Military Presence Escalates Tension Among Public, Georgia State Criminologist Warns

A member of the Georgia National Guard stands outside the State Capitol on Tuesday in Atlanta.

John Bazemore / Associated Press

Ongoing protests over white supremacy and police brutality, coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic, have strained the general public into a state of normlessness, an expert says.

Georgia State University Criminology Professor Dean Dabney echoed statements from Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and critics of the governor’s decision to deploy National Guard troops to Atlanta.

“The police department generally is not happy when something like that happens, especially when they didn’t ask for it to happen,” Dabney told Morning Edition host Lisa Rayam.