In September 2022, John wrote about the election of a Democratic Socialist as Mayor of the City of South Fulton, Georgia. Things aren’t going so well.

City of South Fulton Mayor khalid kamau ( yes, he uses lower case letters) was arrested on charges of criminal trespassing and burglary in the first degree Saturday. The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that kamau was taken to jail. He was released from jail on an $11,000 bond Saturday night. According to the terms of the bond, he must stay away from the home where he allegedly trespassed and burglarized.

He must also undergo a mental health evaluation due to the “circumstances of the warrant.” He will be forced to follow the treatment plan.

The story is odd, not just because of the extraordinary event of a city’s mayor being arrested for criminal trespassing and burglary, but because of how the mayor conducts himself in office.

South Fulton has had a few cycles of controversy since kamau took office. In February 2022, he vetoed police bonuses. In June 2022, city officials asked the Fulton County District Attorney to look into kamau’s credit card use. In July 2022, kamau asked the Georgia Bureau of Investigations to investigate the city council for corruption.

Fast forward to 2023, five city council members filed a lawsuit to get kamau out of office back in March. Later that month, the city manager resigned. In April, the mayor’s Easter egg hunt was shut down. And just last month, an online petition surfaced to de-annex a part of South Fulton, with supporters calling the city government “dysfunctional.”

The Easter egg hunt was shut down, allegedly, because the mayor’s office didn’t do the paperwork for it, or something, but this seems to be indicative of how he governs. He goes his own way and everything is based on racial politics. Nine out of ten residents of the City of South Fulton are black. The City of South Fulton is a new city – only about five years old. It is on the southwest outskirts of Atlanta. The municipality is mostly suburban and the population is 108,000.

He is a black mayor who battles a black city council and the former mayor, who is also black.

kamau’s vision was to make the City of South Fulton not only a “laboratory” for progressive policy but “a real-life Wakanda.” Wakanda is a fictional black empire. This may have been the first red flag about his mental health. He lives a modest life, according to reports. “He lives in a one-bedroom apartment in a ramshackle condo complex called Camelot, just off the blighted Old National Highway.” Yet, when the owner of the property confronted him, the words that came out of the mayor’s mouth were, don’t you know who I am?

He accused the city of hiding public records. He all but called the police department corrupt. He attempted to fire the city attorney. He reiterated his request to hire a therapist for the city.

Details of what exactly happened on the property he is accused of trespassing on are not being released yet. A statement from the City of South Fulton was released:

“The City of South Fulton is committed to upholding the law and ensuring that all individuals, regardless of their position, are subject to the same fair and just treatment. As the investigation is still ongoing, we are unable to provide further details at this time.”

The trespassing charge is obvious if he is on private property without the permission of the property owner. But, what is the burglary charge all about? Did he take something from the house when he went inside? According to the police report that was released this morning, kamau told police he was on the way to the dog park when he stopped to look at the house. There is no reference, though, of kamau having a dog with him.

Kamau said in the report that the home on Cascade Palmetto Highway is his dream home and that he would like to purchase the property.

He told police he knew he was trespassing on the homeowner’s property.

According to Kamau’s account in the report, when he was walking out of the lake house, the homeowner stated, “No motherf***ker, you stay right there.”

Kamau said in the report that he tried to introduce himself, but the homeowner cocked his weapon and said, “If you take another step, I’m going to shoot you,” to which Kamau responded, “Are you going to shoot me while I’m walking away?”

He did give a reporter a brief statement when he was released.

“I do want to thank South Fulton Police and the staff and officers at Rice Street for courteous and professional service throughout the day today,” Kamau told Spruill.

South Fulton Mayor Khalid Kamau Arrested for Trespassing, Burglary

"I apologize for the negative attention that this is brought to our city," Kamau said. "I hope that the spotlight on our city right now will highlight some of the inequities that have been happening." pic.twitter.com/leKMmJTygK

— Lauren Witzke (@LaurenWitzkeDE) July 9, 2023

Let’s hope the mayor gets the mental health help he needs.