Category: The Law

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Corruption Crime Leftist Virtue(!) Reprints from others. The Courts The Law

Former AG Whitaker to Newsmax: Bragg’s Trump Case a ‘Slippery Slope’

Former U.S. Attorney General Matt Whitaker told Newsmax on Wednesday that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s potential criminal case against former President Donald Trump represents a “slippery slope” that will lead to further political prosecutions by both sides across the country.

“I think what’s going to happen is we’re going to go down this slippery slope where local prosecutors start to prosecute folks wearing the other team’s jersey,” Whitaker told “The Chris Salcedo Show” on Wednesday. “Conservative prosecutors in conservative jurisdictions are going to go after Democrat-leaning politicians for ‘stretch cases.'”

Whitaker said that the criminal case Bragg is trying to make in New York against the former president is such a “stretch case.”

“They have to jump over so many hurdles to ever even get it to trial,” he said. “It seems like they just want to file the charges to get the hit in and drive-by media to get their videos and their mug shots, but I think it’s going to be very challenging for our republic to sustain itself.”

Whitaker said he wanted to know where the “statesmen” on both sides of the aisle are now to speak out against this kind of “political targeting” for prosecutions.

He said that the current criminal investigations into Trump, including Bragg’s in New York, Special Counsel Jack Smith’s in Washington, D.C., and one in Atlanta, Georgia, dealing with the 2020 election, are taking place because the left wants to stop Trump from winning in 2024.

“It just seems like we’re watching something where everyone’s trying to trip up the Trump 2024 campaign,” he said. “I hope Trump’s lawyers are up for the fight. I know that the president is, but I hope he’s got people around him that are willing to do whatever it takes to win these cases and to make sure that the truth gets out.“

Categories
Corruption How sick is this? The Courts The Law

Soros-Funded DA Alvin Bragg CAUGHT HIDING Nearly 600 Pages of Exculpatory Evidence from NY Grand Jury in Trump Case (VIDEO)

Attorney Robert Costello, the former legal adviser to Michael Cohen, spoke to Tucker Carlson on Monday night after he testified to the Manhattan Grand Jury investigating President Donald Trump.

Costello told the FOX News audience that he testified for two hours in front of Alvin Bragg’s Manhattan Grand Jury.

Robert Costello told Tucker Carlson, “I spoke to the jury for two hours… It was clear to me the Manhattan Grand Jury did not want to get to the truth.”

And it now is being reported that New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg was HIDING exculpatory evidence from the Grand Jury!

According to FOX News legal mind Gregg Jarrett, Soros-funded DA Alvin Bragg HID nearly 600 pages of exculpatory evidence to the New York Grand Jury investigating President Trump.

Gregg Jarrett: I mentioned it yesterday, I think, when Bob Costello got into that Grand Jury room and told them, “Wait a minute. You don’t have the hundreds of pages I handed over to Alvin Bragg over here? You only have six cherry-picked documents?” You know, hiding from grand juries exculpatory information is reprehensible and unconscionable. And the conduct of Alvin Bragg and his henchman Mark Pomeranz, who specifically says in his book, “We’re targeting zombies because we don’t like his beliefs,” those guys should face disbarment proceedings.

Once again the REAL crooks reveal themselves.

And Jarrett is right. If there was a real justice system in the country, they should be disbarred.

 

Categories
Corruption How sick is this? Reprints from others. The Courts The Law

Jan. 6 Proud Boys Trial Paused as Defense Attorney Alleges FBI Altered Evidence

Where's the proof?
WASHINGTON, DC – DECEMBER 19: Attorney Steven Metcalf (2nd L), representing seditious conspiracy defendant Dominic Pezzola for his role in the attacks of January 6 at the U.S. Capitol, arrives at the E. Barrett Prettyman United States Courthouse December 19, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
By Gary Bai for The Epoch Times
March 9, 2023Updated: March 10, 2023

FBI agents ordered to alter or destroy evidence

 

The trial of Dominic Pezzola, one of the defendants of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol breach, was paused on Thursday due to classified FBI messages revealed in court, which the defense attorneys say show FBI agents discussing the altering of evidence.

Pezzola is one of the Proud Boys members on trial for obstruction and conspiracy charges related to the Jan. 6 Capitol breach. He was arrested on Jan. 15, 2021, and indicted the same month. Pezzola’s trial began in January of this year.

