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| How Atlanta protesters shut down 'pro-white' demonstrators in Georgia | How Atlanta protesters shut down 'pro-white' demonstrators in Georgia |
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| One dusty black car that pulled up to a toll at Stone Mountain park on Saturday looked like any other about to sputter into the Georgia park, but its driver had a plan: she handed the attendant a penny, then a second, and a third, on her way to $15. At three tolls nearby, drivers did the same, locking cars in traffic as far as the eye could see. | One dusty black car that pulled up to a toll at Stone Mountain park on Saturday looked like any other about to sputter into the Georgia park, but its driver had a plan: she handed the attendant a penny, then a second, and a third, on her way to $15. At three tolls nearby, drivers did the same, locking cars in traffic as far as the eye could see. |
| As planned, that’s when the protest against “pro-white” and pro-Confederate demonstrators began. | As planned, that’s when the protest against “pro-white” and pro-Confederate demonstrators began. |
| Nearly 50 activists affiliated with Black Lives Matter and progressive groups jumped out of cars, unfurled banners against white supremacy, and passed out flyers to exasperated drivers, who honked horns and shouted obscenities. | Nearly 50 activists affiliated with Black Lives Matter and progressive groups jumped out of cars, unfurled banners against white supremacy, and passed out flyers to exasperated drivers, who honked horns and shouted obscenities. |
| “It’s 2016,” Shanda Neal, a 28-year-old activist said before the demonstration. “We should not be dealing with this same BS of racism, and prejudice. There’s no room for it. It should just be over.” | “It’s 2016,” Shanda Neal, a 28-year-old activist said before the demonstration. “We should not be dealing with this same BS of racism, and prejudice. There’s no room for it. It should just be over.” |
| Neal was a part of a coordinated effort to block visitors and a long-planned “pro-white” rally at the park, which is best known for a massive granite monument to three Confederate heroes, each of whom owned slaves. The population of Stone Mountain, the city that shares a name with the nearby park, is three-quarters black. | Neal was a part of a coordinated effort to block visitors and a long-planned “pro-white” rally at the park, which is best known for a massive granite monument to three Confederate heroes, each of whom owned slaves. The population of Stone Mountain, the city that shares a name with the nearby park, is three-quarters black. |
| Dueling demonstrations between people waving the Confederate flag and anti-racism protesters led to nine arrests and numerous clashes on Saturday, and marked a new chapter in a struggle over the symbols of the south. Since South Carolina removed the Confederate battle flag from its statehouse grounds last summer, supporters of the divisive symbol have rallied around Stone Mountain, one of their most treasured reminders of their heritage. | Dueling demonstrations between people waving the Confederate flag and anti-racism protesters led to nine arrests and numerous clashes on Saturday, and marked a new chapter in a struggle over the symbols of the south. Since South Carolina removed the Confederate battle flag from its statehouse grounds last summer, supporters of the divisive symbol have rallied around Stone Mountain, one of their most treasured reminders of their heritage. |
| A “pro-white” activist named Andrew, who declined to give his last name, travelled for 45 minutes from McDonough, Georgia, with his family to wave an oversized Confederate battle flag in a parking lot at the foot of the mountain. He said he did not hate people who are not white, though he conceded that some of his fellow demonstrators likely do. | A “pro-white” activist named Andrew, who declined to give his last name, travelled for 45 minutes from McDonough, Georgia, with his family to wave an oversized Confederate battle flag in a parking lot at the foot of the mountain. He said he did not hate people who are not white, though he conceded that some of his fellow demonstrators likely do. |
| But he argued that Confederate monuments must be preserved to protect his heritage, and that they could co-exist with memorials to civil rights heroes, like one of Martin Luther King Jr that was recently proposed for the top of Stone Mountain. | But he argued that Confederate monuments must be preserved to protect his heritage, and that they could co-exist with memorials to civil rights heroes, like one of Martin Luther King Jr that was recently proposed for the top of Stone Mountain. |
