Violence is growing in Atlanta, so much so that Gov. Brian Kemp (R) signed off on the deployment of 1,000 National Guard troops to Atlanta. Over the Fourth of July weekend alone, at least 30 people were shot, with five confirmed fatalities, including Secoriea Turner, who was just 8 years old.
Georgia’s incumbent GOP Senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler condemned the violence and Turner’s tragic death, which was at the hands of mob violence.
These lawless, reckless actions are unacceptable. The violence has to stop. My heart goes out to the family of 8-year-old Secoriea Turner and others who lost a loved one this weekend. We are better than this and cannot continue on this destructive path. https://t.co/I4pvqgZ6DU
— David Perdue (@sendavidperdue) July 6, 2020
I’m also furious. I’m furious that elected officials with a radical agenda have decided to appease violent criminals instead of protecting the public. And I’m furious that these “leaders” refuse to support law enforcement at a time when they need it most. (2/6)
— Kelly Loeffler (@KLoeffler) July 6, 2020
The pair of Georgia Republicans both serve as fierce voices against the movement to “defund the police,” and with the growing violence in Atlanta, their point is well taken.
While Sen. Loeffler’s Democratic challenger, Rev. Raphael Warnock, offered his condolences to Turner’s family, Jon Ossoff, running to unseat Sen. Perdue, has yet to comment on the violent interaction that led to the death of an 8-year-old girl.
Ossoff’s silence on the death of an 8-year-old girl, at the hands of an activist mob, is staunchly different from his reaction to the recent death of Rayshard Brooks, who was killed by Atlanta Police. Brooks was stopped by law enforcement for a suspicion of driving under the influence, and after ultimately failing a breathalyzer test, grew violent with the involved police officers who eventually shot and killed him. While Brooks’s death was, indeed, tragic, the lives of the involved law enforcement officers were at risk. Ossoff called Brooks’s instance of driving under the influence a “victimless offense.”
While avoiding acknowledgement of Turner’s death, the Georgia Democrat did find time to baselessly attack Sen. Perdue for wanting to “rip away” health care and taking money from corporate donors. Ossoff seems to forget that he benefited from $75,000 in corporate donations, via various Leadership PACs, during his failed congressional bid in 2017.
Turner’s death involved no foul play by law enforcement, and thus does not fit Ossoff’s narrative. Condemning violence and the senseless death of a child should transcend party lines, and unify Republicans and Democrats. But yet again, Ossoff puts partisanship first.
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