The Trump administration’s immigration crackdown — and its heavy-handed approach to governance in general — drew thousands of demonstrators to rallies across Atlanta on Saturday. For some, it was a first-time experience — an introduction to protest activity, and to crowd-control chemicals.
While the “No Kings” rally outside the Georgia State Capitol, led by a coalition of progressive organizations, unfolded peacefully, an anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) rally convened by the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) on Chamblee Tucker Road was met with force by the DeKalb County Police Department’s Tactical Response Team.
Officers sporting body armor and riot shields first deployed chemical irritants into the crowd after pushing them from a busy north Atlanta roadway onto the sidewalk. DeKalb County officials justified law enforcement’s actions — including at least eight arrests — in a statement that said protestors were “creating a dangerous situation” because they had “attempted to march towards the interstate ramp.”
The lingering taste of tear gas will leave a lasting memory for Bryan L., an 18-year-old US citizen born to undocumented parents from Mexico. Bryan, whose last name Atlanta Civic Circle withheld out of privacy and safety concerns, came to the anti-ICE demonstration organized by PSL with his 12-year-old brother. It was just his second time going to a protest. They won’t soon forget the hiss of the metal canisters that delivered the noxious gas, drawing out tears and snot as the duo scrambled for clean air.
“When it went off, me and my little brother moved away — but it still got to us,” Bryan said. “I was hurting to breathe and my eyes were getting watery.”
After deploying tear gas three separate times, officers told both remaining demonstrators and members of the press to leave or else be arrested.
“It made me mad for the sole fact that it was unnecessary for them to even throw the tear gas in the first place,” Bryan said, adding that “it was a peaceful protest in which no one was getting harmed — it was only when police showed up and started harming the innocent.”
Bryan said he decided to go out and protest because “my parents can’t.” If ICE were to apprehend his mom and dad, he would be the only family member left to care for his little brother. “I wish no one has to go through the feeling of what tear gas feels like,” he said. “They treat us like we’re nobody.”
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr on Wednesday issued a warning to demonstrators this weekend that he would pursue “domestic terrorism” charges against anyone who got violent. The charge carries a prison term of five to 35 years.
“That’s crazy,” Bryan said about Carr’s warning, “you mean ‘violent’ like what the police did?”
Big crowds, calm at ‘No Kings’ rally
Earlier in the day, from 10 a.m. to noon, a crowd of at least 6,000 filled Liberty Plaza and Capitol Avenue in downtown Atlanta in front of the Georgia State Capitol building. Like many No Kings rallies nationwide — organized to protest President Trump’s extravagant, expensive Flag Day military parade — attendees went unbothered by law enforcement.
Colt Harwell, a cybersecurity professional and U.S. Air Force Veteran in his thirties who toted an American flag at the downtown event, blasted Lady Gaga out of portable speakers. He said it was his first time going to a demonstration, too.
He said he came out to “fight fascism” and that, “as a veteran, I signed up to serve all Americans — and that means upholding liberty and justice for all, not just some.”
Like Bryan, Harwell felt Carr’s warning to protestors “seems insane.”
“That makes no sense,” he said.
Others came to the downtown rally to protest Trump’s immigration policies. Jane Montoya, pregnant with her second child, said she worried about her family’s future. She said she came from a place of privilege because of her citizenship, and wanted to leverage it to help others. “It is nothing but luck that has been able to protect me,” she said.
Among many rally attendees, defending democracy was a key issue. “Our fundamental rights keep getting revoked,” demonstrator Rachana Gollapudi said.
where the f**k was Maga and all the other Trump supporters counter, protesting this g*****n crap