[ [link removed] ][IMG]

John,

Update: During the past few months, law enforcement has charged more than
40 demonstrators with domestic terrorism for actively opposing “Cop
City.”^1

Now three other activists working to stop the construction of the $90
million police training facility have been charged with “felony
intimidation of an officer of the state and misdemeanor stalking" for
placing flyers on mailboxes in a residential neighborhood 40 miles north
of Atlanta.^2 This retaliation against and criminalizing of “Cop City”
protesters — and attempt to abridge their First Amendment rights — is not
unheard of.^3

Now, dozens of people sit in jail awaiting trial on trumped-up charges.
Separated from loved ones, they can’t work, provide for their families or
see their children — all because they exercised their right to protest. 

[ [link removed] ]That's why we need DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston to
drop the charges. John, can we count on you to join the fight?

TELL DA SHERRY BOSTON TO DROP THE CHARGES

We all have watched the many protests opposing turning 85 acres of
forestland in Southeast Atlanta into a massive police training facility.
For almost two years, the Atlanta Police Foundation and its corporate
donors have been plowing ahead despite countless area residents making it
clear to the Atlanta City Council and to DeKalb County officials that “Cop
City” will not make them safer. 

Since Jan. 18, when Georgia State Patrol troopers and Atlanta Police
Department (APD) officers shot and killed environmental activist Manuel
“Tortuguita” Terán during a raid of an encampment set up by protesters,
the situation has been intense. Autopsy results showed that no evidence of
gunshot residue was found on Terán’s hands, refuting claims by police that
Terán had fired at officers.^4 From that day forward, APD cops have been
quick to arrest people. On the same day of Terán’s death, the APD went on
a rampage, arresting and charging seven other protesters with domestic
terrorism.^5 The police didn’t stop there. Since December 2022, three
sweeps by authorities have resulted in demonstrators being charged,
arrested and detained.^6 

This isn’t the first time public officials have retaliated against
protesters. During the 2020 uprisings, we saw police officers file charges
against hundreds of protesters for minuscule offenses in efforts to quash
local demonstrations.^7 DA Sherry Boston has remained silent as “Cop City”
protesters have spent months behind bars. We need your help to ensure DA
Boston can’t ignore this issue.

[ [link removed] ]John, we must turn up the pressure on DA Sherry Boston. Join
us as we call on her to drop the charges against everyone. The blatant
disregard for constitutional rights and human life must end here.

STOP UNNECESSARY PROSECUTIONS

DA Sherry Boston has the power to drop the charges immediately. Every day
her inaction directly impacts our communities and the families of those
behind bars. District attorneys are some of the most influential actors in
the criminal legal system. From deciding whether to charge someone with a
misdemeanor or felony, to whether to request bail, no decisions fuel mass
incarceration and the mass criminalization of Black communities more than
the decisions of prosecutors. 

Let’s be clear: Constructing a massive police training facility would be
an ecological disaster, exacerbate an already militarized police, put
Black people in the greater Atlanta area in danger and continue
criminalizing protesters for standing up against injustice. Now more than
ever, we must be engaged as a community and ready to act. Will you join
us, John?

[ [link removed] ]We need to hold DA Sherry Boston accountable to the needs of our
communities by demanding that everyone charged for protesting can walk
free to return home and rejoin their loved ones. We must act NOW.Sign the
petition

Until Justice Is Real, 

Color Of Change Policy & Government Affairs Team

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References:

 1. Sanya Mansoor, “Atlanta Cop City Protesters Charged with Domestic
Terorrism,” Time, May 4, 2023,
[ [link removed] ][link removed]
 2. Joe Lancaster, “‘cop City’ Protesters Arrested for Distributing
Flyers,” Reason, May 3, 2023,
[ [link removed] ][link removed]

 3. “Www.aclu.org,” ACLU (International Network of Civil Liberties
Organizations ), accessed May 4, 2023,
[link removed]  
 4. Natasha Lennard, “Police Shot Atlanta Cop City Protester 57 Times,
Autopsy Finds,” The Intercept (The Intercept, April 20, 2023),
[ [link removed] ][link removed] 
 5. Jon Haworth et al., “7 Protesters Charged with Domestic Terrorism
after Fatal Shooting Incident,” ABC News (ABC News Network, January
20, 2023),
[ [link removed] ][link removed]
 6. Victoria Arancio, Morgan Winsor, and Bill Hutchinson, “23 Protesters
Charged with Domestic Terrorism after Fiery Clashes at Atlanta's 'Cop
City' Training Center,” ABC News (ABC News Network, March 6, 2023),
[ [link removed] ][link removed]
 7. Sabrina Schnur, “Court Cases Dropped against Police Brutality
Protesters in Las Vegas,” Journal (Las Vegas Review-Journal, June 4,
2021),
[ [link removed] ][link removed]



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