Author: Sylvia Burley
A protest rally 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.
Georgia Republicans are trying to make it illegal to engage in protest activities used during the Civil Rights Movement with this bill which 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 membership. SB469 is seen as a clear attack on working people and anyone who believes in fighting for social justice.
Also being protested is:
- HB 954 which outlaws abortions past 20 weeks despite the circumstances;
- SB 460 which limits access to contraception;
- SB 861 which imposes expensive and unnecessary drug testing on needy families; and
- SB 458 which bans non-citizen students from attending public universities even though they are already blocked from receiving state money (along with other repressive legislation).
The protest is taking place at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 17th at the Georgia State Capitol.
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.
The protest is being sponsored by many organizations including Occupy Atlanta, Sierra Club, Working Women 9 to 5, Southern Center for Human Rights, Teamsters, Organization of DeKalb Educators, Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights, and Amnesty International Atlanta Chapter.
Join the protest rally tomorrow and/or sign the petition, but make your voice heard!
Hip Hop Enquirer Magazine | Follow us @HipHopEnquirer