| Related: Is the Confederate flag a racist symbol? After Charleston, the debate rages on | Related: Is the Confederate flag a racist symbol? After Charleston, the debate rages on |
| “Enough is enough,” he said. “They took the rebel flag out of the [Stone Mountain] laser show and put Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King in it. I have no problem with them putting civil rights leaders in there. There’s nothing wrong with that. Make all the history you want to. Just don’t take my rebel flag out.” | “Enough is enough,” he said. “They took the rebel flag out of the [Stone Mountain] laser show and put Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King in it. I have no problem with them putting civil rights leaders in there. There’s nothing wrong with that. Make all the history you want to. Just don’t take my rebel flag out.” |
| He was one of about two dozen who rallied in sympathy for the Confederate cause, which organizers had hoped would draw more than 1,000 – organizer John Estes blamed the police and the media for the low turnout. The small rally did draw unaffiliated crowds, however: besides the counter-protesters, more than a hundred law enforcement officials, many in riot gear, were called to protect the protesters from each other. | He was one of about two dozen who rallied in sympathy for the Confederate cause, which organizers had hoped would draw more than 1,000 – organizer John Estes blamed the police and the media for the low turnout. The small rally did draw unaffiliated crowds, however: besides the counter-protesters, more than a hundred law enforcement officials, many in riot gear, were called to protect the protesters from each other. |
| For the counter-protesters, the rally seemed to be a key moment for their cause, considering how it came together. Like other cities around the country, Atlanta has a long history of civil rights work but found itself torn between the old and new guards. In recent years, young people have led some of Atlanta’s largest protests, including several that shut down the city’s main interstate. Often, though, the greater public has failed to hear a singular message due to disunity and a lack of planning. | For the counter-protesters, the rally seemed to be a key moment for their cause, considering how it came together. Like other cities around the country, Atlanta has a long history of civil rights work but found itself torn between the old and new guards. In recent years, young people have led some of Atlanta’s largest protests, including several that shut down the city’s main interstate. Often, though, the greater public has failed to hear a singular message due to disunity and a lack of planning. |
| Stone Mountain would be different, activists decided. They would coordinate a plan to thwart the rally as effectively as possible. | Stone Mountain would be different, activists decided. They would coordinate a plan to thwart the rally as effectively as possible. |
| The progressive advocacy group Rise Up Georgia, for instance, not only opted to block the park entrance but wanted to inform visitors that the park’s board had permitted white supremacists to rally in the heart of a majority-black town. | The progressive advocacy group Rise Up Georgia, for instance, not only opted to block the park entrance but wanted to inform visitors that the park’s board had permitted white supremacists to rally in the heart of a majority-black town. |
| The morning of the rally, roughly 50 activists gathered inside a nondescript warehouse in Atlanta to run over the nuts and bolts of their demonstration. In the center of the room, Rise Up Georgia cofounder Nelini Stamp divvied out the roles – penny handlers, sign holders, legal watchers, medics and even traffic directors – and ran through the responsibilities of each. The group was diverse not just in terms of race, but in age too, spanning at least five decades. | |
| No detail was spared: organizers handed out yellow armbands to identify members of their group, encouraged participants to write down a legal hotline number on their arms in case of arrest, practiced hand signals to communicate amid the chaos, and doled out bags of change to the drivers. Once they finished, nearly two dozen drivers caravanned, staying in constant contact on a conference call line, to ensure they were all in sync. | No detail was spared: organizers handed out yellow armbands to identify members of their group, encouraged participants to write down a legal hotline number on their arms in case of arrest, practiced hand signals to communicate amid the chaos, and doled out bags of change to the drivers. Once they finished, nearly two dozen drivers caravanned, staying in constant contact on a conference call line, to ensure they were all in sync. |