“There are a couple of emails between FBI agents casually discussing altering a document and destroying hundreds of pieces of evidence. It’s very disturbing and right now we have more questions than answers,” Roger Roots, an attorney at John Pierce Law, wrote to The Epoch Times. Roots confirmed that Washington District Court Judge Timothy J. Kelly, a Trump appointee, paused the trial on Thursday after the leaked messages were shown in court.

The exchange Roots referred to came into light on Wednesday during the testimony of FBI special agent Nicole Miller, who was involved in the agency’s investigations of the Jan. 6 defendants.

When cross-examining Miller, Nick Smith, an attorney representing Proud Boys member Ethan Nordean (listed as co-defendant on Pezzola’s case), revealed classified FBI emails that were hidden in a tab in an Excel spreadsheet. Roots, in Pezzola’s case, used this evidence to support a motion to dismiss (pdf) the charges against Pezzola, which Roots’s team filed on Wednesday.

In the motion, Pezzola’s team said the emails showed that the FBI monitored communications between Nordean and his lawyer, violating the Sixth Amendment, which prohibits invasions of the right to counsel (Matter of Fusco v. Moses).

“In the Nordean case, confidential attorneys-client trial/defense strategy and position was wrongfully obtained by the government, about which was overheard, shared, utilized, where potentially ‘338 items of evidence’ were ordered to be ‘destroyed,’ said Pezzola’s legal team in the motion to dismiss.

According to a separate filing by Nordean’s lawyers, Miller said in one correspondence that “[her] boss assigned [her] 338 items of evidence [she has] to destroy”; Nordean’s lawyers allege that another email show an agent requesting Miller to “go into [a] CHS [informant] report” that Miller “just put [together] and edit out that [the agent] was present.”

The emails show Miller “admitted fabricating evidence and following orders to destroy hundreds of items of evidence,” Pezzola’s lawyers wrote in its motion to dismiss, and that the government obtained information that benefitted itself in the trial, causing substantial prejudice to each of the defendants, including Pezzola.

“If justice means anything, it requires this case to be dismissed,” Pezzola’s lawyer said.

Roots is representing Pezzola on a pro bono basis. Legal non-profit National Constitutional Law Union (NCLU) is helping cover Roots’s expenses while he is in Washington, according to NCLU Executive Director Natalie Danelishen.

“My thoughts are we need a longer pause to get to the bottom of some of Agent Miller’s emails,” Roots told The Epoch Times.

As of Thursday evening, the court has not issued an order responding to the motion to dismiss.

Alleged Brady Violations

In addition to their argument about the Sixth Amendment, Pezzola’s lawyers also argued in their motion to dismiss that newly surfaced footage of events of the Jan. 6 Capitol breach constitutes exculpatory evidence. The defendants’ lawyers say the government, by withholding that evidence, violated their client’s constitutional rights as defined in Brady v. Maryland, a 1963 case in which the Supreme Court held that prosecutors must make available exculpatory evidence to defense counsel.

The defendants’ motion comes two days after House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) released more than 40,000 hours of Jan. 6 footage to Fox News’s Tucker Carlson, who then aired some of the footage on his show on Monday and Tuesday.

One tape aired Monday showed Capitol Police officers walking alongside Jacob Chansley, a Jan. 6 defendant serving a 41-month sentence after pleading guilty to an obstruction charge. Chansley was unarmed and walked past several Capitol police officers.

The aired footage “is plainly exculpatory,” Pezzola’s lawyers said in the motion.

The FBI declined to comment and referred The Epoch Times to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for comment.

U.S. Attorney’s Office did not provide The Epoch Times with comment by

Categories
Back Door Power Grab Corruption Links from other news sources. Reprints from others. The Law

Finally the truth about January 6th. Let my people go.

Trump supporters occupy the West Front of the Capitol and the inauguration stands on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Watch:

 

Finally the truth about January 6th. Let my people go. Let me be clear. Those who committed acts of violence and vandalism should have been charged. None should still be in jail held without bond.

