Attorney General accuses training center protesters of ‘anarchy,’ charges 61 in RICO case

ATLANTA — Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr is charging 61 people with racketeering as his office is cracking down on what he says is a criminal enterprise to stop the construction of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center.

The indictment says the people tried to stop construction at the training site by any means necessary and that includes violence and money laundering.

Channel 2 Action News was there in May when Atlanta police raided a northeast Atlanta home, arresting three people: Marlon Kautz, Adele McLean, and Savannah Patterson.

[PHOTOS: Protestors named in RICO indictment connected to Atlanta police training center]

Now, all three are featured prominently in the indictments of 61 people Georgia’s attorney general insists were part of a criminal conspiracy to stop the construction of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center.

Channel 2′s Richard Elliot was at a news conference Tuesday afternoon where Carr said the three and their organization, Defend the Atlanta Forest, raised money from unsuspecting donors and then used that money to fund the occupation of the construction site.

“As a result, thousands of good-faith donors gave millions of their own money to a certain charitable cause and their funds instead were spent on ammunition, surveillance materials and a drone,” Carr said.

Carr said many of the 61 engaged in acts of violence against police and the contractors building the site.

“On multiple occasions, members of the group torched and caused other damage to buildings and construction equipment including excavators and bulldozers.

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The Cop City Vote Coalition, a group of people trying to get a citywide vote on the training center, blasted the indictments, saying in a statement that “these charges seek to intimidate protestors, legal observers and bail funds alike and send a chilling message that any dissent to Cop City will be punished.”

Carr contends that Defend the Atlanta Forest and the criminal defendants conspired to halt construction by any means necessary.

“Members of Defend the Atlanta Forest subscribed to a philosophy of anarchy. They hold a core belief that society should abolish police, government and private business,” Carr said.

Carr’s office decided to charge these 61 defendants in Fulton County, not DeKalb County where the training center site is located.

Under state law, he can do that with a RICO case.

In June, DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston withdrew her office from prosecuting any of these cases. That’s why the AG’s office took over.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens’ office sent a statement, saying:

“This investigation into alleged acts of violence and other crimes was led by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the indictments were sought by the Attorney General. As such, we have no further comment. We are working alongside state, federal and municipal partners to provide security and protection for members of the grand jury.”

The ACLU of Georgia also sent a statement, condemning the indictment:

“Georgia’s attorney general has obtained indictments against more than 60 people, alleging violations of the state’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) law over ongoing efforts to halt construction of Atlanta’s planned $90 million police training center, known by many as “Cop City.” Some are also facing additional charges of domestic terrorism and money laundering.

“We are extremely concerned by this breathtakingly broad and unprecedented use of state terrorism, anti-racketeering, and money laundering laws against protesters,” said Aamra Ahmad, senior staff attorney with ACLU’s National Security Project. “Georgia law enforcement officials are disproportionately wielding these overbroad laws to stigmatize and target those who disagree with the government.”

“Since late 2021, protesters under the banners of “Stop Cop City” and “Protect the Weelaunee Forest” have raised concerns over climate justice, displacement of Black communities, and increasing militarization of police forces. Protesters have camped out in the forest, staged marches, and hosted community events. At times, a small minority of protesters have allegedly damaged property. “Democracy requires dissent and our state’s officials should not be exposing individuals to potentially decades in prison for engaging in protests,” said Christopher Bruce, policy and advocacy director at ACLU of Georgia.”

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