Arbery Shooting Death Prompts Another Push For Georgia Hate Crime Law
Georgia is currently one of four states that does not have state hate crime legislation on its books. Ahmaud Arbery’s shooting death in Brunswick is prompting some Georgia lawmakers to once again push to change that.
Courtesy of Benjamin Crump
The shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery is prompting some Georgia lawmakers to once again push for the creation of a state hate crime law.
Despite past efforts to pass legislation penalizing hate crimes, Georgia is one of four states that do not have state hate crime legislation on its books. The other states are South Carolina, Arkansas and Wyoming.
Lawmakers drafted a house bill last session that made its way through the Georgia House, but the measure stalled in the Senate.
Now, lawmakers hope there may be stronger support for the measure.
On Monday’s edition of “Closer Look,” state Rep. Chuck Efstration, R – Dacula, lead sponsor of the 2019 Georgia Hate Crimes Act, shared why he is hopeful hate crime legislation will pass through the Georgia Senate once the Legislature reconvenes.
“It’s time to act. The state Senate, I think, has a real opportunity here to send a strong message that Georgia is no longer going to be one of the four states without a hate crimes act, ” he told host Rose Scott. “We are going to empower law enforcement and society to call particularly heinous crimes what they are.”
To hear the full conversation, click on the audio player above.
For a deeper exploration of Ahmaud Arbery’s story, listen to WABE’s podcast, “Buried Truths.” Hosted by journalist, professor, and Pulitzer-prize-winning author Hank Klibanoff, season three of “Buried Truths” explores the Arbery murder and its direct ties to racially motivated murders of the past in Georgia.
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