ATLANTA (CBS46) - Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has ordered police officers not to enforce Georgia’s anti-mask law.
This comes after CBS46 reported African Americans could be racially profiled by simply following the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s face covering recommendation. The law has been temporarily suspended on the state level, which means in Georgia, covering your face is legal for the time being.
Under normal Georgia law, Attorney Gerald Griggs said a person can face up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine for covering their face.
According to the law, the only exceptions are Halloween costumes, sports, theater production and gas mask for emergencies.
“I don’t really see any exceptions for the public health issue,” said Griggs.
State Senator Donzella James said she tried to make that change in 2000, but her amendment didn’t’ pass the House or Senate.
“They said criminals would do anything to commit a crime and they would cover their faces with whatever they had and whatever was legal,” said State Senator James.
Twenty years later, CBS46 took the issue to the executive branch and got results.
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