Three activists who help head up an Atlanta-based Left-wing bail fund have been arrested by Georgia investigators.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) and the Atlanta Police Department announced Wednesday that 39-year-old Marlon Scott Kautz of Atlanta, 30-year-old Savannah Patterson of Savannah, and 42-year-old Adele Maclean of Atlanta had been charged with money laundering and charity fraud. The arrests come after months of investigations following a fiery riot that took place at the site of an Atlanta police training center in March.
According to the GBI, the arrests were linked to the “ongoing investigation of individuals responsible for numerous criminal acts at the future site of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center and other metro Atlanta locations.”
Kautz, Patterson, and Maclean help oversee the Atlanta Solidarity Fund, which is used to pay bail for protesters and others who have been arrested. The group fundraised for individuals arrested in the wake of a riot that took place at the future site of the Atlanta Public Safety Training, dubbed “Cop City” by critics.
“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 said.
During the March incident, people launched fireworks and threw large rocks, bricks, and Molotov cocktails during the clash, police said, and some construction equipment caught fire. Many were charged with domestic terrorism charges.
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Georgia Republican Governor Brian Kemp also commented on the arrests, saying that he was proud to announce that “those who backed their [protesters’] illegal actions are also under arrest and will face justice.”
“These criminals facilitated and encouraged domestic terrorism with no regard for others, watching as communities faced the destructive consequences of their actions,” he added. “Here in Georgia, We DO NOT allow that to happen. Today’s announcement is a reminder that we will track down every member of a criminal organization, from violent foot soldiers to their uncaring leaders.”
The group itself said that the organizers were “arrested in an attempt to cut off protestors from legal aid. We remain unafraid and stand strong in fighting to protect civil liberties.”
The unrest in March marked a crescendo in the clashes with law enforcement by anti-police demonstrators and environmentalists after the $90 million training center was approved by the Atlanta City Council in 2021 and construction began in a forested area.
Daniel Chaitin contributed to this report.