| “We will be there as long as possible,” Stamp told protesters. | “We will be there as long as possible,” Stamp told protesters. |
| Both protests disrupted the plans of Georgians who wanted to enjoy the natural beauty of their state park. A month ago, the faculty of Peachtree Ridge high school, a diverse, 1,500-student school in Suwanee, relocated its prom from a hotel in the park for fear of the rallies. Visitors who arrived on Saturday left disappointed: officials shut down tours and the park’s gondola lift and the gift shop, and canceled the laser light show on that giant Confederate sculpture. | Both protests disrupted the plans of Georgians who wanted to enjoy the natural beauty of their state park. A month ago, the faculty of Peachtree Ridge high school, a diverse, 1,500-student school in Suwanee, relocated its prom from a hotel in the park for fear of the rallies. Visitors who arrived on Saturday left disappointed: officials shut down tours and the park’s gondola lift and the gift shop, and canceled the laser light show on that giant Confederate sculpture. |
| “We’ve never had this issue before,” said Stone Mountain police spokesperson John Bankhead, who could not recall a time when another protest had shut down the park. “We want to keep people safe.” | “We’ve never had this issue before,” said Stone Mountain police spokesperson John Bankhead, who could not recall a time when another protest had shut down the park. “We want to keep people safe.” |
| After driving an hour from Dallas, Georgia, Brittany Buchanan had hoped to arrive at the park early to prepare for her son’s sixth birthday party. She got stuck outside due to the protesters, and shouted her frustrations at the Black Lives Matter activists who blocked her way. | After driving an hour from Dallas, Georgia, Brittany Buchanan had hoped to arrive at the park early to prepare for her son’s sixth birthday party. She got stuck outside due to the protesters, and shouted her frustrations at the Black Lives Matter activists who blocked her way. |
| The pro-Confederate protesters “are wrong”, she yelled from the passenger seat of her car, but nothing, not even “the KKK”, would stop her family from having its weekend. | The pro-Confederate protesters “are wrong”, she yelled from the passenger seat of her car, but nothing, not even “the KKK”, would stop her family from having its weekend. |
| “You know what?” she asked the activists. “Your life matters, my life matters, the Mexican lives matter, Chinese lives matter. Every single one of them. You need to be screaming all lives matters. Nobody is above anybody!” | “You know what?” she asked the activists. “Your life matters, my life matters, the Mexican lives matter, Chinese lives matter. Every single one of them. You need to be screaming all lives matters. Nobody is above anybody!” |
| Khalid Kamau, an organizer with Black Lives Matter’s Atlanta chapter, said such moments make a protest successful. By shutting down one of Georgia’s biggest attractions – the park draws nearly 11,000 people on an average day – Georgians can no longer ignore the debate over symbols of hatred. | Khalid Kamau, an organizer with Black Lives Matter’s Atlanta chapter, said such moments make a protest successful. By shutting down one of Georgia’s biggest attractions – the park draws nearly 11,000 people on an average day – Georgians can no longer ignore the debate over symbols of hatred. |
| “Either you support white supremacist groups having rallies here at this memorial to the Confederacy or you don’t,” he said. “If you’re not fighting against Stone Mountain park, then you’re automatically supporting it.” | “Either you support white supremacist groups having rallies here at this memorial to the Confederacy or you don’t,” he said. “If you’re not fighting against Stone Mountain park, then you’re automatically supporting it.” |
| In that regard, the careful coordination of Saturday’s counter-protest was evidence of the burgeoning movement’s maturation. | In that regard, the careful coordination of Saturday’s counter-protest was evidence of the burgeoning movement’s maturation. |
| “Everyone has a role to play,” Neal said. “Us being out there, confronting them, calling them on their bullshit, it may change some people’s minds. We’re all human beings who want to live comfortably, have a good life, and live the ‘American dream’. People have to wake up.” | “Everyone has a role to play,” Neal said. “Us being out there, confronting them, calling them on their bullshit, it may change some people’s minds. We’re all human beings who want to live comfortably, have a good life, and live the ‘American dream’. People have to wake up.” |