Representative Park Cannon was forcibly escorted out of the state house.
After the arrest of Rep. Park Cannon D-Ga., To knock on the door while Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed an election bill this week, his attorney said Cannon is “shaken but resolved” by continue the fight for voting rights in Georgia and to erase his name.
Cannon faces charges of obstructing law enforcement and interrupting a general assembly session after she repeatedly knocked on Kemp’s office door while he kept a private broadcast of the signing of the bill. The 90-page bill adds new voting requirements for Georgia residents following the results of the 2020 election that turned blue traditionally red.
A viral video of Cannon, who is a black woman, was forcibly escorted out of the state house by Georgia state soldiers, even after she identified herself as a state representative , provoked national outrage. He argued that the public and other members of the General Assembly should be allowed to attend the event.
“It reminds us of the 50s and 60s in Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia and South Carolina,” Cannon’s lawyer Greg Griggs said. “But I think the governor needs to understand that we’re not going to stick to George Wallace-type tactics and we’re not going to respond the same way we were going to respond to George Wallace. So I think the rest of the country needs to look very hard at the tactics used in Georgia The Department of Justice needs to get involved The John Lewis Voting Rights Act needs to be passed to protect voting rights.And we need the Department of Justice to pick up on those tactics local and local government officials trying to silence voters and silence people “.
Griggs said Cannon was arrested in an area state lawmakers normally have access to, adding she did not expect police to capture her.
“He has access to all parts of the House of Commons and therefore there was no indication that the ceremony should have been closed. Many times, when a governor signs the laws that will go into law, he is open to the the public, the press and other members of the House of Representatives and the state Senate, “Griggs said.
Griggs told ABC News that Cannon plans to return Monday to the Georgia State Capitol to continue work. He also said the state of Georgia should expect a “prolonged legal fight” even if the charges are rejected.
“He will be doing the job that was chosen for his district and the people of Georgia. And as for the charges, they are just allegations at the moment. They must be proven out of a reasonable doubt.” dir Griggs.
“The constitution of the state of Georgia is quite clear that a duly elected representative cannot be detained during a session. This is a violation of the Constitution unless there are three exceptions: one would be a felony, two would be a violation of “Peace and three would be a betrayal. We believe that, based on the facts and evidence we have discovered so far, none of these exceptions apply,” he added.
Griggs said he and Cannon’s team are in contact with the district attorney’s office and are waiting for the charges to be reported.
He also said Kemp and Cannon have not spoken to each other since the incident, and that Kemp has not arrived. Griggs wouldn’t say if Cannon is apologized for.
President Joe Biden, Stacey Abrams, Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock, and other prominent Democrats have expressed support for Cannon, many sharing photographs comparing it to the civil rights protesters of the 1960s. When asked if that was his intention, Griggs said he is trying to “make sure the voices of voters in his district and the state of Georgia are amplified.”
Kemp has defended the bill and his decision to sign it into law and has continued to do so on Saturday on Fox News.
“Well, I can honestly look at the camera and ask my African American friends and other African Americans in Georgia to just find out what’s in the bill against the blank statement of this is Jim Crow or this is voter suppression or that’s racist – Because it’s not, ”Kemp said.
MaryAlice Parks contributed to this report.