Days after police cleared people who had camped out at the Wendy’s where Rayshard Brooks was killed, protesters plan to make their presence known again.
Dubbed the “Take Back the Wendy’s” march and rally, protesters plan to meet at 2 p.m. Saturday in south Atlanta and march to the burned-out restaurant off University Avenue.
The sleep-in protesters, who go by the name of the Rayshard Brooks Peace Center activists, occupied the destroyed building for weeks after Brooks was shot and killed by police in June. Since then, several shootings have taken place near the site, including one over the Fourth of July weekend that killed 8-year-old Secoriea Turner.
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The march will begin at the Community Movement Builders community house at 790 Welch St., and the rally at the Wendy's is slated to begin at 3 p.m. The rally will be "including speakers, peaceful protests and sharing our message of peace and reconciliation with the broader southeast Atlanta community," according to a news release.
COMPLETE COVERAGE: Protests in Atlanta
The protesters referred to the burned Wendy’s as the site of a future “Rayshard Brooks Memorial & Peace Center Site” in the release.
Brooks, who was found asleep in a vehicle at the restaurant’s drive-thru and failed a breathalyzer test, died after struggling with two officers over a Taser.
Garrett Rolfe, the officer who shot Brooks three times, was fired and faces 11 charges, including felony murder. The second officer, Devin Brosnan, faces four charges, including aggravated assault.
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Credit: AJC
The movement’s lead organizer, who goes by the name Lady A, said the event is to honor Brooks and Turner while focusing on police brutality.
“We are calling for peace and reconciliation after the recent tragedies that this community has witnessed,” she said in the release. “It’s time that our voices are heard because where I live, violence is not new. I live in it every day. I grew up here and still nothing has changed.”
Lady A was among the protesters removed from the site Monday morning. She told AJC.com at the time that she was furious that officials and media connect Turner’s shooting to those who occupied the Wendy’s.
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Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM
Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM
The 8-year-old died last Saturday night after someone shot into the Jeep her mother had been driving down the road in front of the Wendy’s when a group of armed people stopped the car. At the time, armed men joined those camping at the site, putting up barricades in the road and controlling access.
A person of interest is sought in her death.
RELATED: Person of interest sought in 8-year-old Atlanta girl's shooting death
Credit: Atlanta Police Department
Credit: Atlanta Police Department
Since then, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms declared an emergency in the city due to the increasing spread of COVID-19. She issued an executive order limiting gatherings to 10 people and mandating masks.
Gov. Brian Kemp called her rollback of reopening efforts “merely guidance” and “legally unenforceable” due to his statewide orders, but it’s unclear if Atlanta police will attempt to limit the planned protest.
MORE: Mayor orders rollback to Phase 1 reopening guidelines; governor calls it 'unenforceable'
AJC.com has reached out to police for more information.
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Credit: AJC
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