Facebook Instagram Twitter YouTube

Protests Against Police Violence Erupt in Atlanta, Mayor and Celebrities Urge Demonstrators to “Go Home”

Protests erupted in Atlanta, Georgia on Friday evening over the murder of George Floyd by Minnesota cop Derek Chauvin. Demonstrators were met with police repression and were reprimanded by the mayor and rappers Killer Mike and T.I. who urged them to “stay home.”

Otto Fors

May 30, 2020
Facebook Twitter Share
Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images

On Friday evening, protests erupted in Atlanta over the murder of George Floyd by Minnesota cop Derek Chauvin. It became one of the many cities across the US where demonstrations were met by police brutality. Atlanta, hometown of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., is known as the “Black Mecca” due to its important role in Black culture and history. Despite its Mecca-status and its reputation for economic opportunities for African Americans, Friday’s events demonstrate that racism and state violence is alive and well in Atlanta. 

The demonstrations began at the Centennial Olympic Park where, in the late afternoon, protesters gathered to march to the Capitol and back. After a rally, both the demonstration and police presence escalated. Protesters went to the CNN headquarters, broke glass at the building facade, and climbed the sign while waving a Black Lives Matter flag. 

Protests continued in the Centennial Olympic Park area throughout the evening, into the early hours of Saturday. Demonstrators set fires and smashed the windows of stores and attractions like the College Football Hall of Fame. Protesters were met with police repression including tear gas, and after midnight Governor Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency. The governor also requested the deployment of up to 1,5000 National Guard members, in line with tactics also deployed by the governor of Minnesota to violently repress demonstrations in Minneapolis. 

After 9:00 p.m., Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms appeared at a televised press conference to ask demonstrators to “go home,” claiming that they were “disgracing” Atlanta and that “this is not how we change America.” The mayor appeared with Atlanta rappers T.I. and Killer Mike who likewise tried to quell the protests. 

Killer Mike received praise from white liberals in particular for his tearful speech criticizing the protesters and lamenting the destruction of property. The rapper started by enumerating  his family’s many ties to the police and thanking the Atlanta city police chief, emphasizing that he has “a lot of love and respect” for police officers.

He then pleaded, “it is not your duty to burn your own house down,” and admonished the protesters for not staying home to “plot, plan, strategize, organize, and mobilize.” Elaborating on which concrete actions he was proposing, he said, “It’s time to beat prosecutors at the voting booth,” and hold politicians accountable through electoral politics. According to Killer Mike, the two most effective ways to “burn the system to the ground” are by filling out the census and voting in local elections. He neglected the fact that the Democratic Party holds all major public offices in Minnesota where George Floyd was murdered: the governor, the mayor of Minneapolis, and both senators are Democrats. 

The irony of the shirt that Killer Mike wore during the press conference, which read “Kill Your Masters,” was clearly lost on him. He, Mayor Bottoms, and other bourgeois politicians and celebrities want to change racist, violent systems by literally staying at home. This is simply not enough. We must abolish the police and the racist National Guard that has protected the murderous cops and continue to terrorize Black communities. We must stand with the protesters against violent capitalist oppression.

Facebook Twitter Share

Otto Fors

Otto is a college professor in the New York area.

United States

“Lesser Evil” Biden Wants More Border Patrol Than MAGA Republicans

Over the weekend, Biden bragged about his support for even more resources than “MAGA Republicans.” to “secure the border” on Twitter. This is “lesser evilism” in action.

Molly Rosenzweig

March 28, 2023
Customers clear shelves of water Sunday at Fresh Grocer in West Philadelphia.

A Chemical Plant Just Poisoned Philadelphia’s Water: A First-Hand Account of the Crisis

A company dumped thousands of gallons of poisonous chemicals into Philadelphia’s drinking water. This is an on-the-ground account by a Philadelphia worker and socialist.

Jason Koslowski

March 27, 2023

Joe Biden Is Deporting Russians Who Escaped Putin’s Draft — Let Them All In!

The United States is deporting Russians who sought asylum following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This is a heinous attack against war resisters and shows that the proxy war in Ukraine is about capitalist rivalry first and foremost.

Sam Carliner

March 26, 2023

20 Years Since the U.S. Invasion of Iraq: A Reflection from a Socialist in the Heart of Imperialism

A Left Voice member and anti-war activist reflects on the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq and how he learned to hate U.S. imperialism.

Sam Carliner

March 20, 2023

MOST RECENT

At Least 39 Migrants Die in Fire at Detention Center in Mexico. The State Is Responsible.

The events of March 27 marked one of the darkest chapters in the Mexican State’s anti-immigrant policy, a policy that is increasingly subordinated to the interests of U.S. imperialism.

The French Union Bureaucracy Walks Back Demand for Complete Withdrawal of Pension Reform

After calling to put the pension reform “on hold,” the Inter-Union has requested “mediation,” even though the French government has rejected outright the proposal, showing that compromise is impossible. This proposition symbolizes the Inter-Union’s strategy of defeat. We urgently need to organize the rank and file to broaden our demands and generalize the strike.

Damien Bernard

March 30, 2023
A group of protesters, in the front of whom are a line of protesters wearing red vests. In the front right corner, a white sign reds "vive la retraite," with a skeleton wearing a red hat in the middle of the sign on a black background with a text bubble on its left that reads, "oiv a bosse, c'est pas pour en crever!"

“French March”: The Right to Revolutionary Optimism

Evoking memories of '68, the students enter the fight against Macron. In our chaotic world, the future can only be built in the streets.

Eduardo Castilla

March 26, 2023

On Monday, Germany Will Experience a “Mega-Strike”

On March 27, German railway workers and public sector employees will shut down the whole country. All trains are being canceled. Airports, freeways, hospitals, and daycare centers will all be affected.

Nathaniel Flakin

March 25, 2023