Special Report · Racial Justice · November 13, 2026, 11:26 PM CST
Key Facts
- The family of Tyrie Howse, a 16-year-old honor roll student shot by a Henry County officer on Nov. 3, has hired civil rights attorneys Harry Daniels and Gerald Griggs.[1][2]
- A phoned-in threat emptied an office building at Sandy Springs’ landmark “King and Queen” complex Friday. Police cleared the scene around 2:30 p.m.[4]
- An 8-year-old Haitian third grader taken into federal custody in San Diego is back with his family, Sen. Alex Padilla said Friday.[5]
- ICE’s new recruiting video, “The way it was. The way it can be again,” drew criticism that it is nostalgia for the Jim Crow era.[6]
- Southern voting-rights leaders say record Black turnout was years of organizing, not just a “blue wave.”[7]
Two stories hit close to home in metro Atlanta this week. A grieving family in Stockbridge is preparing for a legal fight. And on Friday afternoon, a threat sent office workers in Sandy Springs out into the street.
This report covers news from 10:20 p.m. Central on Nov. 11 through 10:20 p.m. Central on Nov. 13. We went back to the original reporting for every story. Where accounts conflict, we show both sides. Where something hasn’t been proven, we say so.
Where these stories happened
Pins mark the city, building or institution named in each report. The Stockbridge pin marks the city; reports place the shooting near the Krispy Kreme on Highway 138. Map data: OpenStreetMap contributors.
1. Stockbridge, Georgia: Tyrie Howse’s family hires civil rights lawyers
New on Nov. 12. The shooting happened Nov. 3.
Tyrie Howse was 16. He was an honor roll junior at Woodland High School and wanted to become a pediatric nurse.[1]
On Nov. 3, a Henry County police officer shot and killed him in a Krispy Kreme parking lot in Stockbridge.[1]
On Thursday, Nov. 12, his family announced it had hired civil rights attorneys Harry Daniels and Gerald Griggs.[1][2]
“This was a good kid with a bright future.” Attorney Harry Daniels[1]
Two accounts that don’t match
What witnesses say: Tyrie was unarmed, and the officer shot him in the back as he ran away.[1]
What the Georgia Bureau of Investigation says: Another teenager handed Tyrie a gun. Tyrie ran, the officer chased him, and the officer fired after Tyrie did not drop the gun when told to. The GBI says a gun was recovered at the scene.[1]
The officer is on administrative leave while the GBI investigates.[1][2]
The GBI’s account is preliminary. No finding has been made about whether the shooting was justified.
2. Sandy Springs: a threat empties a building at the King and Queen complex
Happened Friday, Nov. 13. Police have cleared the scene.
Friday afternoon, Sandy Springs police got a threat call about the Concourse Corporate Center, the office complex known for its “King and Queen” towers.[3][4]
Property management evacuated Building 2 as a precaution.[4]
“We are currently investigating a threat call. All other details remain under investigation at this time.” Sandy Springs Police[4]
Around 2:30 p.m., police told 11Alive they had cleared the scene.[4]
What we don’t know
Police have not said what the threat was, who made it, or whether anyone has been arrested. They say the investigation is ongoing.[3][4]
Nothing reported so far ties the threat to race, to any group, or to any other event. We include it here because it happened in metro Atlanta on Friday and readers have asked about it. We will update this report if police release more.
We did not find any video news report on the evacuation by publication time.
3. San Diego: a Haitian third grader goes home
New developments on Nov. 12 and 13.
He is 8 years old and in the third grade at Fay Elementary School in City Heights.[5]
Last week, federal agents took him into custody. Volunteer observer Karen Pohl recorded armed agents walking him from ICE’s field office to an elevator.[5]
On Thursday, hundreds rallied outside San Diego’s federal building. On Friday afternoon, Sen. Alex Padilla said the boy was back with his family.[5]
The dispute
ICE’s position: The uncle who brought him could not prove legal guardianship under federal anti-trafficking law, so the boy was classified as an unaccompanied minor and placed with the Office of Refugee Resettlement “to ensure the child’s safety.”[5]
The family’s position: The uncle’s attorney said he had a notarized letter from the boy’s father. ICE said it needed a court order.[5]
DHS’s position: It called the claim that ICE detained a third grader false, and suggesting otherwise “a depraved attempt to smear” its officers.[5]
“A child’s humanity outranks every badge.” Monique Barrett, president of the San Diego Education Association, at Thursday’s rally[5]
4. ICE’s “The way it was” recruiting video
Posted Nov. 12. Criticism reported Nov. 13.
On Nov. 12, ICE posted a recruiting video with the caption: “The way it was. The way it can be again. Join ICE.”[6]
Mediaite describes the video as opening on 1930s footage of cars, then moving to 1950s scenes: a mother with a stroller, big cars on the highway, Mount Rushmore, a Coca-Cola sign. The people shown are white Americans. The song is “American Dreaming” by Sierra Ferrell.[6]
“Nostalgiaslop for people who think the U.S. was great when Jim Crow was still around.” Immigration lawyer Aaron Reichlin-Melnick[6]
Commentator David French asked what was supposed to be appealing: “The old cars? The crappy old strollers? Old cheap motels and strip malls?”[6]
Mediaite reported no response from ICE or DHS.[6] Calling the ad a tribute to Jim Crow is the critics’ reading. The agency has not said that is what it meant.
