With the seemingly innocuous act of knocking on Gov. Brian Kemp’s door, Georgia Rep. Park Cannon found herself in handcuffs Thursday and almost immediately in the national spotlight for her protest of the Kemp-signed election law bill that will limit absentee voting and affect other aspects of voting in Georgia.
Some have viewed the new Republican-backed law as a direct response to Georgia’s growing political leanings to the left, which many conservatives after the presidential election attributed to voter fraud. Kemp signing Senate Bill 202, considered a legislative measure to suppress votes, apparently led Cannon to knock on the governor’s chamber doors Thursday right as he was announcing his support of the bill. She was reportedly warned several times to stop knocking on the door by Georgia State Patrol officers.
Video caught Cannon being removed from the Georgia Capitol, handled by the officers and arrested for charges including felony obstruction and preventing or disrupting General Assembly sessions or other meetings of members. Several people can be heard asking “what did she do?” and “why are you arresting her?” in the video capturing her arrest.
A voice can be heard stating that the bill that Kemp signed is voter suppression. The anger and frustration of the voices caught on camera resonated across the country.
Georgia’s controversial voting law changes have become a part of the national political conversation that has centered on whether the bill’s development and success are an affront to the Black vote or the Democratic vote, both which grew exponentially in the 2020 election. The images of Cannon’s arrest, which were captured by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Alyssa Pointer, have sparked national and international response.
Atlanta attorney Gerald Griggs has reportedly said he plans on representing Cannon in order to get her released.
“I’m concerned that this happened,” he said Thursday. “I’ll fight to get her released.”
Tamara Stevens, an activist who was with Cannon, said she wasn’t being disrespectful or causing a disturbance.
“She knew he was signing a bill that would affect all Georgians — why would he hide behind closed doors? This isn’t a monarchy,” Stevens said. “You have a women of color fighting for the rights of Georgians and they arrested her for knocking on the door because she wanted to witness our governor sign the bill.”
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