Yesterday Carlson started releasing what really happened and why the left hid this from the American People. I actually now understand why Pelosi, Schumer, and the Committee to do about nothing hid this. They bared some of the responsibility. Please watch the video’s above and read the tweets below. Some of what the Democrats released was actually doctored. The only deaths that occurred were the protestors.

Democrats have been running around like decapitated chickens ever since news broke that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has given Tucker Carlson unfettered access to surveillance footage from inside the Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot by supporters of President Donald Trump.

The Fox News host will air five stories culled from the footage Monday and Tuesday nights, countering the overblown “insurrection” narrative the Democrats and their media toadies have been pushing since Day One.

 

Ray Epps was never arrested or locked up for this “crime” or any crime on January 6th.

https://twitter.com/greg_price11/status/1632930485281120256?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1633021151197954048%7Ctwgr%5E4b1167e874bb2e9143f591a3796fc60768e1264f%7Ctwcon%5Es2_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fpolitics%2Felon-musk-house-jan-6-committee-misleading-public-withholding-evidence

https://twitter.com/i/status/1632912031882805250

Categories
Crime How sick is this? Leftist Virtue(!) Opinion The Law Uncategorized

HuffPo Claims Executed Inmate Was a ‘Victim of DeSantis’ – But Look What It Cleverly Left Out

The U.S. Supreme Court rejected a last-minute petition by Dillbeck’s attorneys. But HuffPo blames Desantis?

By Johnathan Jones  for Western Journal February 24, 2023

Far-left HuffPost sided with a man who slashed a mother’s throat and killed a cop in order to score a sleazy political point against Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday.

The site obviously never hides its left-wing slant, and serious people never expect substantive reporting or opinions from its pages.

But a story written by “reporter” Jessica Schulberg and published by the junk outlet sent Ariana Huffington’s creation to a shocking new low.

The website offered up this abomination of a headline: “Florida Executes Man Used As ‘Political Pawn’ By Ron DeSantis.”

In reality, the man committed murders in a state where capital punishment was on the table and the state carried out its lawful duty to exact justice for the victims.

Schulberg led a Thursday-evening story with a quote from twice-convicted killer Donald Dillbeck, 59, who politicized his own death before he was killed by lethal injection in Starke, Florida, on Thursday evening.

“I know I hurt people when I was young. I really messed up,” Dillbeck stated in a comment to open Schulberg’s piece. “But I know Ron DeSantis has done a lot worse.”

Schulberg’s angle to the story, which was sympathetic to Dillbeck in its tone, cleverly left out the grisly details of how he ended up on death row.

Here are the facts about him, per the Associated Press:

  • As a teen, Dillbeck stabbed a man in Indiana while he attempted to rob the victim of his CB radio.
  • While on the lam in Florida, Dillbeck shot and killed Lee County Deputy Dwight Lynn Hall in Fort Myers Beach with his own gun.
  • After almost a decade into a life sentence for the cold-blooded murder, Dillbeck escaped.
  • While he was out, Dillbeck procured a paring knife and stabbed 44-year-old Faye Vann 20 times with it before he slashed her throat in Tallahassee.

HuffPost postured as if it had taken issue with the fact Dillbeck’s jury voted 8-4 when it sentenced him to death. Schulberg slanted her article in favor of unanimous decisions.

DeSantis supports capital punishment by a majority vote, which was the law when Vann was brutally murdered. Meanwhile, Schulberg cited sources who explained to her how archaic they believed Dillbeck’s execution was.

But none of that was the point of her article. The point was not to highlight Dillbeck as a man done wrong by the justice system.

The narrative was certainly was not to shed light on Vann and other female victims of violent crime.

The story was published and disseminated purely as an attack against DeSantis.

Vann’s adult children actually thanked the governor personally in a hand-written letter for not stopping their mother’s killer from meeting his fate. Schulberg left that out of her piece until DeSantis ally Christina Pushaw shared it online.

HuffPost was rightly eviscerated on Twitter all evening after it shared Schulberg’s obscene piece on its opinion page.

HuffPost’s editors are so desperate for content they feel could harm a popular Republican they opened an article with a quote that accused him of doing “worse” than two gruesome murders.

In doing so, the outlet is currently at rock bottom — which is saying a lot.

Donald Dillbeck, on death row.

Categories
Back Door Power Grab Politics Public Service Announcement The Courts The Law

Follow up: REAL ID creates 2nd-class citizens. Sign Change.org petition

No "Real ID"? No seat for you!

