On August 29, 2023 the Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr filed a 109-page RICO indictment charging 61 people — forest defenders, bail-fund organizers, medics, and supporters — with violating the Georgia state Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act over the Stop Cop City / Defend the Atlanta Forest movement against the planned 85-acre police-training facility in the South River Forest.

It is the most expansive use of state RICO against environmental activists in U.S. history. The indictment treats predicate acts like bail-fund donations, food-not-bombs kitchens, posting flyers, occupying the forest, and zine production as "racketeering." Defendants face up to 20 years on the RICO count alone, on top of underlying state and federal charges.

We demand the Georgia Attorney General drop the RICO indictment in full.