Type to search

Correction: Armed protesters at Decatur demonstration were not part of hate group

Crime and public safety Decatur

Correction: Armed protesters at Decatur demonstration were not part of hate group

[adsanity align=’aligncenter’ id=52694]

Members of the Black Revolutionaries walk during a peaceful Black Lives Matter demonstration in downtown Decatur June 3. Photo by Dean Hesse.
Share

 

This story has been updated. 

Decatur, GA — A Decaturish story about an armed group of protesters that attended a rally on June 3 contained an error.

During the demonstration, an armed black protester introduced themselves as a member of the “New Black Panthers.” Decaturish has a video of their remarks and there was a separate video posted to Twitter.

In the video, a member of the group said, “I just want to let everybody know that we are the new Black Panthers.”

However, during a rally on June 7, the group said that they are not part of the New Black Panthers, which is designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. A representative of the group who spoke to a Decaturish reporter at the June 7 rally said they are actually part of the Black Panthers Revolutionaries Atlanta Chapter.

When a reporter asked a member of the group why the group identified itself as the New Black Panthers at the previous rally, a spokesperson for the group said she actually said the group was “the newest Black Panther Party here in Atlanta.” The Black Panthers Revolutionaries are unaffiliated with the New Black Panther Party, she said.

The person Decaturish spoke to at the June 7 rally did not provide a name. Decaturish regrets this error and is undertaking a review to ensure a similar error never happens again.

Several people contacted Decaturish wanting more information about the group after our June 3 story ran but did not wish to be identified. Decaturish freelancers at the rally were unaware of the allegations against the New Black Panther Party until after the protest had ended and didn’t ask follow up questions of the group.

The group did not use any racist or bigoted rhetoric and was peacefully exercising its rights to bear arms during the June 3 and June 7 protests.

[adsanity id=”59104″ align=”alignleft” /] [adsanity id=”56211″ align=”alignright” /]

[adsanity id=”60706″ align=”alignleft” /] [adsanity id=”59208″ align=”alignright” /]

If you appreciate our work, please become a paying supporter. For as little as $3 a month, you can help us provide coverage of our local elections. To become a supporter, click here

Want Decaturish delivered to your inbox every day? Sign up for our free newsletter by clicking here

[adsanity id=”56022″ align=”aligncenter” /]

[adsanity id=”59106″ align=”alignleft” /]  [adsanity id=”60628″ align=”alignright” /]