Georgia Coalition of Lawyers, Doctors and Community Leaders Requests Meeting with State’s Governor

One week into the reopening of the state of Georgia, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of Covid-19 cases and today a coalition of 65 organizations including community leaders, the American Medical Association, the NAACP, and the National Bar Association asked Republican Governor Brian Kemp for a meeting to discuss the impact of the virus on African Americans and other vulnerable populations.

“We were clear there needed to be at least a conversation before there is any legal engagement,” said C.K. Hoffler, President-elect of the National Bar Association which represents 65,000 African American attorneys. Hoffler lives in the Atlanta area which is home to three affiliate chapters of the organization.

She added, “As a trial lawyer, it’s always good to talk before you take it to court. That’s what we’re seeking now.”

The Georgia Coalition 2 Save Lives sent the letter via email to Governor Kemp last night. Kemp moved to reopen nonessential businesses in Georgia last week, touching off a national debate amid rising numbers of Covid-19 cases and deaths at a time when President Trump is pushing for the country to reopen as millions of Americans file for unemployment and local and state governments begin to tally budget shortfalls.

There are concerns that opening too soon will devastate some communities. African Americans have already been disproportionately impacted by the disease.

According to Forbes, “the risk of exposure to the coronavirus in Georgia increased by 40%” since the reopening. In Atlanta, pictures of crowds gathered outside a store to purchase Air Jordans and at Cinco de Mayo celebrations grabbed national headlines while Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms urged caution and spoke out against Kemp’s decision to reopen.

Bottoms tweeted, “For those who crowded at Greenbriar awaiting the new Jordans, gathered at Piedmont Pk, shot fireworks at the Mall West End & even those now shopping a Lennox Square Mall, know that the only that’s changed about Covid-19 is your chance of catching.”

Staying the Course

Ray Metoyer lives in the Atlanta area and has ventured from his home to the grocery store and Home Depot wearing a mask and gloves. He has watched news reports of crowds at the mall and in the park.

“As soon as they said, ‘You can come out…people started coming out,” Metoyer said. “Who is enforcing the restrictions for social distancing? Nobody.”

Because he fits the profile of the most susceptible to the disease, Metoyer, who is a 68-year-old African American man, has adhered to the guidelines.

He added “When they told us to stay home, I stayed home…working from home, working in the garden, waving at the neighbors as they go by. Going to the barbershop? I’m cutting my own hair.”

Polls show that most Americans support the measures to safeguard their lives by staying at home and are concerned about the safety of returning to the ordinary routines that defined life before the coronavirus.

“It’s one thing for the Governor to say, ‘I’m going to open back up,’” Metoyer said. “But, they gave them a set of rules to follow and they opened up the next day. What I want to know is, ‘Are these places being inspected.’ So, we are taking the word of people running businesses, that they are safe. This rush to open back up has been in violation of the very same things the President said they would have to do.”

Rural Georgia Impacted

The Georgia Coalition 2 Save Lives is also raising those questions. Outside the urban reach of Atlanta, there is considerable alarm as rural Georgia has seen an increase in cases and deaths.

“The value of all we have tried to do over the past two months will be lost because of this reopening,” said Francys Johnson, a Civil Rights attorney and a pastor in Statesboro, Georgia. Johnson implored the Governor to meet with coalition representatives.

“I don’t want to walk another family to the grave,” he said. “Do the right thing and yield…don’t stand on your pride. We want to find a better path for Georgia.”

Last week when the state reopened, Georgia 2 Save Lives staged a mock funeral procession. Mawuli Davis, one of the coalition organizers, said funeral home owners “felt some responsibility not to allow this to go without their input.”

The coalition is proposing a mandatory mask law with appropriate exceptions but declined to outline future steps.

Davis, who is also an attorney, stated, “We want to lead with hope…that the governor will honor the many men, women, children the coalition represents.”

The letter requests a response from Governor Kemp by Tuesday, May 12.