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The challenges to the already precarious state of our democracy continue. Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr resorted to extreme measures of political repression in September, targeting 61 activists and organizers of the Stop Cop City Movement with Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) indictments.
The ongoing attacks on organizers in Georgia are part of a concerted effort to suppress community voices and the right to protest. This is a critical time for philanthropy to stand with movements and protect democracy.
This move is an abuse of power. The indictments undermine the freedom of organizations and attack the driving principles of social movements such as collectivism and solidarity. These approaches to power building are rooted in love and community care, which have long been a lifeline for those most impacted by unjust systems.
As we shared in June, the ongoing attacks on organizers in Georgia are part of a concerted effort to suppress community voices and the right to protest. This is a critical time for philanthropy to stand with movements and protect democracy.
Carrs RICO indictmentsalong with money laundering charges for three bail fund organizers and domestic terrorism charges for five othersare a direct assault on the foundational principles of our democracywith the goal of eroding public and philanthropic trust in critical social movements.
In the indictments, Attorney General Carr twists RICO statutes created in the 1970s to more easily target the Mafia by tying together apparently unrelated crimes with a common objective into a prosecutable pattern of racketeering. Members of the Stop Cop City movement are accused of being part of a vast criminal conspiracy whose actions, such as distributing flyers in a grocery store parking lot, attending a concert in the park, or participating in mutual aid programs, are, as the indictments put it, overt acts in furtherance of the racketeering conspiracy.
With the push for this indictment, Carr conflates dissent against the state as violence toward the statean egregious overreach. The use of RICO indictments as a tool to stifle dissent is not just a violation of Constitutional rights, such as the freedom of speech, the freedom to assemble, and the right to petition the government for a redress of grievances. It is also meant to have a chilling effect on everyone who works toward justiceincluding you.
Chris Carr wants you to think twice before you attend a protest, join a meeting of like-minded individuals, or contribute to causes you believe in. He isnt alone in this endeavor, either. This is part of a disturbing trend among law enforcement, reactionary prosecutors, and far-right politicians. But the RICO indictments and similar suppression efforts began not with the protests of Cop City in 2021, but rather on May 25, 2020the day George Floyd was killed by police and the largest protests in the nations history began.
After the murder of George Floyd, the FBI and local prosecutors in Phoenix attempted to define the protests as gang activity. In 2021, Ron DeSantis championed HB 1, an anti-riot law in Florida that allows for bystanders to be prosecuted for acts of property destruction. A federal district judge has temporarily blocked this part of the law.
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Other influential ultraconservative voices applaud Carrs actions as a blueprint for suppressing movements advocating for change across the country. But it is not just conservatives obstructing core principles of democracy. The Democratic mayor of Atlanta, Andre Dickensa strong supporter of Cop Cityhas been emboldened by the Republican attorney generals actions and has refused to count and verify the more than 116,000 signatures collected by Stop Cop City organizers in a referendum that would put the issue on the ballot for Atlanta voters in 2024.
When the engine of our democracy fails, there will be no one left to bend the long arc of history toward justice.
This effort to silence protestors and attack democratic principles is a threat to all of us, no matter our area of focus: climate, economic, health, or racial justice. If attempts by Carr and others are successful, then our social movements grind to a halt. And when the engine of our democracy fails, there will be no one left to bend the long arc of history toward justice.
As the growing shadows of authoritarian oppression loom large, we are compelled to confront the ominous, mounting threats against democracy in this country and take a stand now. Time and again, we ask ourselves: What can we as advocates for justice and democracy do in the face of such alarming developments?
The answers are clear.
In the face of adversity, our commitment to justice and democracy must be unwavering. There is no turning back; the only way is forward.
We call upon all concerned philanthropists and advocates to stand with us in defending the principles that define our great nation. Together, we can ensure that justice prevails and that democracy remains a beacon of hope for generations to come.
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Political Repression in Georgia: What Funders Can Do to Protect ... - Nonprofit Quarterly