Georgia: in the face of violence, the governor declares an emergency and calls the National Guard
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency on Jan. 26, allowing up to 1,000 Georgia National Guard troops to be sent to help deal with violent protests that have erupted in recent weeks, with further demonstrations expected at the end. week.
The declaration is effective immediately and will expire on February 9, unless extended by the governor.
Specifically, the state of emergency was activated due to "illegal gatherings, violence, overt threats of violence, disturbance of the peace and tranquility of this state, and existing danger to people and property," according to the statement, according to which all resources of the State of Georgia will be made available to assist the ongoing response to the state of emergency.
Kemp, a Republican, declared an emergency following a weekend of protests in downtown Atlanta that quickly turned violent. Masked rioters lit fireworks in front of the Atlanta Police Headquarters, shattering large windows and vandalizing walls with anti-police graffiti.
According to local news, at least three businesses were damaged by bricks and stones being thrown. In some cases, protesters used hammers to break windows. A number of police vehicles were also attacked during the protests and at least one was set on fire, according to reports.
“Masked activists threw rocks, fireworks and set fire to a police vehicle in front of the Atlanta Police Foundation building,” Kemp's statement read. "Georgians respect peaceful protests, but do not tolerate acts of violence against people or property."
Following the weekend's demonstrations, six people were arrested on various charges, including domestic terrorism.
At a Jan. 21 press conference, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens told reporters that some of the people were carrying explosives.
The protests in Atlanta came in response to the death of Manuel Teran, 26, who was killed on January 18 as authorities tried to clear a group of protesters from an area slated to become Atlanta's future public safety training center. Activists have been protesting the site for months and have dubbed it "Cop City".
Teran was helping lead the protests when he allegedly shot and wounded a Georgia officer and was killed when police returned fire, according to a statement from the Georgia Bureau of Investigations.
Georgia Governor Declares State Of Emergency Over Atlanta Protests, Mobilizes 1,000 National Guard Troops https://t.co/0CnynLaIo6
— zerohedge (@zerohedge) January 27, 2023
“Officers gave verbal commands to the man, who did not comply and shot a Georgia State Patrol officer. Other officers returned fire, hitting the man. The police evacuated the policeman to a safe area. The man died on the spot,” the statement read. However, friends of the deceased dispute this claim.
This combination of images provided by the Memphis Police Department shows (top left) Officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, (bottom left) Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith. (Memphis Police Department via AP)
Police charged with murder of Tire Nichols
Kemp's emergency declaration comes as more protests are expected at the weekend, after the five police officers accused of killing a black man at a roadside check on Jan. 10 were charged with second-degree murder.
Memphis Police Department Officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith, all black and fired, were charged with fatally beating 29-year-old Tire Nichols during a roadside stop of 7 January.
Nichols died of his injuries three days later.
On Thursday, the Shelby County District Attorney announced he would release footage of the arrest after 7:00 p.m. ET on Friday. Nichols' family lawyer Antonio Romanucci described the footage as a "relentless, unrestrained beating of this kid for three minutes," adding that "he was a human pot for those police officers."
Atlanta Police released a statement to several media outlets on Thursday afternoon, saying they are "closely monitoring events in Memphis and stand ready to support peaceful protests in our city."
“We understand and share the outrage over the death of Tire Nichols,” the statement continued. “Police officers are expected to behave in a compassionate, competent and constitutional manner and these officers have failed Tire, their communities and their profession. We demand that the demonstrations be safe and peaceful."
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The article Georgia: in the face of violence, the governor declares an emergency and calls the National Guard comes from Scenari Economics .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/georgia-di-fronte-alle-violenze-il-governatore-dichiara-lemergenzia-e-chiama-la-guardia-nazionale/ on Fri, 27 Jan 2023 22:12:11 +0000.