Chauvin Guilty; Atlanta Police Stay Poised For Response

ATLANTA — As the jury in the Derek Chauvin murder case reached a verdict of "guilty on all count," the Atlanta Police Department and the Fulton County Sheriff's Office remained poised for a response.

“I would imagine that there would be some outcries if the case goes in either direction, so we’re prepared for any outcome,” Atlanta Police Chief Rodney Bryant said.

In the runup to this verdict, and reflecting on a troubled reaction last May as multitudes reacted to former Minneapolis police officer Chauvin, a white man, killing George Floyd, the department was intentional in preparing its response.

In addition to establishing 12-hour shifts for officers from the beginning of jury deliberations until a verdict is reached and the trial is completely over, the department will partner with law enforcement agencies to work as one team. But Atlanta Police Chief Rodney Bryant told reporters on Monday that protest is welcomed.

“In the City of Atlanta, one of the things we pride ourselves on is we support people having the right to demonstrate,” Bryant said. “But we do also recognize that there are times that there becomes a level of civil unrest, and we are ready for that as well.”

In May 2020, after Floyd died when Chauvin kneeled on the black man’s neck for nearly nine minutes during an arrest attempt, cellphone footage of the incident went viral sparking protests across the country, and leading in some cities including Atlanta, to violence and rioting.

Civil demonstration and unrest were the response to the death of an unarmed Black man at the hands of police — another in an alarming trend in policing that touched nerves still raw from the death of Breonna Taylor, a Black woman shot in her sleep as police errantly breached her Louisville, KY, apartment months earlier, and the death of Ahmaud Arbery, killed by vigilantes, including an ex-cop, who cornered and shot the unarmed Black man as he jogged near his neighborhood in Brunswick.

Bryant told reporters on Monday that “right now there’s no indication that we have any perceived threats or serious concerns as it relates to the trial.”

Acknowledging on Monday that Atlanta Police did not adequately prepare for the eventuality of outbreaks that happened Downtown and in Buckhead, Chief Rodney Bryant told reporters that the department is setting up a joining operations command to partner with the Georgia State Patrol, the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office and various federal agencies.

“The situation we had last year, we didn’t collaborate with our federal, state, and (local) partners as quickly as we are this time,” Bryant said. “Right now, what we will do is stand up our J.O.C. where we are better able to manage any incidents that may occur within the City.”

Fulton Sheriff Patrick “Pat” Labat's office, like Atlanta Police, has been considering the possibilities and has prepared, by among other things, having staff at the Atlanta Police joint operations command and placing deputies on 12-hour shifts.

“We are in constant communication with our local, state, and federal partners,” Labat said in a statement. “I’ve reached out to each Chief across the county — all 15 cities as well as campus police chiefs — to advise as to our ability to assist with any law enforcement needs countywide.”

When the video of Floyd’s death circulated on news outlets and social media, protestors took to the streets of Atlanta as part of an organized march from the State Capitol to Centennial Olympic Park. But some individuals turned to violence, vandalizing the CNN Center and destroying police vehicles parked outside the precinct in the building.

Violence and looting moved to Buckhead on that evening of May 29, and as Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms set a 9 p.m. curfew in the city, Gov. Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency. In the aftermath, businesses across the city awoke to broken glass and destruction and then-Police Chief Erika Shields stepped down from her leadership role.

Monday, Bryant emphasized that demonstration was welcome, and blamed outsiders for much of the mayhem from nearly a year before.

“What we recognized last time is that there are people that came from outside our city,” he said. “They were more problematic. We support peaceful protests. But We should not tolerate people coming in to vandalize our city and encroach upon our citizens.”

Labat echoed Bryant's insistence that protestors avoid violence. But he said