The Georgia GOP is trying to corrupt an effort to get hate crimes legislation passed in the state by adding “outrageous protections for cops under investigation” and even going so far as to allow “hate crime” charges for offenses against cops and other first responders, according to the Southern Center for Human Rights. The nonprofit is calling for Georgia voters to tweet and otherwise contact their senators to vote no on HB 838 after Republican Sen. Bill Cowsert snuck the changes into the proposed legislation last week. He announced the dubious plan late Monday during a Senate Rules Committee hearing, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“We’re very hopeful that the House will be satisfied that these are changes that have brought bipartisan support and did not in any way undermine the initial purposes,” he said. Cowsert added: “We’re equally committed to passing meaningful hate-crime law and also to protecting law enforcement from unnecessary harassment, intimidation, threats and physical injury by citizens.”
Hannah Riley, communications manager for the nonprofit, called the move “sneaky and horrible” in a Twitter thread Tuesday morning. She said:
The new language establishes extraordinary rights for police officers who are under investigation, including:1. to have all witnesses interviewed before the officer is interrogated;2. to receive notice about the nature of the investigation before the officer is interrogated 3. to be interrogated at a reasonable time – preferably when the officer is on duty and will be paid;4. to receive a copy of every question asked and statement made within 72 hours; and5. to be interrogated without offensive language or threats.CONTACT YOUR SENATOR!
Discussion of the bill comes amid nationwide fury over the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd. Arbery, a Black man, was unarmed when a white former cop and his son allegedly followed him, accused him of breaking into a South Georgia home, and killed him Feb. 23, 2020.
Floyd, another unarmed Black man, died May 25 in police custody after a white Minneapolis cop kneeled on his neck for more than eight minutes. Less than a month later, Georgia protesters took to the streets again over the death of another Black man at the hands of Atlanta police June 12. Rayshard Brooks was shot and killed when he failed a sobriety check and tried to get away from officers outside of an Atlanta Wendy's restaurant. Officers waited two minutes and 12 seconds before calling for help when Brooks was shot, Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard said Wednesday as he announced the charges against the two cops involved.
"Republicans adding law enforcement as a protected class to a hate crimes bill shows they do not care about meaningful hate crimes legislation, but would rather weaponize it against Black Georgians,” Georgia Democrats tweeted. “Even more telling, they did this on #Juneteenth. #gapol"
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Tuesday, Jun 23, 2020 · 4:44:10 PM +00:00
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Lauren Floyd
Although Georgia's Senate voted 34-to-20 Tuesday to pass the bill, it will return to the House with the new language, the Southern Center for Human Rights reported. "Given the 100s of police officers who have avoided prosecution for killing people in GA, lawmakers should be working on ways to improve accountability, consistency, & fairness in the investigation of wrongdoing," the Southern Center for Human Rights tweeted.