Large crowds are expected to march on the state Capitol on Monday to demand that lawmakers address “systemic criminal justice and electoral failures” after a problem-plagued primary and nationwide protests against police brutality.
The NAACP's “March on Georgia” coincides with the return of the legislative session, and organizers want lawmakers to repeal citizen’s arrest rules, take steps to restrict police violence and reduce obstacles to voting that marred last week’s vote.
“We must confront and address the systemic criminal justice and electoral failures immediately and with the upmost urgency as they continue to lead to the dehumanization, disenfranchisement and death of too many Georgians,” said James Woodall, the group’s president.
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The rally is among a spate of protests and demonstrations across Georgia after the deaths of Georgia Floyd, the Minneapolis man killed in police custody, and Ahmaud Arbery, who was gunned down while running in a neighborhood near Brunswick.
The shooting death Friday of 27-year-old Rayshard Brooks, who was shot and killed by an Atlanta police officer outside a Wendy’s restaurant, has ignited more demonstrations and led to the resignation of the city’s top cop.
It comes as state legislators return after a monthslong hiatus due to the coronavirus and prepare to take up a state budget gutted by an economic nosedive, proposals to overhaul the criminal justice system and new efforts to change state election rules.
The NAACP rally begins at 9 a.m. at the Richard Russell federal building downtown and ends at the state Capitol, where lawmakers are convening at 10 a.m.
