Katya Yindra
Nearly two years after the state of Georgia charged 61 people under the state’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act in connection with the “Stop Cop City” protests, trials are set to begin in what is shaping up to be one of the most aggressive crackdowns on protest in recent U.S. history.
The charges stem from widespread opposition to “Cop City,” the $118 million, 85-acre police training center in Atlanta that officially opened in April after years of organized resistance. The state’s sweeping indictment accuses defendants of domestic terrorism, arson, money laundering, and vandalism—charges that can carry up to 20 years in prison. But for many, the actions supposedly corresponding to the charges manifested as handing out flyers, attending protests, and supporting jailed activists. Legal experts say it is the largest RICO case ever brought against protesters in the U.S.
Despite the right to due process, the legal process has been marked by delay, disorganization, and dirty tactics by the state. The case was originally overseen by Judge Kimberly Esmond Adams, who, before her recent reassignment, allowed the case to stall for nearly two years. During her tenure, defense attorneys filed over 250 motions which were largely ignored, creating a massive backlog that left the accused in legal limbo.
Her replacement, Judge Kevin Farmer, now claims he will speed things up by dividing the case into smaller trials of about five defendants each. But after 20 months of delays, defense attorneys say the damage is done. The backlog remains, and the state continues to intensify its tactics.
Shortly after Judge Farmer set May 30 as the deadline to motion, Deputy Attorney General John Fowler, lead prosecutor on the case, dumped 61 thumb drives of additional discovery, claiming they contain 57 gigabytes of evidence. This last minute disclosure followed an earlier release of over 10 terabytes of uncategorized video and audio files.
These tactics are calculated moves by the state to bury the defense in last-minute evidence, deny them adequate time to prepare, and tilt the trial in the prosecution’s favor. With limited resources and mounting pressure, defense teams face a system stacked against them, while the state proceeds with full access to law enforcement tools and institutional backing.
As the political and economic crises deepen in the U.S., the masses become more rebellious and their rebellion becomes more heavily criminalized. The state’s aggressive use of conspiracy statutes like RICO to target protesters reveals the conditional nature of so-called democratic rights, which are upheld only insofar as they align with the interests of the ruling class. Freedom of speech, assembly, and due process are increasingly subordinated to the imperatives of state control.
Photo: Protesters demand RICO charges be dropped for alleged “Stop Cop City” activists. Retrieved from crimethinc.
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