‘Drop All Charges’: Blazing Chaos Breaks Out During Protest Outside Jail Housing Alleged Domestic Terrorists
Trevor Schakohl on March 9, 2023
People inside Georgia’s DeKalb County Jail broke windows and lit small objects on fire during a Wednesday evening protest decrying domestic terrorism charges levied against more than 20 people after a violent demonstration at a nearby police training center construction site, according to local media.
The 23 people charged with domestic terrorism following the destructive Sunday protest at the forest site of the planned training center, unofficially dubbed “Cop City,” were booked in DeKalb County Jail, according to 11Alive, and DeKalb County Magistrate Judge Anna Davis later denied 22 of them bond but granted $5,000 bond to accused Southern Poverty Law Center Attorney Thomas Webb Jurgens. Individuals inside the jail broke cell windows and tossed out lit objects as the Wednesday night protest outside the jail occurred, with a small fire subsequently burning on a rooftop ledge, according to WSB-TV.
BREAKING: Protesters are at the DeKalb County jail and are projecting @defendATLforest / #StopCopCity messages on to the jail. Here is a video of the display. #ATL #NEWS @FOX5Atlanta pic.twitter.com/YB82MngGKD
— Billy Heath III (@BillyHeathFOX5) March 9, 2023
Demonstrators outside projected statements including “STOP COP CITY,” “DROP ALL CHARGES” and “FOREST DEFENSE IS SELF DEFENSE” on the building, Fox 5 Atlanta reported.
The SPLC said Monday that Jurgens was acting as a legal observer on the National Lawyers Guild’s (NLG) behalf when he was arrested, arguing his arrest was evidence of “heavy-handed law enforcement intervention against protesters” and not of a crime.
Prior to the Sunday incident, 19 people had already been charged with domestic terrorism since December for alleged conduct in opposition to the police training center, according to the AJC.
Protestors raged violently in Atlanta the weekend after left-wing activist Manuel Teran was fatally shot by police on Jan. 18 in the area of the police training center site, the outlet reported. Teran had allegedly disobeyed law enforcement instructions and fired his weapon during a police clearing operation, according to Atlanta News First.
The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact [email protected].