Officials with Georgia's Stone Mountain Park, a major metro Atlanta attraction for tourists and locals, are scouring laws trying to avoid the kind of protests that turned violent on Saturday.

Law enforcement officials had hoped to limit the potential for trouble before three Saturday rallies, including a “white power” gathering and two counter protests. But counter-protesters sometimes violently confronted police.

John Bankhead, a spokesman for the Stone Mountain Memorial Association which oversees the state-owned park, said the organization is looking for other steps it can take.

“We are further examining the options that might be available under park ordinances, Georgia law and Federal law to prevent or control such volatile events in the future,” he wrote in an email to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “We will be looking at all additional options available to balance the safety of the public vs. the right to freedom of speech.”

Meanwhile, some families with children that paid to enter the park Saturday didn't know trouble was brewing. Find out what was disclosed to them by the private Gwinnett-based business that operates attractions and gates at the park, in my latest Unofficial Business column on myAJC.com.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Among the many companies that could be affected by passage of the Trump bill is Qcells, the Korean-owned solar giant with a massive manufacturing presence in Georgia and just over 4,000 employees. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

Featured

UPS driver Dan Partyka delivers an overnight package. As more people buy more goods online, the rapid and unrelenting expansion of e-commerce is causing real challenges for the Sandy-Springs based company. (Bob Andres/AJC 2022)

Credit: TNS