In a forest on the outskirts of Atlanta last March, hundreds of protesters had gathered once again to try to stop the construction of a new police and fire training center.
For Timothy Bilodeau, a 26-year-old who had flown in from Boston, the fight that began in 2021 had gained new urgency after state troopers killed a protester in a shootout in the forest weeks earlier that also wounded an officer.
As Mr. Bilodeau saw it, he was taking a principled stand against the destruction of the forest. But prosecutors had a darker take: They charged Mr. Bilodeau and 22 others with domestic terrorism.
In all, 42 people involved in the demonstrations against the training facility have been charged under Georgia’s domestic terrorism law, making for one of the largest cases of its kind in the country on a charge that is rarely prosecuted.
Georgia broadened its definition in 2017 to include attempts to seriously harm or kill people, or to disable or destroy “critical infrastructure,” with the goal of forcing a policy change. The charge carries a penalty of up to 35 years in prison.
Critics say that the charges in Georgia justify their worst fear about domestic terrorism laws: that they can frame activism as terrorism, and allow prosecutors to pursue even harsher punishments for “property crimes that were already illegal, simply because of accompanying political expression critical of government policy,” as the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia said in a recent statement.
@Dem0cr4tTerryLibertarian3mos3MO
The application of racketeering and anti-terrorism laws against those engaged in peaceful protest or civil disobedience represents a big step towards authoritarian rule. Even without Trump as president, red states are undermining the Constitution and fundamental civil rights by making almost any form of protest subject to draconian penalties. The time for resistance is now!
@YearningSupr3meCourtPatriot3mos3MO
Define peaceful…”some protesters threw fireworks and Molotov cocktails, setting equipment ablaze.”
@ThriftyGr33nPartyRepublican3mos3MO
I don't see how throwing Molotov cocktails and fireworks and burning construction equipment is engaging in peaceful protest.
@TrustingPretzelsGreen3mos3MO
The sad thing is that an overwhelmingly "blue" city like Atlanta is going along with this authoritarian agenda. There are lots of ways in which living in a "red state" impacts Atlantans... but these RICO prosecutions are not one of them. We need to hold leaders accountable and make sure they are in step with the culture and values of our city...
@BallotBoxStanGreen3mos3MO
An interesting reason the forest where Cop City is being constructed has never been successfully developed is that it is underlain by a massive layer of Kaolinite, a chalk like substance that cannot support a foundation because of it's tendency to dissolve. In the 1940's through 1960's large trucking facilities and warehouses were constructed and within years dissolved into the earth and were overtaken by forest.
I can only hope that the current Cop City will meet the same fate, but given the ignorance of Atlanta and Georgia politicians, I'm sure they will wage a legal battle against the earth itself.
@DelightfulQuicheLibertarian3mos3MO
The right to free speech is what maintains democracy. The citizens of Atlanta have overwhelmingly opposed Cop City and the local government does nothing to stop it. People have tried protesting peacefully, there was hours of discourse at the last city meeting about this and still lawmakers refuse to listen to the people. The project is damaging to the local ecosystem and is predicted to make the already bad flooding in the area worse, it takes away important green space from the local community and will directly impact local wildlife, air, and water quality. The communities of Atlanta need to be invested in, not ignored and its terrifying and incendiary that those who speak up about this are punished and silenced with "domestic terrorism."
@BrainyPorcupineDemocrat3mos3MO
Seems that a few things can be true at once:
-Protesting expansion of police power without restraints is a valid cause.
-The protestors who were simply using their speech should not be charged with any crimes.
-The protestors who were committing violent acts should be charged with crimes.
-Even those who were committing said violent acts should probably not be charged with anything that carries a potential term of 35 years. It's not as if they murdered anyone, let's be rational.
@BallotBoxStanGreen3mos3MO
I am very worried about the continued militarization of police. Is a cop city "training center" that teaches police how to be even more brutal really the best way to spend $90 million? Using that money to feed and house people would probably do much more to reduce crime than creating a larger and better rehearsed police force. It's extremely concerning that these protests are being framed as domestic terrorism... I think the fact that they would exercise such extreme measures to keep people from speaking out shows that they know how unpopular and unnecessary the cop cities are.
@BallotLizardDemocrat3mos3MO
It seems like most of the people involved didn't even know each other untl the day that action was taken. How are they being classified as an organization if they are obviously not organized?
@RedStateHannahConstitution3mos3MO
They didn't know each other, and yet, they all knew when and where to show for the protest. Perhaps an "organization" only needs to connect people through social media rather than dues-paying members.
@BallotLizardDemocrat3mos3MO
Are you sure they aren't political prisoners like the J6'ers who all showed up on the same day?
@RedStateHannahConstitution3mos3MO
Police forces are created to protect the public. The vast majority of them do exactly that. They need facilities ... having been to a police academy as an invited private citizen, the training was first class ... car pursuits, SWAT tactics, firing ranges, dangers of simple car stops where officers don't know the intent of those stopped.
These are not peaceful protesters. Destroying contractor's equipment is a crime. Even blocking freeways, sometimes for hours, might seem "peaceful" but is hugely expensive to taxpayers and disruptive, and actually accomplish nothing other than getting some TV or video time on social media.
Reasonable laws and appropriate penalties needed.
@BoldBobcatSocialist3mos3MO
Domestic terrorism laws are being used to suppress protest. The penalties are preposterous, of course.
Metropolitan Atlanta, population 6 million, encompasses half the population of Georgia, the 8th most populous state and, by area, the biggest state east of the Mississippi River. With half the state virtually empty, why situate the proposed training facility on rare forested land in the urban area?
Moreover, the proposed training facility will include helicopter pads and a mockup of dense city blocks for training in urban warfare.
Sound like something you'd like next door or even across town? In my suburb, trees are more important than cops trained for urban warfare!
@ISIDEWITH3mos3MO
@ISIDEWITH3mos3MO
@Patriot-#1776Constitution3mos3MO
Stop freaking out everyone – these scumbags threw Molotov cocktails at the police and rocks, and frozen water bottles, and other missiles, seriously disrupting a construction project because they hate the police and want to destroy law and order in this country. It all started after their pagan martyr Floyd's overdose death – these is the discredited "Defund the police" movement flaring up again. Don't believe what the Leftist media tells you – these enemies of law and order deserve a more severe fate than they're getting.
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