ATLANTA — The Georgia lawmaker who was arrested after knocking on the door of the governor’s office is speaking out a day after the Fulton County district attorney declined to prosecute the case.
“Keep knocking,” that was the rallying cry that Representative Park Cannon repeated at the state Capitol.
Cannon gathered with supporters and talked about what she was thinking when she went up to the governor’s door.
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“I wanted to be in the room,” Cannon said. “I walked down to the governor’s office because as these men placed nooses around Black and brown voters’ necks, I wanted to be in the room.”
Police charged her with obstruction of law enforcement and disruption of the General Assembly. She was released from jail later that evening.
Cannon’s attorneys also said she is considering legal action against the state patrol, saying “all legal options are on the table.”
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Cannon thanked Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and her office “for the thorough and complete investigation of the facts... that led to the dismissal of the felony charges that I faced.”
“The joy that I feel for the dismissal of the charges I face is tempered by the fact that I should have never been arrested,” she said.
Cannon said she knocked that day so Kemp would see the disappointment on her face.
“I knocked on the door where my colleagues had gathered,” she said. “I wanted to be in the room.”
“I was not disruptive. I was persistent,” she said.
Here is the full statement from Willis:
“The office of the Fulton County District Attorney’s lawful duty is to investigate alleged felonies occurring in Fulton County and to prosecute when appropriate. This office takes seriously its duty to prosecute crimes of violence, particularly when committed against law enforcement officers.
In our investigation of the incidents leading to the arrest of Representative Park Cannon on March 25, 2021, we received full cooperation from multiple citizen witnesses who were willing to provide in person interviews about what they witnessed. We thank them for their assistance. We also received the cooperation of the Capitol Police, who provided statements, video evidence and multiple police reports in an expeditious manner.
After reviewing all of the evidence, I have decided to close this matter. It will not be presented to a grand jury for consideration of indictment, and it is now closed.
While some of Representative Cannon’s colleagues and the police officers involved may have found her behavior annoying, such sentiment does not justify a presentment to a grand jury of the allegations in the arrest warrants or any other felony charges.”
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