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** Hello, friends.
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Ayla King goes to trial today, marking the first of an expected thirteen trials in the racketeering case against the movement to Stop Cop City. In 2023, 61 people were charged under Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act ([link removed]) and one, Ayla King— just 19 years old at the time—filed to demand a speedy trial. Almost 2 years later, after endless delays, deferrals and maneuvering by the legal system, Ayla’s case will finally now be heard in Fulton County.
Ayla’s case, and the RICO as a whole, are emblematic of the suppression of dissent under a growing fascist state. Ayla was first arrested and charged with “Domestic Terrorism” while at a music festival held in a public park by movement activists. Prosecutors, police and elected officials are hell bent on criminalizing dissent and punishing a vibrant protest movement against a police training facility.
The stakes for this case are high. Twelve additional RICO trials, and one for another person facing charges associated with Stop Cop City, Jack Mazurek ([link removed]) , are anticipated over the next two years. We are seeing unprecedented repression leveraged nationwide against people resisting and acting against mass deportations, the genocide in Gaza, and suppression of bodily autonomy. As the state attacks movements for liberation, resistance adapts and grows. “Every person in the bureaucratic institutions that are trying to put Ayla in prison must know that they won’t be able to do it without publicity or consequence.”
We've published a new article ([link removed]) detailing the significance of Ayla's case. To better understand the RICO cases, check out this article ([link removed]) from 2023. For ongoing updates from court all week, follow Fire Ant Movement Defense ([link removed]) .
"All those who care about freedom should concern themselves with the outcome of this trial. You can do this from afar by following the court livestream and publicizing the proceedings, ordering pizza or otherwise supporting the rallies outside court, or doing research into the ones who are pressing these absurd charges and what their vulnerabilities might be."
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Read the article ([link removed])
** How you can help
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Wherever you are, you can act in solidarity with Ayla King and the other 60 RICO defendants. Drop a banner; put up posters; host a fundraiser. Circulate information about the RICO case. If you are in Atlanta, you can come to daily court support. (You might catch a punk show ([link removed]) outside the courthouse.)
You can donate to Ayla’s trial fund here ([link removed]) and to the Stop Cop City RICO defendants as a whole here ([link removed]) .
You could also call the office of Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr at (404) 458-3600 and let them know what you think about their behavior.
** Circulations
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Since 2022, we’ve published numerous zines documenting the movement to Stop Cop City, including a short two page explainer ([link removed]) on the RICO charges themselves.
To spread support for Ayla and all those facing trial in Atlanta, you can print and share these zines widely.
Print the zine ([link removed])
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** What We’re Doing
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All of our projects are copyright free. We distribute them for free, or else, where that is impossible, sell print versions for the costs of production and delivery alone. We do this work freely, without seeking financial compensation. The future of our species and of all life on earth is more important to each of us than turning a profit at others’ expense. True wealth is collective, not individualistic.
If you want to help us expand the scope of our efforts, you can support our projects financially ([link removed]) . But the most important thing right now is to form networks that are capable of mutual aid, collective defense, and transformative revolutionary change. Find people who share your desire for a better world and practice taking action ([link removed]) together.
For a selection of resources on how to prepare for turbulent times, you can begin here ([link removed]) .
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