Members of a pro-Confederate flag group called “Respect the Flag” accused of threatening black party-goers with slurs and brandishing a weapon or weapons are being indicted in Georgia. Members of the group also drove a truck displaying multiple Confederate flags, which is being used as a secondary charge in the indictment:
A Georgia prosecutor turned to an anti-gang statute to secure indictments of 15 Confederate battle flag backers. http://t.co/eiAYgFSaSe
— Alan Blinder (@alanblinder) October 12, 2015
Breaking: 15 supporters of the Confederate battle flag are indicted after clash w/ black party-goers http://t.co/vNWd03Sn9a @RichardFausset
— David S. Joachim (@davidjoachim) October 12, 2015
From the New York Times report:
Mr. Fortner said that the Georgia statute upon which the second charge is based, the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act, is “worded very broadly to deal with any type of activity that occurs with a group that’s organized that commits a crime.”
“We respect the rights of all citizens to exercise their First Amendment right,” Mr. Fortner said. “But we’re going to require them, when doing that, to respect the rights of all of the citizens to feel safe and secure.”
Each indicted on 1 count making terroristic threats, 1 count of unlawfully participating in criminal gang activity. https://t.co/yWt41lRq2M
— Crystal B. Shepeard (@ClearlyCrystalB) October 12, 2015
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