On September 8th, 2025 the pre-trial hearings on over 60 motions are set to begin in Atlanta for the RICO 61. The RICO 61 are the 61 people who were indicted in August 2023 under the Georgia Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (or RICO) in connection with struggles against Cop City in Atlanta. 

In anticipation of these hearings, this episode features features two separate interviews: up first, a RICO defendant named Peatmoss, followed by attorney Xavier de Janon, who represents RICO defendant Jamie Mariscano.  Peatmoss talks about weathering this repression in community, and Xavier breaks down what you need to know to about this legal repression two years after the indictment.

Stay plugged in: 

Follow Fire Ant Movement Defense on Instagram @fireantmovementdefense for updates and info on showing up to support in person in Atlanta.

Watch the live stream of the hearings on Youtube via Atlanta Community Press Collective: https://www.youtube.com/@AtlPressCollective/streams The hearings begin at 9:30am ET and go through the afternoon.

PHONE ZAP: With an important motion hearing for 4 #stopcopcity defendants approaching on September 8th, call & email to demand Georgia AG Chris Carr drop ALL charges! 404-458-3600 FAX: 404-657-8733 EMAIL: [email protected]

Pre-Trial Motion Press Release

 Donate to support the RICO 61

Stay in touch! Follow Outlaw on Bluesky @outlawpod.bsky.social

Intro & Outro Music: Tortuguita by Brass Tapestry (ft. Rev. Keyanna Jones)

Who's Tortuguita? Tort was an anarchist forest defender part of the movement to Stop Cop City in Atlanta. They were murdered by Georgia State Patrol Troopers in their tent in Weelaunee Forest on January 18th, 2023. Some memories of them are compiled here. 

Cover Image by Mon M. 

As always, this podcast is not legal advice, and some guests views may differ from our own.

Veryl Pow and Dylan Rodriguez join Outlaw for a rich discussion about non-profits and state repression--from the liberal non-profit taming of the rebellious '60s to the fascist gutting of those same non-profits today. 

Veryl is a movement lawyer at the Sustainable Economies Law Center, and Dylan is a organizer, academic, founding member of critical resistance.

Stay in touch! Follow Outlaw on Bluesky @outlawpod.bsky.social

Cover Image by Mon M. 

Intro & Outro Music: Tortuguita by Brass Tapestry (ft. Rev. Keyanna Jones)

Who's Tortuguita? Tort was an anarchist forest defender part of the movement to Stop Cop City in Atlanta. They were murdered by Georgia State Patrol Troopers in their tent in Weelaunee Forest on January 18th, 2023. Some memories of them are compiled here. 

In this episode we are joined by Python, a former defendant in what’s known as the J20 case. On January 20, 2017, the day of Trump’s first inauguration, over 200 people were mass-arrested at an antifascist demonstration in D.C. and charged with multiple felonies totaling up to a possible 60-plus years in prison each. After a year and a half of legal battles, and a successful collective defense strategy, almost none of the charges stuck. Python reflects on his experience and offers lessons learned.

Stay tuned at the end of the episode for a PSA from the NLG Federal Anti-Repression Hotline.

Corrected/clarified info: 

• After publishing this episode, showmakers were informed the limo was not set on fire until hours after everyone was kettled and mass arrested. Support crew members have said that was a separate incident from the mass demonstration that media misrepresented.
• In the end, majority of defendants did not go to trial and had their charges dropped. One trial ended in a hung jury. 

Want to learn more about J20? 

We've Got Your Back: The Story of the J20 Defense

Criminalizing Dissent: After Proving Mere Presence J20 Prosecution Rests Its Case

(Zine) I Was a J20 Street Medic and Defendant: How We Survived the First Trial and What We Learned Along the Way

Stay in touch! Follow Outlaw on Bluesky @outlawpod.bsky.social

Cover Image by Mon M. 

Intro & Outro Music: Tortuguita by Brass Tapestry (ft. Rev. Keyanna Jones)

Who's Tortuguita? Tort was an anarchist forest defender part of the movement to Stop Cop City in Atlanta. They were murdered by Georgia State Patrol Troopers in their tent in Weelaunee Forest on January 18th, 2023. Some memories of them are compiled here. 

Immigration lawyers and organizers Sophia Gurulé and Nathan join Outlaw for a conversation about risk assessment for non-citizen protestors.

Some highlights from the conversation: 

• What's new (and old) in the use of immigration law to target activists and repress social movements 
• How the state is choosing its targets 
• Practical safety tips for protestors concerned about immigration consequences
• The importance of safety planning and preparedness 
• Immigration risks and rights that all protestors should know 
• Why the immigration risks of non-citizens are important for all protestors to include in their risk assessment 

Stay tuned at the end of the episode for a PSA from the NLG Federal Anti-Repression Hotline.

Cover Image by Mon M. 

Intro & Outro Music: Tortuguita by Brass Tapestry (ft. Rev. Keyanna Jones)

Who's Tortuguita? Tort was an anarchist forest defender part of the movement to Stop Cop City in Atlanta. They were murdered by Georgia State Patrol Troopers in their tent in Weelaunee Forest on January 18th, 2023. Some memories of them are compiled here. 

