John,

For months, city and state officials in Georgia have been covering up the police killing of a protester and charging protesters with domestic terrorism for exercising their constitutional rights. This is a dangerous attack on our First Amendment right to protest.

Please sign now to call on the Department of Justice to investigate the assault on Stop Cop City protesters’ rights, and the police killing (and cover-up) of Stop Cop City activist Tortuguita.

Nonviolent activists have been protesting the building of “Cop City” in Georgia, a massive training center for militarizing police which would include a fake city to practice suppressing protest.

In January, police shot and killed an activist named Tortuguita in a hail of 57 bullets, while Tortuguita sat in the forest with their arms raised. Police lied and tried to blame Tortuguita for shooting first, but autopsies exonerated the activist.

None of the officers involved in this unconscionable murder and cover-up have been charged.

But activists who passed out flyers about it were charged with an outrageous felony, and have been held in solitary confinement without bail.

After charging 42 activists with domestic terrorism for acting within their rights, Georgia’s Attorney General charged 61 activists last week with state RICO charges in order to further criminalize dissent.

This extreme government overreach is an unconstitutional attempt to silence dissent, and it’s time to hold those responsible accountable. If we don’t act, it will set a frightening precedent.

Please sign now to call on the Department of Justice to investigate Tortuguita’s killing, its subsequent cover-up, and the widespread assault on protesters’ civil rights.

In solidarity,

Rashida

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Rashida Tlaib
Date: Mon, Sep 18, 2023
Subject: Sign now: Investigate attacks on Stop Cop City activists
To: [email protected]

John,

You’ve probably heard about protests against building “Cop City” in Georgia—a project that would destroy the Weelaunee Forest and devastate the watershed upon which nearby Black communities depend. This massive training center for militarizing police would include a fake city to practice urban warfare tactics and suppressing protest.

For months, city and state officials have been covering up evidence of the police killing of a protester and charging protesters with domestic terrorism for exercising their constitutional rights.

Police shot and killed an activist named Tortuguita in a hail of 57 bullets, while Tortuguita sat with their arms raised. It appears that an officer shot another officer and tried to pin it on Tortuguita. Police lied, but autopsies demonstrated Tortuguita’s innocence.

We need justice and accountability for Tortuguita’s murder. But none of the officers involved have been charged.

Meanwhile, activists who passed out flyers about it were charged with an outrageous felony, and have been held in solitary confinement without bail. This is unacceptable.

Other activists have been arrested and held without bail for having mud on their shoes, sleeping in a forest, “standing next to signs for anarchy,” being “known members” of “a prison abolitionist movement,” and for supporting activists with legal aid and raising bail money. All of these activities are legal.

And last week, Georgia’s Attorney General charged 61 activists with state RICO charges (42 of whom were already charged with domestic terrorism) in order to further criminalize dissent.

This is a very dangerous attack on our First Amendment right to protest.

Please sign now to call on the Department of Justice to investigate Tortuguita’s killing, its subsequent cover-up, and the widespread assault on protesters’ civil rights. We must protect our right to dissent.

This extreme government overreach is an unconstitutional attempt to silence dissent, which violates our First Amendment rights and is meant to intimidate others from joining the movement against police violence.

And it’s not limited to Georgia. In the country’s largest majority-Black city of Detroit, police brutalized and even sued Black Lives Matter protesters for exercising their right to protest.

Across the country, we’re seeing a backlash against popular uprisings for much-needed justice and a better future for us all.

People have been rising up to transform what is currently an injustice system—from police killings to predatory cash bail practices to underfunded access to public defenders—into a system of justice for all.

In Congress, I’m carrying forward the grassroots call to overhaul our criminal legal system and invest in true community safety. That includes pushing for policy solutions and continuing to fight back against dangerous attacks on our right to protest.

We must take a stand in support of the movement to Stop Cop City, and against the attacks on our rights. It’s time to hold those responsible accountable. If we don’t act, it will set a frightening precedent.

Add your name now to call on the Department of Justice to investigate Tortuguita’s killing, its subsequent cover-up, and the widespread assault on protesters’ civil rights.

Thank you for fighting for our safety and our rights.

In solidarity,

Rashida