ATL Journal-Constitution: “Protesters on Tuesday called on Gov. Brian Kemp to immediately address deadly conditions, understaffing and medical neglect inside the state prison system.
Waving “Incarcerated Lives Matter” signs and posters with pictures of their loved ones, the protesters jammed onto the sidewalk across from the Governor’s Mansion hoping to get Kemp’s attention.
The Human and Civil Rights Coalition of Georgia, which works on behalf of people incarcerated across the state, said Kemp has failed to take action in spite of crisis-level conditions and widespread corruption in prisons across the state.
“What do we want?” Brian Randolph, the coalition executive director shouted to the crowd. “Justice!” the protesters responded.
Some protesters shared their stories of loss, including Carrie Proffitt, who said her son died in prison this year and she’s still waiting to find out why. “We shouldn’t be bringing them home in caskets,” she told the crowd.
The protest played out in the wake of Sunday’s death of Correctional Officer Robert Clark. Prison officials said Clark, 42, died shortly after being attacked by a prisoner armed with a homemade weapon at Smith State Prison in Glennville, a troubled facility with a history of violence and corruption.”