Prayer Vigil October 31

The NAACP DeKalb and other community organizations will hold a prayer vigil and rally on Thursday, October 31, 2019 at 5:30 pm at the DeKalb County Courthouse, 556 N. McDonough Street, Decatur, Ga 30030. On October 14, 2019, a jury found former DeKalb police officer Robert Olsen guilty aggravated assault, etc., for the fatal shooting of US Air Force veteran Anthony Hill on March 9, 2015. On October 31, 2019, we will be praying that our judicial system delivers a sentence holding Officer Olsen accountable for his actions and one that brings justice to Anthony Hill and his family.

“The saying, ‘Justice delayed is justice denied’ describes the four and a half- year delay in the trial of Robert Olsen perfectly,” says NAACP DeKalb President Teresa Hardy. “The four and a half years in which the trial was delayed were four and a half years that the family of Anthony was painfully denied justice. Now that the jurors have done their part, we want to ensure that the sentencing of Robert Olsen is commensurate with the seriousness of his crimes and that the pain experienced by the family of Anthony Hill is not exacerbated by the sentence Olsen may receive because he is a former police officer,” added Hardy. No one is above the law, and now that a jury has found Olsen guilty, his sentence should reflect his crime, just like any other citizen.

NAACP DeKalb is urging all people of goodwill to come to the prayer vigil and rally to express their support for justice and to show empathy for the families, which have been so devastated by this tragic event.