ATLANTA — Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr announced Monday that his office was taking new action to prosecute dozens of individuals accused of domestic terrorism related to protests of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center.
In December, a Fulton County judge dismissed Racketeer Influence and Corrupt Organizations Act charges against the 61 defendants, saying the August 2023 indictment was centered on their political opposition to the training center, which they call Cop City.
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Now, Carr said he has filed an immediate appeal on the dismissal and intends to continue with full prosecution of those previously indicted.
The 61 individuals in the case faced charges of domestic terrorism and organized criminal activity via the RICO Act.
Only five of the defendants specifically face domestic terrorism charges.
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“We took action to ensure that groups like Antifa and other anarchists who engaged in Domestic Terrorism were held accountable,” Carr, who is also running to be Georgia’s next governor, said in a statement. “Let me be clear – if you come to our state and shoot a trooper, attack law enforcement, damage construction equipment, and target private homes and businesses, you can and will be held accountable. We promised to use all available resources to ensure agents of violence and chaos were fully punished, and that’s exactly what we’re doing.”
The statement from the AG’s office said the defendants are members of Defend the Atlanta Forest, which the office describes as “an anarchist, anti-police and anti-business extremist organization,” and accused them of conspiring to prevent the facility’s construction through coordinated acts of violence, intimidation and property destruction across Georgia.
When Fulton County Superior Court Judge Kevin Farmer dismissed the racketeering charges in December, he ruled that Carr had failed to get constitutionally required authority from Gov. Brian Kemp to file the indictment, but ruled to uphold domestic terrorism charges against five of the defendants.
On Monday, Carr said members of the DTAF group were involved with vandalizing state property multiple times, assaulting state employees and destroying other property.
The office also noted that only 13 of the 61 individuals they are working to prosecute are from Georgia.
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