Who is paying the legal & bail fees for the 'Stop Cop City' Antifa? - Adele Maclean of Atlanta Solidarity Fund and Richard Hunsinger
The Georgia based non-profit paying the bail and legal fees of a variety of antifa and left wing violent extremists with a multi-million dollar war chest that has proven key to the domestic terrorist actions of 'Stop Cop City'
As violent extremism continues in Atlanta from Antifa associated with 'Stop Cop City' 40+ people facing domestic terrorism charges. The pretty obvious question arises, who is paying the legal and bail fees for these people as court cases continue to rack up? The organization isn't secret and operates quite publicly, covering all aspects of criminal behavior from violent left wing extremists of all kind, not just those associated with Stop Cop City.
The Atlanta Solidarity Fund was founded in May of 2018, however their legal status remained unknown up until August of 2020, where during the Summer George Floyd riots 'Network for Strong Communities' received domestic nonprofit corporation status in Georgia. Network for Strong Communities lists the fund as one of its projects, they also operate a CopWatch and Food Not Bombs program, however both of these entities appear less active with websites for both projects either not working or having not been updated for several years.
The cost of legal defense for large number of people is quite high, however the organization is very well funded. The last known public financials have them with 3.6 million in revenue and next to no costs. Massive amounts of money poured into left wing bail fund and legal support groups during the 2020 riots following promotion of their causes in the media and among more moderate left wing politicians like Kamala Harris.
While some of this money was undoubtedly used defending the violent antifa in 2020 case they've been using The Action Network to fundraise since then. They've additionally received some grants from other left wing groups like the Brandon Anderson Foundation who gave them $25,000. In addition to these grants, local extremist organization across the country have been doing smaller fundraisers for the group
The group has had the same 3 officers since incorporation, they are Marlon Kautz, Adele Mclean, and Savannah Patterson. Marlon Kautz is by far the most public face of the organization. His activism goes back decades being listed as a speaker for sleep-out protest in 2006. He was frequently acted as the media representative where he defends or obfuscates for violent extremism at every available opportunity such as the alleged RICO indictments that may come for Stop Cop City members.
Evidence reviewed by lawyers suggests that the State of Georgia will be pursuing racketeering (RICO) charges against protestors, concocting a flimsy narrative that paints the movement as a “criminal organization.”
— Atlanta Community Press Collective (@atlanta_press) February 26, 2023
Marlon Kautz from @AtlSolFund explains the pending indictments. pic.twitter.com/JewxN7BNXm
Adele Maclean, while a less public face has involvement in similar kinds of left wing organizing with Food Not Bombs. Little information is confirmed about the last officer, Savannah Patterson.
The organization lists its registered address at a home 15 minutes from downtown in east Atlanta. The home at the address acts as basis for left wing organizing in the city. The dilapidated looking house covered in left wing Antifa graffiti is sometimes referred to as a 'teardown house'. The home is supposedly protesting gentrification in the area with its vulgar appearance.
The house is hub for homeless and drugs addicts in the area according to individuals who reached out to AntifaWatch about it after our original Twitter thread. This matches with other reports of violent crime in the area, in June of 2020 there was a drive-by shooting on that left 2 dead and 5 injured
Atlanta Solidarity Fund has a strict adherence to the "no bad protestor" tactic, this means regardless of the crime they will unconditionally support them. This means they'll defend for someone arrested for a non-violent action in the same way as someone carrying out violent attacks. We see this in the cases they support such as Richard Tyler Hunsinger, who pled guilty and was sentenced to 32 months in federal prison for throwing molotovs and nail bombs into an occupied federal building or Andrew Carlisle, who allegedly threw explosives and rocks at the Georgia Department of Public Safety Headquarters in a July 2020 riot.
Atlanta Solidarity Fund is not a law firm and does not directly defend people in court. However there are several lawyers that have worked with the group on multiple occasions such as Lauren Regan and Sarah Alvarez from the Civil Liberties Defense Center and transsexual activist Lyra Foster
The fund will continue to play a key role in violent left wing organizing it Atlanta. In updated warrants on the 23 Stop Cop City Antifa accused of domestic terrorism, police note that many had the number for Atlanta Solidarity Fund written on their clothing.
