These protests were against the establishment of a police training facility near Atlanta, Georgia. The congresswomen, members of the progressive "Squad," labeled the facility's construction as "racist" and criticized the decision to prosecute those who attempted to halt the project as "dangerous and dystopian."
In a September 14 article for The Nation, the pair wrote, "Last week, Georgia's Republican attorney general doubled down on his politically motivated prosecution of protesters, charging 61 people with state [Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act] charges." They accused Attorney General Christopher Carr of "sending a clear message that dissent will be punished," and characterized the indictment as "reading less like a legal document and more like a MAGA manifesto."
WATCH: BRITISH COLONEL RICHARD KEMP REPORTING FROM GAZA
Tlaib and Bush described the police training facility as "the apex of injustice." They declared their opposition to what they perceive as "dangerous and dystopian efforts to criminalize the protection of the planet, threaten the health and safety of Black and brown communities, and transform political advocacy into 'terrorism' punished with extreme charges and sentences."
WATCH: NO CLUE WHY THEY ARE PROTESTING: "I WISH I WAS MORE EDUCATED"
The congresswomen dismissed the domestic terrorism charges levied against numerous Antifa-affiliated activists, asserting that prosecutors relied on "baseless evidence and minor offenses." Of the 61 defendants charged with RICO offenses, most had already been charged with domestic terrorism or other serious crimes in the months preceding the roundup. Their alleged activities were meticulously detailed both by journalists and in the indictment, where they were collectively labeled an "enterprise of militant anarchists, eco-activists, and community organizers."
TRUMP READY TO DEBATE BIDEN 'ANYWHERE, ANYTIME, ANYPLACE,' BUT WILL IT HAPPEN?
September 19, 2023
For several months, far-left activists caused significant disruption in the area, executing numerous attacks, setting up potentially lethal booby traps, and generally obstructing officials from progressing with the project.
CRITICS SLAM BIDEN'S ATTEMPT TO RELATE PERSONAL TRAGEDY TO POLICE OFFICER DEATHS
Attorney General Carr stated following the indictment, "They hold a core belief that society should abolish police, government, and private business, and as further alleged they’re willing to bring about such changes 'by any means necessary' including violence." He added that the group recruited and trained individuals from Georgia and beyond "to participate in this criminal enterprise."
FROM DISGRACE TO REDEMPTION: DAN RATHER TO MAKE UNEXPECTED RETURN TO CBS
Despite this, Tlaib and Bush portrayed those facing prosecution as non-violent resistors. They even compared them to civil rights era icons who were arrested for merely exercising their constitutional rights.
In their concluding remarks, the congresswomen stated, "Regardless of one's politics, every person in our country should be able to advocate for what they believe in, which is why it is crucial that we pay attention to what is happening in Cop City."
Discover alternative ideas that will make you think
Engage in mind bending debate
Earn points, rise in rank, have fun
