Local activists arrested for shutting down Buckhead intersection near Lenox Square and Phipps Plaza
'Some of these people are going to be inconvenienced here. But we have to make a point'
On the weekend before Christmas, last-minute shoppers descended upon Buckhead to pick up last-minute gifts for their friends and family. And protesters, who in recent weeks have taken to Atlanta's streets over the non-indictments of police officers responsible for the killings of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., and Eric Garner in Staten Island, N.Y., decided to stage one of their most disruptive demonstrations yet by shutting down a major intersection near two of Atlanta's biggest shopping centers.
Atlanta Police this afternoon arrested more than a dozen protesters who blocked traffic for more than 90 minutes at Peachtree and Lenox roads between Lenox Square and Phipps Plaza. Local advocacy group Rise Up Georgia organized the protest to call for more body cameras, strengthening the power of citizen review boards, and taking other steps that could lead to more police accountability.
Several-dozen activists took part in the rally. The demonstration, which aimed to disrupt economic activity near both malls, started at approximately 3 p.m. Activists holding banners ran in front of cars stopped at the Buckhead intersection. Once they blocked all lanes, others erected a 10-foot tripod supported by three metal poles that Nelini Stamp, co-director of Rise Up Georgia, sat atop in the middle of the intersection. Then another eight protesters connected to each other via lockboxes and laid down in a circle next to the tripod.
Nelini Stamp, co-director of @RiseUpGeorgia, sits atop a 10-ft tripod in middle of Peachtree/Lenox. #ShutItDownAtl pic.twitter.com/Z2LXhSNTnK
— Max Blau (@MaxBlau) December 20, 2014
Jim Chambers, one of the protest's organizers, said the demonstration was intended to "disrupt retail season" near one of the city's largest retail complexes. He also said their action helped to "raise the stakes" in Atlanta to the level of larger efforts in Oakland, Calif., and Minneapolis, Minn.
Rev. Joe Beasley, Southern regional director for the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, tells CL the protest was necessary because it forced people headed to two upscale malls on one of the busiest shopping days of the year to pay attention to their message.
"We had to make a point," Beasley says. "Some of these people are going to be inconvenienced here. But we have to make a point. You have to make a sacrifice."
Trip, an Atlanta resident who declined to share his last name with CL, says he participated in the protest to raise awareness about the way police and prosecutors unfairly treat black men in the United States. By disrupting economic activity, he hoped more people would hear the message of a nationwide movement.
"There's a lot of money coming through here," he says. "People are pissed off and wondering what's going on. There's people trying to shop for Christmas here."
APD spokesman John Chafee says that 13 protesters were arrested. They spent the night in Fulton County Jail and were each charged with unlawful assembly for obstructing the intersection.
"Over the last few weeks, the city has seen many lawful protests where the participants have acted within the law," Chafee says. "However, the Atlanta Police Department will not tolerate illegal behavior that tramples the rights of innocent people and puts lives in danger. The protestors arrested were illegally obstructing a major intersection during one of the busiest times of the year and that type of illegal behavior is counterproductive and will not be allowed."
Protesters last night gathered outside the jail to call for the release of the arrested activists. They were released early this morning. Here are their names and ages:
Daniel Hanley, 33
Drake Jones, 27
Corin Warlick, 18
Megan Morgan, 25
Robert Andrews, 28
Margaret Kraft, 50
Latranese Sapp, 22
Shabnam Bashiri, 30
Shakia Pennix, 23
Joel Solow, 27
Rebekah Ward, 35
Nelini Stamp, 27
Samuel Reed Gallman,
We've included more photos from the demonstration after the jump.
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