A new civil rights report argues that lynchings of Black men didn't end in America — they evolved — and that some deaths today may still be misclassified as suicides or accidents.

Why it matters: If killings are misclassified, families can lose their paths to justice, and possible patterns of racial violence can remain hidden in plain sight.

Driving the news: Mississippi-based civil rights group JULIAN identified 70 "modern-day lynchings" in seven southern states from 2000 to 2025 in a report released last month.

• The report, called The Crimson Record, lists cases across Georgia, Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Tennessee and Alabama and says the total could exceed 100 when suspicious deaths are included.
• 14 "modern-day lynchings" occurred in Georgia during that 25-year time span, according to the report.

What they're saying: "The moment a case is ruled a suicide, it's no longer investigated as a potential homicide," JULIAN founder Jill Collen Jefferson told Axios.

Case in point: Stephen Styles, a 43-year-old Black man, was found hanging from a tree in February 2021 in Douglas County.

• His vehicle, which was found abandoned in a wooded area near where his body was found, was discovered weeks before.
• Family members, who said Styles' death was suspicious, told Fox 5 Atlanta the car's windows were broken and the interior was muddy.
• "Despite the scene's irregularities and the absence of a medical examiner at the site, the Douglas County Sheriff's Office hastily ruled the death a suicide," according to the report.

Zoom in: Advocates point to recent deaths — including the case last month of Kyle Bassinga in Cobb County — as examples of how these situations can quickly become contested between communities and investigators.

• Bassinga was found hanging in a wooded area of Fair Oaks Park after being reported missing, prompting speculation about foul play.
• Cobb County police and officials declined an interview request, referring Axios to a prior public statement that maintained investigators found "no indicators" of another person's involvement and are treating the case as a suicide while awaiting autopsy results.

Jefferson says cases like Bassinga's show the need to consider homicide from the start.

• "It defies logic to assume someone climbed eight or nine feet into a tree with no ladder, no chair, no evidence of how they got there," Jefferson said.

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Uber began rolling out its women-only ride preference nationwide this month, expanding a feature that lets women riders and drivers match with each other.

Why it matters: The rollout makes gender-based ride matching a mainstream U.S. feature — escalating a safety push that doubles as competitive strategy, and setting up a potential legal flashpoint.

Driving the news: Uber's "Women Preferences" feature is launching nationwide after pilots last year in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Detroit, followed by a 26-city expansion in November.

• Some women will see the feature in their apps immediately, and full availability is expected in the coming days, the company told Axios.

The big picture: Uber says the feature has powered more than 230 million trips globally and is available in over 40 countries.

How it works: Women riders can request a woman driver on demand, reserve one in advance or set a standing preference in the app.

• Women drivers can toggle a setting to receive trip requests only from women — including during peak earning hours.
• Teens can also request women drivers where teen accounts are available.

Yes, but: Women account for about 1 in 5 Uber drivers in the U.S. — a supply constraint that could shape how consistently the feature works across markets.

Zoom out: The move mirrors Lyft's Women+ Connect program, which went nationwide in 2024 and lets women and nonbinary riders and drivers opt in to matching with one another.

What we're watching: A class-action lawsuit filed by male drivers in California argues Uber's feature discriminates against men and limits earning opportunities.

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Atlanta City Council member Kelsea Bond wants to draw a line in the sand against Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers inside the city limits.

Why it matters: Plans to operate immigration detention centers in Social Circle and elsewhere are prompting local officials to consider measures to limit ICE activity within their jurisdictions.

Zoom in: Bond's resolution would prohibit ICE from receiving city resources like property or tax incentives and state the city's outright opposition to the detention centers in Atlanta proper.

• The city could not, however, block the federal agency from purchasing privately owned land. South Fulton recently passed a measure to keep ICE out of the city.

Zoom out: Advocates are urging Mayor Andre Dickens to protect residents amid concerns of ICE stepping up arrests during the FIFA World Cup. Dickens has said the agency is "not invited" to the global event.

Context: ICE is already detaining people in a South Downtown field office, according to the AJC. Bond did not respond to Axios' request about whether they have heard any discussion of locating a detention center inside Atlanta.

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⚖️ A dispute between Dunwoody residents and city officials over a spillway and flooding damage could be headed to court. (Appen Media)

👮 The Atlanta Citizen Review Board ruled two police officers were justified in the 2022 fatal shooting of a 22-year-old man at a restaurant in Buckhead. (AJC)

🐶 PAWS Atlanta, Georgia's oldest no-kill animal shelter, is celebrating its 60th birthday this year. (Rough Draft)

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