ATLANTA — Fair Fight Action today released the following statement in response to the organized crime charges filed by Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr against 61 individuals— including three organizers for an Atlanta bail fund—involved in activism efforts opposing the construction of a new police training facility in the South River Forest.
“The recent charges filed by Attorney General Carr represent a disturbing set of anti-democratic tactics by state leaders to chill speech and dissent. In an alarming escalation of efforts to criminalize constitutionally-protected activity, Carr—the disgraced former chair of a group involved in recruitment for the January 6 insurrection—has chosen to directly assault the infrastructure of bail funds.
Bail funds have long served a vital role as buffers against abuses of state power. Dating back to the Civil Rights era, many bail funds exist to protect against spurious arrest and prosecution of activists and organizers. At best, these charges raise serious alarms for the right to protest in Georgia; at worst, they may represent a concerted effort to discourage protest through potentially unjust prosecution.
Fair Fight Action calls on Attorney General Carr to drop this prosecution. The charges are a harm to Georgians’ civil rights, and must be vigorously denounced by any who believe in the continued protections and assurances of the U.S. Constitution.”
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