Business Leaders Call on Georgia Legislature to Enact Hate Crimes Law Following Ahmaud Arbery's Death

Major corporations and business leaders in Georgia have voiced their support for new hate crimes legislation in the southern state, urging legislators to pass such measures in the wake of the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery.

The letter was signed by about 70 business leaders and corporate executives. Executives from BlackRock, Coca-Cola Co., Delta Air Lines, Home Depot, Georgia-Pacific, Georgia Power and UPS were among those who signed the letter, along with executives from the Metro Atlanta Chamber and the Georgia Chamber of Commerce. It was posted online to a new website created to support the passage of hate crimes legislation.

"Georgia is annually hailed as one of the 'Best places to do business,' and in order to maintain that reputation, and encourage prospective companies to locate here and workers to live here, we must also be in the business of advancing policies that support the positive change and social impact our communities need in order to build a more just and inclusive world," the letter said.

"As the General Assembly goes back into session, we write to urge you to support, approve and sign into law a comprehensive, specific and clear bill against hate crimes. We must all stand strong and united against targeted violence and bigotry," it said.

State Representative Chuck Efstration, a Democrat, pushed for the passage of new hate crimes legislation in May, following outcry over Arbery's killing. Georgia is one of just four states in the U.S. without such legislation. A previous law concerning hate crimes was ruled unconstitutional by the state's Supreme Court in 2004.

"For two years, I have been working to pass a hate crimes law in Georgia," Efstration, who chairs the Georgia's House Judiciary Non-Civil Committee, said in a May 7 statement. "Speaker David Ralston made this bipartisan bill a priority in the Georgia House of Representatives last year, and I am calling on the State Senate to pass House Bill 426 as soon as possible."

The legislation was passed in the state House in 2019, but it has remained stuck in committee in the Georgia Senate since then. With the killing of Arbery and George Floyd, both of whom were black men, drawing national outcry, supporters are hopeful that public pressure will lead to the bill's passage when the state legislature goes back into session next week.

Georgia's Governor Brian Kemp, a Republican, suggested in May that he was open to backing the legislation. He said that "conversations about legislation are already underway, and we will work through the process when the General Assembly reconvenes," the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

Newsweek reached out to Kemp and Efstration for comment, but they did not respond by the time of publication.

Arbery, who was 25, was shot and killed as he was jogging in Brunswick, Georgia, on February 23. But the case did not draw national attention until a video of the killing went viral online in early May. Celebrities and lawmakers from across the political spectrum quickly condemned the killing and called for justice to be served. Travis and Gregory McMichael, a son and father, have been arrested as has William "Roddie" Bryan Jr., who filmed the incident, over the killing. The McMichaels have said that they believed Arbery was a burglar.

A few weeks after Arbery's death drew national outcry, the death of George Floyd on May 25 led to nationwide demonstrations against what many see to be systemic racism in policing and the U.S. justice system. Floyd died after he was detained by police in Minneapolis for allegedly attempting to use a counterfeit $20 bill.

A video of Floyd's arrest circulated widely online, showing white police officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on his neck for nearly nine minutes as Floyd said: "I can't breathe." Floyd was declared dead a short time later at a nearby hospital. Chauvin and three other officers involved with the incident have been fired and criminally charged over Floyd's death. An independent autopsy concluded that Floyd died due to Chauvin's actions.