The protests in the wake of Floyd’s death have made their way to headlines for outbreaks of violence, but not all protests in Georgia have ended in violence and arrests.
Following the death of George Floyd, protests erupted through the country demanding justice and change. Large-scale protests have taken place across Georgia, from protests in Atlanta and Athens that attracted thousands, and the Cumming protest that brought forth hundreds. Smaller gatherings, like those in the metro Atlanta city of Woodstock, and the demonstrations in Gainesville and Clarkesville, show support for this cause stretches farther than the state’s capital.
Contrary to what might be popular belief, the vast majority of protests in Georgia have stayed peaceful, though the photos might not be as attention-grabbing as a burning building. Protesters in Woodstock have lined the sidewalks of the city to peacefully protest for nine days, where their local police department protects their First Amendment rights.
“The Woodstock Police Department has been fantastic every step of the way. They fully support the peaceful exercise of our rights,” says Jess Geyerman, the original organizer of the Black Lives Matter Woodstock protests. “They’ve been there to keep the protestors safe but have kept to the background. They’re there if needed, and we know it. They’ve spoken to several people who tried to get aggressive with us. They’ve done a fantastic job.”
Geyerman is a U.S. Marine veteran who was outraged by Floyd’s death and set up a protest in his town to show support for the cause. “I swore an oath to defend the rights of all Americans. The rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” Geyerman said. “All of George Floyd’s rights were taken away that day. Cops swear a similar oath, and those criminals betrayed it.”
Since the protest has grown, Geyerman has handed the protest off to a group of activists. What started as Geyerman and a few others standing with signs has transformed into an organized day-to-day peaceful protest with voter registration, information for passersby, first aid, and donations.
Saturday’s protest and rally in Athens, organized by the Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement, attracted more than 1,500 protesters. Despite the city and state’s preparations for violence, which included the presence of the National Guard and Governor Kemp, the protest remained peaceful.
Joe Dennis, Piedmont College Department Chair of Mass Communication and Athens resident, attended the Athens protest alongside his church and 16-year-old son. He attested to this, calling the protest “incredibly peaceful.”
“We [the church] had a meeting before the protest where one of the organizers was telling us that if there are any altercations if you see anything, your number one job is to get out of the way. We want this to be peaceful. There may be people there who try to instigate you but just walk away. And then, when the protest is over, leave,” Dennis said. “So that’s what we did.”
Dennis says that this protest is essential to making a statement. “We live in a very visual society. What people see on the news and in pictures, online and newspapers, those are very powerful, more powerful than saying, ‘Oh, we have a problem of systemic racism,'” Dennis says. “It’s seeing an overview photo of 3,000 people gathering to talk about this problem. I think that’s really important just to participate. It shows government officials that people think that this issue is a big issue and [that] we support it.”
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp of Athens was there to see it all, watching from the Athens-Clarke County Police Department, but not without drawing criticism on his Tweet.
Aside from showing government officials the change the people want to see, Dennis says that showing support for the members of the community affected by racial inequality is important.
“I think non-African American people participating shows the solidarity that people have. That was one of the themes at the protest that was talked about, looking out on the crowd and the majority […] were white people, just saying ‘thank you,’ now that change can happen,” Dennis says. “It can’t just be black people working for change, it has to be a united front, people of all races working for change. Showing that we support the movement, we hear their pain, we’re listening; and that we are not only listening, but we are going to act for change.”
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