As calls to defund the police resound across the country, Atlanta erupted in protests this weekend over the police killing of 27-year-old Rayshard Brooks. Less than 24 hours after the fatal shooting, Atlanta’s police chief Erika Shields resigned. Mary Hooks, co-director of Southerners On New Ground, says the people’s anger is deeply rooted in systemic inequalities that persist despite the heavy presence of Black leaders in positions of power. “In all of its desire to be the Black Mecca, Atlanta has not taken charge on what it means to address the systemic violence and oppression of Black people,” says Hooks. “There is an elite class here. Class, I think, is one of the major issues that prevents Atlanta from being the Wakanda it wants to pretend to be.”
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Democracy Now | Radio Free (2020-06-23T04:08:19+00:00) “Black Mecca”? The class disparity between Atlanta’s Black politicians & their constituents. Retrieved from https://www.radiofree.org/2020/06/23/black-mecca-the-class-disparity-between-atlantas-black-politicians-their-constituents/
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