U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler, R-Georgia, visited Sprayberry’s Barbecue on her campaign tour Thursday to discuss her first six months in the Senate and her recent controversy surrounding Black Lives Matter.
She was greeted by a group of protesters holding placards outside Sprayberry’s, who expressed opposition to her Senate seat and her stance on the Black Lives Matter organization.
Loeffler, who is a co-owner of the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream team, addressed the controversy surrounding her, asking the WNBA commissioner to backtrack on the league and player union plan for players to wear warm-up gear and T-shirts in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
“The league and the sports team I have have decided to endorse the political organization called Black Lives Matter,” said Loeffler. “Now this is very different from the declaration, there is no place for racism in this country and, of course, every African American life is important.”
“What the Black Lives Matter organization represents are Marxist principles for advancing towards socialism. It is completely wrong, we have to talk about this, and because of that, they are trying to cancel me, “added Loeffler.
She said Black Lives Matter supports the abolition of the police and the organization promotes violence.
“They are anti-Semitic and want to destroy the nuclear family,” said Loeffler. “This is wrong and I’m going to keep talking about it.”
Loeffler responded to those who believe he should give up his Atlanta Dream property saying that we have the right to defend freedom of expression.
“This culture of cancellation is dangerous,” said Loeffler. “I’ve heard from so many Americans saying, ‘Thank you for standing up and talking about what you believe in, because none of us want to lose our job or our business because of what we believe in.'”
“It is a free country and the country is based on the rights we have, the First Amendment and the Second Amendment. I will continue to fight for the freedom of all Americans. This is not a political problem, “added Loeffler.
Newnan resident Beth Sykes said she attended Sprayberry Thursday to support Loeffler.
“His message is honest and frank and he doesn’t care who to step on,” Sykes said. “She is very communicative and has moxie and guts.”
Loeffler was introduced by Georgia House District 71 Representative Philip Singleton, who officially announced that he supports her to keep her Senate seat.
Loeffler spoke about how busy his first six months in the Senate have been. She was named by Governor Brian Kemp to the seat of former Senator Johnny Isakson after he resigned in late 2019. Loeffler is one of the candidates for the seat in the November 3 special election.
“I have been working all day supporting the president, making sure he knows he has a fighter in me, that I will always uphold the American ideal, the American flag and the American dream,” said Loeffler.
When asked about Kemp’s decision Wednesday to override all local mask mandates in the state, Loeffler said he doesn’t think we need a mask mandate.
“We have guidelines that we are asked to follow just as we do with anything else and that is a common sense measure,” Loffler said. “We ask that Georgians follow the guidelines because we have to find ways to reopen.”
“If that creates more confidence, more security for our state to go back to school, work and church, then that is what we need to focus on, but we don’t need a mandate,” added Loeffler.
She shared her platform, which is pro-life, pro-arms, supports the construction of the wall, defusing sanctuary cities, holding China accountable and supporting the police.
“Our brave men and women on the front lines deserve our support,” Loeffler said. “So what you’re seeing with this ‘disburse the police’ move is dangerous. It is creating havoc in our communities. ”
Loeffler said she was one of the first in Congress to speak out against autonomous zones and said she was criticized.
“I am not going to back down, they are not going to intimidate me,” Loeffler said. “None of these people out here are going to intimidate me,” he said, pointing to the group of protesters gathered outside.
Loeffler said that when she arrived and saw the protesters, she was focused on thinking about her message.
“Making sure that Georgians hear from me that I share their values: faith, family, opportunity, equality, hard work,” said Loeffler. “We all have the right to express ourselves, which is why a peaceful protest is certainly a right guaranteed in our founding documents as a country.”
“I think the crowd here was fantastic today and it is a sign of the great momentum we have,” added Loeffler.
Among those who stood on the other side of the road to protest was Newnan resident Cole McSpadden, who said Loeffler is not a representative he supports.
“I think it has proven to be corrupt after disposing of its stocks before the pandemic began,” said McSpadden. “She is still a co-owner of the Atlanta dream, even though she is an American senator. That can not be good “.
Another protester, Darrell Hayes, denounced Loeffler’s earlier statements about the Black Lives Matter Movement. “I feel like it’s racist,” Hayes said.
***
Newnan Times-Herald intern Morgan Crumbly contributed to this story.
