2 granted bond, 4 denied bond after Atlanta protest turned violent

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - While business owners in downtown Atlanta continue cleaning up the damage left after a weekend protest turned violent and destructive, the six people who were arrested appeared in court to face a Fulton County judge on Monday.

Police identified the six people who were arrested after many threw stones at police cruisers, damaged buildings, and set police cruisers on fire. Officials say Nadja Geier, 24, from Tennessee, Madeleine Feola, 22, from Washington; Ivan Ferguson, 23, from Nevada; Graham Evatt, 20, from Decatur, Georgia; Francis Carool, 22, from Maine; and Emily Murphy, 37, from Michigan appeared in court.

The group was charged with a pedestrian in a roadway, willful obstruction of a law enforcement officer, riot, unlawful assembly, 2nd-degree criminal damage, 1st-degree arson, interference with government property, and domestic terrorism.

Evatt was granted a bond due to having no previous criminal history. Atlanta News First spoke to his father who had no comment. Also granted bond was Ferguson who also had no previous criminal history.

The other four suspects are not from Georgia and were all denied bond.

Several downtown business owners continued cleaning up debris and damage left after the protest turned violent when hundreds of protesters took to the streets in response to Manuel Teran’s death. He was shot and killed at the future site of the Atlanta police training facility on Jan.19.

“I think it’s senseless. That’s the only word I have for it,” said Rodney Smith, a downtown Atlanta worker.

Cleanup efforts underway in downtown Atlanta after protests(Atlanta News First)

On CBS’s Face The Nation, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said he welcomes “peaceful” protests, not those that are violent.

“They don’t want to see the very things that they asked for: more police training. We can’t train imaginary. We have to do it in a facility that allows for police, firefighters, and the community to train together,” Dickens said.

“Atlanta is a great city and this is so unfortunate that we should experience this kind of stuff,” an Atlanta resident said.

Several people were spotted boarding up shattered windows on buildings and debris at multiple businesses.

Out Atlanta News First cameras observed graffiti and damage on the Metro Atlanta Chamber building and heavy damage to Deloitte and Wells Fargo.

A Wells Fargo ATM was also damaged.

People also gathered Friday at the future site of a public safety training center to honor the life of an activist who died in a shootout with state troopers on the same grounds.

Critics of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center brought flowers and candles. One person brought a turtle shell to honor Manuel Teran, whose nickname was ‘Tortugita’ or ‘Little Turtle.’