At least 61 people were indicted in Georgia over racketeering charges in relation to the "Stop Cop City" movement following a long-running state investigation.
The movement involves protests against a planned police and firefighter training facility that would be built in the Atlanta area that critics have called "Cop City." On Tuesday, authorities revealed the sweeping indictment, and Republican Attorney General Chris Carr alleged that the defendants in the case are "militant anarchists."
Stop Cop City Movement Leads to Arrests
The GOP lawmaker said that these people supported a violent movement that prosecutors could trace back to the widespread 2020 racial justice protests. The indictment on Aug. 29 is seen as the latest application of Georgia's anti-racketeering law, also dubbed the RICO law.
The situation also comes a few weeks after the Fulton County prosecutor used the same statute to charge former United States President Donald Trump and 18 other defendants. The "Stop Cop City" movement has been going on for more than two years and sometimes has resulted in vandalism and violence, as per Local10.
Opponents of the planned police training facility are concerned that the center will result in greater militarization of the police. Additionally, they fear constructing the center in an urban forest will only exacerbate environmental damage in a poor, majority-Black area.
Most indicted people have already been charged over their alleged involvement in the movement. Under Georgia law, RICO charges carry a heavy potential sentence that can be added to the penalty for various underlying acts.
Among the defendants that authorities arrested were more than three dozen people already facing domestic terrorism charges in relation to previous, violent protests. Additionally, they include three leaders of a bail fund that was previously accused of money laundering. Three activists were previously charged with felony intimidation after distributing flyers that called a state trooper a "murderer."
Acts of Violence
In a statement during a news conference on Tuesday, Carr said that the 61 defendants had worked together to conspire to prevent the construction of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center. According to the Associated Press, he argued that they conducted, coordinated, and organized acts of violence, intimidation, and property destruction.
Prosecutors have made several allegations in trying to link the defendants to the alleged conspiracy, including possessing fire accelerants and throwing Molotov cocktails at police officers.
Activists leading an ongoing referendum effort to prevent the project's advancement have immediately condemned the charges against the defendants. They said that they are "anti-democratic."
In a statement, the Copy City Vote coalition said that Carr could use his prosecutors and power to build his gubernatorial campaign and silence free speech. However, it argued that the Republican's threats would not be able to silence their commitment to standing up for their future, community, and city.
Protests against the planned police training facility escalated following the fatal shooting of 26-year-old protester Manuel Esteban Paez Teran, also known as Tortuguita, in January. At the time, state troopers allegedly fired in self-defense after the protester shot at them while they were trying to clear activists from a wooded area near the site of the proposed facility, said USA Today.
