Urban League of Greater Atlanta

The Urban League of Greater Atlanta strongly endorses legislation that would repeal Georgia’s citizen’s arrest law, announced today by a bipartisan group of Georgia State Representatives: Carl Gilliard (D-Garden City), Roger Bruce (D-Atlanta), Don Hogan (R-St. Simon’s Island), William Boddie (D-East Point), and Gerald Greene (R-Cuthbert).

The proposed legislation comes in the aftermath of an extrajudicial killing in Brunswick, GA, that captured national attention when a videotape surfaced showing an unarmed Ahmaud Arbery being chased and shot to death in broad daylight. An ex-policeman and his son who have been charged in the crime reportedly said they were attempting to make a citizen’s arrest.

Rep. Gilliard, author of the bill, stated: “This legislation’s focus is to prevent civilians from taking the law into their own hands. Our citizen’s arrest law was created in 1863, and this law is clearly outdated as it was formed in the fashion of the Wild West. When individuals lose their lives at the hands of civilians that become judge and jury, we must use the power of the pen to move Georgia forward.”
At present, Georgia law allows a private citizen to arrest an offender “if an offense is committed in his or her presence or within his or her immediate knowledge. If the offense is a felony and the offender attempts to escape, a citizen may arrest him or her upon reasonable and probable grounds of suspicion.”
We agree that this vague language lends itself to vigilante “miscarriage of justice” and robs far too many people – especially black people -- of their civil rights based on a spurious claim related to “attempt to escape” or “reasonable, probable grounds.”
The Urban League will remain engaged in the process as this proposed legislation is filed when the 2020 legislative session reconvenes on June 15 and moves through the deliberative process. We are committed to working with lawmakers to initiate widespread reform in policing and the criminal justice system in Georgia.

About the Urban League of Greater Atlanta
The Urban League of Greater Atlanta (ULGA) is a non-profit civil rights organization dedicated to the economic advancement of African Americans founded in 1920. The ULGA operates as a Financial Empowerment Center that supports youth, adults and families to become financially empowered through education, career pathways, youth development, affordable housing and homeownership, entrepreneurship, financial empowerment education, asset and wealth building and civic engagement.

For more information call 404-659-1150 or visit our website at www.ulgatl.org

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Media Contact: Diane Larche', diane@larchecommunications.com, 404 273-3227