Austin Gates will speak about the erosion of free speech in modern America and the dangerous consequences. He’ll discuss why free speech is important, how modern day policing techniques and laws are slowly chipping away at our freedoms, and what we can all do to fight back.
Gates works as a political strategist and consultant for Democratic candidates and elected officials in Georgia. He was drawn to politics and advocacy when wrongfully arrested at a 2014 protest against the Ferguson, MO grand jury decision not to indict a police officer who shot and killed an unarmed black teen while his hands were in the air.
Gates currently has a lawsuit pending before the United States Supreme Court that could have lasting implications if it gets decided.
AFS meets at noon for socializing, and then the talk starts at 1:00. The facility is wheelchair accessible. Atlanta Freethought Hall is a former Primitive Baptist Church, built in 1866. Atlanta Freethought Society was founded in 1985, which makes it one of Metro Atlanta’s oldest secular societies.
Atlanta Freethought Hall is also the meeting place for Fellowship of Reason, Freedom of Religion Foundation of Atlanta, and other organizations. We rent the building at reasonable rates. If you would like to rent the hall for an organization meeting, a party, a wedding, etc., please see a Board Member.