Georgia judge to toss landmark racketeering charges against ‘Cop City’ protesters
ATLANTA AP A Georgia judge on Tuesday revealed he will toss the racketeering charges against all defendants accused of a yearslong conspiracy to halt the construction of a police and firefighter training facility that critics pejoratively call Cop City Fulton County Judge Kevin Farmer explained he does not believe Republican Attorney General Chris Carr had the authority to secure the indictments under Georgia s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations law or RICO Experts believe it was the largest criminal racketeering circumstance ever filed against protesters in U S history Farmer explained during a hearing that Carr needed Gov Brian Kemp s permission to pursue the situation instead of the local district attorney Prosecutors earlier conceded to the judge that they did not obtain any such order It would have been real easy to just ask the governor Let me do this give me a letter Farmer mentioned The moves just weren t followed Five of the defendants were also indicted on charges of domestic terrorism and first-degree arson Farmer announced Carr also didn t have the authority to pursue the arson charge though he believes the domestic terrorism charge can stand Farmer disclosed he plans to file a formal order soon and is not sure whether he would quash the entire indictment or let the domestic terrorism charge stand though he announced he expects the prosecution to appeal regardless Deputy Attorney General John Fowler explained Farmer that he believes the judge s decision is wholly incorrect The long-brewing dispute over the training center erupted in January after state troopers who were part of a sweep of the South River Forest that killed an activist who administration mentioned had fired at them Numerous protests ensued with masked vandals sometimes attacking police vehicles and construction equipment to stall the project and intimidate contractors into backing out The defendants faced a wide variety of statements everything from throwing Molotov cocktails at police officers to supplying food to protesters who were camped in the woods and passing out fliers against a state trooper who had fatally shot the protester known as Tortuguita Each defendant faced up to years in prison on the RICO charge Carr who is running for governor had pursued the circumstance with Kemp hailing it as an key step to combat out-of-state radicals that threaten the safety of our citizens and law enforcement But critics had decried the indictment as a politically motivated heavy-handed attempt to quash the movement Emerging in the wake of the racial justice protests the Stop Cop City movement gained nationwide recognition as it united anarchists environmental activists and anti-police protesters against the sprawling training center which was being built in a wooded area that was ultimately razed in DeKalb County Source
