WHO’S REALLY RUNNING THE SHOW? FOLLOW THE MONEY, WATCH THE MOVES
The NightBeat Breakdown | Wednesday 2.20.2025
Alright Kinfolks, let’s talk about it.
So, imagine this—you’re living in a city where corruption is a known thing. Not speculation. Not conspiracy. Straight up, documented, undeniable corruption. A city where the people running the show have been caught red-handed before, lining their own pockets while the streets stay messed up, while the schools fall apart, while the cost of living makes you question if you even belong there anymore.
Now, imagine the one person who was put in place to keep these folks in check, to hold the line, to make sure your tax dollars ain’t just getting siphoned off into luxury condos and “consulting fees” for the mayor’s frat bros—quits. Walks away. Not because she got tired. Not because she wasn’t doing the job. But because the very people she was supposed to be watching changed the rules on her, kneecapped her authority, and basically told her, "Yeah, nah, you ain't got it like that anymore."
That’s Atlanta right now.
Atlanta’s Inspector General, Shannon Manigault, just resigned. And why? Because city officials—Mayor Andre Dickens, the city council, the folks in power—decided her office had too much reach. They started putting limits on what she could do. New rules, new restrictions, new ways to keep the truth buried.
Now, they’re saying, "Oh no, we just wanna make sure employees have rights, we just wanna make sure the city is run fairly." Yeah, okay. We heard that one before. What this really means? They don’t want nobody poking around in their business anymore.
Atlanta has a history of corruption. That ain’t even an opinion, that’s facts. Go look up the Kasim Reed administration scandals. Go check out the people that got caught up in bribery, fraud, and stealing public money while folks in the city struggled to pay rent.
So the question is: What happens now? Who’s watching the people that are supposed to be watching the government? Or is this just business as usual in America’s Black Mecca?
THE 2024 ELECTION IS OVER—NOW WHAT?
Alright, it’s February 20, 2025. The dust has settled. The votes have been counted, and President Elon Musk and the 34-count-twice-impeached-convicted-felon administration are already making moves and implementing Project 2025.
So let’s get one thing straight—the election was never the finish line. It was just the beginning.
And yet, here we are. Another election cycle where we as Black America supposedly showed up, showed out, and made history—but the second the confetti hit the ground, the same politicians who was out here eating soul food on the campaign trail and pulling up to the barbershops? Gone.
We know this script already. Every election, no matter local or presidential, we get the same performance:
✔️ They show up, shake hands, smile for the cameras.
✔️ They tell us we’re the backbone of democracy.
✔️ They remind us of how much is at stake.
✔️ And then… poof. They disappear.
But here’s the thing:
💡 We still the X-Factor.
💡 We still control the outcome of elections.
💡 And if we stop moving, this country stops moving.
The problem ain’t our power—it’s what happens after we use it. Because once the ballots are in, what do we actually get?
What’s Already Happened Since Election Night?
👀 Trump’s Back. And He’s Moving Fast.
If you thought he was just gonna sit back and play the game slow, you ain’t been paying attention. Within weeks, he already started gutting federal DEI programs, stacking courts with even more conservative judges, and laying the groundwork to take us back to the pre-civil rights era—piece by piece.
❌ Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion? Dead.
If you work in corporate America, you already know the memo hit your inbox. DEI officers getting cut left and right. Programs that were meant to even the playing field? Dismantled. And the wildest part? They’re calling it “ending discrimination.”
❌ Affirmative Action? Gone.
SCOTUS already buried affirmative action last year, but now? They’re looking at the next steps—financial aid programs, diversity scholarships, even HBCU funding. The message is clear: If you’re Black and you benefited from policies meant to level the playing field, they’re coming for you next.
❌ Voter Suppression Laws? Expanding.
You think Georgia, Texas, and Florida were bad before? Wait till you see what’s coming. New restrictions on mail-in ballots, purging voter rolls, and even targeting Black organizers who help register voters.
And this ain’t conspiracy talk—it’s already happening.
And speaking of understanding power… Let’s talk about justice.
Because tonight, a story that should’ve ended in a courtroom just ended in a funeral home instead.
Andrew Lester is dead.
That name sound familiar? It should. That’s the old white man who shot Ralph Yarl, a Black teenager who did nothing but ring the wrong damn doorbell.
Yarl survived. Barely. But this old man? He never really had to face justice. Yeah, he got charged. Yeah, he pleaded guilty. But before a judge could hand down a sentence, he just… died.
Now, the legal system don’t know what to do. Case dismissed? Charges dropped? What happens now?
But let’s ask the real question—would the system have even given him real punishment in the first place?
Because if we keeping it a buck? These “stand your ground” laws ain’t built for us.
Trayvon Martin? Killed under stand-your-ground. No real justice.
Ahmaud Arbery? Gunned down. Took public outrage for justice to even happen.
Ralph Yarl? Shot in the head for existing in the wrong space.
Every time one of these cases happens, they hit us with the same tired excuses:
"I was scared."
"I felt threatened."
"I thought he was dangerous."
It don’t matter if you a kid, unarmed, or just minding your business—this country got laws that let people kill Black folks for just existing.
So Lester’s dead. But does that mean justice was served, or did he just escape accountability?
And finally… Trump. Trump and Black History Month.
Listen—y’all remember back in the day when your teacher would try to throw on a movie instead of actually teaching class? That’s what Trump’s Black History Month event felt like.
Dude got up there, shouted out Tiger Woods and some Black Republicans, smiled for the cameras, and that’s it. No mention of DEI. No mention of the policies he’s actively killing that affect Black people. Nothing. Just vibes.
And let’s be clear—this is the same man whose administration is going after DEI like it’s the damn boogeyman.
They tell us diversity is “unfair to white people.” They say equity is “racist” against the majority. Meanwhile, we sitting here like:
So y’all mad that we finally got a seat at the table?
Y’all mad that we finally get to compete on semi-equal footing?
Y’all mad that the system that’s been rigged in your favor for hundreds of years is finally starting to shift?
The reality is—Black people are the political football of America. Both sides wanna use us, but neither side wanna actually empower us.
So again, I ask—NOW WHAT?
FINAL TAKE: WHAT WE DOING NEXT?
We ain’t just talking tonight. We making moves. Because this ain’t about reacting to the news. This is about responding with action.
🔴 Local politics matters. If you ain’t looking at who runs your city, you already lost.
🔴 Media matters. If we don’t tell our stories, they’ll tell it for us—wrong. That’s why we got Kin+.
🔴 Economic power matters. Politics is chess. But money? Money is the real game. If we ain’t investing in ourselves, we just hoping for change that ain't coming.
Listen, we ain’t spectators. We the players.
So the question ain’t just “what happens next?”
The question is—what are YOU gonna DO about it?
