Unicorn RiotMay 31, 2023

BREAKING: This morning in Atlanta, Georgia authorities raided a home with a SWAT team to arrest 3 organizers of a bail fund used to help #StopCopCity protesters get out of jail.

https://unicornriot.ninja/2023/three-atlanta-activists-arrested-home-raided-over-bail-fund/

Three Atlanta Activists Arrested, Home Raided Over Bail Fund - UNICORN RIOT

Atlanta, GA — Around 9 a.m. on Wednesday, three members of the Atlanta Solidarity Fund were arrested during a raid by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) and the Atlanta Police Department and charged with money laundering and charity fraud. Marlon Kautz, Savannah Patterson, and Adele Maclean were arrested at The Teardown Community, a hub […]

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Show threadUnicorn RiotMay 31, 2023

Marlon Kautz, Savannah Patterson, and Adele Maclean were arrested at The Teardown Community, a hub for mutual aid and activism where the three lived.

They're charged with money laundering and charity fraud for engaging in what seem to be routine First Amendment activities.

Show threadUnicorn RiotMay 31, 2023
“The Atlanta Solidarity Fund has existed for seven years with the sole purpose of providing resources to protestors experiencing repression,” said Atlanta Solidarity Fund members in a press release. “We ensure their rights are respected through the criminal justice system..."
Show threadUnicorn RiotMay 31, 2023

The raid comes ~3 months after members of
@AtlSolFund, including Kautz, announced they'd learned the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) planned to charge them under Georgia’s state-level RICO statute:

https://unicornriot.ninja/2023/atlanta-activists-say-prosecutors-plan-to-indict-them-on-rico-charges/

Atlanta Activists Say Prosecutors Plan to Indict them on RICO Charges - UNICORN RIOT

Atlanta, GA – Community organizations involved in the ongoing campaign to defend the South River Forest outside Atlanta, Georgia and ‘Stop Cop City’ say state prosecutors are planning on releasing indictments in the coming weeks charging them as a “criminal organization” under RICO statutes. The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO, targets organized […]

UNICORN RIOT
Show threadUnicorn RiotMay 31, 2023

The GBI said in a statement today that it "executed a search warrant and found evidence linking the three suspects to the financial crimes."

Expenses cited in warrants as proof of these "financial crimes" include “forest clean-up,” “covid rapid-tests,” “media” and “yard signs."

Show threadUnicorn RiotMay 31, 2023

GBI's bail fund raid warrants (first obtained by The Atlanta Objective) accuse @AtlSolFund of "fund[ing] the actions in part of Defend the Atlanta Forest (DTAF), a group classified by the United States Department of Homeland Security as Domestic Violent Extremists":

https://theatlantaobjective.substack.com/p/its-illegal-to-raise-money-for-cop

It's Illegal to Raise Money To Stop Cop City

At least, that's what the arrests of three activists today in Atlanta suggests.

The Atlanta Objective with George Chidi
Show threadUnicorn RiotMay 31, 2023

While no group called "Defend The Atlanta Forest" exists (just the @defendATLforest Twitter account), identical wording citing a DHS label for "DTAF" appears in January warrants charging tree-sitters at the proposed 'Cop City' site w/ domestic terrorism:

https://unicornriot.ninja/2023/community-committee-cheers-police-violence-as-authorities-repress-resistance-to-cop-city/

'Community' Committee Cheers Police Violence as Authorities Repress Resistance to 'Cop City' - UNICORN RIOT

Atlanta, GA – As the movement to prevent the destruction of a huge swath of forest outside Atlanta grows more powerful, the authorities are scrambling to contain it. As they do, they are resorting to increasingly violent measures — including the killing of an Indigenous protester, Manuel Terán, also known as Tortuguita, on January 18 […]

UNICORN RIOT
Show threadUnicorn RiotMay 31, 2023

But back in January, DHS told investigative journalist Spencer Ackerman that the classification cited by GBI doesn't exist: https://foreverwars.ghost.io/atlanta-cop-city-forest-defender-tortuguita/

"[DHS] does not classify or designate any groups as domestic violent extremists."

DHS also told WaPo the same thing: https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/01/26/atlanta-forest-protester-police-riot/

Terrorism and Counterterrorism in Cop City

We get a potential glimpse into the future of the War on Terror at Atlanta's $90 million law-enforcement training center—and the police shooting of a protester. PLUS: U.S. strikes in Somalia, raids in Syria and ominous signs at Guantanamo

FOREVER WARS
Show threadUnicorn RiotJun 1, 2023

Although DHS has been on record in national media for over 4 months stating no such "group" is classified "as domestic violent extremists," sworn GBI affidavits filed May 25th to justify today's raid of bail fund organizers still rely on this false claim.

https://unicornriot.ninja/2023/three-atlanta-activists-arrested-home-raided-over-bail-fund/

Three Atlanta Activists Arrested, Home Raided Over Bail Fund - UNICORN RIOT

Atlanta, GA — Around 9 a.m. on Wednesday, three members of the Atlanta Solidarity Fund were arrested during a raid by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) and the Atlanta Police Department and charged with money laundering and charity fraud. Marlon Kautz, Savannah Patterson, and Adele Maclean were arrested at The Teardown Community, a hub […]

UNICORN RIOT
Show threadUnicorn Riot

The Atlanta Solidarity Fund search warrants, based in part on the demonstrably untrue info outlined above, were signed by DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Shondeana C. Morris.

Morris was appointed by Gov. Brian Kemp in 2019: https://www.dekalbsuperiorcourt.com/judges/shondeanacmorris/

https://twitter.com/GovKemp/status/1663943106859786240?s=20

Jun 1, 2023 at 1:51amWeb