Georgia
‘Stop Cop City’ Organizers In Georgia Continue To Face Harsh Charges After New Arrests
Georgia officials arrested another set of people Wednesday who have ties to the diverse movement against “Cop City,” adding to its roster of dozens of people facing harsh charges for fighting the giant training facility being built in Atlanta.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Atlanta Police Department arrested three members of the Atlanta Solidarity Fund, an organization that helps bail out arrested activists, the GBI said in a statement on Twitter. Marlon Scott Kautz, Savannah D. Patterson and Adele Maclean were charged with money laundering and charity fraud.
The arrests of the three board members are unprecedented, The Intercept reported, citing Lauren Regan, executive director of the Civil Liberties Defense Center. The Intercept also called out the “extreme law enforcement persecution” of activists opposed to the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center — or Cop City, as it’s been nicknamed by critics — and pointed to a SWAT team raiding a house to take the board members into custody.
“When three community organizers who help to run a bail fund are arrested with an entire SWAT team on clearly bogus financial charges, it signals that not only is it illegal to protest, it’s also illegal to try and support people who have been criminalized for protesting,” Hannah Riley, a writer and organizer, told HuffPost.
“If bail funds aren’t safe, what’s next?” she added.
The site is expected to take up at least 85 acres in a historically and environmentally significant forest owned by the city of Atlanta.
The movement to keep the facility from being finished has been persistent and has a national reach. People who disapprove of the facility span age groups and identities and are attracted to the movement through different causes — such as environmentalism or abolition.
As the movement has persisted with numerous protests and events, dozens of people have been arrested by Georgia law enforcement. One protester, Manuel Esteban “Tortuguita” Paez Terán, died after being shot by Georgia troopers nearly 60 times. (Tortuguita’s death marks the first time an environmental activist has been killed by police.)
More than 40 people are facing domestic terrorism charges. And three others who face felonies ― accused of placing flyers on mailboxes naming an officer who shot Paez Terán ― had been placed in solitary confinement.
“Most protest crimes are misdemeanors or ordinance violations, like a traffic ticket,” attorney Lyra Foster previously told HuffPost. “We’ve seen many of those cases since the George Floyd protests” over the May 2020 police killing in Minneapolis. “People need to understand the actions of protesters haven’t changed; the crimes they’re charged with have. This isn’t an escalation in protest, it’s a crackdown on those same First Amendment protected protests as before.”
Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock in Georgia, both Democrats, have encouraged activists to not resort to violent protests and to lean on reaching out to city officials instead, according to Axios. But nonviolent opponents of the site have still been arrested and charged, and city officials have reportedly largely ignored hours of public comment.
“As we have said before, we will not rest until we have held accountable every person who has funded, organized, or participated in this violence and intimidation,” Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr tweeted Wednesday.
Micah Herskind, also an organizer against the training site, previously told HuffPost that “the literal murder of a forest defender and these incredibly severe political prosecutions” are galvanizing.
“I do think that it makes people more determined to fight than ever and to stop Cop City in Tortuguita’s name and to free all of the political prisoners,” Herskind added.
The Georgia Attorney General’s Office and the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office, which are prosecuting the arrestees, did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment. The Atlanta Solidarity Fund also did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request to provide comment for this article.
Georgia
Georgia Power restores power to 230k+ customers following Cora
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) – Following Winter Storm Cora, which brought heavy snow, freezing rain and ice to North Georgia, Georgia Power has restored power to more than 230,000 customers since the start of the storm.
As of Saturday morning, less than 60,000 customers remain impacted, according to Georgia Power. Crews are in the field now and the company expects that nearly all impacted customers who can receive power, will be reconnected Saturday.
Many areas experienced additional damage overnight from falling trees and limbs with the hardest hit areas including parts of Alpharetta, Jonesboro and Atlanta. As crews work today, the company says they are starting with damage assessment, which is an essential part of efficient restoration. These damage assessment teams are followed by repair crews depending on the amount of damage and access to the area.
As weather conditions improve, restoration efforts can accelerate, however, with temperatures expected to barely rise above freezing in many areas Saturday, Georgia Power says challenging road conditions and the potential for continued falling ice, limbs and trees may slow progress or cause additional damage.
