Multimedia personality and youth advocate Shar Bates joined The Rashad Richey Morning Show to provide clear distinctions between Atlanta activists and the recent violence demonstrated by out-of-state visitors. Shar, a nationally known activist and thought leader, vehemently opposed any narrative that would suggest the recent violence is co-signed by the overall activist community. According to Shar, not only are the protesters who have engaged in extreme violence from out of state, they are generally unknown by the grassroots community in Atlanta.
Dr. Rashad Richey, who works with The Carter Center's Democracy Resilience Network and egages in conflict resolution strategies, has led many peaceful, but effective protests in Metro-Atlanta and nationally. He shared Shar's sentiments.
Protests against a law enforcement shooting over the development of "Cop City" in Atlanta, GA turned violent on Saturday night, with rioters setting a police car on fire and damaging other targeted properties, according to the city’s mayor.
The saga stemmed from the police shooting of an activist on the grounds of "Cop City", Manuel Teran, 26, during a raid to clear the construction site of the proposed public safety training facility last Wednesday. According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Teran shot a GA state trooper before being shot by law enforcement and dying at the scene.
While denouncing the violence as unproductive and contrary to Atlanta's effective protest tradition, Shar and Dr. Rashad Richey both emphatically noted the innate problem with having multiple law enforcement agencies respond and not one department provided video footage to support the facts as relayed by officers. According to Dr. Richey, "people do not simply believe police reports nor police narratives by themselves anymore due to the massive violations of trust many of them in the profession have engaged in. The idea that no one is able to provide video proof of the incident is contrary to public sentiment, and frankly the law. Video evidence protects good citizens and justified officers... in this case, we're left to simply take the officer's word, which is truly an unacceptable standard in today's atmosphere."
The Rashad Richey Morning Show has focused several hours of airtime on many aspects of this unfortunate incident over the past several days. Both Shar and Dr. Richey agreed that "Cop City" was a bad idea with divisive implementation that lacked full community buy-in. More concensus coupled with better communication would have benefited all residents.
“We need answers, and an independent investigation “ Shar simply emphasized, with Dr. Richey's agreement.
"It was Dr. King who told us that darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. In the fight against inequality, inequity, and fascism, you cannot become the evil you wish to defeat. When our fight is righteous, our wins are sustainable", said Richey.
To hear the entire conversation between Dr. Rashad Richey and Shar Bates on The Rashad Richey Morning Show, download the link above.
Dr. Rashad Richey, who serves as President of Rolling Out Magazine, the largest free-print urban publication in the country, is a multimedia powerhouse with over 2-million followers on Facebook Watch, YouTube and Twitch combined, a noted university professor and lecturer, Emmy-nominated television Political Analyst for CBS News Atlanta, TV Anchor for 'Indisputable with Dr. Rashad Richey', which was named 'fastest growing tv news show in America', and Political Commentator for The People's Station V-103 FM, America's largest urban station. Dr. Richey, who is also host of The Dr. Rashad Richey Review on SiriusXM The Urban View, was voted 'Best Talk Radio Personality in Atlanta' by readers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and named 'Most Trusted Voice in Atlanta' by the Atlanta Business Journal, making him the first African-American to recieve these distinctions. As host of The Rashad Richey Morning Show, Dr. Richey has interviewed everyone from Vice-President Kamala Harris to TI, and always brings relevant information, the best on-air debates, and most insightful interviews in media. Tune in every weekday morning from 7am-10am on News and Talk 1380-WAOK, V-103FM (HD3), www.WAOK.com, or on the Audacy App