Governor Brian Kemp ordered 1,000 members of the National Guard to deploy to Atlanta, citing the mayor’s failure “to quell ongoing violence with armed individuals threatening citizens”.
Atlanta has seen over 75 shootings in the past few weeks.
Kemp, who is Republican, declared a state of emergency in Atlanta on Monday after 8-year-old Secoreia Turner was fatally shot while riding in a car with her mother and a friend near the Wendy’s where Rayshard Brooks was killed last month.
Mayor Bottoms was accused of ignoring the armed Black Lives Matter protesters guarding the burned out Wendy’s where Brooks died.
In an emotional press conference on Monday, Mayor Bottoms blamed Black Lives Matter activists for the little girl’s death.
“You cant blame this on a police officer. You can’t say this about criminal justice reform,” Bottoms said. “This is about some people carrying some weapons who shot up a car with an 8-year-old baby in the car for what?!?
“Enough is enough,” Bottoms continued. “If you want people to take us seriously and you don’t want us to lose this movement, we can’t lose each other.”
On ABC’s Good Morning America, Mayor Bottoms was asked if she requested the National Guard to control the protests which turned violent.
“No. An irony of that is that I asked Governor Kemp to allow us to mandate masks in Atlanta and he said no,” she said. “But he has called in the National Guard without asking if we needed the National Guard.
“So, I understand if he wants to protect state buildings. We have been coordinating with the Georgia State Patrol — which we do on any number of occasions… But at no time was it mentioned that anyone felt that there was the need for the National Guard to come in.”
On Monday afternoon Bottoms tweeted that she and her husband had tested positive for COVID-19. She said she had no symptoms.
Gov. Kemp does not plan to mandate mask-wearing in the state of Georgia.
