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Atlanta Police Officer Levels With Protestors, Goes Viral

Lizzy Buczak
May 30, 2020 - 4:57 pm

With tensions running high over the death of George Floyd, an African American man killed while in police custody, protests have broken out nationwide. 

While many have quickly escalated from peaceful to violent, one exchange between a police officer and protestors in Atlanta is going viral for all the right reasons. 

In the video, Officer Z. Murphy is seen relating to the protestors explaining that what’s happening in the world also affects his family. 

"I have a son who's 31, I have a son who's 15, alright, and I have to have these conversations with him all the time," he told the crowd explaining that they are all on the same side and share a lot in common including the disapproval of police brutality towards African Americans. 


He then defended shutting down some violent protestors in a different part of the city while acknowledging that he supports the peaceful and non-violent protestors and understands where they’re coming from. 

"What was going on up here was wrong, that's why we brought it to a stop. The loudspeaker, the yakking, and the yapping."

"We said pause, let these people remain here, let them stay on the street, let them express their grievances because you have a right to be p***** off," he added evoking cheers from the crowd. 

When another protestor responded that his fellow officers within the Atlanta Police Department needed that kind of energy, he explained, "one at a time, my brother, one at a time.”

The video was taken during the day when the protests were mostly peaceful. They eventually took a violent turn with bottles and bricks thrown through building windows and into the air at police. 

Looting was reported at Lenox Mall in Buckhead, stores were hit, and police cars were burned.