Georgia Republican Governor Brian Kemp reportedly issued a state of emergency on Thursday in advance of this weekend’s deadly anti-police rallies in Atlanta.
After masked protestors flung rocks, shot fireworks, and burnt a police car in front of the Atlanta Police Foundation office this weekend, the governor activated 1,000 National Guard troops and will deploy them to prevent more violence.
Unless extended by the governor, the state of emergency will end on Thursday, February 9.
Last Saturday, days after a police-involved killing of an far-left gunman, Manuel Esteban Paez Teran, who was opposing the development of a new police training center for the Atlanta Police Department, called “Cop City” by its enemies, violence erupted in Atlanta.
According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the 26-year-old protester was shot and killed by law police on Jan. 18 after he shot a Georgia state trooper during a “operation” to remove encampment demonstrators from the building site of the $90 million Atlanta Public Safety Training Center.
Rioters shattered windows and threw bricks at at least three establishments over the weekend.
At least two police cars were targeted, with one of them being set on fire. According to officials, several of those apprehended were found carrying explosives.
The decision to charge five former Memphis police officers with second-degree murder and other felonies in connection to the arrest and death of Tyre Nichols, a Black driver who died three days after an altercation during a traffic stop, may exacerbate the situation over the upcoming weekend.
Police departments across the US are bracing for mass rioting & looting when the police body camera footage is released of #TyreNichols getting arrested. 5 black officers in Memphis have been fired & charged with second-degree murder over Nichols’ death. #Antifa #BLM pic.twitter.com/8Aajr7SjY4
— Andy Ngô 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) January 27, 2023
The incident’s body camera video is anticipated to be published on Friday evening.
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