![]() ![]() Georgia State Patrol troopers shot and killed Manuel “Tortuguita” Paez Teran during a military-style raid on the South Atlanta Forest, and then tried to claim Teran had fired at them first – a claim which recently released body camera footage showed even nearby Atlanta Police officers did not believe. ![]() They have arrested activists on absurd and unprecedented “domestic terrorism” charges for allegedly occupying tree-sits. Atlanta Police have conducted violent mass arrests, targeting journalists and arresting bystanders. State and local police have already shown their willingness to go far outside the bounds of the law to suppress protests against Cop City. ![]() This egregious use of laws intended to combat organized crime as a tool to suppress environmental and racial justice activists represents a serious threat to the ability for citizens to stand up and have their voices heard. Community organizing, protest, and dissent are not criminal – they are the vital core of a functioning democracy. ![]() Another conversation between a defense attorney and a prosecutor assigned to protest cases suggests that a RICO indictment against activists is in the works. A statement made by an Atlanta police officer suggests that an indictment related to the forest movement will be filed in the coming week. The constitution doesn’t allow prosecutors to hold one activist responsible for actions taken by others simply because they voice similar political demands.ĭespite this, multiple insider statements suggest that prosecutors may be trying to do exactly that. These protesters aren’t members of any common organization, let alone a criminal organization: what they have in common is a desire to protect Atlanta’s largest remaining greenspace from becoming a militarized police compound. In actuality, protesters against Cop City constitute a broad swath of society including racial and environmental justice advocates, faith groups, abolitionists, artists, students, and people from all over the city and the country. This narrative, while completely fabricated and repeatedly debunked, is an attempt at concocting a “RICO-like” story about the movement, where protest is painted as a criminal enterprise. In court filings, prosecutors have taken the position that arrested protesters are guilty based on their “cooperation with Defend the Atlanta Forest” which they claim to be “a domestic violent extremist organization”. Over the past year, police spokespeople and Governor Kemp have repeated talking points which characterize Stop Cop City protesters as “terrorists” who “come from other states”. The timing of these new charges appears to be designed to disrupt the “Week of Action” events that Stop Cop City protesters have announced for March 4-11. While experts say there is no legal basis for bringing such charges against political activists, police and prosecutors seem to be reaching for any tool they can use to shut down even legal organizing against the increasingly unpopular Cop City project. Information has surfaced suggesting that prosecutors are preparing RICO charges against activists who oppose the construction of Cop City. ATL SOLIDARITY FUND ANNOUNCES RICO INDICTMENTS AGAINST STOP COP CITY ACTIVISTS MAY BE FORTHCOMING ![]()
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