The streets of Downtown Atlanta have been occupied daily by protesters since Friday, May 29, in response to the outrage of the murder of George Floyd, a 46-year-old Minneapolis, MN resident who was killed by policemen, and Breonna Taylor and Amhaud Aubrey, who were all victims of racial discrimination and police brutality.
Most of the protesting has been centered around the State Capitol building and around the CNN Center.
However, Atlanta did not stand alone.
Across metro Atlanta, protesters gathered in Marietta, Decatur, Lawrenceville, Alpharetta, Woodstock, and other neighboring cities.
Simultaneously, the same is observed in thousands of other cities across the United States including Minneapolis, Washington D.C., New York City, Los Angeles, Miami, Houston, Detroit, Boston, Seattle, and thousands of other cities across the United States. And have spread outside of the United States to other cities such as London, Montreal, Toronto, Berlin, Barcelona, Lagos, Sydney and Tel Aviv.
“When travesties of justice occur, it is necessary that we raise our collective voices until justice is restored,” said Atlanta City Council President Felicia A. Moore. “I applaud those citizens who are actively engaged in the defense of human rights. In the process, please be mindful to engage in peaceful and non-violent protestations. It is the only way to preserve the ground we have gained while continuing to move our causes forward.”
Floyd, the spark that ignited the match, died of asphyxia after one policeman who kept his knee on Floyd’s neck, while three others watched. With a crowd of bystanders on the scene, his death was caught on camera.
Since then, all four of the police officers involved in Floyd’s murder have been charged.
Derek Chauvin, the officer who placed his knee of Floyd’s neck was originally charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. His charges have now been bumped up to second-degree murder.
The other three officers were charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder.
The worst of the protests was observed on the first day, Friday, May 29, when a peaceful demonstration later on turned into a violent situation that resulted in residents rioting and looting.
The rioters not only vandalized public and private property, but also set cars on fire, destroyed businesses and attacked other residents.
The damage was so severe that Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms made a statement the following morning:
“What we saw overnight was not a protest, and it was not Atlanta, Bottoms said. “We as a people are strongest when we use our voices to heal our city instead of using our hands to tear it down. We know our citizens are angry. We are angry and we want justice. If we are to enact change in this nation, I implore everyone to channel their anger and sorrow into something more meaningful and effective through non-violent activism.”
Following her statements, Bottoms placed the city under a 9:00 pm curfew and mobilized crews from The Department of Public Works to clean up the damage to downtown and Buckhead. Additionally, The Department of Transportation began to remove graffiti from public buildings.
“Now more than ever, I am calling on our communities to come together to show our strength as One Atlanta through prayer and working together to restore and heal our city as an example for the nation,” Bottoms said.
Despite the chaos that took place, protests continued the days following with Atlanta police and the National Guard on standby to prevent violence and direct traffic.
According to reports by the Atlanta Police Department and other organizations, over 300 arrests have been made since the protests started. Additionally, there have been reports of journalists being detained.
In some instances, police kneeled to protesters as a sign of respect and good faith.
“It was a powerful moment, it’s was a necessary moment for this time,” said Atlanta City Councilman Antoni Brown during recent a CBS46 interview which took place during one of the protests. “As we continue to fight against the injustices we have to be united. We have to stand together.”
Brown continued, “We have to move this movement forward, but we have to do it with action. And what I’m trying to teach is that there’s a way to organize peaceful protesting where we can demand solutions to these issues of our government elected officials. As an elected official, I understand what is necessary to move this conversation forward into a place of action.”
