If you're Black, Brown, poor, or not a cop, Georgia does not care about you. HB 838 and SB 402 shows how Georgia continues to be hostile to people of color and poor people when it protects the police.

You can fight back to protect our people with SONG and our coalition partners by taking action:

• Sign the petition telling Gov. Kemp to veto HB 838 & SB 402 at https://bit.ly/VetoKemp

Veto HB 838: "Anti-Black Lives Matter Bill"

While Governor Kemp was praised for signing a hate crimes bill after more than 15 years without one, the Republican Georgia Legislature passed HB 838, which makes it near impossible to hold cops accountable for the crimes they commit. Further, during a time of historical protests calling to defund the police, Georgia instead seeks to punish people protesting police violence. HB 838 goes so far as to make any perceived threat or intimidation against a police officer a hate crime. Any word or action deemed to have targeted cops or other first responders would be punishable by increased fines and jail time. In its opposition to the bill, the Southern Center for Human Rights notes, "There was no need to increase punishments for people who commit crimes against first responders because Georgia law already provided adequate protections as well as enhanced penalties when first responders are the victims of crime."

HB 838 would make cops less accountable and give them unnecessary protections. Police contracts already endow them with excessive rights when they are under investigation, including:

• Not being questioned until all other witnesses have been interrogated;
• Receiving a copy of every question and statement made by other witnesses before being interrogated themselves; and,
• Getting paid for the length of the investigation.

Demand Brian Kemp stop protecting cops and punishing people exercising the right to protest. Sign this petition and demand he veto HB 838 NOW!
 

Veto SB 402: "Bad Bail Bill"

While across the nation Republicans and Democrats alike are calling for criminal justice reform, the Georgia Legislature has instead rolled back past reforms and passed SB 402. If signed into law, this bill would make the cash bail process permanent and make it impossible for poor folks to get out of jail. SB 402 proposes changes to a cash bail process that already unjustly targets Black, Brown, and poor people. For people who don't have the money to buy their freedom, this bill would lead to prolonged jail sentences.
 

Remember 

1. Sign the petition at https://bit.ly/VetoKemp