Friday, June 6, marked one week since protests erupted in Atlanta and around the world over the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers.
For the first night in a week, the Atlanta Police Department had made no arrests as of 10:45 p.m. on Friday – a stark contrast to the looting, arson, and vandalism that rocked the city on May 29.
In the preceding days, APD has arrested more than 500 protesters and the city has been under a nighttime curfew imposed by Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms to restore order. The curfew continues until sunrise on Monday morning.
As the number of arrests has dwindled, the number of protesters on the streets has grown significantly. Thousands of people have marched and rallied all over the city this week, including 2,000 on the Atlanta BeltLine’s Eastside Trail on June 5.
On Friday, there were multiple marches happening including Piedmont Park, Midtown, City Hall and the central rallying point at Centennial Olympic Park. After law enforcement cleared Downtown, a large group of protesters – some social media reports put the number between 500 to 1,000 – defied the curfew to march along the BeltLine again as APD and the National Guard scrambled to intercept them.
More protests are scheduled for this weekend, including the Atlanta Protest for Justice on Saturday, June 6, from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Public Safety HQ (226 Peachtree St. SW). Other protests and rallies circulating on social media for June 6 include Big Bethel AME Church at 11 a.m., Ponce City Market at 1 p.m., King Center at 3 p.m., and Freedom Park at 4 p.m. On Sunday, June 7, the Atlanta Artist Solidarity March will step off from Theatrical Outfit on Luckie Street in Downtown at noon.
The post APD makes no arrests on Friday as protests enter second week; multiple rallies planned this weekend appeared first on Atlanta INtown Paper.