(ATLANTA, GA – 6/14/2020) – The Georgia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Georgia) today joined the Georgia NAACP and other civil rights organizations in calling on the City of Atlanta to respond to the police shooting of Rayshard Brooks by pursuing major changes in policy, not just changes in personnel.
CAIR-Georgia is also calling for the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office to order the immediate arrest of the officer who shot and killed Mr. Brooks.
“A phone call about a man sleeping in a car should never escalate into a police shooting,” said CAIR-Georgia Executive Director Abdullah Jaber. “A taser is not a deadly weapon and shooting a man multiple times in the back while he’s running away is the epitome of police brutality. The videos speak for themselves, and we need immediate accountability.”
“Too many investigations of police shootings, particularly those involving Black men and women, disappear into a black hole for months or years without resolution,” said CAIR-Georgia Legal & Advocacy Director Murtaza Khwaja. “The Fulton County District Attorney’s Office needs to act now by arresting and charging the officer who killed Rayshard Brooks.”
On June 12th, Atlanta Police Department officers attempted to arrest local resident Rayshard Brooks on suspicion of driving under the influence after he was found asleep in his car in the drive-through lane at Wendy’s. An ensuing struggle ended when one of the officers shot Mr. Brooks after he pointed a taser behind him while attempting to run away.
In response to the shooting, Mayor Bottoms has called for the termination of the officer, and Atlanta Police Department Chief Erika Shields has resigned.
SEE: Atlanta Police Chief Resigns, Protests Continue After Shooting of Rayshard Brooks
In response, CAIR-GA Executive Director Jaber added, “Changes in personnel at the Atlanta Police Department are welcome, but it’s not enough. We now need to see immediate and radical changes in policy and policing to end the systemic oppression and anti-black racism rooted in the Atlanta Police Department and other law enforcement agencies.”
CAIR-Georgia is calling on the City of Atlanta to:
- severely restrict the policies permitting officers to use force
- create a public “use of force” database for any officer-involved acts of violence
- create a streamlined procedure for cases of officer-involved violence, including the appointment of independent prosecutors
- establish a civilian oversight board
- end participation in bigoted foreign police training programs like the Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange (GILEE), and
- reinvest a significant portion of the department’s budget into community infrastructure.
CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
CONTACT: CAIR-Georgia Executive Director Abdullah Jaber, 404-464-6612, [email protected]; CAIR-Georgia Legal & Advocacy Director Murtaza Khwaja, 404-432-8847, [email protected]