This is the original article (New items follow below.)

Official Penn DOT website blurb

Note the date above: May 7, 2025. On that date, you will become a second-class citizen unless you bow to your masters’ demands.

Papers, please!

Although it’s been delayed several times, the insidious Real ID is coming. You will need to pay for the government’s approval so you can board a flight that NEVER LEAVES THE COUNTRY. And you won’t be able to seek redress of grievances because you won’t be ALLOWED into a Federal — and likely state — building if you don’t have their “Good Sheeple” ID to see your elected representatives. You won’t even be able to check with your local Social Security office about retirement without it. Or register to vote — if you’re a native-born American, that is.

Already, Drivers License locations have a security guard stationed inside them, because “Real ID” is given out there.

So far it’s supposedly a one-and-done deal, once you pay, the Real ID gold star is yours for life.

Does anyone really believe that the bureaucrats won’t draw from that well again — and again? Isn’t that what we were promised for the Covid-19 clot shot, one-and-done? How about the promise that Federal Income tax would only be on the rich? Or that electric cars would be cheaper to run — and less polluting — than internal combustion vehicles?

Okay, so maybe you don’t need to fly across the country, so what? Remember though that the TSA controls ALL public transportation. Think I’m kidding? Did you ever see those notices like on City buses: “The TSA requires all passengers to wear a mask….” How long do you suppose it will take the elitists to require Real ID to board a cross-town bus? They’re already trying to take our cars away from us.

Real ID is anathema to our country’s ideals

The very idea of Real ID is anathema to what the country stands for (or used to stand for) in the first place. In the second place, does anyone care to bet that the current surge of illegal immigrant/future democrat voters won’t need it — or that the elitists will provide it to them so they can continue to vote democrat?

I didn’t think so.

I know some leftist loons will claim I’m a conspiracy theorist. OTOH, how many things that the left decried as a “conspiracy theory” has been proven true?

We need to remove the upcoming “Real ID” restrictions for access to airlines and government buildings

The much-delayed “Real ID” will violate the Constitution if allowed to go into effect.

First, In limiting access to ALL federal buildings only to those with a “Real ID,” the law infringes on the 1st amendment right “..to petition the Government for a redress of grievances” Already you can find armed security personnel in many federal and other government buildings. If you can’t get into the building, you can’t see your elected Congressional representatives or testify before any federal entity. If they can make exceptions, then the law is i weapon to silence critics, not to protect anyone.

Second, The need for a “Real ID” to fly on a commercial airplane WITHIN THE UNITED STATES is effectively a “no-fly” list for citizens who don’t desire a “Real ID.” This violates the “general welfare” clause of the Preamble, and while it might be construed as lawful under Article One, Section eight “regulate interstate commerce” clause, personal (ie non-business) travel by definition is NOT “commerce.” And one could reasonably argue that it violates the 1st Amendment right to peaceably assemble.

“Real ID” creates an illegal underclass for people who may simply want to be left alone and not have “Big Brother” constantly looking over their shoulders.

It is also the first step to communist-style “travel documents” to control the movement of the citizens of the US.

Make your voice heard! Sign the petition here:

Categories
Corruption Crime How sick is this? Leftist Virtue(!) The Law

11 US cities — all governed by Democratic mayors — listed among 50 most dangerous places in the world

Scene from the Dexter TV show, for illustrative purposes

First, let’s define what we mean by “most dangerous” because there are many different “most dangerous” lists out there. Here we are talking about the overall crime rate. Not just the violent crimes that grab headlines. and the list we are using is a live database that is constantly being updated.

For instance, according to WorldAtlas.com St Louis, MO is the 7th most dangerous in the world based on the murder rate per 100k. It is a democrat-run city.(Tishaura Jones). The first six are all in Mexico.

OTOH, The Boutique Adventurer drops St. Louis to #10 with 8 of the 9 above it in Mexico — the ninth being Caracas, Venezuela at #6. Baltimore comes in at #15, the same as on our main database. New Orleans is at #18 and Memphis at #20 while Detroit clocks in at #26.

Curiously, this one doesn’t list ANY US cities in their top 27.

These, like the one I’ll devote the rest of this article to are listed as being compiled in(or for) 2023.

