Georgia Rep. Hank Johnson was one of several members of Congress to take the floor of the House with the "hands up" gesture in the wake of a New York grand jury's decision not to bring charges in the case of an unarmed black man killed by a white police officer.
A wave of protests in Atlanta and elsewhere broke out after the jury ended the case against a white New York police officer whose chokehold of Eric Garner led to his death. Johnson, a DeKalb Democrat, echoed the "I can't breathe" rallying cry for Garner's supporters.
In his speech, which you can watch here, he calls out a "cowardly Congress" for failing to take action to rein in police use of force. Johnson is a sponsor of legislation that would restrict the ability of police departments to acquire military-grade equipment amid questions about racial justice and police use of force.
Here's the text of the speech:
Militarized police met peaceful protesters on their knees. I can't breathe.
Weapons of war - a show of force on our streets. I can't breathe.
Disenfranchised youth driven to violence as speech. I can't breathe.
Cynical media think this makes great TV. I can't breathe.
This cowardly Congress afraid of losing our seats. I can't breathe.
Half-hearted reform when there's more that we need. I can't breathe.
Just thinking about the despair that this breeds. I can't breathe.
Black lives matter. Hear my pleas."
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There's more turnover in Gov. Nathan Deal's second-term administration.
Andy Miller over at Georgia Health News reports that Jerry Dubberly, Georgia's Medicaid director, is leaving his post in January. He oversees the services for nearly 2 million Georgians covered by Medicaid and PeachCare and a state budget that tops $2.5 billion.
Miller reports that Dubberly will be hard to replace:
The directors also must deal with pressure on spending. Mark Trail, a former Medicaid director for Georgia, told GHN, "Jerry will be very hard to replace."
The governor announced a high-profile shake-up last week involving 15 new appointments and two retirements.
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The fate of Georgia's water wars dispute with Florida rests in the hands of an attorney from Maine who has helped litigate two other high-profile water fights.
The Gainesville Times reports that the U.S. Supreme Court has appointed Ralph I. Lancaster to serve as a special master to oversee the Florida lawsuit claiming Georgia is hoarding too much of the resource.
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Rep. John Barrow was one of only three Democrats to cross party lines and vote for the symbolic House proposal to block President Barack Obama's immigration move.
It will be among the last votes cast by Barrow, a conservative Democrat ousted from his Augusta seat last month by Republican Rick Allen. Read into it what you will, but some see it as an indication that the congressman, who intends to move back to Athens, is not through with politics.
One possibility that's often mentioned: A challenge against U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, who seeks a third term in 2016.
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Georgia GOP chair John Padgett, who is running for another stint as chairman, took a victory lap of sorts with a note to Republican activists yesterday.
The state Republican Party's leader sent a note to supporters touting the GOP's outreach efforts, and promised new efforts ahead of the presidential contest.
"While I am proud of what we accomplished at the ballot box, we cannot rest on our laurels," he wrote. "Stay tuned for details on our grassroots program for 2015, which includes a robust voter registration initiative."
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