A 2022 interview with The Atlantic is drawing fresh attention in Georgia’s governor’s race, after Democratic nominee and former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms described anti-riot legislation as “really silly” and “asinine.”
Bottoms made the comments shortly after leaving office. She had announced in the summer of 2021 that she would not seek reelection as Atlanta’s mayor, a tenure that coincided with a sharp rise in murders and crime during the 2020 nationwide social justice protests.
Asked by The Atlantic, “What do you make of these proposals to stiffen penalties for public protest that become unruly or violent?” Bottoms responded by calling such proposals “really silly.”
“And it really takes away from the real conversation and the need to have some real dialogue, some meaningful dialogue, on why people are in our streets protesting. Let’s have a conversation about the open carry law in Georgia and how protesters can walk with AK-47s down the street, and there’s no penalty for that. That scares me more than 100 college students protesting peacefully in the street.”
She went on to argue that the unrest in the summer of 2020 reflected a broader national reckoning that demanded reform rather than new criminal penalties.
“I think when we peel back and we look at why were people in the streets in the summer of 2020, it was because we were witnessing something that we had never witnessed as a country as whole in my lifetime, and it was a need for a conversation and for real reform.”
Bottoms also tied the issue to the stakes of down-ballot voting, saying residents need to pay closer attention to state and local races, not just the presidency.
“I hope that when you see policies and laws like that introduced wherever you are, it is this reminder of why elections matter. It’s not enough that we show up and we vote for the president. We gotta show up each and every time when that state senator, when that local representative is on the ballot. Because if not, we have people speaking for us and setting laws for us that are completely asinine and not at all in touch with where we are and where we need to be as a country.”
Context: a bill that later became law
At the time of the interview, Georgia lawmakers were pushing legislation that would have increased criminal penalties for rioters who block roadways or cause other disorder. That particular bill failed, but a similar measure was ultimately signed into law in 2026. Other states, including Florida, have passed comparable laws aimed at discouraging unlawful conduct during riots.
The current race
Bottoms is now facing Republican billionaire health care executive Rick Jackson in Georgia’s gubernatorial contest. According to RealClear Polling averages, Jackson holds a narrow 1.6-point lead over Bottoms heading into the race.
Add comment