville, whom they defeated in last season’s CCS Tournament Final in penalty kicks.
TURNING POINT:
– Two second half goals pushed the Lions past the Mountaineers, with Kluba netting the game-winner.
STANDOUT PERFORMANCES:
– Sophomores Kluba and Jerome each tallied their third goals of the season.
– Freshman Zoe Harrison delivered her first career assist, finding Jerome for the Lions’ second goal.
NEWS AND NOTES:
– Piedmont moves to 8-0 all time against Berea.
Officers from six Northeast Georgia law enforcement agencies attend a management course sponsored by the Georgia Public Safety Training Center. The remote learning opportunity was held at the Demorest Municipal Complex and was hosted by Demorest PD. (Jerry Neace/NowHabersham.com)
When people think of law enforcement, they mostly think of what happens on the streets – traffic stops and crowd control, crime scenes and arrests. But good policing doesn’t stop at the office door. It takes qualified managers to provide the leadership, resources, and support officers need so they can do their jobs safely and well.
About a dozen senior-level officers from around Northeast Georgia recently devoted time to improving their management skills. They participated in a week-long course hosted by the Demorest Police Department.
Georgia Public Safety Training Center (GPSTC) Senior Law Enforcement Instructor Kevin Angell taught the Law Enforcement Management Level I course. The 40-hour class teaches management skills to those ranked lieutenant or above.
The course is the first in a series of three. After the officers complete all three classes, they receive P.O.S.T. certification in management.
Closer to home
Held at the Demorest municipal complex, last week’s training focused on planning for the future. It covered such topics as recruiting, retention, and budgeting.
“We know that now there is a deficit in law enforcement officers across the country. So planning for recruitment, planning for selection of law enforcement to keep that professionalism going and our ability to service the community [is important],” Angell said.
Typically, the course is taught in a classroom setting at GPSTC in Forsyth. But that requires officers to travel and stay at the facility for a week. For some departments, that can be a challenge.
Demorest Police Chief Robin Krockum, far left, and Kevin Angell, center, discuss operations with deputies from the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office during the Law Enforcement Management Level 1 course on October 17, 2023. (Jerry Neace/NowHabersham.com)
“We’re very grateful for Kevin bringing it up in our area because of budget constraints,” said Demorest Police Chief Robin Krockum. “It’s just hard to send somebody to Forsyth, be gone for a week, pay per diem, hotel, and everything that goes in line with that. It helps us a lot locally.”
“It’s really important that the Georgia Public Safety Training Center works with its partner agencies to be able to provide training, and sometimes that means coming to them,” Angell said.
Officers from six area agencies participated in the remote learning opportunity. They came from the Demorest, Alto, Toccoa, and Helen police departments and the sheriff’s offices in Habersham and Rabun counties.
Opportunities for advancement
“One of the biggest things that we look at, especially when it comes to training, is getting our people good, meaningful, adequate training to improve their ability to do their job proficiently and professionally,” said Major Sam Jones of the Rabun County Sheriff’s Office.
Jones took the management course for several reasons. He wants to use the training and techniques he learns to run his agency more proficiently. He also wants to use the knowledge he gains to help with on-the-job training because, ultimately, his goal is to prepare junior officers to take over his job one day.
“I want to educate them the best way possible. Give them the best information to help them perform their job, be a better supervisor, and potentially be good managers – to effectively do their job,” he said.
Becoming certified in law enforcement management also looks good on a resumé. Helen Police Captain Bob Taormina said he took the course to help “with my career advancement and required classes for promotional consideration.”
He wants to pass those same opportunities on to others.
Capt. Taormina said he plans to take what he learned and use it to mentor officers more effectively through disciplined management and empowerment: To help them build confidence and advance in their careers.
Putting the lessons to work
Taormina appreciated having the training so close to home, saying having it in Demorest instead of Forsyth “makes it more convenient and affordable for the city.”
The five-day class concluded on Friday with an operational exercise.
They were broken into two groups and had to develop a plan for escorting a prominent dignitary through North Georgia. The training scenario involved multiple stops along the planned route.
Angell said both groups did well and utilized the resources available to them to accomplish the task.
