Name: Armed protesters take over Wendy's on day of Rayshard Brooks' funeral
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Armed protesters take over Wendy's on day of Rayshard Brooks' funeral 

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&nbsp;Tuesday, Sep 13th 2022&nbsp; | 3.6kArmed Georgians have 'taken over' the Wendy's parking lot where Rayshard Brooks was shot dead by police in Atlanta.People who live in the neighborhood said the group of people brandishing firearms had blocked the roads making it difficult for them to get home.Some gun owners were seen holding rifles or with pistols in their pockets while standing outside the fast food restaurant that was burned down the day after Brooks was killed by Officer Garrett Rolfe.On Tuesday, the day of Brooks' funeral, many locals watched his hearse went by, waving the American flag and hold 'black life matters' signs where flowers and pictures were placed.&nbsp; But one woman described a scene of many people boasting weapons, telling , 'they all had guns'.'They were all brandishing the guns to me from their waistbands,' Jennifer Edwards said. 'And that they were going to shoot me in the back of the head if I did get away.'She did get away. Edwards shared an image of her car with a large rock on the floor, claiming someone near Wendy's threw it through her windshield.'The guy took his gun out of his waistband and started to point it at me,' Edwards told 11 Alive. 'I didn't care, I just went around him. If I hit him, if I bumped him, sorry. I have to get away with my life.'Another woman caught in the inconvenient roadblock near University Avenue said that in the last few days people at the location were even making life difficult for those who lived in the immediate vicinity.'They wouldn't let her through and she felt intimidated,' Kimberlee Jones told 11 Alive about her mother.This weekend someone was shot near the Wendy's and the assailant is believed to have driven away.It was also reported that a woman was shot in the leg.'My husband literally just missed getting caught in the crossfire when he was on his way home,' Jones said. 'And people have been shot and have been hurt.'While in the days after Brooks was killed, protesters took the parking lot with placards showing their opposition to police brutality and systemic racism, Jones insisted the people outside Wendy's now, are not protesters.'It's not a protest at this point,' she said. 'I use the term 'flea market' because some people are camped out, some are selling things, others are taking selfies and not actually protesting.'Police told 11 Alive that they have a plan to get to the location back under control.Jones said for now they're asking people to find an alternative route until they carry out a plan that doesn't worsen the situation.'He (the police officer) asked people to stay away because, I'll use his term, the crowd has been hostile to a certain extent,' Jones said. 'He said that they are aware of what's going on, but they don't want to add fuel to the fire; to escalate things. So their advice is to stay out of that area.'She added: 'It's physically draining, trying to figure out ways to get home, and it's emotionally draining dealing with the upheaval and the noise and the explosions. It's an emotional drain.'&nbsp;As locals in Atlanta called for reforms,&nbsp;Reverend Bernice King, the daughter of civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr, channeled her late father at the funeral service for Rayshard Brooks. She called for a 'revolution of values' across the country to end systemic racism, nearly two weeks after the 27-year-old black man was gunned down by a white police officer.Speaking at the invitation-only ceremony at Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church that was once led by her dad, King condemned the recurring killings of black Americans at the hands of law enforcement.&nbsp;'We are here because individuals continue to hide behind badges and trainings and policies and procedures rather than regarding the humanity of others in general and Black lives specifically,' Reverend King said.&nbsp;She noted ruefully that Brooks' death took place in Atlanta, the 'black mecca' of America and 'the city that is supposed to be "too busy to hate."'&nbsp; King, 57, who was five years old when her father was assassinated in 1968, told the mourners she was at the church for 'what feels like an all-too-familiar moment.'&nbsp;She pointed out that Brooks died on the same date that NAACP leader Medgar Evers was assassinated in Mississippi in 1963 and Nelson Mandela was sentenced to life in prison in South Africa in 1964.&nbsp;Brooks, 27, was shot twice in the back June 12 by Officer Garrett Rolfe after a struggle that erupted when police tried to handcuff him for being intoxicated behind the wheel of his car at a Wendy's drive-thru.&nbsp;Video showed Brooks snatching a police Taser and firing it at Rolfe while running away.Rolfe, 27, was charged with murder and jailed without bail. A second officer, Devin Brosnan, 26, was charged with aggravated assault, accused of stepping on Brooks' shoulder as he lay dying on the pavement.&nbsp;Lawyers for both men said their clients' actions were justified.The killing unfolded amid protests and scattered violence set off around the country by the case of George Floyd, the Black man who was pronounced dead May 25 after a white Minneapolis put his knee on Floyd's neck for nearly eight minutes.Atlanta's police chief stepped down less than 24 hours after Brooks' death, and the Wendy's was burned by protesters.While Brooks was not a member of Ebenezer Baptist, the church where King preached is a 'sanctuary for those who suffer,' Warnock said in a statement announcing the funeral plans.&nbsp; An afternoon bail hearing for Rolfe that would have conflicted with the funeral was canceled by a judge. Under the law, crime victims and their families are entitled to be heard at such proceedings.Meanwhile, a new poll that finds nearly all Americans favor at least some change to the nation´s criminal justice system, and they overwhelmingly want to see clear standards on when police officers may use force and consequences for those who cross the line.The poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research said 29 per cent think the criminal justice system needs 'a complete overhaul,' 40 per cent say it needs 'major changes,' and 25 per cent say it needs 'minor changes.' Just 5 per cent believe no changes are necessary.On Monday, hundreds of mourners lined up for hours to pay their respects to Brooks, during a public viewing ahead of his funeral at Ebenezer Baptist Church. Inside the church, Brooks' body was put on display wearing a pristine white tuxedo with gold accents.&nbsp;&nbsp;Miller was among the first to approach the casket, placing a hand on Brooks' chest as she gazed down at him.&nbsp;&nbsp;Share what you thinkThe comments below have been moderated in advance.The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.We are no longer accepting comments on this article.Published by Associated Newspapers LtdPart of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday &amp; Metro Media Group&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

&nbsp;Tuesday, Sep 13th 2022&nbsp; | 3.6kArmed Georgians have 'taken over' the Wendy's parking lot where Rayshard Brooks was shot dead by police in Atlanta.People who live in the neighborhood said the group of people brandishing firearms had blocked the roads making it difficult for them to get home.Some gun owners were seen holding rifles or with pistols in their pockets while standing outside the fast food restaurant that was burned down the day after Brooks was killed by Officer Garrett Rolfe.On Tuesday, the day of Brooks' funeral, many locals watched his hearse went by, waving the...

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Armed protesters take over Wendy's on day of Rayshard Brooks' funeral

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