Protest updates: Atlanta police officer won't be 'state's witness,' lawyers say; Senate Republicans push police reform

Lorenzo Reyes, Jessica Flores and Joshua Bote, USA TODAY
·12 min read

Fulton County District Attorney Paul L. Howard Jr., announced charges in the death of Rayshard Brooks, a 27-year-old Black man who was shot by police outside a Wendy's in Atlanta. Former police officer Garrett Rolfe was charged Wednesday with felony murder and, if convicted, faces the possibility of life in prison or the death penalty.

The second officer at the scene, Devin Brosnan, is facing three lesser charges. Howard said Brosnan was willing to testify against Rolfe, however attorney's for Brosnan disputed the assertion.

Senate Republicans introduced a sweeping police reform package, while Quaker Oats plans to rename and remove all images of a Black woman from the Aunt Jemima pancake and syrup company.

The Republican bill calls for an increase in transparency in registering use-of-force incidents and encourages a ban on police chokeholds. House Democrats are pushing through with their own bill that calls for mandatory dashboard and body cameras for police officers, an end to chokeholds, and the creation of a national registry to track officers with a record of misconduct.

A closer look at some recent developments:

  • The mayor of Charleston, South Carolina, announced plans to remove a statue of slavery advocate John C. Calhoun.

  • A police department in Jonesboro, Georgia, has released bodycam footage, surveillance video and 911 audio calls after a bystander posted video on social media that showed a police officer holding five Black teenagers at gunpoint.

  • In Richmond, Virginia, a statue of tennis icon and activist Arthur Ashe was defaced with spray paint. The statue is located on Monument Avenue, which also is the site of five monuments related to the Confederacy.

  • The University of Nevada, Las Vegas removed its "Hey Reb!" statue from campus.

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Atlanta officer won't be 'state's witness' against Garrett Rolfe; lawyers dispute DA's claim

Attorneys for officer Devin Brosnan refuted Fulton County District Attorney Paul L. Howard Jr.’s assertion that Brosnan would be a “state’s witness” in the case against Garrett Rolfe.

Howard said during his press conference that Brosnan had agreed to testify against Rolfe, charged with 11 counts including felony murder in the shooting death of Rayshard Brooks.

Attorney Amanda R. Clark Palmer told USA TODAY in an email Brosnan cooperated with the DA’s office when he was interviewed Tuesday, “just like he will cooperate with the GBI or any agency conducting an investigation into Mr. Brooks’s death.”

She called Howard’s decision to charge Brosnan “irrational” and said “there is no agreement between Mr. Brosnan and the DA’s office for Mr. Brosnan to be a ‘state’s witness.’”

In a separate statement, attorney Don Samuel called the charge against Brosnan a “rush to misjudgment.”

Samuel said, “Brosnan’s conduct Friday night was exemplary.” Samuel added Brosnan’s “head hit the pavement and he suffered a concussion” in the struggle with Brooks.

—Jordan Culver and Steve Kiggins

Fired Atlanta police officer Garrett Rolfe charged with felony murder in shooting of Rayshard Brooks

Former Atlanta police officer Garrett Rolfe was charged Wednesday with felony murder in the killing of Rayshard Brooks, the latest in a string of Black people dying after altercations with police. He is charged with 10 other counts, including multiple counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

If convicted, Rolfe is facing the possibility of life in prison or the death penalty.

Arrest warrants have been issued for Rolfe and officer Devin Brosnan, who was also at the scene and is facing three charges.

Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard said that Brosnan acknowledged standing on Brooks' body after the shooting, for which the officer has been charged. The District Attorney's office is recommending a $50,000 bond for Brosnan, and no bond for Rolfe.

Brooks, 27, was shot outside of a Wendy's restaurant after police responded to a call late Friday night that a car was not moving in the drive-thru line, forcing other customers to drive around it. When police arrived, they found Brooks sleeping in the car. They questioned him and administered a field sobriety test.

After he failed, they attempted to handcuff Brooks, he resisted and wrestled a Taser away from an officer. As he fled, Rolfe fired his gun and hit Brooks twice. He was taken to the hospital, where he died after surgery.

The Fulton County Medical Examiner's office ruled Brooks' death a homicide Sunday night.

Protests against racial inequality and police brutality, which were already ongoing across the nation following the deaths of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky, regained momentum in Georgia's capital city after Brooks' death. The Wendy's restaurant was burned down late Saturday night and set ablaze again Sunday.

— Jorge L. Ortiz

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Senate GOP to introduce police reform bill

Senate Republicans on Wednesday introduced a sweeping police reform package, the GOP's legislative response to George Floyd's death and nationwide protests over police brutality and racism.

The bill, led by Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) — the chamber's lone Black Republican — included measures aimed at increasing transparency at police agencies and use-of-force incidents while also encouraging departments to ban chokeholds and utilize body cameras through federal grants.

While the legislation is expected to have broad support from Republicans, House Democrats on Wednesday are moving forward on their own bill that goes further and would end some police practices that have been factors in recent high-profile deaths of Black people and take away protections that shield officers from lawsuits after misconduct.

The House on Wednesday will be examining the Democratic proposal in the House Judiciary Committee and considering any changes before the chamber votes on it likely next week. The Senate, similarly, could vote on its bill next week.

– Christal Hayes

John C. Calhoun statue may come down 5 years after church shooting in Charleston

Five years after churchgoers at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, were shot and killed by a white supremacist, Mayor John Tecklenburg announced Wednesday that he is calling for the relocation of the monument honoring slavery advocate John C. Calhoun. The statue in Marion Square could be moved to a local museum or other academic institution. The resolution will be up at the next city council meeting Tuesday.

