‘An air of repression’: Cop City case hangs over heads of 61 defendants

US government continues holding on to massive amounts of seized personal property, from diaries to cellphones

Georgia's historic racketeering case in connection with opposition to the police training center known as Cop City continues hanging over the heads of 61 defendants, drawing into focus the state's continuing possession of hundreds of cellphones, laptops and personal items.

The state's case is believed to be the largest ever leveled against a protest or social movement using Rico, a law created to go after the mafia and usually associated with organized crime but here deployed against a largely environmental and criminal justice-focused movement.