Name: Georgia Senate Democrats pushing policing policy changes, hate-crimes law
Brand: ajc.com
SKU: ajc-com-167
Availability: OnlineOnly

critic

Georgia Senate Democrats pushing policing policy changes, hate-crimes law

preview

Democratic members of the Georgia Senate on Thursday released a&nbsp; they say the state should pursue to change the way the state handles policing — starting with passing hate-crimes legislation.The package of bills calls for a wide array of additional changes, including regulating police body cameras, repealing the “stand your ground law” and banning police use of chokeholds.A range of people including&nbsp;, members of the&nbsp; and activists have increased their calls on the Georgia Senate to approve a bill that would enhance the penalty of those convicted of committing hate crimes.The calls intensified after the death of Ahmaud Arbery, who was black and unarmed when he was followed and killed by three white men in the Brunswick area. One man is accused of&nbsp; after shooting him. All three men have been charged with murder in Arbery's killing."At the very top of our list is passing a meaningful hate crimes bill that will allow prosecutors and judges to pursue increased sentencing for those charged and convicted of hate crimes,"&nbsp; said. " has been sitting in a Senate committee for months and we should bring it forward for debate."HB 426&nbsp;was narrowly approved by the House last year and could be considered by the Georgia Senate when lawmakers return next week to&nbsp; that was&nbsp; to slow the spread of COVID-19.Sponsored by state&nbsp;, HB 426 would provide sentencing guidelines for anyone convicted of targeting a victim based on race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, mental disability or physical disability.Supporters of HB 426 have asked the Senate to approve the legislation as is and send it to the governor's desk. But Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan has said, while he supports passage of a hate-crimes bill, he believes the legislation&nbsp;."We can do better than House Bill 426," Duncan said Wednesday&nbsp;.&nbsp;"I've been told by an African-American gentleman sitting in my office that House Bill 426, if passed, would be the weakest hate-crimes law in the country."Other proposals in the Senate Democrats' package of legislation include&nbsp; who have completed their sentences, restricting the use of rubber bullets and creating a special prosecutor to handle cases involving police officers. Stone Mountain state&nbsp;, said many of the proposals have been offered by lawmakers in the past.“The vast majority of Democratic legislation has been sidelined and has not received a committee hearing,” Bulter said. “Too many of our citizens have died or been injured, while politics are at play. That time is over,” Butler said.The announcement comes one week after House Democrats released a&nbsp;, focusing on repealing Georgia's citizen's arrest law.About the AuthorEditors' PicksThe LatestFeatured© 2022 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. All Rights Reserved. By using this website, you accept the terms of our , , , and understand your options regarding .

Democratic members of the Georgia Senate on Thursday released a&nbsp; they say the state should pursue to change the way the state handles policing — starting with passing hate-crimes legislation.The package of bills calls for a wide array of additional changes, including regulating police body cameras, repealing the “stand your ground law” and banning police use of chokeholds.A range of people including&nbsp;, members of the&nbsp; and activists have increased their calls on the Georgia Senate to approve a bill that would enhance the penalty of those convicted of committing hate crimes.The...

public

Maya T. Prabhu

Our mission is to report what’s really going on in your community. We uncover the truth, protect the public’s right to know and hold community leaders accountable for serving the public. We document our region’s moments, milestones and people. Every day, we inform and empower our readers who value credible, in-depth journalism. By providing this important public service, we ultimately help to build a better metro Atlanta and Georgia for the next generation.

Georgia Senate Democrats pushing policing policy changes, hate-crimes law

No article scores yet.

CRITIC REVIEWS

PUBLIC REVIEWS