The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) released a statement regarding one of their employees being arrested during a riot at a construction site for a police training facility outside of Atlanta.
The riot resulted in construction equipment being damaged, fires being started, and police officers being attacked.
The arrested employee, Thomas Webb Jurgen, was identified as a staff attorney at SPLC and charged with domestic terrorism by the Georgia Bureau of Investigations.
However, SPLC and the National Lawyers Guild (NLG) released a joint statement stating that Jurgen was acting as a legal observer and his arrest proves police were wrong to crack down on the "protesters".
The statement also mentioned the months-long escalation of policing tactics against protesters opposing the destruction of the Weelaunee Forest to build a police training facility.
NLG supported the critical work of movement allies advocating for liberation and community care and remained in solidarity with the movement to Stop Cop City.
SPLC will continue to urge de-escalation of violence and police use of force against Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities.
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Southern Poverty Law Center Employee Arrested During Riot: What Happened?"