Sovereign citizens refuse to leave shipping container ‘tribal community’ in south Atlanta

ATLANTA — An encampment of people in a south Atlanta community were evicted on Wednesday. But they didn’t go without objection, according to the Fulton County Marshal’s Office.

They say they were tasked with clearing out an area that was initially thought to be just one unit, but was made up of improvised shipping containers and makeshift enclosures.

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Earlier in the week, deputies tried serving a final eviction notice to the people living there, they were met by two aggressive people who shouted things at them like, “You need to leave this property now, this is a private tribal community,” “Get the [expletive] out of here,” “This is Indian land,” and more.

Deputies say they quickly determined the people living there weren’t the leaseholders and behaved like sovereign citizens, who they say are typically violent towards law enforcement officers.

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According to the FBI, the sovereign citizen movement is characterized as domestic terrorism. They say sovereign citizens are “anti-government extremists who believe that even though they physically reside in this country, they are separate or ‘sovereign’ from the United States” and believe they don’t have to answer to the government or law enforcement.

As several agencies, including the Fulton County SWAT Team and Chattahoochee Hills police, joined the marshal’s office, one woman became “unruly and extremely disorderly.” She was arrested and is being held in the Fulton County Jail. Her exact charges are unclear.

Several guns were found on the property, including a shotgun and an AR-15.

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