Jacqueline GaNun

As elected officials redraw the boundaries of legislative districts in Georgia that will hold for the next 10 years, residents of Coastal Georgia are pleading to have their voices heard. In a public comment meeting Monday, residents of Glynn, Chatham and other counties urged state legislators for an equitable and transparent redistricting process that takes local communities into account. Nearly 40 people spoke at the meeting Monday, July 26, most repeating the refrains of equity and transparency.

Cassandra Martinez remembers not wanting to go into work on the first Sunday of August last summer. But she swallowed her unease and drove 90 minutes from Jesup to downtown Savannah in time for her opening shift. Six hours later, an armed robber entered her store, GameStop on East Victory, and pointed a gun to her head. For a half hour he terrorized her and the staff as he looted the safe and the store. The robber stole more than $4,200 in cash, along with video games and consoles.

Jacques Battiste was nervous Monday night. As the sole finalist of the six-month search for a police chief of Glynn County — a department scarred by controversy — Battiste answered 17 pre-screened questions about the future of the police force. “I’ve sat for Senate oversight committees and I’ve never felt as nervous as I do today,” Battiste, a veteran Federal Bureau of Information officer, told the crowd of about 50 people.