Rayshard Brooks, 27, is at the center of anther racially-charged use of force incident on Friday night in Atlanta.
We have already seen a massive, hours-long shutdown of the Interstate, the resignation of a Police Chief, a Mayor calling for the heads of officers involved, and rioters burning down a Wendy’s.
Here’s what happened:
The Antecedant
The driver of a vehicle in a Wendy’s drive-thru had fallen asleep. Police were called to respond. The driver failed a sobriety test.
The Incident
In the process of arresting him, Rayshard is on video attacking the arresting officers, fists flying. He overpowered them one the ground, stripped one officer of his taser, and fled.
https://twitter.com/theangiestanton/status/1271800612489965568
While fleeing, police, he was seen to have turned back towards the cops in pursuit with something, possibly the taser, in his hand, posing what the police behind him perceived as a threat. That was the point at which lethal force was applied, with 3 shots being fired.
https://twitter.com/WhiteWoke2/status/1271919430944071689
The Fallout
On Saturday, the following day, Atlanta came to grips with what happened, and everything hit the fan.
The Mayor called for the officers involved to be fired, without giving them the benefit of an investigation, first. And the police chief resigned…
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms calls for the "immediate termination" of the police officer who shot and killed Rayshard Brooks last night. She also announced that Atlanta's Police, Chief Ericka Shields, voluntarily stepped down. pic.twitter.com/aN6c7tlEUh
— Ana Cabrera (@AnaCabrera) June 13, 2020
The crowds got big, and restless…
https://twitter.com/realasysk/status/1271987536102150144
Some chick chucked a Molotov into the Wendy’s where it happened as though it were somehow the fast-food place’s fault that the police and Brooks tangled. The Wendy’s burned to the ground.
Fire at Wendy's on University Ave in southwest Atlanta raging. A night to remember in Atlanta: Rayshard Brooks shot by an officer, the chief of Atlanta police resigned, and protesters stormed the interstate. Now, fire. #AtlantaShooting #AtlantaProtest pic.twitter.com/Fgjq7jhDiZ
— Ric Garni (@RICGARNI) June 14, 2020
(Because race is considered such a mitigating factor in these scenarios: the cops were white, the dead guy was black, and the chick with the Molotov was white.)
And whaddayaknow. They’ve already canned him. That was pretty quick.
https://twitter.com/NuanceBro/status/1272035074750332929
The other guy is now on administrative leave.