DANGER!

Eleven U.S. cities rank among the 50 most dangerous in the world, according to a recent report published by Numbeo, a global quality of life database. All 11 are governed by Democratic mayors.

Three U.S. cities — Baltimore, Memphis, and Detroit — are ranked among the 20 most dangerous cities on the planet.

The three cities have more in common than just violent crime. All three are run by Democrats.

Baltimore ranks #15 on the annual dangerous cities list, with Memphis and Detroit close behind at #18 and #19, respectively.

Brandon Scott, just 38 years of age, is the mayor of Baltimore. Jim Strickland Jr., an attorney and politician, is the 64th and current mayor of Memphis, where the Memphis police department has just announced plans to permanently deactivate the unit that five of the officers involved in the vicious beating of Tyre Nichols belonged to. Mike Duggan, meanwhile, is currently serving as the mayor of Detroit.

Two more U.S. cities run by Democrats appear among the 30 most dangerous in the world: Albuquerque (#23), where 45-year-old Tim Keller serves as the 30th mayor, and St. Louis (#27), where Tishaura Oneda Jones has served as mayor since April of 2021.

Tracking back for a wider view yields a still grimmer perspective for Democrats, as another six Democrat-run cities rank among the world’s 50 most dangerous: New Orleans (#35), Oakland (#38), Milwaukee (#40), Chicago (#43), Philadelphia (#46), and Houston (#50). Again, all of these cities are run by Democrats.

Numbeo’s report contains both a Crime Index, which is an estimation of overall levels of crime in a given city, and a Safety index. A city with a high safety index is considered very safe. A city with a high crime index is considered anything but. If a city’s crime levels are lower than 20, for instance, this is considered excellent. Crime levels between 20 and 40 are considered good; crime levels between 40 and 60 are moderate; crime levels between 60 and 80 are considered high. Finally, crime levels higher than 80 are considered dangerously high.

The Safety Index, meanwhile, is ranked in the completely opposite way, with scores higher than 80 indicating that a city is very safe, and scores under 20 indicating that a city is borderline uninhabitable.

Baltimore has a Crime Index score of 75.5 and a Safety Index score of 24.5. “Charm City” finds itself sandwiched between Port of Spain, the capital of Trinidad and Tobago, and Rosario, Argentina’s third-most populous city.

In 2019, then-U.S. Attorney General William Barr referred to Baltimore as the country’s “robbery capital.” Although the comment was deemed controversial by some commentators, it is amply substantiated by crime statistics. Last year, the city of 576,000 experienced a sharp spike in robberies, with robberies of convenience stores jumping by 300%. Baltimore also suffered a sharp increase in homicides. 

Some 900 miles away, in Memphis, overall crime increased by more than 8% last year. By August of 2022, 4,501 crimes had been reported in the downtown area of the city, 600 more than had been reported by August of 2021, according to the city’s Data Hub.

In Detroit, more than 220 officers left the police department last year. Long known as the automobile capital of the world, Detroit has, in recent times, become more closely associated with assaults, shootings and homicides. On New Year’s Day, for instance, a total of 6 people were shot, one of them fatally. Five days later, a 16-year-old was killed and an 11-year-old was injured in yet another shooting.

Democrats have often been labeled “soft on crime” by their opponents. The latest Numbeo report will do little to stem such denunciations.

Here is an abbreviated list from the Numbeo list linked above:

RankCityCrime IndexSafety Index
1Caracas, Venezuela83.616.4
2Pretoria, South Africa8218
3Durban, South Africa8119
4Johannesburg, South Africa80.719.3
5Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea80.719.3
6San Pedro Sula, Honduras80.519.5
7Kabul, Afghanistan79.820.2
8Rio de Janeiro, Brazil77.622.4
9Fortaleza, Brazil77.322.7
10Natal, Brazil77.222.8
11Port Elizabeth, South Africa76.923.1
12Salvador, Brazil76.623.4
13Recife, Brazil76.423.6
14Port of Spain, Trinidad And Tobago76.223.8
15 *Baltimore, MD, United States75.524.5
16Rosario, Argentina75.224.8
17Alice Springs, Australia74.825.2
18 *Memphis, TN, United States74.825.2
 19 *Detroit, MI, United States74.125.9
23 *Albuquerque, NM, United States71.528.5
27  *Saint Louis, MO, United States70.629.4
35 *New Orleans, LA, United States67.632.4
36Rockhampton, Australia67.632.4
38 *Oakland, CA, United States67.432.6
40 *Milwaukee, WI, United States67.132.9
43 *Chicago, IL, United States66.133.9
46 *Philadelphia, PA, United States64.935.1
48 *Cleveland, OH, United States6436
51 *Houston, TX, United States63.836.2
54 *Atlanta, GA, United States63.536.5

