Democratic state Sen. Nikema Williams of Georgia said Tuesday that she was arrested for protesting at the Georgia state Capitol because she was a black female.
Williams was arrested while attending a demonstration in Atlanta as a call for all ballots cast in the midterm elections to be counted. She was subsequently arrested after she “refused to leave the floor of [inside the capitol building” and was charged with misdemeanor obstruction of justice, according to NBC News.
Following her release from jail, Williams blamed her arrest on the fact that she was a black woman.
“I joined [the protesters] on the floor, and I was singled out as a black female senator,” said Williams. “I was singled out and arrested for standing with so many Georgians who are demanding that every vote be counted.”
“I am incredibly proud and will continue to stand with the citizens of Georgia to demand that their votes be counted,” Williams continued.
WATCH:
BREAKING: @NikemaForSenate just got released from jail after being arrested at today’s #counteveryvote rally at the Georgia Capitol. “I am incredibly proud and will continue to stand with the citizens of Georgia to demand that their votes be counted.” pic.twitter.com/SA5V3F1oAN
— Care In Action (@CareInActionUSA) November 14, 2018
Democratic state Rep. David Dreyer also implied that Williams was arrested because she was black. Dreyer told reporters he also went down to the rotunda where the protesters were located, but “for some reason, Sen. Williams was treated differently than [how he] was treated.” (RELATED: Georgia GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Misleadingly Accused Of Racist Voter Suppression … Again)
While not directly claiming the arrest was due to racism, he quickly pivoted into providing statistics regarding the unequal treatment of black individuals in the American criminal justice system. He went on to blame the high rate of arrests of black women on “the bias and the way that our laws are enforced.”
WATCH:
State Rep. David Dreyer speaks outside Fulton County jail about the detainment of @NikemaForSenate earlier today at the state Capitol during a #CountEveryVote protest pic.twitter.com/0EvKYaRNbk
— Maya T. Prabhu (@MayaTPrabhu) November 13, 2018
The protest was in response to the Georgia gubernatorial election, which is still being contested. Republican candidate Brian Kemp holds a slim lead over his Democratic challenger Stacey Abrams. The margin, although slim, is still wide enough to prevent a run-off election from occurring.
Send tips to molly@dailycallernewsfoundation.org
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.