#atlanta police

[everlastingrandom]

Please Support the Atlanta Solidarity Fund!!

Within the last hour, an audio recording of Atlanta PD just dropped, with police admitting that the arrest of the three members of the Atlanta Solidarity Fund (ASF) this Wednesday was a blatant attempt to disrupt support for the Defend the Forest Movement, by cutting off mutual aid and bail funds.

The first trial hearing today was to determine if the arrestees would get bail. Even the judge could tell the charges were BS—money laundering and charity fraud—When all their transactions are public knowledge. But the court still set bail at $15,000 each to appease prosecution.

The ASF has been forced to use their own funds to avoid being jailed over the weekend, and with one of them denied disability aids and medications! One of the stipulations of the bail is that they can’t use their resources to support (deliberately vague at to what counts as support) the Defend the Forest movement.

The police are worried that the timing of the arrest before the City Council’s final Cop City budget vote on Monday June 5th may have galvanized protesters instead of disrupting them. But APD will follow this pattern of targeting bail funds and charities on the grounds of “enabling violence.” There is a high likelihood of more arrests more coming, and they see it as an opportunity to get overtime pay.

Please boost this if you can!

Donation Link Here!!

[thoughtportal]

Feds: No ‘violent extremist’ label on Defend the Atlanta Forest group

By Tia Mitchell, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

June 7, 2023

WASHINGTON — Charges of domestic terrorism against activists connected to protests of Atlanta’s proposed public safety training facility have repeatedly been justified by a U.S. Department of Homeland Security designation that does not exist.

Arrest warrants for dozens of people affiliated with the Defend the Atlanta Forest group, and three individuals who operate a charity that provided bail money for protestors, all has similar language tying the movement to extremist behavior. The three individuals arrested last week had their home raided by a SWAT team and are charged with financial crimes.

Each of their arrest warrants had a sentence tying their charity to extremism, saying it raised money to “fund in part the actions of Defend the Atlanta Forest, a group classified by the United States Department of Homeland Security as Domestic Violent Extremists.”

But Homeland Security officials have said that is not the case.

The agency has released national terrorism alert bulletins that described some of the protests of the Atlanta facility as exhibiting the characteristics of domestic violent extremists, but no individuals or organizations are named.

“The Department of Homeland Security does not classify or designate any groups as domestic violent extremists,” a spokesman said in a statement shared with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The FBI, which tracks domestic terrorism threats nationwide, also said it “does not and cannot designate domestic terrorist organizations.” In a statement to the AJC, the FBI cautions against using group affiliations to condemn individuals’ behavior.

“It’s also important to note that membership in groups that espouse domestic extremist ideology is not illegal in and of itself,” the FBI statement said. “Membership in a group alone is not sufficient basis for a domestic terrorism investigation.”

The Georgia Bureau of Investigations said it is standing by the “domestic violent extremists” justifications used in the arrest warrants.

“Although DHS reports that they do not classify or designate any groups as domestic violent extremists, the description provided by DHS for a domestic violent extremist does in fact describe the behavior of the individuals of the group in question which is being investigated by the GBI multi-agency task force,” GBI spokeswoman Nelly Miles said.

DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston, who has assisted the GBI in its investigation, deferred questions to the GBI.

Gov. Brian Kemp and Attorney General Chris Carr, who have both condemned violence at the protests and pledged to crack down it, both released statements that did not directly respond to questions about why arrest warrants by Georgia officials misinterprets or exaggerates what Homeland Security said.

“Our office will continue to defend the First Amendment right to peacefully protest,” Carr said. “However, we will not tolerate acts of violence to person or property.”

Kemp in his statement referenced acts of violence that have been tied to the protests.

“Members of this militant group have committed acts of violence and significant damage to property with Molotov cocktails and other weapons designed to injure law enforcement,” Kemp said. “That will not be allowed to stand in Georgia.”

U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock on Wednesday asked Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to weigh in on whether Defend the Atlanta Forest should be described as a known “domestic violent extremist” group.

“I am seeking clarification about whether DHS has designated any group in Georgia as a DVE, and if not, I request that DHS share this policy clarification with any relevant state and local law enforcement partners,” Warnock said in a letter to Mayorkas.

The Atlanta Democrat also asks Mayorkas to provide guidance to state and local law enforcement agencies on how to address threats of violent extremism without infringing on rights to assemble and protest.

“The First Amendment protects the freedom of speech and the freedom of peaceful association,” Warnock wrote. “Consistent with these principles, I am concerned by any misunderstandings regarding a federal DVE designation and seek clarification for the public and our valued law enforcement partners.”

[callese]

[uvmagazine]

Woman arrested for trying to burn down Martin Luther King Jr.’s birth home

Laneisha Shantrice Henderson is facing multiple charges, including attempted arson after allegedly trying to set Martin Luther King Jr.'s birth home on fire, according to the Atlanta Police Department.

Laneisha Shantrice Henderson, 26, is charged with second-degree attempted arson and interference with government property...

Photo: Atlanta Police Department

[nando161mando]

[ausetkmt]

WSB Atlanta: Multiple people shot outside of AUC library after Clark Atlanta homecoming gathering

ATLANTA — According to Atlanta police, an overnight shooting at a Clark Atlanta University homecoming gathering left four people injured.

Police said the shooting happened around 12:30 a.m. as students were gathered outside of the Woodruff Library on James P. Bradley Drive for Homecoming weekend.