Tecklenburg said the state's Heritage Act, which requires a two-thirds vote of the General Assembly to alter historic structures, does not apply because the Calhoun statue is not a war memorial. The Charleston City Council, he added, has the authority to remove the statue because it’s on public ground.

— Carol Motsinger, Greenville News

Statue of Arthur Ashe in Richmond defaced with 'White Lives Matter' spray paint

A statue of tennis legend Arthur Ashe was spray painted with the words "White Lives Matter" and "WLM" on Wednesday in Richmond, Virginia.

Ashe is the only Black man to win Wimbledon and the U.S. and Australian Opens. Throughout his career and afterward, Ashe fought for racial equality and civil rights, notably the movement to end apartheid in South Africa. He died in 1993.

The statue of Ashe was one of six on Monument Avenue in Richmond. The other five monuments commemorated the Confederacy, including Robert E. Lee, Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, Jefferson Davis, J.E.B. Stuart and Matthew Fontaine Maury. Protesters toppled the Davis statue last week.

After days of protests over racial inequality and police brutality, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam ordered the Lee statue removed "as soon as possible" on June 3. Mayor Levar Stoney later said he will propose the removal of the other Confederate statues.

– Chris Bumbaca

Bystander video shows Georgia officer holding Black teenagers at gunpoint

A police department in Jonesboro, Georgia, has released bodycam footage, surveillance video and 911 audio calls after a bystander video posted on social media showed a police officer holding five Black teenagers at gunpoint as several passers-by stop and plead with the officer not to shoot.

Two 911 calls alleged that the teens were fighting outside a convenience store and had a gun. According to the bodycam footage, as soon as the officer spots the teenagers, who were walking down a road, he gets out of his car, immediately draws his gun and shouts at them: "Stop, all of y'all stop! Get your hands up!" and asks the teens to walk toward him.

"Due to the allegation that the juveniles were in possession of a gun, the officer approached them with his duty weapon drawn and pointed at the juveniles," the Clayton County Police Department said in a statement, according to CNN.

The bystanders plead with the officer, saying things like: "They're kids" and "They're babies."

According to the bodycam footage, the officer has his gun drawn for more than four minutes until backup arrives and they search the teenagers. The officer then questions the teenagers, who told him that they were "play fighting."

The surveillance footage shows a few of the teenagers shadow boxing in a parking lot and tossing about what appears to be a handgun. The teens told the officer it was a BB gun and the footage shows the officers trying to retrieve it after one of the teens said he threw it in bushes near the store.

CNN reported that no arrests were made and no charges were filed.

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Netflix CEO Reed Hastings and wife Patty Quillin donate $120 million to HBCUs

In what became the largest-ever individual contribution to Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Netflix co-founder and CEO Reed Hastings and his wife, Patty Quillin, donated $120 million to the United Negro College Fund, Spelman College and Morehouse College.

Each institution will receive $40 million. The contribution will provide annual tuition and room and board to 20 first-year students.

"HBCUs have a tremendous record, yet are disadvantaged when it comes to giving," Hastings and Quillin said in a statement. "Generally, White capital flows to predominantly White institutions, perpetuating capital isolation. We hope this additional $120 million donation will help more Black students follow their dreams and also encourage more people to support these institutions - helping to reverse generations of inequity in our country."

Quaker Oats to rebrand Aunt Jemima to remove 'racial stereotype'; Uncle Ben's rice brand will 'evolve'

Quaker Oats announced Wednesday that the Aunt Jemima brand, which features a Black woman in its logo, will get a new name and logo.

The Quaker Oats-owned company said Wednesday that the iconic Aunt Jemima figure on its packaging is "based on a racial stereotype" and acknowledged that its prior work to update the character was "not enough."

"We will continue the conversation by gathering diverse perspectives from both our organization and the Black community to further evolve the brand," said Kristin Kroepfl, vice president and chief marketing officer of Quaker Foods North America, in a statement sent to USA TODAY. The move was first reported by NBC News and AdWeek.

Quaker Oats said the new packaging will hit shelves in the fall, with a new name for the brand to be announced at a later date.

Hours later, Mars Inc. announced that the Uncle Ben's rice brand would "evolve" to remove the image of a Black man as its logo.

"As a global brand, we know we have a responsibility to take a stand in helping to put an end to racial bias and injustices," Mars said in a statement. "As we listen to the voices of consumers, especially in the Black community, and to the voices of our Associates worldwide, we recognize that now is the right time to evolve the Uncle Ben’s brand, including its visual brand identity, which we will do."

Mars said it didn't know what the exact change would be or the timing of it, but that it is "evaluating all possibilities."

Car driven into protesters in Portland, strikes three in hit-and-run

Protests raged on in downtown Portland, Oregon, again late Tuesday night. A little after 1 a.m., police say a car hit a group of demonstrators and three people were taken to the hospital.

"The vehicle struck several demonstrators and left at a high rate of speed, driving the wrong way on streets," police said in a statement. "It appeared to be followed by several other vehicles that were associated with the protesters."

All injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

Air support officers tracked the driver's location and eventually arrested Anthony Eaglehorse-Lassandro, 27, who was charged with three counts of felony hit and run, reckless driving and possession of a controlled substance.

More on protests

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rayshard Brooks officer charged with murder; Senate Republicans reform