Atlanta police are plotting a different approach from last summer’s protests as they prepare for potential unrest following the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, charged with murder in the 2020 death of George Floyd.
Last year, during protests that erupted after Floyd’s death, the Atlanta Police Department’s chief at the time, Erika Shields, took to the streets, talking with demonstrators and often sympathizing with their concerns over law enforcement’s treatment of Black people. Shields’ successor, Rodney Bryant, who still holds the interim tag nearly one year after his appointment, said he will be encamped in the joint operations center with his command staff until a verdict is reached.
Most observers expect a new round of protests if Chauvin is found not guilty. Jury deliberations began late Monday afternoon.
At a press conference Monday, Bryant stressed improved collaboration with state and federal partners in preparing for the worst. APD was roundly criticized last year by business owners and residents who said officers did not do enough to prevent looting and violence that broke out downtown and in Buckhead. Protesters, meanwhile, accused the department of operating with a heavy hand.
Six officers were criminally charged by former Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard for their actions in the arrest of two college students who had violated curfew last June. The students were stunned with Tasers and detained after officers say they ignored their commands.
Activists, aware the city is in the midst of a yearlong rise in violent crime, say they expect the city will respond forcefully. Information on how demonstrators can protect themselves from rubber bullets and pepper spray has been widely disseminated in recent days, said student protester Nick Daniels.
Credit: ALYSSA.POINTER@AJC.COM
Credit: ALYSSA.POINTER@AJC.COM
“I hear (Bryant) talk about how APD is under fire all the time, so I definitely think they will be more aggressive in dealing with protests,” said Daniels, an Atlanta resident who’s a sophomore at Howard University in Washington, D.C.
Bryant offered few specifics Monday except to say Atlanta’s officers will be working 12-hour shifts throughout jury deliberations in Minnesota.
“If you’re going to protest, do so peacefully,” Bryant said. “What we realized last time is people came from outside the city and they were more problematic. We support peaceful protests, but we should not tolerate people who come to vandalize our city and impose on our citizens.”
Better collaboration will help APD “utilize intelligence to better monitor the situation” if protests get out of hand, he said.
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