The Cobb Police Department issued a statement Saturday night with the Marietta Police Department and the Smyrna Police Department about planned protests in the county stemming from the death of a black man in police custody in Minnesota earlier this week.
The death of George Floyd, who was shown face down on the ground handcuffed, with a white officer kneeling on his neck for nearly 10 minutes, sparked violent protests in several major cities, including Minneapolis, where the incident took place.
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Several nights of protests in that city included burning property and police cars, vandalizing stores and storming a police precinct.
Atlanta was the scene of protests Friday night that included vandalizing and looting CNN Center and other businesses in Centennial Olympic Park and in Buckhead.
On Saturday, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms imposed a curfew that began at 9 p.m. and expires at sunrise Sunday and Georgia National Guard troops have been called in. Similar curfews have been ordered in other cities.
In the joint statement, the three police departments said this about possible protests in Cobb County:
“We have been in contact with a few individuals representing groups that are planning peaceful protests within our jurisdictions. Some of the organizers have expressed concern that outside agitators may try to hijack their plans for a peaceful event. Therefore we recommend anyone else planning protests to communicate and partner with their local law enforcement agencies to maintain the safety of all involved.”
The statement didn’t specify where and when any protests may take place.
East Cobb News has asked Cobb Police if any protests are planned in its jurisdiction and will update that when/if we hear back.
The Cobb police departments said they cannot discuss with the media or the public how they’re preparing for possible violence:
“We have plans in place and we want to remind any who plan to use the peaceful protests as a means to break the law, we will be ready to protect peaceful protestors, residents, and business owners and to arrest and charge any and all who break the law within our respective jurisdictions.”
They urged anyone seeing criminal activity to call 911. “Rest assured, all three departments are and remain passionate about protecting our residents and business owners. Any criminal acts will result in arrest and prosecution according to the law.”
The four Minneapolis officers on the scene at the time of Floyd’s death were terminated, and the officer seen kneeling on the victim was charged with third-degree murder. It’s the latest in a series of deaths of black men by police in recent years that have resulted in protests around the country.
But little has been as violent as what’s taken place this week.
In Brunswick, in south Georgia, three men, including a former investigator with the Glynn County District Attorney’s Office, have been charged with the murder of Ahmaud Arbery, a black man who was jogging in a neighborhood when he was killed in February.
Cobb District Attorney Joyette Holmes has been appointed to take over the prosecution of the case that, like the George Floyd case, took on national importance when video footage emerged.
Among the violent episodes Saturday include police deploying tear gas near the White House to stave off protestors in Washington, D.C., and demonstrators setting City Hall on fire in Nashville. On Friday, two police officers were shot in Oakland, Calif., one of them fatally.
Protestors appeared near the Georgia governor’s mansion in Atlanta Saturday but were dispersed by police before the curfew began.
The Cobb police departments also said this Saturday night:
“For the record, all three of our departments remain strongly opposed to any form of injustice, racism, or brutality. We are deeply concerned and have taken steps to not only protect everyone’s first amendment right to free speech and peaceful protest, but also to protect the life and liberty of our local citizens as well. Our three departments are working in conjunction to make sure the safety of everyone is maintained.”
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Nearly 10 minutes kneeling…. Now we are rounding up by a minute and a half plus? The Media doesn’t mention the 99.99% of the police force that does a great job protecting us.
Thank you sir, your honesty is appreciated. I might add that law enforcement doesn’t punish with riots when an officer is murdered , these people are not protesting anything, they are in fact thrives, robbers and common criminals using mob violence to steal and inflict harm on innocent people.
Ok boomer
How EXACTLY do you have the AUDACITY to write “But little has been as violent as what has taken place this week”. You, Wendy Parker are the absolute cancer in the body of humanity! This entire article reads as a BEWARE OF THE BLACKS rebel call. You never mentioned that the protests began peaceful, before WHITE AND BLACK provocateurs chose to start trouble. You never mentioned that the protest in front of the governor’s mansion, were ORGANIZED, AND PEACEFUL! You are making sure that YOUR VERSION OF FEAR MONGERING FURTHER POLARIZES THE RACES! I am an African American, who lives in East Cobb, and I am beyond offended at the insensitive tone you have chosen to tell YOUR story! I’m even more disappointed in East Cobb News for allowing an inaccurate account of events, to be told with such wrecklessness. I pay taxes, I obey laws, I am God fearing, I want my children well educated…AND I WANT THE RIGHT TO LIVE! Stop trying to scare people!
The police brutality incident in Minneapolis has, from the beginning, not shown any likelihood of being ignored, excused, or swept under the rug. Any “protests” hundreds or thousands of miles away are at best essentially useless temper tantrums, and at worst cover for the seemingly inevitable lawlessness. Your squealing irrational anger at a simple news report indicates you to be, at heart, a supporter of such, even if (presumably) not a participant.
Everybody knows protests were peaceful and organized it’s all over the news. Our anger should be directed to whoever pays the rioters that are allowed to steal the message of the peaceful protest that sneak in at night when the peaceful leaves. Who are they we need to know, otherwise the peaceful message is lost and all we will remember is the pain and destruction..
@Gracie: Yeah, we saw the newscasters telling us how “peaceful” the protests were, while right behind them the videos showed the burning buildings.
Exactly what “peaceful message” that we don’t already know is being delivered?
Cobb county has been one of the most raciest counties in ga I have lived here all my life Cobb is no different they just haven’t got caught yet what do you say about a county that people say the name stands for come on black boy im almost 50 and I have heard that saying since I was a kid if people look into Cobb about how many minority have been killed by Cobb police they will be shocked
It’s a shame the Cobb school system appears to have failed you.