And for our lurkers:

76 *San Francisco, CA, United States61.138.9
145 *Los Angeles, CA, United States52.247.8
168 *
Sacramento, CA
49.450.6

Categories
Leftist Virtue(!) Links from other news sources. Progressive Racism The Law

But, but how could this happen in California? White man goes on a killing spree. Oh wait he was Asian.

Oriental kills 10 wounds 10.

But, but how could this happen in California? White man goes on a killing spree. Oh wait he was Oriental. California, the state where Progressives pass the crazy laws saying it’s gun control. And what happens? People die. I know, some loon will say the gun probably came from out of state. Or will say the shooter didn’t kill and injure those folks, his gun did.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1617210079731929089

And you have this crazy person who blamed the shooting on whites anyway. We have this.

It didn’t take long for one leftist lunatic to blame white dominant culture for the shooting. She vowed to make it him/her mission to take down the white dominant culture following the shooting.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1617221336048230400

Only in California.

 

 

 

 

Categories
Reprints from others. The Law Un documented.

America’s Broken Immigration System: A Debate

Immigrants cross the Rio Grande into El Paso, Texas on January 08, 2023 (John Moore via Getty Images)

 

America’s Broken Immigration System: A Debate
A restrictionist and a proponent of open borders walk into a bar . . .

By The Free Press

January 21, 2023

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In 2022, there were over 2.76 million illegal migrant crossings at the Southwest border. That’s roughly the population of Chicago, America’s third largest city. To address this unprecedented surge, President Biden recently announced tougher restrictions and made a show of visiting the border himself.

But unlike a decade or two ago, when the immigration debate was mostly about economics, today it’s an issue that’s subsumed by the culture wars and our polarized discourse. Republican governors bus migrants to sanctuary cities and they’re called “xenophobic” and “cruel” by the left. But what happens when a Democratic governor does much the same thing, bussing migrants from Colorado to New York City and Chicago? Is it still a heartless political stunt? Or is all of this just an inevitable consequence of our broken immigration system?

So this week: a debate moderated by guest host Kmele Foster between Alex Nowrasteh and Jessica Vaughan. Are current levels of immigration helping or hurting America? How do we balance humanitarian concerns with America’s economic and security needs? Should we be trying to enforce more or less restrictions at the border? And what exactly should we do to fix our immigration policies?

Alex is the director of Economic and Social Policy Studies at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank. Jessica is the director of Policy Studies for the Center for Immigration Studies, a think tank that describes themselves as “pro-immigrant but low immigration.”

While Alex and Jessica couldn’t be more opposite in their approach—Alex favors free immigration, while Jessica argues for restrictionist policies—in this episode of Honestly we look for common ground, debate the facts, and search for solutions.

 

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Links from other news sources. Reprints from others. The Law

You make the call. Atlanta: Protesters call for ‘violence’ against police after shooting leaves 1 dead, officer injured

State troopers stand with a DeKalb, Georgia, police officers on Constitution and International Park in Atlanta on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023. (John Spink/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

We want to thank the folks over at FOX.

Protesters in Atlanta, are calling for violence against police officers and law enforcement entities following a police-involved shooting on Wednesday that left a state trooper wounded and one man dead.

The Twitter account Scenes from the Atlanta Forest calls for a “Night of Rage” on Friday to enact “reciprocal violence to be done to the police and their allies,” according to the Scenes from the Atlanta Forest Twitter account.

“Consider this a call for reciprocal violence to be done to the police and their allies. On Friday, January 20th, wherever you are, you are invited to participate in a night of rage in order to honor the memory of our fallen comrade,” the group wrote on Twitter, in an apparent violation of the platform’s terms and conditions.

