Protest at Waffle House headquarters in Norcross after Ala. woman's arrest
GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. - A peaceful protest took place at the Waffle House headquarters in Norcross Monday morning.
A group gathered in Gwinnett County following last week's arrest of a black woman at a restaurant in Saraland, Alabama, a suburb of Mobile. The protest came as the NAACP called for sit-ins across the country.
Police said they responded to the Saraland restaurant when employees called them reporting trouble with a woman who appeared drunk and had been asked to leave for bringing in what employees believed to be alcohol. When they arrived, witnesses told them that Chikesia Clemons had indicated she might have a gun and might shoot people. A video shows three police officers wrestling her to the floor and arresting her while she and a friend complained loudly.
Clemons is charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. She's free on $1,000 bail.
On Monday, FOX 5's Aungelique Proctor called the protest "unusual" because right in the middle of the group announcing what their demands are, Waffle House officials stepped outside, interrupted the news conference, then invited the protesters inside. A group of about 15 to 20 activists from various organizations all walked into the Waffle House corporate headquarters. Once inside, they watched a surveillance video from the Alabama Waffle House, before Clemons' controversial arrest.
"We are really standing and representing her here in the state of Georgia because that could have been my sister, or his sister," activist Nicky Purple proclaimed.
They had a list of demands for Waffle House, including dropping the charges against Clemons. They also asked that the surveillance video be released with audio, but Waffle House said there isn't sound.
Thirdly, they The restaurant to denounce the violence by police. The last demand includes disciplinary action being taken against the Waffle House employees involved in the Alabama incident. Waffle House officials responded by saying they'll have a position on that once the investigation is complete.