Representative Meagan Hanson (R-Brookhaven), along with representatives from the District Attorneys Office, Anti-Defamation League and International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), emphasized the need for Georgia to have hate crime legislation.
Representative Meagan Hanson (R-Brookhaven), along with representatives from the District Attorneys Office, Anti-Defamation League and International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), emphasized the need for Georgia to have hate crime legislation. Georgia passed hate crimes legislation in 2004 but was struck down by the courts. Georgia remains 1 in 5 states to not have a hate crime law. Fani Willis, Deputy District Attorney for Fulton County, discussed the 2016 hate crime case where boiling hot water was poured onto two Atlanta men. Read more about that case here.
Willis also referred to Atlanta as a place where we were taught that there is no room for hate, as it is the home of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The IACP expressed their hope that this legislation would have a fierce and effective response to all hate crimes in the state of Georgia.
“With this legislation, Georgia will join the vast majority of states in this country prosecuting crimes motivated by hate with the intent to threaten groups of our citizens with the gravity and attention they deserve,” said by Representative Hanson.
A detailed version of the bill will be released later today. You can view the full press conference here.
