Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has issued a 15-day state of emergency and deployed the National Guard after violent riots in Atlanta over the weekend.
Governor Kemp’s order asked for 1,000 Georgia National Guard troops to be on standby from the Georgia Department of Defense.
On January 18, 26-year-old Manuel Teran, a protester opposing the construction of a new Atlanta Police Department training facility, was fatally shot by police after firing upon officers.
“At about 9:00 a.m. today, as law enforcement was moving through the property, officers located a man inside a tent in the woods. Officers gave verbal commands to the man who did not comply and shot a Georgia State Patrol Trooper,” the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said in a statement. “Other law enforcement officers returned fire, hitting the man.”
The $90 million training facility known as “Cop City” will sit on 381 acres in the Weelaunee Forest. It has been being protested for over a year by anti-law enforcement militants and environmental activists calling themselves “forest defenders.” Many have been camping on the grounds and in makeshift treehouses in an attempt to stop the construction.
On Saturday evening, hundreds of protesters marched through the streets of Atlanta in protest. A police car was set on fire, several businesses were vandalized and had their windows smashed, and ultimately six people were arrested.
Antifa set a police car on fire in Atlanta pic.twitter.com/RR92oqynof
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) January 22, 2023
Local station WSB-TV reports that “the State of Emergency was issued moments after police in Memphis announced felony charges against five police officers accused of killing a man during a traffic stop on Jan. 10. Tyre Nichols died three days after authorities said he ran after being pulled over on suspicious driving.”
The Atlanta Police Department issued a statement on Thursday saying they will “support peaceful protests in our city.”
“We are closely monitoring the events in Memphis and are prepared to support peaceful protests in our city,” the statement said. “We understand and share in the outrage surrounding the death of Tyre Nichols. Police officers are expected to conduct themselves in a compassionate, competent, and constitutional manner and these officers failed Tyre, their communities, and their profession. We ask that demonstrations be safe and peaceful.”
Before the last weekend’s protest, seven activists involved in the protest had already been charged with domestic terrorism.
In a press release about the arrests, the GBI alleged that protesters had been involved in a series of serious criminal activities, including “carjacking, various crimes against persons, destruction of property, arson, and attacks against public safety officials. Law enforcement continues to address the criminal acts committed by the individuals that continue to occupy the area of the proposed training site.”