34 newyork| january3–16, (^2022) Photograph by Elijah Nouvelage
on a sunny wednesdayinNovember,
Keisha Lance BottomswenttotheAtlanta
City Detention Center,a water-stainedhulk
of concrete with slits for windows glaring
outoverPeachtreeStreet. Shewas there on
a kindofvaledictorytour, showcasing her
accomplishmentsasshegetsready to leave
themayor’soffice.“Ithoughtthis one was
deadinthewater,”shewouldtell me later
ofthedealthat is turningpart of this facility
intoa “diversioncenter”—aplace where cops
canbringpeoplewithbehavioral problems
that is not jail or the hospital. The floor inside
was a ratty mix of linoleum and pilling brown
carpet,anda podium had been set up for the
event.That’swhere Bottoms started to cry.
“I’vebeencrying a lot lately,” she admitted,
wiping away tears.
The tears could mean a lot of things at
this point: pride or disappointmentor relief
that it’s all going to be over soon. Bottoms’s
time in office has been marked by dizzying
highs (she was on the shortlist to become Joe
Biden’s vice-president in 2020) and shocking
lows, like her sudden announcement in May
that, after a solitary term, she wouldn’t run
for reelection that fall. It wasn’t supposed to
end like this. When she took office in 2018,
ByZakCheney-Rice
The mayorofAtlanta
was a risingstarin
Democratic politics.
Thenthecrime wave hit.
W h y D i d
Keisha
La nce
B tt s
u
antfer
(Antfer)
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