He confidently stated, “Management staff across Northeast Georgia [who attended the class] have left with a better understanding of challenges facing law enforcement recruitment, retention, training, and general operations.”
The Folk Pottery Museum of Northeast Georgia has announced that they will host an exhibit by Dwayne Crocker. The exhibit, Expressions in Clay, will open November 4 and run until May 3, 2024.
Crocker grew up in the foothills of the North Georgia mountains in Lula and later Gillsville. Both towns are traditional pottery communities where Dwayne witnessed potters creating their wares. He worked at Wilson Pottery for 2 years and then made production garden-ware at Craven Pottery for 24 years before opening his own pottery shop in 1999.
Crocker’s work is traditional with an expressive twist. He uses Georgia red clay and mixes his own glazes to create one-of-a-kind pieces. Visitors to the Museum can experience his work through an exhibition of select pieces that showcase his sculptural mastery. The exhibit features face jugs, snake jugs, roosters, and commemorative UGA pieces on loan from private collections as well as the artist’s collection.
Folk Pottery Museum Director Emily DeFoor said, “Dwayne’s work is infused with a tremendous amount of expression, movement, and life. The sculptural elements of his pottery demonstrate his years of dedication to his craft.”
A reception to honor Crocker and his work will be held on Friday, November 10, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. The event is free and open to all. Guests will enjoy live music, light refreshments, and an interview with the potter. A silent auction will also take place, giving attendees a chance to take folk pottery home. The proceeds go to the Folk Pottery Museum. For more information or to RSVP, email [email protected] or call the museum at 706-878-3300 x307.
The Folk Pottery Museum of Northeast Georgia is open seven days a week, Monday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Sunday, 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. Admission is free. It is located at 283 Highway 255 North, a quarter mile north of the intersection with Georgia Highway 17.
There comes a time when one realizes with certainty that there is a timer on life. I can’t tell you exactly when you’ll start to hear it ticking but be grateful when you do.
We all come face to face with our mortality. My brother died at a relatively young age from a terminal illness. Like many, he bravely accepted his limited time. John knew what he wanted to do in the months remaining of his life. He was an engineer with a list of everything. John worked hard to complete his tasks and leave this earth to see what was happening around the bend.
The longer we live, the more we slowly accept that we all have a list to complete, people we need to see, and things we need to say.
Dan recently suffered a heart attack. Richie is recovering from cancer. Whit had a devastating fall a few years back but survived. Patsy passed away before our last reunion. These great folks graduated with me from high school years ago.
I could keep telling you about friends who barely survived an illness or an accident and those who did not, but the pages are not long enough. The older we become, the more we notice the timer as it clicks closer to zero.
Now, that all sounds dour and full of doom, right? It may be all in how we look at it.
Furthermore, I like the timer. I am glad I see it, hear it, and realize that I need to live fully in the seconds that pass.
I never heard the life clock in high school with Dan, Rich, Whit, and Patsy. Time was endless in my mind. When several friends sadly died early in life, I would pause and ponder my mortality. Then life would return to the busy mode, and the ticking clock would fade away.
As the days pass, we long to see the precious people who have taken up time in our lives. There is an intense desire to share the depth of that love with those we love and how important it is to us.
The seasons of our lives bring changes. I wish to spend more time with my children now that I have more freedom to do so. However, they are in the busy season of life. Their timers are hidden somewhere under the clutter in their kitchens. They cannot hear the ticking because of the hustle and bustle of their daily lives. I understand because I was once in that season.
I also now understand my mother when she repeatedly asks, “Are you coming over today?” She longed to spend more time with her daughter because there was no longer clutter in her kitchen, and she could hear the clocks sweeping hands.
My brother yearned to find his buddies from school, lost cousins, and Navy shipmates from his service in the Vietnam War. As he neared the end, he spent his last days enjoying the faces of his family.
When my son lay on a gurney with a broken neck, he held my hand and urgently told me his wishes as he quickly orated a will. He saw the clock as the second hand moved at a rapid pace. Thankfully, God intervened and gave Corey more time.
Life itself is a rapid movement. We often take it and the folks who are a part of our lives for granted. As we age, we face the quantity of time we have left; we realize how valuable each second, each day, each person, and each breath is.
I recall, as if yesterday, watching Dan laugh heartily at a joke during lunch. It was only last week when Richie got me tickled in Latin class. Wasn’t it just the other day that Whit was snickering about something crazy I did – again?! Did I not recently see Patsy carrying her books and smiling at me as she strolled into class?
Today, I find those folks and my memories of them even more precious.
Yes, I am happy to hear the timer. I understand the noises that are important in life. I joyfully listen to the laughter of a child. I hear God’s whispers more often and see fortune as a miracle and a coincidence as divine.
Yes, we all need to check the time, complete our list, hug those we love passionately, and do so before continuing our journey around the bend.
Leslie Fowls Wyatt was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, “Nina,” and follower of Jesus. Leslie lived to create a loving and caring home filled with fun and over-the-top family traditions. Her favorite was a yearly trip to the beach with her children and grandchildren, ensuring that her kids from across the country came together. Leslie was an avid cross stitch artist, gardener, sugar cookie baker, and devoted prayer warrior. Some people love to be loved, but she loved to give love.
She is preceded in death by her mother and father (Dorthy & Donald J Fowls) and survived by her husband (Wallace Lee Wyatt), three children (Joshua, Nicholas, and Emily Browning), their spouses, whom she loved just as her own (Becky, Kate, and Matt), seven grandchildren (Isaiah, Luca, Norah, Brielle, Wynne, Charleigh and soon-to-be baby Lewyn), and her siblings (Earl, Don and Laura). Leslie fiercely loved her family and built a beautiful legacy. We “love you all the way around the world and back again and again.” We often heard her say, “y’all behave”– we promise we will.
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10
Visitation will be from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. Monday, Oct. 16, 2023, at Riverbend Church, 1715 Cleveland Highway, Gainesville. Celebration of Life will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, October 17, 2023, at Riverbend Church, Gainesville. A 3:00 p.m. Interment will take place at Kennesaw Memorial Park, Marietta.
You may sign the online guestbook or leave a condolence at wardsfh.com.
Ward’s Funeral Home & Cremation Services, Gainesville, is honored to serve the family of Leslie Fowls Wyatt.
Pro-Israel protesters gather near Woodruff Park in Atlanta after war broke out between Israel and Palestine. (Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder)
(GA Recorder) — A week ago Saturday, rockets began to pour out of Gaza and Hamas militants stormed Israeli villages, killing and kidnapping civilians as well as military and police.
The surprise attack left the key U.S. ally shaken and bloodied, and more violence is expected in a blooming conflict that could have major implications at home and abroad.
Georgia’s elected officials and regular citizens expressed shock, sadness and anger in the first week of the Israel-Hamas war, though the targets of those emotions varied from person to person.
Gov. Brian Kemp announced Friday that he has instructed the state treasurer to buy $10 million in bonds from Israel as a show of support, which he said was the highest available amount on the market. The state’s total current bond investment in Israel is $25 million, according to his office.
“Israel is one of Georgia’s strongest allies and greatest friends, and our support for its people as they endure horrific attacks from terrorists is unwavering,” Kemp said in a statement. “Though this conflict was not of Israel’s choosing, we know they will be victorious in this fight against evil and those who seek its destruction.”
Kemp, who visited Israel in May on an economic development trip and met with Israeli leaders, also ordered the U.S. and Georgia flags to fly at half-staff on state property until sunset on Saturday.
Gov. Brian Kemp shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a visit to Israel in May. (Via X, formerly Twitter)
And he blasted former President Donald Trump on social media after the GOP presidential frontrunner made comments at a rally criticizing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and calling Hezbollah “very smart.”
“It is never acceptable to praise deranged murderers or undermine one of our closest allies in their darkest hour,” Kemp said Thursday on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Sen. Jon Ossoff, a Democrat who is Georgia’s first Jewish U.S. senator, returned early from a bipartisan Senate national security delegation trip to Asia because of the turmoil. Ossoff’s staff said the senator spoke with Israeli President Isaac Herzog from the U.S. embassy in Beijing on Tuesday.
