Ayla King goes to trial today, marking the first of an expected thirteen trials in the racketeering case against the movement to Stop Cop City. In 2023, 61 people were charged under Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act and one, Ayla King— just 19 years old at the time—filed to demand a speedy trial. Almost 2 years later, after endless delays, deferrals and maneuvering by the legal system, Ayla’s case will finally now be heard in Fulton County.
Ayla’s case, and the RICO as a whole, are emblematic of the suppression of dissent under a growing fascist state. Ayla was first arrested and charged with “Domestic Terrorism” while at a music festival held in a public park by movement activists. Prosecutors, police and elected officials are hell bent on criminalizing dissent and punishing a vibrant protest movement against a police training facility.
The stakes for this case are high. Twelve additional RICO trials, and one for another person facing charges associated with Stop Cop City, Jack Mazurek, are anticipated over the next two years. We are seeing unprecedented repression leveraged nationwide against people resisting and acting against mass deportations, the genocide in Gaza, and suppression of bodily autonomy. As the state attacks movements for liberation, resistance adapts and grows. “Every person in the bureaucratic institutions that are trying to put Ayla in prison must know that they won’t be able to do it without publicity or consequence.”
We've published a new article detailing the significance of Ayla's case. To better understand the RICO cases, check out this article from 2023. For ongoing updates from court all week, follow Fire Ant Movement Defense.
