ATLANTA (CBS46) – Surrounded by a bipartisan group of Georgian lawmakers, Governor Brian Kemp signed a bill officially repealing Georgia’s civil liability law on Monday afternoon.
Kemp hugged Ahmaud Arbery’s mother and sister, who attended the signing of the bill.
“We know a stroke of the pen cannot bring back what you lost, but today we pledge to take this step together in honor of Ahmaud,” Governor Kemp told Arbery’s family.
The reform comes two days after Arbery’s 27th birthday.
“I often think back to last year, Ahmaud’s birthday, we had just got an arrest, the one from McMichael about 24 hours earlier. I looked at it like a birthday present to Ahmaud. I also see the signing of this bill today as a birthday present for Ahmaud, ”Wanda Cooper-Jones told CBS46’s Hayley Mason as she spoke after the bill was signed.
Arbery’s tragic death, captured on video, quickly became a motivation for lawmakers to change Georgia Civil War-era law. The new law makes it illegal for individuals to arrest and arrest someone they suspect may have committed a crime.
“Rhi’s law makes Georgia the first state in the country to repeal the law to arrest its citizens,” Kemp said.
LT. Governor Geoff Duncan thanked Arbery’s mother for sharing her story with him as a bipartisan group of lawmakers greeted the family.
Attorney Lee Merritt praised the repeal of the 150-year-old law.
“It set the tone for what happened to Ahmaud, and that is something Mrs. Cooper Jones alleged under the federal claim that Ahmaud’s civil rights were violated,” Merritt told reporters at the State Capitol. “I think the repeal is proof of that,” he added.
Merritt says the men charged with Arbery’s murder will face federal hate crimes charges Tuesday. This week, too, the state will submit new applications in its murder cases.
“I think signing this bill will make people think before they take action,” said Cooper-Jones. “Unfortunately I had to lose my son this way, but with this bill, hopefully he will protect young men jogging on the street.”
In honor of Arbery’s birthday, Cooper-Jones launched the Ahmaud Arbery Foundation on Saturday. She says the goal is “to provide financial education, physical and mental well-being, and mentoring for mostly black and brown children ages 7-17”.
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