The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Demonstrators mark George Floyd’s death
Demonstrations throughout weekend remain peaceful, with no arrests across metro area.
Demonstrators with the Public Defenders for Black Lives kneel Monday as they observe a period of silence near the crypt of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King after a rally at Ebenezer Baptist Church. Atlanta saw an 11th day of protests to mark the death of George Floyd. Also Monday, two Atlanta police officers fired after using their Tasers during recent protests want their jobs back, according to a lawsuit they filed.
The two Atlanta police officers fired after using their Tasers during recent protests want their jobs back, according to a lawsuit filed Monday.
Ivory Streeter and Mark Gardner say their use of force was lawful and they were fired without a proper investigation, the lawsuit states. The suit, naming Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields and Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, was filed in Fulton County State Court.
“Petitioners have suffered irreparable injury to their personal and professional reputations as a result of their unlawful dismissal,” the suit states.
The lawsuit came on the 11th day of rallies in Atlanta protesting the May 25 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. In Floyd’s native Houston on Monday, mourners waited for hours to pay respects at his gold-colored casket. One man in line fainted, while others waiting sang “Lean on Me.”
Over the weekend, thousands participated across the metro area in peaceful protests, and Atlanta police made no arrests Friday, Saturday or Sunday. That prompted Gov. Brian Kemp to end his executive order activating the Georgia National Guard.
“I greatly appreciate the men and women of the Georgia National Guard, state and local law enforcement, and all first responders who kept Georgians safe and ensured peaceful demonstrations across our great state. This coordinated team worked tirelessly to protect communities, businesses, and everyone exercising their Constitutional rights,” Kemp said in a statement. “Moving forward, we will continue to monitor activity around the state and remain prepared to respond if necessary.”
Monday afternoon, protesters marched to the Fulton County jail, carrying signs and chanting. Groups of demonstrators also gathered outside the Georgia Capitol and knelt during a period of silence at the resting places of the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, following a rally at Ebenezer Baptist Church.
Though the recent days of rallies have been relatively calm, it was a very different scene in the first two nights of protests in downtown Atlanta and Buckhead. An incident involving two young adults May 30 prompted the firing of Streeter and Gardner. The officers were working when they attempted a traffic stop on a vehicle after the 9 p.m. curfew in effect on that night. Body camera video showed an officer trying to remove the driver from the vehicle, which was stopped in the middle of the street. The incident occurred at Centennial Olympic Park Drive and Andrew Young International Boulevard.
Spelman College student Taniyah Pilgrim, 20, and Morehouse College student Messiah Young, 22, were near downtown Atlanta when they were confronted by the group of police officers. The pair later said they felt as though they were going to die. They were out on a date, they said, unaware they were out past the city’s temporary curfew.
The following day, Bottoms announced the two officers had been fired. On June 2, Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard announced criminal charges against Streeter, Gardner and four other officers involved. Shields called the officers’ arrests a political move by Howard in a memo to her staff.
“We created chaos and we escalated a low-level encounter into a space where we introduced violence,” Shields wrote. “Once this occurs, we need to own it.”
In addition to losing their salaries, Streeter and Gardner say their state peace officer certification is in jeopardy, the lawsuit states. In an interview with Channel 2 Action News, defense attorney Lance LoRusso echoed the thoughts of Shields, saying
Howard’s motives were political in quickly charging the officers.
LoRusso also criticized Howard for building a case around the officers’ use of a Taser. “It would turn American law enforcement on its ear if we’re going to label a Taser as a deadly weapon,” he said.
Late Monday, neither APD nor Bottoms immediately responded to a request for comment on the lawsuit.