‘There’s A Lot of People Hurting,’ Demonstrator Says, As Peaceful Atlanta Marches Continue
Protesters demonstrate near Centennial Olympic Park in downtown Atlanta.
Emil Moffatt
For a sixth consecutive night, downtown Atlanta was filled with the chants of protesters demanding more accountability for police treatment of black people.
The refrains of “hands up, don’t shoot” and “no justice, no peace,” have become familiar.
But Jermaine Toller says protests need to continue until there’s justice for the recent deaths of George Floyd and other African Americans at the hands of police.
“We don’t have it right now, man,” Toller said as he marched Peachtree Street. “There’s a lot of people hurting, and you can see it. You can see it in the marches, you can see it in the protest you can hear it in the voices, and I think it’s important right now that we’re being heard.”
Jonathan Colebourn joined the demonstrations for the first time Wednesday.
“I see diversity, I see people of different backgrounds, colors, ethnicity; I see unity right now,” said Colebourn. “You know, it’s multiple cultures out here, this is strange right now.”
Olivia Young was also at the protests for the first time.
“It’s pretty exciting, the rush is crazy,” she said. “It’s a bigger picture and a meaning that everyone needs to see that black lives matter and that justice should always be for everybody, period. Especially for black lives”
Marches coursed through downtown before winding up at the well-worn intersection of Centennial Olympic Park Drive and Marietta Street.
But unlike previous nights, this one did not end with tear gas and riot gear, as most of the protesters left on their own.
“Go home, it’s over with, go home,” shouted one demonstrator into a megaphone.
And with that, the announcement of a 9 p.m. curfew echoed through largely abandoned intersection.
Police did make 43 arrests Wednesday.
Aiden Mitchell with Atlanta Police says the department is having conversations with protest organizers throughout the night.
“Get structure, get organized, leave at the curfew time so we can identify those one percent of troublemakers, so we can deal with them accordingly,” he said.
The 9 p.m. curfew will remain in effect for Atlanta for Thursday. An 8 p.m. curfew will be enforced Friday-Sunday.
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