Fourth Day of Quandary, 65th of Hagwinter, 525 M.E. (Deneb): You won't read about it in the American press, but Britain's The Guardian continues to cover the State of Georgia’s persecution and racketeering charges brought against the Cop City protesters. The case is the largest ever leveled against a protest or social movement using RICO, a law created to go after the mafia and usually associated with organized crime but here deployed against a largely environmental and criminal justice-focused movement.

Opposition to the $109M police training center, which opened last spring, has come from a wide range of local and national organizations and protesters, and is centered on concerns around police militarization and clearing forests in an era of climate crisis. Atlanta police have said the center is needed for “world-class” training and to attract new officers.

Last September, a Fulton county judge orally dismissed the state’s criminal conspiracy case on procedural grounds. According to state law, the decision should have been put into writing within 90 days, but the judge missed a December 8 deadline to finalize the decision. That means the case, now in its third year, remains unresolved and the government continues holding on to massive amounts of personal property seized from 61 defendants as evidence. The state continues to hold hundreds of devices, including cell phones and laptops, nine hard drives, 10 USB sticks, three tablets, and dozens of boxes containing diaries, health records, bail-fund records, letters, and many other personal items.

Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr said his office will appeal the decision once it’s in writing. “The attorney general will continue the fight against domestic terrorists and violent criminals who want to destroy life and property,” his office announced in its usual hyperbolic fashion, even though Georgia hasn't yet provided compelling evidence that the 61 defendants in the case are "violent criminals," much less "domestic terrorists." Carr is a Republican candidate for governor in next year’s race, and is using the case to burnish his MAGA credentials and tough-on-crime image.

Manuel Paez Terán, known as “Tortuguita,” was shot and killed by Georgia State Troopers in January, 2023 while camping in a forested park near the Cop City site. During a raid on the camp, the troopers opened fire on Tortuguita while still in their tent, leaving 57 bullet wounds in their body. The killing was ruled “objectively reasonable” by a  Georgia District Attorney, in part because Tortuguita allegedly fired first, striking a trooper. However, body cam footage of the raid reveals an officer saying "You fucked your own officer up," suggesting the injured officer had been shot by so-called "friendly fire" and not by Tortuguita. 

The Guardian reports that Tortuguita wrote a last message, "Help," on their cell phone minutes before the troopers shot and killed them. The state continues to hold on to Tortuguita’s cell phone, as well as their diary and laptop, and Tortuguita's mother understandably would like to have that cell phone and its message. 

Three other defendants in the case make up the Atlanta Solidarity Fund, one of nearly 100 similar organizations across the country that help arrested protesters with bail, legal defense, and related needs. The ASF is mentioned more than 120 times in the state's criminal indictment. Although the state has withdrawn the money-laundering charges against the fund, the racketeering charges will remained until the oral dismissal is finalized. Meanwhile though, the state continues to hold dozens of receipts needed for the organization to get money returned that was paid for bonds.

HOSCA opposes Cop City, protests the persecution and demonization of the protesters and their legal defense, and does not support Chris Carr's gubernatorial candidacy.