The account claims to be a part of Defend the Atlanta Forest, one of the multiple groups protesting in an area where the city is set to construct the new Atlanta Public Safety Training Center.

GEORGIA STATE TROOPER SHOT BY PROTESTER AT ‘COP CITY’ NEAR ATLANTA

State troopers stand with a DeKalb, Georgia, police officers on Constitution and International Park in Atlanta on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023.

State troopers stand with a DeKalb, Georgia, police officers on Constitution and International Park in Atlanta on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023. (John Spink/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

The Defenders of the Forest said in a statement to Fox News Digital that it is “a broad, diverse, decentralized movement to defend the Atlanta forest.”  They went on to say they are only a “news aggregator for the movement” and “not affiliated” with Scenes from the Atlanta Forest.

In another tweet, posted several hours later, the group added: “The police will kill you if given the chance. Now is the time for bravery. Take care of each other. Be dangerous together.”

The group appeared to acknowledge the post was against Twitter’s rule not to incite violence as it said in yet another tweet that its account “is not long for this world.”

The upcoming event comes after a Georgia State Patrol trooper, wearing a bulletproof vest, was shot in the abdomen Wednesday morning. It happened as police tried to clear an encampment near the site where the $90 million Atlanta Police Department (APD) facility will be constructed.

Police at the scene where a Georgia state trooper was shot on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023.

Police at the scene where a Georgia state trooper was shot on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023. (Fox 5 Atlanta)

The sweep was conducted as “an operation to identify people who are trespassing and committing other crimes on the property,” the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) said.

placeholder

 

“At about 9:00 a.m. today, as law enforcement was moving through the property, officers located a man inside a tent in the woods. Officers gave verbal commands to the man who did not comply and shot a Georgia State Patrol Trooper,” GBI said in a statement. “Other law enforcement officers returned fire, hitting the man.”

“Law enforcement evacuated the Trooper to a safe area. The man died on scene,” it added.

The bureau continued: “The injured Georgia State Patrol Trooper was taken to a local hospital where he underwent surgery. A handgun and shell casings were located at the scene. The GBI is working the officer-involved shooting and the investigation is still active and ongoing.”

The identities of the officer and the deceased have not yet been released. The officer was hospitalized and is in stable condition.

DeKalb, Georgia, and Atlanta SWAT members are pictured leaving the Gresham Park command post in Atlanta on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023.

DeKalb, Georgia, and Atlanta SWAT members are pictured leaving the Gresham Park command post in Atlanta on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023. (John Spink/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

"The individual who fired upon law enforcement and shot the trooper was killed in the exchange of gunfire," GBI director Michael Register said.

“The individual who fired upon law enforcement and shot the trooper was killed in the exchange of gunfire,” GBI director Michael Register said. (John Spink/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

During a press conference, GBI director Michael Register confirmed that the shooting was in self-defense after the now-deceased individual opened fire “without warning” on the trooper.

“An individual, without warning, shot a Georgia State Patrol trooper,” Register told reporters. “Other law enforcement personnel returned fire in self-defense and evacuated the trooper to a safe area. The individual who fired upon law enforcement and shot the trooper was killed in the exchange of gunfire.”

Four others were arrested at the scene and taken to the DeKalb County Jail. Charges are pending.

“They’re endangering the community and the citizens around this area,” Register said of the encampment and the protesters, FOX 5 Atlanta reported.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp also commented on the shooting and said he and his family were praying for law enforcement officers.

“Marty, the girls, and I are praying for this brave Trooper and public safety officers across all law enforcement agencies today,” he tweeted Wednesday morning. “As our thoughts remain with him and his family, our resolve also remains steadfast and strong to see criminals brought to justice.”

FBI RELEASES NEW DETAILS ON POLICE USE OF FORCE AS PUBLIC GRAPPLES WITH DISTRUST

The joint task force formed to combat ongoing criminal activity at the APD site includes the GBI, Atlanta Police Department, Georgia Attorney General’s Office, DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office, Georgia State Patrol, FBI, DeKalb County Police Department, Department of Natural Resources, and the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA).

Georgia state troopers stand along Key Road in Atlanta on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023.

Georgia state troopers stand along Key Road in Atlanta on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023. (John Spink/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Defend the Atlanta Forest held a vigil Wednesday evening at the Little Five Points Square to “memorialize the forest defender” that was “murdered by the police,” it announced on Twitter.

