DoomsdaysCW<p>Here is a transcript of the section I'm referring to from today's <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/DemocracyNow" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>DemocracyNow</span></a> broadcast:</p><p>"AMY GOODMAN: So, that’s Daniel Paez, the brother of Tortuguita. Jeff Filipovits, if you can talk about what is happening at this protest? Dozens of the forest defenders — and they’re all different groupings of people who are opposed to what, if it’s built, will be the largest police training facility in the country, in the Weelaunee Forest outside Atlanta. Dozens have been charged with domestic terrorism?</p><p>JEFF FILIPOVITS: Yes. It’s really a troubling development. What I can speak to specifically is the arrest warrants that were taken out against each of these demonstrators, charging them with domestic terrorism. When an arrest warrant is issued, there has to be a factual basis for it. They officer has to set forth the facts in an affidavit that establish probable cause. And what we see in each of these affidavits is that there is no specific allegation of any one of these individuals engaging in an act of violence, no specific allegation that any one of these individuals conspired to engage in violence. And so we see a rubber stamp of these charges, and as a result, a seemingly automatic denial of bond for all of those arrested.</p><p>But what appears to be happening is that people are being swept up with this label regardless of whether they’ve committed any crime beyond criminal trespass. It’s an obvious show of force. It’s an obvious escalation. And it is a precedent that, having been set, will be applied to other groups. It will be applied to the next protest. Should someone at a protest commit an act of vandalism, are those who stand around that person now also domestic terrorists? If nothing more than property damage is what is required to support that charge, then we are living in a vastly different set of laws and set of rules than I think any of us really realize. It is contrary to so many core values of this country.</p><p>JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And at a press conference in February, you said that many of those who were present at the raid where Manuel was killed were even afraid to speak to you due to the mounting police targeting they’re experiencing. Could you talk about that?</p><p>JEFF FILIPOVITS: Yeah. I mean, anyone who was in the forest does not want to come forward. Now, as far as we know right now, there was no other direct witness to Manuel’s death aside from law enforcement. There were other people in the forest. Many of those people were arrested and charged with domestic terrorism. Would someone who was not arrested but in the forest want to come forward and put their name on a statement to anyone? Of course not, because look what has happened to every other person charged with domestic terrorism. They are facing an intense criminal charge. Many — most have been denied bond. And that is a way to silence people. I don’t know what else it could be."</p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/news" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>news</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/activism" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>activism</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/police" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>police</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/CriminalJustice" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>CriminalJustice</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/CivilRights" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>CivilRights</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/HumanRights" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>HumanRights</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/environment" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>environment</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/politics" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>politics</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/USpol" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>USpol</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/DefendTheForest" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>DefendTheForest</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/JusticeForTort" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>JusticeForTort</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ForestDefenders" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>ForestDefenders</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/DefendWeelaunee" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>DefendWeelaunee</span></a> <br><a href="https://www.democracynow.org/2023/3/14/cop_city_wrongful_death#transcript" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">democracynow.org/2023/3/14/cop</span><span class="invisible">_city_wrongful_death#transcript</span></a></p>