Barricades back up at Fulton courthouse as training center protesters prepare to be arraigned

ATLANTA — Orange barricades surround the Fulton County Courthouse again as deputies begin to tighten security less than a week before 61 people appear in court on charges related to the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center protests.

All 61 face state racketeering charges in connection with those protests.

We last saw the barricades when a grand jury indicted former President Donald Trump and 18 other defendants on allegations they conspired to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia.

Like that time, deputies say they wanted to get an early start on security.

The orange barricades line Pryor Street protecting the front entrance of the Fulton County Courthouse.

Workers installed those barricades Monday and they encircle the entire building.

“We are ready,” Fulton County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Natalie Ammons said.

Ammons told Channel 2′s Richard Elliot that they want to make sure the courthouse is secure if protestors demonstrate outside the building next Monday.

“There’s a court case coming up involving domestic terrorism. It is a case being handled out of the Attorney General’s Office,” Ammons said.

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Channel 2 Action News was there last month when state Attorney General Chris Carr announced a massive 109-page indictment against 61 people he insists were part of a criminal conspiracy to stop the construction of the controversial Atlanta Public Safety Training Center.

While the indictment alleges some committed money laundering to further the scheme, 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,” Carr said.

All 61 will appear at the courthouse starting Monday to be arraigned on those racketeering charges.

Ammons says they’ll be ready just in case.

“We are definitely used to high-profile cases, so this is just another one. We are ready,” Ammons said.

Because 61 is a large number of defendants, arraignments are expected to take a couple of days.

RELATED NEWS:

More than 60 protesters named in RICO indictment connected to Atlanta public safety training center

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