- Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signed a sweeping election reform bill on Thursday.
- As he announced the bill, Democratic Rep. Park Cannon was filmed knocking on Kemp’s door.
- Cannon was arrested and charged with obstruction as a result of the incident.
- Check out more stories on the Insider company page.
Georgia State Rep. Park Cannon was arrested and charged with obstruction of a crime on Thursday when Georgia’s Brian Kemp government signed a controversial new vote reform bill.
Cannon was detained after knocking on Kemp’s door.
Kemp, a Republican, announced the bill’s signing via live stream when he was interrupted by Cannon, a Democrat. Cannon’s arrest was also captured on a live stream, when lawmakers were joined by others who came to the Atlanta State Capitol to protest the bill.
According to a Georgia State Patrol statement to Insider, Cannon kept knocking on the door after being ordered to stop.
“She was told she was disrupting what was going on inside and if she didn’t stop she would be put under arrest,” the statement said. After knocking even more, police said she was again told she would be arrested for obstruction and removed from the building.
—Greg Bluestein (@bluestein) March 25, 2021
Videos posted on Twitter showed the moment of the arrest. Cannon can be seen talking to a police officer standing between her and the door. She steps back from the door before stepping back to knock and is immediately arrested by two officers.
Others in attendance immediately begin to protest the arrest, with one of them asking, “Under arrest for what? To try to see something our governor is doing?”
“Our governor is signing a bill that applies to all Georgians, and you are going to arrest an elected representative?” the person said.
Police said Cannon had been moved to Fulton County Jail and charged with obstructing law enforcement, a felony, and preventing or disrupting General Assembly sessions or meetings of members, a felony.
US Senator Raphael Warnock visited Cannon while she was in prison, his office said CNN
Cannon’s office did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.
The controversial election reform bill signed by Kemp expands early voting in most provinces and mandates identification for postal voting, among many other changes.
It also prohibits volunteers from providing supplies, including food and water, to voters waiting in long lines and prohibits most use of mobile ballot boxes.
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