“The American people and the people of Georgia stand in support of and, in solidarity with, the Israeli people at this moment of outrage and tragedy,” Ossoff said in remarks read by a staff member at a solidarity event held this week in Sandy Springs.
The fallout also quickly touched the Gold Dome, where future legislative debates will likely be shaped by the attacks and ongoing response to those attacks. A bill defining antisemitism in state law that would have enabled stricter penalties for those who commit crimes inspired by antisemitism stalled this year amid concerns that it could stifle legally protected speech criticizing Israel’s government. That bill remains alive for next year.
Sen. Jon Ossoff talks with Israeli President Isaac Herzog from the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. (Via X, formerly Twitter)
State Sen. Russ Goodman, a Cogdell Republican, was visiting Israel with a group when Hamas attacked. He said he could hear rockets being launched from the protective Iron Dome and automatic weapons being fired near his hotel.
“I will continue to pray for our brothers and sisters in Israel, and I will stand with them in solidarity against the disgraceful attacks from both the terrorists that surround them and terrorist sympathizers here at home,” Goodman said in a statement Thursday.
Some context
Gaza is a 140-square-mile Palestinian enclave bordered by Egypt, Israel, and the Mediterranean Sea.
People living there say the Israeli government suppresses their rights, using laws restricting their ability to travel and participate in politics, a blockade preventing basic goods from arriving, constant surveillance, and violent repression.
Israeli authorities say sanctions against Gaza are necessary for security.
Human rights groups like Amnesty International have accused Israel of violating international law in its treatment of Palestinians, a charge Israel and the United States government disagree with.
The attacks
It was from Gaza that on Oct. 7, a group of militants from Hamas, an Islamist Palestinian political party designated as a terrorist group by the U.S. and other nations, broke through a sophisticated, fortified border and launched a surprise attack.
Fighters reportedly swarmed into Israel using land vehicles, boats, and motorized paragliders. Israeli and international media described armed men arriving in multiple towns and indiscriminately killing or capturing civilian men, women, and children, as more than 6,000 rockets were launched toward Israel, according to Israeli officials.
As of Friday, the Israeli death toll stood at more than 1,200 people killed and another 3,227 injured, Israel reported.
A bloody attack on a late-night music festival where at least 260 people were reportedly killed particularly horrified international observers, as did reports that Hamas had targeted children and babies.
Netanyahu shared photographs he described as “horrifying photos of babies murdered and burned by the Hamas monsters.”
Atlanta protests
Images like those were on the minds of over a hundred pro-Israel demonstrators in downtown Atlanta Thursday as they waved blue and white Israel flags and waved signs with slogans like “Stand with Israel” and “Free the Hostages.”
Marc Urbach of Alpharetta marches in support of Israel. (Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder)
Marc Urbach waved an American flag and carried a sign reading “Israel’s 9/11.” He said he felt compelled to drive from his Alpharetta home to show his support.
“No nation would put up with this, as you would agree,” he said. “No nation would allow its citizens to be murdered. So Israel has to fight back against evil. If you can imagine any of our cities, Austin, any of our southern cities getting 5,000 rockets shot at them, what would be the response from the United States? It would be utter destruction from President Biden and his administration would destroy the enemy. So that’s what Israel is going to have to do, unfortunately.
“Unfortunately, in any war, innocents and civilians are killed,” he added. “That’s just what happens in any war. You know that. So Israel will do its best not to bring that to civilians, but they’re stuck. They’re stuck with Hamas. And until Hamas is rooted out, this will continue.”
Other marchers did not distinguish between Hamas and other Palestinians.
“The world is waking up to see the truth of Palestine,” said one protester who identified himself as Benjamin, an Israeli-born Atlantan, but declined to give his last name. “They’re murderers. They are terrorists. They want to kill us and they want to come for you. It’s all about the Sharia. It’s all about the Khalifa. It’s not about freedom. It’s not about the land. It’s a religious war against the Jewish people, 1939, happening again, 2023, Holocaust for the Jews.”
But the division lines are not perfectly drawn along religious or ethnic lines.
Ari Bee, a Jewish activist, said they have been called a traitor to Judaism for their support of Palestine.