“Today the police shot and killed a forest defender below the canopy of our beloved forest,” the group said. “No one can bring our friend back to us. An innocent life has been taken and the machines continue.”

“We will not go quietly into this dark night,” it added.

ATLANTA POLICE SEEK SUSPECT IN FATAL CHRISTMAS EVE SHOOTING

“Police killed a forest defender today, someone who loved the forest, someone who fought to protect the earth & its inhabitants,” the group continued in a tweet.

And: “This is why we organize to stop Cop City. And we will. In honor of their life, and the lives of everyone killed and imprisoned by the police.”

The group also announced another event on Jan. 21, where members are encouraged to “wear black in mourning” for the dead member.

These events come amid heightened tension between protesters and the police, involving several arrests over several months over the APD construction.

“The Atlanta Police Department seeks to turn 300 acres of forest into a tactical training compound featuring a mock city. This project was announced to the shock of community members who had been given no opportunity to weigh in on the proposal. The entire process has been shadier than the forest itself,” Defend the Atlanta Forest’s website reads.

According to the group, they are explicitly protesting the new “Cop City” as it will “hyper-militarize law enforcement” and “will serve as a national model of police militarization and budgetary bloat.”

The group names the 2020 death of George Floyd and others as its motivation to protest police violence.

A man holds up his hands while marching following the guilty verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin on April 20, 2021, in Atlanta, Georgia.

A man holds up his hands while marching following the guilty verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin on April 20, 2021, in Atlanta, Georgia. (Elijah Nouvelage/AFP via Getty Images)

People march following the guilty verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin on April 20, 2021, in Atlanta.

People march following the guilty verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin on April 20, 2021, in Atlanta. (Elijah Nouvelage/AFP via Getty Images)

The group also claims it does not advocate for violence and that “no one has been harmed by participants in this movement.”

Last week, anarchists in Atlanta also targeted Brasfield & Gorrie, the general contractor of the police facility, and spray-painted graffiti on its buildings.

“B&G stop cop city,” the graffiti read, according to photos. “We have the numbers,” another spray-painted message read.

Also, last month, police arrested five people at the APD site location. They were also charged with domestic terrorism.

 

On Dec. 14, the GBI wrote: “Yesterday, December 13, 2022, our agents assisted APD and other local, state, and task force members in an operation to remove barricades blocking some of the entrances to the training center.”

“Prior to yesterday’s operation, APD and other agencies had made several arrests over the past few months for the ongoing criminal activity at the site location. Some of the criminal activities include carjacking, various crimes against persons, destruction of property, arson, and attacks against public safety officials. Law enforcement continues to address the criminal acts committed by the individuals that continue to occupy the area of the proposed training site,” it said.

Atlanta's authorities arrested Francis Carroll, age 22, of Maine, Nicholas Olson, age 25, of Nebraska, Serena Hertel, age 25, of California, Leonardo Vioselle, age 20, of Macon, Georgia, and Arieon Robinson, age 22, of Wisconsin, on Dec. 13, 2022.

Atlanta’s authorities arrested Francis Carroll, age 22, of Maine, Nicholas Olson, age 25, of Nebraska, Serena Hertel, age 25, of California, Leonardo Vioselle, age 20, of Macon, Georgia, and Arieon Robinson, age 22, of Wisconsin, on Dec. 13, 2022. (DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office/Georgia Bureau of Investigation)

The arrested individuals included Francis Carroll, age 22, of Maine, Nicholas Olson, age 25, of Nebraska, Serena Hertel, age 25, of California, Leonardo Vioselle, age 20, of Macon, GA, and Arieon Robinson, age 22, of Wisconsin.

“After police cleared the area of concern, which included makeshift treehouses, they found explosive devices, gasoline, and road flares,” the GBI said in its statement on Jan. 14.

 

DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston said those who were arrested had attacked firefighters and police officers with rocks and weapons as the officers removed barricades blocking some entrances to the site, according to FOX 5 Atlanta.

The investigation into the activities at the APD site is active and ongoing. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact local law enforcement or the GBI at 1-800-597-TIPS.

Fox News’ Paul Best contributed to this report.