On Monday, the authorities in the United States charged 23 people with domestic terrorism after the recent round of arrests in a month-long movement against the construction of a police training facility located in a forest area in Atlanta, Georgia.
According to the information provided by police, two of those charged are from Georgia while the rest hail from 14 other US states. The group also includes one person from France and one from Canada.
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How did it start?
The arrests resulted from outrage over the death of a 26-year-old environmental activist Manuel Esteban Paez Terán, or “Tortuguita,” who was shot to death by police officers after allegedly shooting a state trooper, according to law enforcement. However, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation did not agree with that description of events.
Sunday’s events started with a music festival which was part of a weeklong demonstration against the construction. But it took a violent turn when “agitators” changed into black clothing, breached the site, and started throwing bricks, rocks, Molotov cocktails, and fireworks at officers.
In the Surveillance camera footage of the incident given by the City of Atlanta Police Department, the police officers could be seen trying to lock a gate as fireworks exploded around them. In other video clips protesters can be seen throwing rocks over a fence while several small fires burn at the site and heavy construction equipment can be seen on fire.
Activists have been occupying the area since late 2021 in an attempt to pause the project’s development because they feel that it will damage the environment and lead to the militarization of police.
All you need to know about the Training Center
The Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, known as ‘Cop City’ by its opponents, is a $90 million, 85-acre training space, according to the Atlanta Police Foundation.
The training center is likely to have classrooms, a shooting range, a mock city for “burn building” and “urban police” training, and a course for emergency vehicle driver training.
Officials stated that the remaining 265 acres of the property, which served as the Old Atlanta Prison Farm until 1995, will be protected as “green space.” The first phase of the center, funded by the Atlanta Police Foundation is expected to open later this year.
How are the authorities planning to deal with protesters?
More protest events are lined up for upcoming days. The Atlanta police have prepared a multi-layered strategy including reaction and arrest.
On Monday, Governor Brian Kemp stated that they will not rest until those using violence and intimidation for an extremist end are brought to full justice. The groups including Human Rights Watch and the National Lawyers Guild chapters informed that the charge carries a sentence of five to 35 years.
They feel that the charge violates the defendants’ First Amendment rights under the U.S. Constitution which protects the right to free speech, press, and assembly.
