ATLANTA — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has extended his executive order authorizing 1,000 Georgia National Guard members in the state.
Kemp declared a State of Emergency statewide on July 6, following a weekend of violence in Atlanta that saw the deaths of five people, including an 8-year-old girl, and more than two dozen others hurt.
He has renewed the order four times since then, indicating the members of the Guard were still needed.
According to the new executive order, signed on Monday, Sept. 21, "continued assistance from the Georgia National Guard is necessary to protect public peace and provide for the security of Georgia's residents, visitors, and property."
The extended State of Emergency will continue through Monday, Oct. 19 at 11:59 p.m., unless it is renewed by the governor, according to the order.
When the original executive order was signed by Kemp in early July, the governor said in a statement, "peaceful protests were hijacked by criminals with a dangerous, destructive agenda. Now, innocent Georgians are being targeted, shot, and left for dead."
Eleven people were arrested after protesters hit Atlanta's streets on Wednesday night following the announcement in Louisville, Kentucky of charges of wanton endangerment against one of the police officers responsible for the death of Breonna Taylor during the service of a no-knock warrant.
None of the officers was directly charged with Taylor's death.