Sixty-one people have been indicted in Georgia on racketeering charges following a state investigation into protests against a planned police and firefighter training facility in the Atlanta area that critics call “Cop City.” Republican Attorney General Chris Carr released a sweeping indictment on Tuesday, alleging that the defendants are “militant anarchists” who supported a violent movement traced back to the 2020 racial justice protests. The “Stop Cop City” effort has spanned over two years and has at times involved vandalism and violence. Opponents are concerned that the construction of the $90 million facility in an urban forest will lead to further militarization of the police and worsen environmental damage in a predominantly Black, low-income area.
Most of the indicted individuals had already been charged for their alleged involvement in the movement. Charges under Georgia’s anti-racketeering law, also known as a RICO law, carry severe potential sentences that can be added to the penalty for the underlying acts. Among the defendants are over three dozen individuals already facing domestic terrorism charges related to violent protests, three leaders of a bail fund previously accused of money laundering, and three activists previously charged with felony intimidation after distributing flyers calling a state trooper a “murderer” for their role in the fatal shooting of a protester.
“The 61 defendants together have conspired to prevent the construction of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center through acts of violence, intimidation, and property destruction,” Carr stated during a news conference on Tuesday. Prosecutors have made numerous allegations linking the defendants to the alleged conspiracy, including possession of fire accelerant, throwing Molotov cocktails at police officers, and reimbursement for supplies used by activists who camped near the construction site. Activists leading a referendum effort against the project have condemned the charges, labeling them as “anti-democratic.”
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