Tag Archives: Politics

Georgia’s New Open Carry Silences Music Midtown Festival 2022

By Jannah Bolds
EIC, The Bold Opinion



Music Midtown has officially been cancelled for 2022.

According to the festival’s website, this year’s two-day event has been cancelled “due to circumstances beyond our control”. However, Sources directly connected to the festival blame GA’s recently relaxed gun laws.

Live Nation, the company over Music Midtown, has yet to comment on the exact reason behind the festival’s cancellation, but Atlanta City Council Members make direct hints toward safety issues and concerns.

“A sad day as Atlanta’s Music Midtown is cancelled. Public policy has real impacts and in this case, economic and social implications on a great tradition,” said Atlanta City Council President, Doug Shipman via Twitter.

Music Midtown, is usually held at Piedmont Park; a place where guns can be openly carried without consequence. However, festival rules prohibit the presence of firearms and explosives, therefore, issuing conflict between company standards and legal rights.

As a resolution attempt, Shipman tells Rolling Stone that the issue will likely have to wait until state legislature reconvenes in January 2023, but plans to meet with the city attorney to discover a solution.

What is Music Midtown?

Music Midtown is a weekend-long music festival that has existed in Atlanta’s culture scene since 1994. Run by Live Nation, the festival has seen iconic performers like Earth, Wind, & Fire, Elton John, Foo Fighters, Al Green, Train, Kool & The Gang, John Mayer, Kendrick Lamar, Lizzo, and so many more.

The festival prides itself in diverse, eclectic sounds for music lovers of all kinds.

To learn more about Music Midtown, please visit them online and follow them on social media to stay updated on future events.

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GA STAND-UP Opens Movement Center, a Think Hub For Change

By Jannah Bolds
EIC, The Bold Opinion



A place to organize and mobilize.

Georgia STAND-UP, a non profit community engagement organization, has officially opened the doors to a new space dedicated to facilitating Georgia’s next political movements.

The Movement Center is a 9500 sqft, multi-purpose facility designed to address the critical needs of Atlanta’s marginalized communities by providing the necessary resources for mobilization. Deborah Scott, Chief Executive Officer of GA-STANDUP sat to speak with us about the organization’s meaning and intent for the community.

“I was mentored by some of the icons of the civil rights movement–Reverends Joseph Lowery, James Orange, and C.T. Vivian among them–they all emphasized the need to do more than just advocate, the
need to build permanent community-serving institutions,” said Scott.

The Movement Center offers all that in a cultural environment that lifts up African American heritage, robust personalities, martyrs, and aspirations. It is functionally innovative, and available for multi-purpose use.

GA STAND-UP grand opening in Atlanta

To learn more about GA STAND-UP, please visit their website and follow them on social media to put boots-on-the-ground and get involved.

Atlanta Launches Inaugural LGBTQ+ Advisory Committee

By Jannah Bolds
EIC, The Bold Opinion



The Fulton County District Attorney’s Office rolled out a new effort to ensure cases involving LGBTQ+ persons are handled properly. Today, twenty-eight advisors were publicly introduced to fulfill the committee’s mission; community safety for all.

The City of Atlanta already has an LGBTQ+ Advisory Board that makes recommendations to the Mayor that assist with policies to enhance engagement with the LGBTQ+ community. However, the DA’s effort will solely concentrate on crime and safety.

Deputy District Attorney Will Wooten, who spearheaded this initiative, found an opportunity to reduce crime in the community because of his own fear of retaliation for being gay.

“We wanted to make sure we intentionally included from every letter in LGBTQ+ and include people form communities of color because the dynamics are different,” said Wooten.

To learn more about the Fulton County DA’s initiative, visit them online or follow them on social media.