5. Southern organizers: “This is about years in the making”
Briefing held Nov. 12. Interview aired Nov. 13.
The Deep South reported high, and in places historic, Black turnout in the Nov. 3 election.[7] On Thursday, five voting-rights leaders from the region told reporters not to file it all under “blue wave.”[7]
“If your analysis on what happened Tuesday is that this is a mandate against Trump, I think it’s a bit lazy. Dig deeper.” Charles Taylor, executive director, Mississippi NAACP[7]
Here is what they pointed to, state by state:
- Mississippi: Black voters cast 33% of ballots, up from 30% in 2024, according to New York Times estimates. Democrat Scott Colom will be the state’s first Black U.S. senator since Reconstruction. That came after officials declared more than 230,000 voters inactive days before the election.[7]
- North Carolina: 23 of 100 counties dropped Sunday early voting, which Chris Shenton of the Southern Coalition for Social Justice called a tactic aimed at “Souls to the Polls” church drives. “Old poison in new bottles,” he said. Black voters still increased their share of early voting.[7]
- Louisiana: Black voters were a record 33% of early voters. “They did not go hit an R-button or a D-button,” said Ashley Shelton of the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice.[7]
- South Carolina: The state reported its highest Black turnout for a midterm. “Black voters were still pissed off and still turned out,” said Jace Woodrum of the ACLU of South Carolina.[7]
- Alabama: Anneshia Hardy of Alabama Values said Rep. Shomari Figures’ win should not be seen only as a product of redistricting.[7]
On Friday, NAACP President Derrick Johnson discussed Black representation in the new Congress, turnout, and the fight over voting rights on WBUR’s Here & Now. That includes civil rights leaders’ concern that a Supreme Court ruling this year “weakened the Voting Rights Act.”[8]
Also this week, from before the window
These stories are still in the news but started before Nov. 11. We list them so a re-shared post isn’t mistaken for a new incident.
Charleston: the Emanuel Nine Memorial opens Saturday
The memorial to the nine Black worshippers murdered at Mother Emanuel AME Church in 2015 is set to be dedicated on Nov. 14. It was designed by Michael Arad, the architect of the National September 11 Memorial. It includes a Fountain of Grace with the victims’ names around its edge, two facing Fellowship Benches, and a Cross of Hope.[10]
“You don’t want people to forget why my mom and eight other people aren’t here anymore.” Chris Singleton[10]
Oxford, Mississippi: Ole Miss students speak
On Nov. 6, a Ring camera caught two white students making animal-like sounds and gestures outside the apartment door of three Black students: Victoria Johnson, Jakiyra Metcalf and Kaiyden Caldwell.[9]
“It’s still hurtful, and it’s still devastating that someone would go to our camera and do that,” Caldwell told the AP.[9] One woman apologized through a law firm and has withdrawn from school. The university called the behavior “offensive, hurtful, and unacceptable” and is investigating. No charges have been reported.[9]
Washington: a new acting head of DOJ civil rights
Attorney General Todd Blanche announced earlier this week that Craig Trainor is acting head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. Trainor wrote 2025 Education Department guidance threatening colleges’ federal funding over DEI programs; federal courts have since struck it down. He replaces Harmeet Dhillon, who stepped down after Democrats won both chambers of Congress.[11]
What we looked for and didn’t find
We found no new anti-Black hate-crime prosecution, racist flyer drop, or racially motivated shooting that we could confirm happened inside this 48-hour window. That doesn’t mean none happened. It means none met our standard of a confirmed date and a primary source.
We will update this report as the Howse investigation and the Sandy Springs threat investigation move forward.
References
- Family hires civil rights attorneys after officer fatally shoots 16-year-old in Stockbridge (CBS News Atlanta, Nov. 12, 2026)
- Family of teen shot, killed by Henry County officer hires civil rights attorneys (WSB-TV, Nov. 12, 2026)
- Threat forces evacuation of Sandy Springs office tower (Atlanta News First, Nov. 13, 2026)
- Threat cleared after evacuation of building at Sandy Springs ‘King and Queen’ complex (11Alive, via Yahoo News, Nov. 13, 2026)
- 8-year-old Haitian boy reunites with family after ICE detention in San Diego (NBC 7 San Diego, Nov. 12-13, 2026)
- Critics charge ICE with bringing back ‘Jim Crow’ in a new ad touting America ‘the way it was’ (Mediaite, Nov. 13, 2026)
- Black voting advocates in the South say the midterm surge was not just a ‘blue wave’ (Louisiana Illuminator / Stateline, Nov. 13, 2026)
- Black candidates made history this election. NAACP president on what comes next (WBUR Here & Now, Nov. 13, 2026)
- Black University of Mississippi students wrestle with forgiveness in wake of racist gestures (Associated Press via ABC News, Nov. 11, 2026)
- Mother Emanuel’s new memorial confronts the hate that killed Black worshippers (Capital B, Nov. 13, 2026)
- Trump taps DEI opponent to lead DOJ’s civil rights division (Higher Ed Dive, Nov. 12, 2026)
Kemetic Minds Editorial Desk
Verified NewsroomPrimary-sourced investigative intelligence on civil rights, voting rights, federal policy, and consumer protection. Sourced from primary legal filings, government statistics, and direct field reporting.