ATLANTA — Gov. Brian Kemp has once again renewed his executive order that authorizes 1,000 Georgia National Guard members in the state.
On July 6, Kemp declared a State of Emergency across Georgia following a weekend of violence in Atlanta that saw five people killed, including an 8-year-old girl, and more than two-dozen others hurt.
The order was renewed on July 13 and was sent to expire Monday night. However, Kemp renewed it once again on Friday, extending it for another 14 days.
The order states that "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 state of emergency shall terminate on Monday, August 10 at 11:59 p.m. unless it is renewed by the governor" the order reads.
When the order was first issued after the Fourth of July weekend, Kemp said in a statement that "peaceful protests were hijacked by criminals with a dangerous, destructive agenda. Now, innocent Georgians are being targeted, shot, and left for dead."
11Alive spoke with Atlanta's interim police chief, Rodney Bryant, earlier this month, who said he was't given advance notice that the governor would activate the Guard.
He said the department already had plans to keep the city safe and said he's committed to working with any group who wants to meet with him to move the city forward.
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