May 19, 2023 Douglasville, GA- Governor Brian Kemp has appointed former Douglas County Sheriff Phil Miller as Chair of the County Commission and local football hero and Navy veteran Ricky Dobbs to fill a Commission seat after suspending two elected officials who have been charged with bid rigging. In doing so, he has overturned theContinue reading “Governor Kemp Power-Grab Bad for Douglas County, Signals Problems Ahead for Georgia”
Author Archives: Debby Yoder
Homophobia, Juvenile Justice, and the Thin Blue Line. We’re failing our kids.
I met the Thin Blue Line while working in juvenile justice. The program is grant-funded and operates parallel to the system of supervision. It is designed to be rehabilitative and keep kids out of the adult carceral system by improving communication, teaching aggression replacement, and sharing general life skills. Watching the adults manipulate the systemContinue reading “Homophobia, Juvenile Justice, and the Thin Blue Line. We’re failing our kids.”
Progressives, Get Your People to the Polls!
October 23, 2022 Atlanta- The first of three weeks of Georgia’s Advance Voting ended with predictably high turnout. The strong early numbers would typically excite me, but my experience working the polls has me concerned. My county has voted blue the last few elections, but this time the republicans seem to bringing the numbers. TheirContinue reading “Progressives, Get Your People to the Polls!”
Chief Tomochichi and Monuments to Peace
Atlanta, Georgia October 28, 2021 Chief Tomochichi stands proudly at the Millennium Gate Museum at Atlantic Station, his home for the next year or so while they ready his permanent placement at Rodney Cook, Sr. Peace Park in West End. The first photos I saw in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution struck me as wrong, the statueContinue reading “Chief Tomochichi and Monuments to Peace”
confederates ruin the car show
Dallas, Georgia The joy of seeing my favorite old Mustangs at the car show was overshadowed by the presence of the confederate flag. In the west metro Atlanta suburbs, I see it almost every day, but since the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol in January, it feels different. I had become used to the sight,Continue reading “confederates ruin the car show”
Hate Group Banner on I-20 Concerning
Douglasville, Georgia- “One Nation Against Invasion Patriot Front .US” From the interstate, I saw the banner hanging on the overpass fence and was immediately outraged. How dare someone hang it in my community? Unacceptable. I saw it on a Saturday afternoon, but admittedly forgot about it until I passed it again the following Tuesday. TheContinue reading “Hate Group Banner on I-20 Concerning”
MLK and the Swing Set
Atlanta- This is the backyard at the home Dr. King bought for his family. Something about this swing set really gets to me. I picture him laughing with his small children and being a regular person and it reminds me any one of us could change the world. I’ve visited his birth home, Ebenezer BaptistContinue reading “MLK and the Swing Set”
Damaged Confederate Monuments Just Feel Better
March 31, 2021 ATLANTA- The confederate monuments at Oakland Cemetery received an update from activists who added “BLM’ and “racist traitor” to the obelisk and Lion of Atlanta. I happened upon it several months later and, after four years of republicans stoking the fires of bigotry, I was thrilled to see the people on theContinue reading “Damaged Confederate Monuments Just Feel Better”
Samuel Green, Traitor
Westview Cemetery, Atlanta, Georgia. March 29, 2021 Allow me to introduce Samuel Green, MD, gynecologist and grand dragon of the kkk, responsible for its resurgence during the Civil Rights Movement. I’m pleased to see that his grave, and the confederate monument at the center of this cemetery, received the attention they deserve.
Borrowed Scenery – Portland’s Japanese Garden
Monday, September 29, 2014 Posted by Debby Yoder, Portland, Oregon — Portland is home to a Japanese Garden rated one of the best outside Japan. It was envisioned in the late 1950s as part of the healing process after World War II. Portland became a sister city to Sapporo, Japan and the garden opened soonContinue reading “Borrowed Scenery – Portland’s Japanese Garden”
Debby Yoder 