First Cop City RICO Trial by Jury Begins Wednesday, January 10

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 8, 2024

First Cop City RICO Trial by Jury Begins Wednesday, January 10, Against 19-Year-Old Ayla King Who Asserted Their Right to a Speedy Trial

Hearing on King’s Pretrial Motions Scheduled for Monday, January 8 at 10:30 AM at the Fulton County Superior Court

ATLANTA, GA — The first trial in a sweeping Georgia RICO indictment against 61 activists opposed to Cop City is scheduled to begin against Ayla King, 19, on Wednesday, January 10 at 9 AM in Fulton County Superior Court. After the jury was selected last month, presiding Superior Court Judge Kimberly Adams scheduled a hearing for pretrial motions on Monday, January 8 at 10:30 AM, which will include defense arguments for a motion to dismiss. King is the only defendant so far to be granted their demand for a speedy trial, which is expected to last between 4-8 weeks.

What: Jury trial against first #StopCopCity activist indicted on Georgia RICO charges

When: Pretrial motions hearing: January 8 at 10:30am / Jury trial begins: January 10 at 9am

Where: Fulton County Superior Court, 136 Pryor St. SW, Courtroom 4E

King is one of 23 people arrested at the South River Music Festival on March 5, 2023. On the same day that King and numerous others were arrested, a large group of people destroyed property at the Cop City construction site roughly a mile away, burning equipment and trailers. Police later raided the “South River Music Festival” about an hour later, detaining 30 people. Police reports recently uncovered by the Atlanta Community Press Collective show that the vast majority of detainees with in-state residences were released with a criminal trespass warning, while all those with out of state residences were arrested and charged with domestic terrorism including King who resides in Worcester, MA.

King spent a month in the Dekalb County Jail before being released on bond while some others remained incarcerated for up to 3 months, the maximum the state can hold an arrestee without an indictment. One Indigenous defendant from Utah, Victor Puertas, has remained in indefinite ICE custody due to their citizenship status. In September 2023, all 23 of those arrested on March 5th would be included in a sweeping RICO indictment aiming to characterize their presence at the South River Music Festival as evidence of participation in an alleged criminal enterprise.

“After a lengthy delay that violated my child’s right to a speedy trial, it’s finally starting,” said Aslan King, father of Ayla King. “I look forward to the prompt dismissal of all charges against Ayla and every other person being targeted by the state in its attempt to chill dissent.”

The lives of Ayla and their co-defendants had been upended even before being indicted on RICO charges. In August, The Guardian reported that some defendants had lost jobs, been barred from attending school, had their bank accounts suspended and were doxxed on social media by right-wing extremists. “Most are living with the psychological impacts of the criminal justice system being wielded against them with little to no publicly released evidence of having committed any crimes,” according to The Guardian. “At least 13 of them have posted fundraisers online to help with everything from housing to mental health.”

“These extreme acts of repression are deeply damaging to the lives of those facing prosecution, but they’ve also shown how vital it is to take care of each other,” said community organizer Micah Herskind. “The charges were meant to fracture our communities, but they’ve actually brought people together,” continued Herskind. “We’re seeing once again that only we keep each other safe, not the police.”

# # #