“(Jews) have been harassed and intimidated, we have been kicked out of our homes, and I understand why we are scared and why we believe that Israel makes us safe,” they said. “I don’t agree with that, but I do (understand). People are coming from a place of activation here, and I can just stand for what’s true and hope that other people eventually join us in understanding that all human lives matter and that $2 billion in U.S. aid to allow Israel to just do whatever it wants to Palestinians is absolutely unacceptable.”
Bee and a few other Palestine supporters crossed paths with the pro-Israel demonstrators on the way to a competing rally.
Atlanta Police, Georgia State Patrol, and Georgia State University police officers were gathered downtown en masse and kept the two sides separate, but in a few cases, stragglers from one camp came upon members of the other, sometimes leading to shouted taunts, curses or expletives from both directions.
As Bee spoke with reporters, a young man shouted at them from across the street.
“I don’t know why you have a yarmulke on your head, but you definitely don’t represent us,” he said.
“I understand I don’t represent Israel and Israelis, but I am a Jew,” Bee shouted back.
Israel and Georgia law enforcement
Demonstrators demand Georgia State University drop its GILEE program. (Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder)
As blue and white flags of Israel waved near Atlanta’s Woodruff Park, the black, white, green and red flag of Palestine flew a couple blocks away near Georgia State University.
A large crowd of mostly students gathered there to show their support for Palestinians in Gaza, who they feared would be victims of retaliation for Hamas’ attacks on Israel – as of Friday, at least 1,900 people have been killed in Gaza as Israeli air strikes continuously hammer the territory – and to demand their school put an end to a program that encourages partnerships between local law enforcement agencies and Israel.
The Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange, or GILEE, advertises on its website that it provides peer-to-peer training for law enforcement and security professionals “in or from” 23 states and 12 countries.”
A university spokesperson did not respond to a request for more information on the program. The state passed a law in 2011 that limits open records requests about GILEE after a progressive student group began looking for information. Lawmakers said too much openness could put national security at risk.
Pro-Palestine marchers at Georgia State University. (Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder)
In June, former GBI Director Mike Register participated in the program, leading a 20-member delegation, including 12 Georgia police chiefs and command staff to Israel for two weeks of training with police there.
Reports indicate that one of the Israeli officers who previously trained Georgians was killed in the fighting in the town of Sderot.
“I spent time at the Sderot police station, learning from our Israeli counterparts,” said Georgia Insurance and Fire Safety Commissioner John King, a former police officer in Atlanta and police chief in Doraville. “Seeing what happened there makes me sick. It’s heartbreaking, and the terrorists responsible must pay.”
GILEE was founded in 1992 in hopes of preventing a terrorist attack at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, and despite its popularity with law enforcement and Georgia’s elected leadership, the program has come under question from student groups who charge it has an anti-Muslim bias.
Many of the students gathered on the campus Thursday said they worry Georgia law enforcement officers are learning to oppress vulnerable populations. Some, like senior Graciela Cain, said they fear U.S. departments will take techniques honed on Palestinians and use them against Black populations at home.
Pro-Palestine demonstrators at Georgia State University. (Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder)
“All of our struggles are interconnected, and we just want Georgia State to divest from spending that money on that when they could be spending the money on students,” she said. “I am a student here, it’s my senior year, I’m in the Africana Studies Department. I have students and friends who are single mothers who can barely pay to park on campus. Who can barely afford tuition. And this is a state university, and we should be able to come here and not worry about those things.”
The pro-Palestine demonstrators marched through the city chanting slogans like “Free Palestine” and “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be Free” towards the university building where university president M. Brian Blake’s office was.
The pro-Palestine demonstrators marched through the city chanting slogans like “Free Palestine” and “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free,” a reference to the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea where Israel exists today. They marched toward the university building where university president M. Brian Blake’s office was.
After negotiations with campus police and human resources, Cain entered the building with a professor to deliver a letter to Blake demanding the university pull out of the training program. Cain said she handed the letter off to a representative but is not confident it will be read or considered.
“I don’t think he’s going to look at it or care,” she said. “But the students, I’m glad they came through, made their voices very loud and clear.”
Georgia Recorder Deputy Editor Jill Nolin contributed to this report.
