ATLANTA — Police around the nation - including here in metro Atlanta - are bracing for potential unrest this weekend amid social crosscurrents that could bring protesters out into the streets.
Tennessee authorities were set to release video of Tyre Nichols' arrest Friday. Authorities said Nichols died days after being beaten during the traffic stop. Five Memphis officers have since been charged with the death and fired from the job.
This comes on the heels of Atlanta having its own demonstrations last weekend.
Gov. Brian Kemp issued a state of emergency Thursday, just five days after violence broke out during a protest in Downtown Atlanta that was centered around a police shooting that killed a person at the future site of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center this month.
A state trooper was allegedly shot by an activist in a wooded area that was being cleared out during an operation involving multiple law enforcement agencies. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said several state troopers returned fire, killing the activist on Jan. 18.
The following Saturday, the protest in part was to demand justice for the activist killed and call on officials to nix the plans to build the new training facility. During the protest, several people broke off and started damaging property, including the building that houses the Atlanta Police Foundation. An Atlanta Police Department police car was also set on fire. Six people were arrested and charged with domestic terrorism.
The GBI continues to investigate the police shooting, which has sparked debate both locally and nationally. A key issue is the fact there is no video of the actual shooting; Georgia troopers do not wear body cameras. However, there is video from other agencies of some of the aftermath, but so far, none have been released.
Atlanta attorney and social advocate Gerald Griggs, who is also the president of the Georgia NAACP weighed in on the controversy.
"One of the solutions in Atlanta would be to equip all law enforcement officers throughout the state who are post-certified with bodycams. It's real simple. You know, the Georgia State Patrol should have body cams so we could actually see what happened in the forest and get to the bottom of that," explained Griggs.
Nearly 400 miles away in Memphis, Tenn., the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is looking into the death of a man following a traffic stop conducted by the Memphis Police Department on Jan 7.
The driver, Nichols, died three days after the traffic stop due to injuries he sustained in what's described as a brutal beating. The five Memphis Police officers who made the arrest were fired and have since been charged with second-degree murder.
While Kemp's order mentions Atlanta's own protests from last week, it came on the night before the video of Nichols' arrest is set to be released.
While Griggs hasn't seen the video, he weighed in on what he's heard from his own sources.
"What I'm hearing from the sources that I know in Memphis and Atlanta who have some information or have seen the video, it's very, very, very disturbing. People are saying it's like Rodney King, but with a death. And we all know how traumatic that experience was," Griggs said. "I'm bracing myself. Many of the people that I've, you know, protested with and are activists are bracing themselves for the absolute worst."
Griggs also addressed the race of the officers, who are Black, and the fact Nichols is also Black.
"The racial makeup of the law enforcement officers has no bearing on this. What we continue to see is the weaponization of law enforcement, regardless of color," Griggs said.
This case of alleged excessive force that led to the second-degree murder charges in Memphis against these officers brings up the question if police need to have better training. This would add to the need for this new training center in Atlanta.
But Griggs said this goes beyond training.
"You know, we've been talking about training since 2014 with Mike Brown. We talked about training with Alton Sterling and Philando Castile. We talked about training after George Floyd, and we still have the same problem. The issue is, is not training. The issue is police accountability and a culture within law enforcement that thinks that this is acceptable behavior for five police officers to beat somebody to death," he said. "That doesn't speak to training. That speaks to an innate culture that needs to be dealt with."
He said there's one way to address it.
"The best way to deal with that is to constrain the conduct by punishing the conduct," Griggs said.
Demanding more training, to Griggs, is a distraction from the real issue.
"I hear the calls from individuals saying we need more training, but I've been to too many funerals. I've dealt with and been around too many families that have been subjected to this. And they all say the same thing. They don't holler for more training. They say they want justice and accountability," he said. "And that's what needs to happen in Mr. Nichols case. Of course, that needs to happen in all of the Atlanta cases."
Statements regarding the Nichols' case
It's unclear how the country will react once the video of Nichols' arrest is released to the public. Griggs said he's also not sure what to expect in Atlanta but made one thing clear regarding the potential for any protests.
"If we see what I think we're going to see, we need to make sure that when we protest is peaceful, it's nonviolent in the spirit of the First Amendment, in the spirit of the city of Atlanta, in a spirit of America, making sure that justice is fair and equitable, and that we make sure we uplift the voices of the families," explained Griggs.
Griggs also pointed out to keep the purpose of protests in mind.
"It's not to be anti-law enforcement. This is to be pro-justice," he said. "And justice has to be fair and equal the same way it is with civilians."
Agencies and leaders across the nation, including in Atlanta, have released statements calling for peaceful demonstrations.
APD statement on Tyre Nichols
"We are closely monitoring the events in Memphis and are prepared to support peaceful protests in our city. We understand and share in the outrage surrounding the death of Tyre Nichols. Police officers are expected to conduct themselves in a compassionate, competent, and constitutional manner and these officers failed Tyre, their communities and their profession. We ask that demonstrations be safe and peaceful."
On Thursday, President Biden issued a statement on the Tyre Nichols' case:
Read the president's full statement here, where he also called for peaceful demonstrations.
Dr. Bernice King offered her condolences to the family
Fulton County Sherriff's Office Statement on the Memphis case
On Friday, The Fulton County Sheriff's Office said in a statement that "cases like this must not only be condemned by the community but also by law enforcement leadership."
Read the full statement below.
DeKalb County Sheriff's Office on potential protests
"The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office is already operating on High Alert following recent violent protests in the metro area and in light of anticipated nationwide civil unrest. We remain in a state of readiness should we need to escalate activity to secure county judicial facilities and to protect staff and individuals in custody at the DeKalb County Jail.
We respect our citizens’ right to lawful protest and we will not restrict that right unless laws are violated and the peace of our community is disrupted. We support Governor Kemp’s declared State of Emergency, and we are prepared to respond to any situation when and where we are needed."
Cobb County Law Enforcement held a press conference on Tyre Nichols
Cobb County Sheriff's Office held a press conference with several other jurisdictions in the area about the video release of Tyre Nicholas being beaten by five Memphis officers.
The agencies said they were united against the event of police brutality in Memphis. The police departments in Cobb County and the sheriff's office offered their condolences to the family of Nicholas.
"We lost a life ladies and gentlemen," Austell Chief of Police Orrin Scott Hamilton said. "We carry that home with us too."
They aired the same wishes of other local departments, saying that people who wish to protest should do so safely and peacefully. Cobb County law enforcement officials ask anyone who needs help setting up a protest or anything relating to the matter to reach out for help if needed.
"We have worked with many organizations over the years," Marietta Chief of Police Tanya Twaddell said. "We just also ask that it stay peaceful and that we continue to work together in the memory of the Nichols family."
Other community organizations also came to the conference and spoke, like the Cobb County Chapter of The Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Cobb County ministry alliance and the county's NAACP chapter.
