[1/3] People protest agains the controversial "Cop City" project as the clear cutting of trees begins near Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., March 31, 2023.
The defendants were charged with violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, commonly known as the RICO Act.
"Each individual charged in this indictment knowingly joined the conspiracy in an attempt to prevent the training center from being built," the indictment reads.
"The movement to prevent the development of Cop City is a fight against hundreds of years of racialized violence and ecological destruction," the website says.
Clearing of the training center site has already begun, but a petition has circulated in Atlanta demanding a halt to the project pending a referendum.
Persons:
Cheney Orr, Molotov, Rayshard Brooks, George Floyd, Rich McKay, Bill Berkrot
Organizations:
REUTERS, Rights, Atlanta, Atlanta Forest, Public Safety Training, Police, Thomson
Locations:
Atlanta , Georgia, U.S, Atlanta, DeKalb County, Minneapolis, Cop