Three men were shot and taken to the hospital. They are in stable condition. A fourth unknown victim left the scene, refusing treatment, according to police.

Police confirmed on Sunday morning that one of the victims is a student.

Channel 2′s Justin Carter says a crime alert from the university revealed three students and one young adult who does not attend the school were shot.

The shots were fired from a vehicle going west on Parsons Street.

The crime alert to students from the university reads as followed:

The following is a message from the CAU Notification System Please click here to acknowledge receipt of this message On October 16, 2022 at approximately 12:29 am Clark Atlanta University Department of Public Safety Officers responded to a shots fired incident. The preliminary investigation revealed, three students and one young adult who does not attend school in the AUC, while on the property of the Woodruff Library suffered injuries from shots fired from a vehicle traveling West on Parsons Street. All victims involved are being treated for their injuries. The Atlanta Police Department also responded to the scene and is investigating the incident. The safety of our students is our top priority. CAU Public Safety and Atlanta Police Departments have increased officer patrols in the area and the incident remains under investigation.—  CAU Notification System

[pressnewsagencyllc]

Sugar cravings could be caused by loneliness, study finds

If you’ve spent a lonely night at home eating chocolates and/or ice cream, you shouldn’t feel guilty. That’s because loneliness can cause an intense desire for sugary foods, a new study found. Published in JAMA Network Open, researchers linked brain chemistry from those who socially isolate to poor mental health, weight gain, cognitive decline and chronic diseases like Type 2 diabetes and…

[randomazznews]

Young men say they were drugged, kidnapped, robbed of thousands at Atlanta bars

via NBC News

[reasoningdaily]

The New York Times: Gov. Kemp Authorizes National Guard to Intervene in Atlanta Protests

Jan. 27, 2023Updated 3:32 p.m. ET

Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia has issued an emergency order activating up to 1,000 Georgia National Guard troops to “subdue riot and unlawful assembly” that may break out over a public safety training facility — dubbed “Cop City” by detractors — that has been proposed in Atlanta.

The governor’s move on Thursday follows more than a week of unrest in Atlanta over the officer-involved shooting death of Manuel Teran, 26, a demonstrator who had been living in the forested site of the planned training campus to protest police militarization and protect the trees.

The authorities claim that Teran fired a gun at a state trooper during a “clearing operation” in the woods before being killed by the police. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has said that no body camera footage of the encounter is available.

Teran’s death brought an already tense feud between law enforcement and opponents of the project to a head, prompting vigils and marches in Atlanta and across the country.

Some of the protests in Atlanta have taken a turn for the destructive, with activists smashing windows and setting fire to police cruisers. So far, 19 activists have been arrested and charged with “domestic terrorism” in connection with protests.

The expected release on Friday of video images of a traffic stop in Memphis that led to the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols by police officers may further inflame tensions in Georgia.

The Atlanta Police Department said in a statement that its personnel were “closely monitoring the events in Memphis, and are prepared to support peaceful protests in our city.”

“We understand and share in the outrage surrounding the death of Tyre Nichols,” the department added. “Police officers are expected to conduct themselves in a compassionate, competent, and constitutional manner and these officers failed Tyre, their communities and their profession.”

Mr. Kemp’s executive order is set to expire on Feb. 9.

[thatsleepymermaid]

Quick post on what's happening in Atlanta right now

So there's this beautiful trail in Atlanta called the South River Forest Trail. As we all know, Atlanta Georgia is renowned for their tree cover and historic forests. 

The City of Atlanta and corporations like Delta, AT&T and Amazon are funding a massive police training center that will destroy the forest.

Dubbed ‘cop city’ by many protesters, this will cost about $90 million  to build. This will be used to further militarize Atlanta’s police leading to more incidents of police brutality in the city. 

On January 18th indigenous activist Manuel “Tortuguita” Teran was shot and killed by the police for defending this historic forest from destruction. Their reason? “He did not comply” (Tort went by They/them/it but report said “he”). Many protests have been going on in Atlanta to defend this forest.

Since Tortuguita's death, the situation has quickly deteriorated

This forest is very dear to me but I am unable to physically protest at the moment, so I am handing this off to Tumblr to spread awareness. Rebloging this may help this tragedy become part of national news instead of just an Atlanta problem.

Donation and petition links to stop cop city

https://www.gofundme.com/f/stoptheswap2020

https://act.colorofchange.org/sign/no-cop-city-atl/

https://defendtheatlantaforest.org/solidarity

[callese]

[uvmagazine]

Atlanta to pay $1M to the family of Rayshard Brooks

The city of Atlanta has agreed to pay $1 million to the family of Rayshard Brooks, who was killed by a police in 2020.

The city of Atlanta has agreed to pay a $1 million settlement to the family of Rayshard Brooks, who was killed by a police in 2020. Rayshard Brooks settlement Atlanta’s city council voted unanimously 15-0 to approve the settlement. The vote comes nearly three months after prosecutors determined the officers involved were justified in the fatal shooting. “This grieving family has been through so…

[kropotkindersurprise]

March 5, 2023 - Hundreds of forest defenders chased away police from a security post in Weelaunee Forest at the construction site of Cop City. The activists burned security and construction equipment and destroyed infrastructure. Thirty-five people were arrested by police, you can donate to the Atlanta Solidarity Fund to help them out. [video]/[video]/[video]