Author: Sylvia Burley
UPDATE: You can still sign the petition (see link below).
An emergency protest has been called to oppose Senate Bill 469 which would criminalize picketing, sit-ins, and other non-violent direct action in an attempt to dissuade people from acting on their right to Freedom of Assembly and Association.
In other words, Georgia Republicans are trying to make it illegal to engage in protest activities used during the Civil Rights Movement.
This bill would also cripple unions by forcing union members to “reauthorize” their membership every year and assist workers in de-certifying unions from their workplace potentially weakening union membership.
The protest is taking place at the Georgia State Capitol at 5 p.m. today.
Martin Luther King, III has joined this protest and says his “father would be ashamed”.
“My father, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., died fighting for economic justice. Before his assassination in 1968, one of the ways he supported striking sanitation workers in Memphis was by joining them on the picket line.”
He added, “It’s shocking to me that 44 years after my father’s death, extremist legislators are still trying to silence peaceful protestors. My father would not back down from opposing this bill, and we cannot either.”
King created a petition at SignOn.org to help stop this legislation.
SB469 is seen as a clear attack on working people and anyone who believes in fighting for social justice. Join the protest and/or sign the petition, but make your voice heard!
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