Invoking the name of a Black Brunswick area man who was shot and killed last year, the Georgia House unanimously voted to overhaul a Civil War-era state law that allows Georgians to arrest someone they suspect of committing a crime.
The citizen’s arrest law came under renewed scrutiny after it was cited by a prosecutor last year to justify not charging three white men involved in the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery.
The rollback of the law is a top priority of Gov. Brian Kemp, who said the overhaul strikes a critical balance between protecting the lives and livelihoods of our families, our friends and our neighbors, and preventing rogue vigilantism from threatening the security and God-given potential of all Georgians.
It passed by a 173-0 vote, an overwhelming show of support that surprised even veteran Capitol observers.