Park Cannon, the Georgia lawmaker who was violently arrested for protesting the state’s racist voting law won’t face charges, according to CNN.
Cannon’s lawyer, civil rights attorney Gerald Griggs, confirmed the news to the outlet on Wednesday.
“Facts and evidence showed to the world that @Cannonfor58 committed no crime and should not have ever been arrested. We thank the district attorney for her thorough review of the evidence and are weighing our next legal actions.” #gapol #KeepKnocking #ProtectBlackwomen pic.twitter.com/s6r2Iq9vNw
— Gerald A. Griggs (@AttorneyGriggs) April 7, 2021
“Facts and evidence showed to the world that Rep. Cannon committed no crime and should not have ever been arrested,” Griggs wrote on Twitter. “We thank the district attorney for her thorough review of the evidence and are weighing our next legal actions,” he continued.
Griggs captioned the post with #gapol #ProtectBlackWomen and #KeepKnocking, referencing a hashtag used by Cannon in an April 2 tweet.
#KeepKnocking https://t.co/RvtYaMZCTg
: @VoteChoice pic.twitter.com/RdbcuYue9f
— Representative Park Cannon (@Cannonfor58) April 2, 2021
In addition, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that she will not empanel a grand jury after reviewing the evidence, and considers the case closed.
Many were doubly outraged over Cannon’s arrest and the reasoning in regards to why she was detained.
Cannon was detained by Georgia state patrol officers on March 25 and taken to the Fulton County Jail after she knocked on the office door of Gov. Brian Kemp, who was in the middle of signing what many believe to be a voter suppression law, harkening back to the Jim Crow era.
In a disturbing photo that captured the moment the bill was officially signed into law, Kemp is surrounded by other lawmakers near a large photo of a slave plantation.
Cannon faced charges of felony obstruction and disrupting General Assembly session, which if found guilty could warrant up to eight years in jail. Officers also alleged that she repeatedly stomped and kicked an officer, which Cannon and her attorney deny.
“My experience was painful, both physically and emotionally, but today I stand before you to say as horrible as that experience was … I believe the governor signing into law the most comprehensive voter suppression bill in the country is a far more serious crime,” Cannon said during a rally outside the Capitol last week.
SEE ALSO:
Meet The Young, Black Legislators Fighting To Protect Democracy In Georgia And Florida
‘What Makes Her Actions So Dangerous?’: Sen. Raphael Warnock Questions Park Cannon’s Violent Arrest
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