❤️Celebrating equal justice for all on Juneteenth.❤️ 🤜🏿🤛🏼
🛑 Please stop and read. Below is important information about our justice system 🛑
It is important to help understand jurors during the jury selection process and also to discuss judgment calls. A lot of information is not being reported accurately from our leaders and from the media. Atlanta is divided like I've never seen in my life here. The movement for equal justice is important, courageous, and compelling to me, this city, and the country.
A large number of Atlanta police officers did not work last night due to DA's decision to charge the police officers. He is in a run off election in August and he came in second place in the original primary this month. Lots of speculation about this motivating the press conference. This is particularly true bc it is highly unlikely DA will have a grand jury to indict the case before the August election bc of COVID19.
The GBI is investigating this case and had no clue that DA had made any decisions. GBI has not concluded its investigation and has not made ANY decision. The GBI announced this publicly yesterday.
All of this info does not suggest any opinion of mine as to the best way to handle the criminal case involving the tragic death of Mr. Rayshard Brooks. I definitely don't think any decision should be made without the investigation being complete. Due process should be afforded to everyone. Equal justice means everyone including police officers. I cannot believe that factually incorrect information is being disseminated publicly by our DA.
Don Samuel is a bad ass attorney and a hero of mine. He represents Officer Brosnan. Don continues to be a leader in Atlanta as he has been for his entire career. Officer Brosnan made a wise decision to hire Don.
Officer Brosnan’s attorney releases statement:
⚖️ Officer Brosnan’s attorney released the following statement after the charges were announced:
“Devin Brosnan first wants to extend his condolences to the family of Rayshard Brooks. To his parents, his wife, his children, his extended family, his friends. It is clear that Mr. Brooks was greatly loved by many people.
When Devin initially responded to the scene he thought that Mr. Brooks had had a long day or possibly had a medical condition. As he responded to the call he did not, at the time, have any intention of arresting Mr. Brooks. Devin’s only intention was to investigate and get further information about the situation. During his encounter with Mr. Brooks, Devin treated him with respect, dignity, and concern for Mr. Brooks’s safety as well as the safety of the people nearby.
At the beginning of Devin’s interaction with Rayshard Brooks, Mr. Brooks was polite and affable. Mr. Brooks appeared to be impaired – either from a medical condition or possibly from alcohol. That is why Devin called for an officer specially trained in roadside evaluation to respond to the scene. Once the other officer responded – Officer Rolfe – it became Rolfe’s investigation. Devin was there to standby, to observe and assist if necessary. During Rolfe’s investigation it was apparent that Mr. Brooks was impaired; he was disoriented as to place and had trouble following Officer Rolfe’s questions.
Various videos from that evening have been widely circulated. Devin did not know that Officer Rolfe was going to arrest Mr. Brooks; Officer Rolfe did not communicate that to Devin verbally or otherwise. When Devin saw Officer Rolfe bring Mr. Brooks’s hands behind his back, Devin followed his training and moved in to assist Officer Rolfe. At that time, a struggle between Mr. Brooks and the officers started.
During that struggle, Devin pulled out his taser and warned Mr. Brooks to stop resisting or he would be tased. Devin never actually deployed his taser. Instead, Mr. Brooks took his taser from him and Mr. Brooks used it against Devin. Devin hit his head hard on the asphalt parking lot. He later received medical treatment and was diagnosed with a concussion at Grady. Devin also has burns from the taser, and other injuries. To be clear, at no time did Devin pull out his firearm.
After Mr. Brooks ran away, with Officer Rolfe in pursuit, Devin got up and followed. You can tell from the video that he is limping. What you can’t tell is that he was disoriented from the head injury. After Mr. Brooks was shot, Devin ran to the location where Mr. Brooks had fallen. Within a minute – less than a minute – Rolfe runs back to his car to get medical equipment, at the same time another officer arrives on scene. You can see on the video – at time stamp 23:24:59 – the officers tried to stabilize Mr. Brooks and gave first aid. Devin did what he could to save Mr. Brooks.
To be clear - Devin is cooperating with the Fulton County District Attorney’s investigation. He met with the assistant district attorney and investigator yesterday and answered their questions. He turned over his phone. He is in the process of providing medical records and photographs of his injuries. He has NOT agreed to be a “state’s witness” or to testify in any court hearing or to plead guilty to any charge. The decision to initiate charges by the Fulton County DA’s office is irrational and obviously based on factors which should have nothing to do with the proper administration of justice.
🤜🏿This was not a rush to judgment. This was a rush to misjudgment.🤛🏿 Shame on the District Attorney for this abuse of his charging power. Shame on the District Attorney for not honoring his oath to uphold the constitution. Shame on the District Attorney for this rush to misjudgment.”
I have no clue where this is going to end, but we have some very difficult times ahead of us in Atlanta and probably most of the country. I hope our leaders can unify our community with common goals. It is a sad time for the family and friends of Mr. Brooks, and our city is struggling with what justice means in this case while the entire world is watching. 👏🏼
Great Data!
PUBLIC.FLOURISH.STUDIO
Global Deaths Due to Various Causes and COVID-19 (borrowed and reproduced from Tony Nickonchuk)
We see you DC 🤜🏿🤛🏿
Black Girls Vote
June 5 at 1:25 PM ·
D.C Mayor #MurielBowser said she got time today! Do you all see this!! Mayor Bower has changed the name of the street that leads to the White House Black Lives Matter Plaza! All of this #BlackGirlMagic in the midst of the #BlackLivesMatter movement!!
💕🖤💕✨💫
Protesters in Sandy Springs!! #support #BLM
USATODAY.COM
Fact check: Police did destroy a medic area during protests in Asheville, North Carolina