Press Release: Democratic Candidates for Gwinnett County Sheriff and District Attorney Face-Off in Virtual Forum Tonight
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: April 9, 2020
CONTACT:
Susana Flores (915) 525 2434 susana@communicationsshop.us
Aisha Yaqoob Mahmood (404)-313-6199 aisha@asianamericanadvocacyfund.org,
Democratic Candidates for Gwinnett County Sheriff and District Attorney Face-Off in Virtual Forum Tonight
Candidates to Discuss Criminal and Immigrant Justice Policies
Gwinnett County, GA, April 9, 2020—Gwinnett County candidates for sheriff and district attorney will convene in a virtual, online forum today, Thursday, April 9, to discuss their platforms and address criminal and immigrant justice issues. The forum is hosted by a coalition of community organizations advocating for criminal justice reform and an end to the facilitation of federal immigration enforcement by Gwinnett County officials.
Candidates for district attorney iPatsy Austin-Gaston and Wesley Person, and candidates for sheriff include Curtis Clemmons, Ben Haynes, Keybo Taylor, and Floyd Scott will participate in today’s forum.
What: Gwinnett County Sheriff and District Attorney Criminal and Immigrant Justice Candidate Forum
Where: Online
When: TODAY, Thursday, April 9, 2020, at 6:30 pm ET
RSVP: https://secure.everyaction.com/eKc7maPKR0-8bSv47nnHXg2
Facebook Live: https://www.facebook.com/asianaaf
Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/488581465176537/
This evening’s forum is organized by a coalition of organizations that represent Black and immigrant residents and their interests, including the Asian-American Advocacy Fund, the New Georgia Project Action Fund, Georgia Equality, Poder Latinx, and others. The forum will provide voters their first opportunity to hear how the candidates will work to eliminate the disproportionate impacts of policing and immigration enforcement on their communities.
Participants will learn about the candidates and ask questions during the online forum despite current COVID-19 health restrictions which have severely restricted traditional political campaigning. Residents can join the forum via Facebook Live and can submit questions for the candidates in the RSVP form.
The race for sheriff centers on who will replace Sheriff Butch Conway, who declined to run for reelection. Conway has made the Sheriff’s Office a focus of controversy through his ties to a local white supremacy group and through his vocal support for a program that allows his department to use local resources to carry out federal immigration enforcement. With both Republican candidates vowing to carry on Conway’s legacy, the four Democratic candidates are vying to convince voters that they are best positioned to turn the page on his anti-immigrant and anti-criminal-justice-reform policies.
The race for DA meanwhile features two Democratic challengers looking to replace incumbent Danny Porter, who is running for re-election as a Republican. Porter has resisted criminal justice reform efforts and has been criticized for pushing for harsh punishments, such as the case of a woman with a potential brain injury or mental health issue who was sentenced to the death penalty.
Following Gwinnett’s overwhelming vote for Stacey Abrams in 2018, the Republican hold on both seats appears vulnerable. The county’s demographics have shifted rapidly in recent years, making the candidates’ abilities to appeal to minority and immigrant communities crucial for their path to victory. In 2019, 44% of Gwinnett’s registered voters were black, Hispanic or Asian.
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About the Asian American Advocacy Fund:
The Asian American Advocacy Fund is a 501(c)4 social welfare organization dedicated to building a politically-conscious, engaged and progressive Asian American base in Georgia. Through a combination of policy advocacy at local, state, and federal levels, and by supporting candidates that believe in our values, we fight to create a better Georgia for us all.
About the New Georgia Project Action Fund
The mission of the New Georgia Project Action Fund (NGPAF) is to increase civic participation of underrepresented & underserved communities of color.
Achieving the mission of NGPAF starts with engagement in local and state political processes. In doing so, we amplify the voice of progressive-minded Gen-Xers and Millennials - providing them with political education, encouragement to use their power to identify issues, and knowledge of how to affect change.
About the Poder Latinx
Poder Latinx mission is to build a political wave of voters where the Latinx community, immigrants, and people of color play a key role in the transformation of the country and become decision-makers in our democracy. Through innovative partnerships, issue-based organizing and leadership development, Poder Latinx is rapidly expanding the U.S electorate with new and low propensity Latinx voters. In its first six months, Poder Latinx registered 30,000 voters, building a foundation poised to create change starting with the Presidential elections in 2020.
About Georgia Equality
Founded in 1995, Georgia Equality is the state’s largest organization working to advance fairness, safety, and opportunity for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities and our allies.