News RoundUp A suspect has been charged with the kidnapping and murder of Mariam Abdulrab, a bartender who was found shot to death in southeast Atlanta on Aug. 13. Abdulrab, 27, was kidnapped from outside her home in Chosewood Park in the early morning hours and later found shot to death on Lakewood Avenue. She was a beloved bartender at both Revery VR and Church.
The repair of a firedamaged bridge on Cheshire Bridge Road could take a year to complete. Atlanta Department of Transportation said the bridge over Peachtree Creek might be a total loss and require demolition.
Julian Conley and Jerrion McKinney have been indicted on 37 charges in last year’s shooting death of 8-year-old Secoriea Turner during a protest after the officerinvolved shooting of Rayshard Brooks.
At press time, a $20,000 reward remained on offer for information about the brutal stabbing death of Katherine Janness and her dog Bowie in Piedmont Park on July 28.
Parents refute claims of segregation at Mary Lin Elementary By Collin Kelley Parents at Mary Lin Elementary School in Candler Park are refuting a claim that classes were segregated based on race. The allegation is now the subject of a U.S. Department of Education investigation into whether the school violated the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Parent Kila Posey filed a federal complaint alleging that Black second grade students were being separated from white students in different classrooms – a practice
Posey said was instituted by Principal Sharyn Briscoe. Both Posey and Briscoe are Black. According to the complaint, Posey discovered the practice after she tried to have her second grader moved to a different classroom with a teacher she thought would be a better fit for her daughter. Posey said in an interview with WSBTV that Briscoe told her it wouldn’t be possible to move her daughter because it wasn’t “one of the Black classes.” Posey
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and unfair.” Parent Rian Smith agreed with White. “I’m in shock. The allegations that there are Black classes can simply be disproved by looking at a school yearbook,” Smith said. “It’s factually Principal Sharyn Briscoe inaccurate.” Smith said there said she was unwilling to go along with the might be an appearance “illegal and unethical practice,” and also of segregation simply by the fact that there submitted audio recordings of conversations is a small number of Black students at Mary with administrators about the issue. Lin, but her children were never segregated Posey complained to Atlanta Public based on their race. Schools but was unsatisfied with the According to data from the Georgia outcome. In a media statement APS said: Department of Education, Mary Lin “APS does not condone assigning students has 599 students in grades kindergarten to classrooms based solely on race. When through fifth, with 60 of those being Black. we learned of allegations of this conduct The second-grade class has 98 students, 12 occurring during virtual instruction at Mary of whom are Black. Lin Elementary School in August 2020, Smith had nothing but praise for the district conducted a review and took Principal Briscoe. immediate and appropriate action at that “I think Ms. Briscoe is wonderful,” time to resolve the issue.” Smith said. “She has a gift for remembering Posey said she has been an educator and knowing all the students and parents for 17 years and operates a business that at the school and she always has the best provides after-school activities at the school. interest of the children in mind.” Her husband is a school psychologist at Social media posts and Facebook Mary Lin. Posey said both she and her groups created by Mary Lin parents – both husband have “suffered retaliatory acts” after Black and white – have also dismissed the making the allegation. allegation and defended Briscoe. However, other Black parents at Mary A group of Black parents from Mary Lin have refuted Posey’s claim of segregated Lin also released a statement to the media classrooms. denying the allegations of segregation, “It did not happen,” parent Stacee stating that the school and Briscoe were White told Atlanta Intown. “My children now the subject of social media harassment were never separated into a ‘Black class.’ and there was “serious safety issues.” You can look at the yearbook and see that “We now have to deal with a serious there are no all Black classes at Mary Lin.” safety issue at the school, which has resulted White said she was “bewildered” by in a police presence, and we seek to have Posey’s allegations, and was upset that a false APS further address the security damage narrative of segregation was being pushed done by these baseless claims,” the letter to the media. White said she pulled her said in part. “More important, it has hurt kids from a private school just so they could the reputation and integrity of our school attend Mary Lin. She said her children have and our principal, and we black parents thrived at the school earning all As. stand behind her.” “I believe trying this case in the media Posey said she wanted to see the Mary causes harm to the students and the Lin administration removed and replaced community,” White said. “It’s unfortunate with new leadership. At l a n t a I n t o w n Pa p e r. c o m
