GA Faith Leaders Call for Reform After ATL Officers are Charged in Rayshard Brooks Murder
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 18, 2020
MEDIA CONTACT
Michelle Nealy, mnealy@faithinpubliclife.org, (202) 735-7123
Austin Schuler, aschuler@faithinpubliclife.org, (540) 280-3393
Graham Younger, gyounger@faithinpubliclife.org, 678-739-8584
GA Faith Leaders Call for Reform After ATL Officers are Charged in Rayshard Brooks Murder
Atlanta, Ga– On Wednesday, June 17th, an Atlanta police officer was charged for the murder of Rayshard Brooks while another officer was charged with assault. The officer failed to provide medical attention to Brooks for two minutes and was seen kicking him while he was lying on the ground after being shot. As people of faith, we believe all of God’s children have dignity and demand police reform in communities across Georgia.
Rev. William Flippin Jr., ECLA, FPL Georgia Leadership Council (Atlanta):
“Bringing charges against the officer who killed Rayshard Brooks is a start. As a faith leader who wants to see all Atlantans thrive regardless of the color of their skin, our city’s relationship with its police force must change. We need to have everything on the table, from increased de-escalation training to de-weaponization.”
Rev. Joshua Nelson, Pastor of the Emmanuel Seventh-day Adventist Church (Albany):
“Arresting an officer who shoots a man in the back as they run away is the bare minimum. As a pastor, I want the members of my congregation to be able to live their lives without a constant fear of police violence. We need to re-examine police departments across Georgia, not just in Atlanta, and reconsider the training and role we want police to play in our society. Now is the moment to finally put an end to the racist culture of policing and create a new way of keeping communities safe in 2020.”
Min. Shavonne Williams, Faith in Public Life Organizing Ambassador (Augusta):
“As a minister, I want the members of my community to be able to live their lives without the constant fear of police violence. We need to re-examine police departments across Georgia, not just in Atlanta, and reconsider the training and funding that we are giving to police.”
###
Faith in Public Life is a national movement of clergy and faith leaders united in the prophetic pursuit of justice, equality and the common good. Together, we are leading the fight to advance just policies at the state and federal level. Our network of 50,000 leaders engage in bold moral action that affirms our values and the human dignity of all.