Stay in touch! Follow Outlaw on Bluesky @outlawpod.bsky.social

Law professor Shirin Sinnar joins Outlaw to break down the terrorism laws and lists that everyone in liberation struggles needs to know about. Shirin speaks from her experience as a civil rights attorney representing people harmed by the racist post-9/11 counter-terrorism regime, and as a researcher of civil rights, political violence, racial justice, and national security.

Some highlights of the conversation include:

• Domestic vs. international terrorism laws
• Material support for terrorism laws and their repressive use
• What's up with terrorism lists like the No-Fly List
• The shifting application of terrorism laws in 2025 - targeting of migrants, Project Esther, Atl RICO 61 (Stop Cop City), and more
• How the targeting of non-citizens will extend to everyone else

Check out Shirin's most recent article: The Real Threat of the Nonprofit "Terrorism" Provision in Trump's Big Bill  and more of her work here.

Cover Image by Mon M. 

Intro & Outro Music: Tortuguita by Brass Tapestry (ft. Rev. Keyanna Jones)

Stay in touch! Follow Outlaw on Bluesky @outlawpod.bsky.social

Here's an update on the RICO 61's May 14, 2025 status hearing with a new judge on the case. "RICO 61" refers to the case against the 61 people alleged to be involved in the movement to Stop Cop City in Atlanta discussed in this episode.

*If you can't click hyperlinks above, check out the episode description here: https://sites.libsyn.com/572680

In this episode we are joined by Kristian Williams, anarchist historian and author of Our Enemies in Blue: Police and Power in America, and Garrett, an anti-repression activist and anarchist legal worker who resisted repression as one of the RNC 8. 

The conversation covers: 

• How models of policing protest have shifted over time 
• How they are shifting again today and why it matters
• How this can inform repression preparation and response

Stay tuned after the interview for a poem by Malik Farrad Muhammad, a political prisoner from the George Floyd and Breonna Taylor Uprisings. 

Cover Image by Mon M. 

Intro & Outro Music: Tortuguita by Brass Tapestry (ft. Rev. Keyanna Jones)

Stay in touch! Follow Outlaw on Bluesky @outlawpod.bsky.social

You can send Malik a letter at: 

Malik Muhammad #23935744 Snake River Correctional Institution 777 Stanton Blvd Ontario, OR 97914-8335

**If you want to write Malik, please be intentional and honest about your capacity to stay in touch or if you're sending a one-off note. 

Malik can also receive communications electronically, and prefers that method for consistent correspondence. You can find instructions for setting up electronic messages via the GettingOut website here:

https://www.icscorrections.com/docs/Gettingout_instructions.pdf

*Note that you must first send your email address to Malik in writing so that he can add you to his list of approved contacts.

More of Malik's writings and updates at malikspeaks.noblogs.org

"The #1 reason we got free was because no one would talk."

In this episode, Jess and Tracy discuss their successful fight against a 2010 FBI investigation connected to their organizing with the MN Anti-War Committee against the 2008 Republican National Convention in St. Paul, MN. From resisting grand jury subpoenas to organizing a national speaking tour, they get into how and why they chose not to comply with the investigation. They reflect on this experience of repression and lessons for movements today. The episode closes with part one of Outlaw's recap of the last year of legal repression faced by Palestine solidarity activists.

Cover image by Mon M. 

Intro/outro music: Tortuguita by Brass Tapestry

Follow Outlaw on Bluesky

More on Grand Juries

Read:

What is a grand jury?

Grand Jury Resistance Project Statement of Resistance

Listen:

Mo on Grand Juries | Live Like the World is Dying

Cyprus Hartford Resists Federal Grand Jury | Final Straw Radio (Check the show notes for other Final Straw Radio interviews with grand jury resistors)

More on the Repression Recap Cases

Casey's legal defense fundraiser 

Casey support website

Asheville anti-zionist defendants legal defense fundraiser

What's Snitch-Jacketing? "Not Liking Someone Doesn't Mean They're a Cop"

Why is the government obsessed with framing leftist activists as terrorists? How can we understand this strategy in the context of recent U.S. movement history? Dr. Michael Loadenthal, antifascist data researcher and terrorism studies scholar, joins Outlaw to help answer these questions. Conversation topics include: how post-9/11 counter-terrorism policy shapes repression of social movements today, the Green Scare and the emergence of "domestic terrorism" and "eco-terrorism," the targeting of non-citizen student activists like Mahmoud Khalil, and much more. The episode closes with a brief update on the Stop Cop City criminal cases.

Cover Image by Mon M. 

Intro & Outro Music: Tortuguita by Brass Tapestry

Michael Loadenthal's Work: 

The Prosecution Project 

Published Research & Writing

Bluesky

Stop Cop City Fundraisers:

Victor Puertas' Fundraiser

Nile's Fundraiser

Jack Mazurek's Fundraiser and Support Website

Priscilla Grim's Fundraiser

Amin's request for support, venmo @boogynights

Tortuguita Healing Center Fundraiser

Additional Resources: 

Outlaw website & compiled anti-repression resources

Follow Outlaw on Bluesky

Cover Image by Mon M. 

Intro & Outro Music: Tortuguita by Brass Tapestry