Atlanta Cops Paid $500 Thank You Bonus So They Won’t Walk Off Work Again
THAT SEEMS FAIR
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All Atlanta police officers received a $500 bonus Thursday from the Atlanta Police Foundation as a thank you gift for hard work during recent crises brought on by widespread protests against police brutality and the new coronavirus. The foundation did not spend city money to disburse the cash, rather drawing from some $2 million it previously fundraised. The bonus comes a day after the local district attorney announced murder charges against a white Atlanta officer for the June 12 shooting of a black man and officers across the city walked out of work in protest. The nonprofit’s head said, “we just do not want to lose good police officers.” The city’s police chief resigned over the shooting earlier this week. Protests against police brutality have rocked much of the city over the past month and resulted in violent clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement.