Unicorn RiotTwo defendants arrested on March 5 during a music festival against ‘Cop City’ were again denied bond on Wednesday, while a third was granted $25,000 bond with conditions.
The 23 total people arrested in March face domestic terrorism charges.
During the hearings, the state presented evidence demonstrating the nature of a March 5 protest at a ‘Cop City’ construction site, which the state claims the defendants participated in.
More on the March 5 music festival and separate direct action here: https://unicornriot.ninja/2023/an-historic-direct-action-in-a-forest-outside-atlanta/
An Historic Direct Action in a Forest Outside Atlanta - UNICORN RIOT
DeKalb County, GA – In broad daylight Sunday, March 5, a group of about three hundred masked people wearing mostly camouflage and black clothing stormed the main police security outpost within the Weelaunee Forest at the proposed construction site of the ‘Cop City’ project. Demonstrators tore up silt fencing, and set an office trailer, two […]
While the state showed surveillance footage of the riot, none of the specific defendants were shown during the hearing to have committed acts of violence or property damage at the construction site.
Sworn testimony from Georgia Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Ryan Long included things like the defendants being found in wet or muddy clothes, wearing dark-colored clothing, and allegedly fleeing from police.
At one point during the hearing over Zoom video, Judge Altman interrupted the proceedings to remind everyone that in the 1980s, ash trays were a regular fixture in Georgia courtrooms. Altman then proceeded to light and smoke a cigarette on the bench while considering the case.
While no video or testimonial evidence concretely showed any defendant committing a crime, the state met what Altman described as a low-level, “kinda sorta” standard to suggest that the domestic terrorism charges were based in probable cause.
To learn more about the domestic terrorism charges that over 42 people face for their alleged involvement in the ongoing effort to stop ‘Cop City’, check out our report here: https://unicornriot.ninja/2023/behind-the-stopcopcity-domestic-terrorism-warrants/
Behind the #StopCopCity Domestic Terrorism Warrants - UNICORN RIOT
Atlanta, GA — The Georgia Bureau of Investigation, in collaboration with several other law enforcement agencies, charged 23 more people with ‘domestic terrorism’ for their alleged involvement in the ongoing effort to stop ‘Cop City’ and to defend the Weelaunee Forest in unincorporated DeKalb County southeast of Atlanta. This brings the total number of ‘Cop […]
Make sure to visit our page for all of our content covering the diverse movement to protect the Atlanta Forest and to stop 'Cop City' ➡️ https://unicornriot.ninja/unicorn-riot-coverage-of-the-movement-to-protect-the-atlanta-forest/
Unicorn Riot Coverage of the Movement to Stop 'Cop City' - UNICORN RIOT
When the city of Atlanta, GA approved the construction of a massive police training compound in 2021, the community responded. In the years since plans to build the country’s largest police training facility were first exposed, a diverse movement has erupted against the construction of what activists have dubbed “Cop City.” The police training facility […]