Georgia Power continues to post the latest information, including estimated restoration times (ERTs) on its Outage Map as available, based on the latest information from field crews. Visit the online Storm Center to access the Outage Map and additional information.
Safety Tips for Customers and Crews
Georgia Power reminds customers that dangerous conditions exist following a storm, and to always heed the advice of local, state, and federal emergency authorities in storm-affected areas.
- Watch for Georgia Power crews working across the state. If you must be on the roads, please move over one lane for utility vehicles stopped on the side of the road – it’s the law in Georgia.
- Never touch any downed or low-hanging wire. Warn those going out to play in snow or clear debris to watch for and avoid downed wires.
- Never pull tree limbs off of power lines yourself or enter areas with heavy snow, debris or downed trees as downed power lines may be concealed. Customers should call 911 or Georgia Power immediately if they see a fallen or low-hanging power line.
- Take care if using a portable generator. Follow all manufacturer’s instructions, avoid using generators in enclosed spaces and be mindful of electrical safety. Click here for more safety tips.
Stay Connected & Informed:
- Outage Alerts – Customers subscribed to our free Georgia Power Outage Alert service will receive personalized notifications and updates via text message. Check that your contact number is up to date to receive the latest information.
- Social Media – Follow Georgia Power across Facebook, Instagram and X for storm tips, outage updates, customer service and more.
- Outage & Storm Center – Available at www.GeorgiaPower.com/Storm, customers can visit this site to check their contact information is updated to receive Outage Alerts, report and check the status of outages, and access useful safety tips and information. Customers can also report and check the status of an outage 24 hours a day by contacting Georgia Power at 888-891-0938.
- Outage Map – Housed within the Outage & Storm Center, Georgia Power’s interactive Outage Map provides near real-time information, allowing users to see where outages are occurring across the state and track estimated restoration times. The map is updated regularly from teams in the field.
- Georgia Power Mobile App – Download the Georgia Power mobile app for Apple and Android devices to access storm and outage information on the go.
Georgia
Georgia Department of Transportation trucks on the roads through Saturday morning
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – Stalled and crashed cars littered Metro Atlanta roads Friday in wake of a winter storm that powered the streets with snow.
“That’s what happens when snow falls and ice forms on the ground, you have cars spin out of control, hit other cars, hit a median, and that’s the downside of folks that have to get out and have to get from point a to point b on days like this,” said Scott Higley, Director of Communications for the Georgia Department of Transportation.
The Georgia State Patrol reported getting 1,376 calls Friday before 8 p.m. 269 of those calls were crashes. That’s with a 90% decrease in typical Metro Atlanta traffic for a Friday, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation.
“At one point this afternoon, we already had over 400 calls for H.E.R.O. assistance throughout Metro Atlanta, so that’s a pretty significant number obviously,” said Higley.
GDOT will have trucks spreading brine and plowing snow throw the Saturday morning.
“Motorists should be warned when they wake up tomorrow morning. Saturday is not a normal Saturday in Metro Atlanta. We are not out of the woods yet. And with the temperatures predicted to fall as much as they are tonight, below freezing, we can expect some freezing on the roadways,” said Higley.
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Georgia
Georgia DB Daylen Everette announces NFL draft decision
The Georgia Bulldogs’ top cornerback, Daylen Everette, will be returning for the 2025 college football season. Everette is coming off a breakout junior season.
The 6-foot-1, 190-pound cornerback recorded a team-high three interceptions in 2024. Everette was particularly effective against the Texas Longhorns. He recorded nine tackles, a forced fumble, a recovered fumble, a pass deflection, two interceptions and a sack in two games against the Longhorns.
Everette is Georgia’s top 2025 NFL draft prospect to announce his return to school. Everette is ranked as the No. 100 prospect in the draft, per Pro Football Focus.
Everette’s return gives Georgia a lockdown cornerback for the 2025 season. He’ll try to become a first-round pick in the 2026 NFL draft.
The former five-star recruit posted 58 tackles, three interceptions, three pass deflections and one sack in 2025. Everette’s decision is a bit of a surprise considering his NFL potential.
Everette announced his return to UGA via social media.
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