The mayor of South Fulton, Georgia was arrested on the morning of July 8 for trespassing and burglarizing a private property. Officials confirmed that Khalid Kamau was booked into the Fulton County jail for the charges.
Kamau was released on a $11,000 bond later that same Saturday evening. However, he will still have to account for the crimes of first-degree burglary and criminal trespassing that he allegedly committed, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
For his misguided action, the mayor expressed his gratitude to law enforcement for how they handled the incident, including his arrest and swift release.
“I do want to thank South Fulton Police and the staff and officers at Rice Street for courteous and professional service throughout the day today,” he told Atlanta-based news outlet WSB-TV.
The local news source also found a report of the incident detailing Kamau’s side of the matter. The city official stated he sought entrance into the home because he was looking to purchase it. However, while Kamau thought the home was vacant and free for potential buyers to tour, the homeowner was still living on the property, warning the mayor at gunpoint to remain there until the police arrived to handle the issue. The case is still active, leaving Kamau’s leadership position as a Black mayor in Georgia in a precarious state.
Kamau became mayor of South Fulton in 2021, and is the first Black Lives Matter organizer to hold an elected official position. Originally, he was a member of the council when the city became incorporated in 2017, but has a strained relationship with its current members, who are using legal measures in an attempt to throw him out.
In March, a lawsuit was filed against the South Fulton mayor by the majority of members in the city’s council, stating that he “violated the city charter.”
“The mayor has repeatedly betrayed the confidence of the City and the City Council by intentionally and knowingly disclosing confidential information of the City for his and others’ personal benefit since his election to office,” expressed the members in the court filing.
What is to come next of the lawsuit and criminal case is up in the air, but Kamau has since apologized to his constituents for the “negative attention.”