One thing several attorneys were able to confirm: any defendants arrested in the public park where protesters camped for more than a year could not have been “trespassing”, as arrest warrants alleged. Signs are now posted in that part of the forest saying the area has been off limits to the public only since DeKalb county closed down the park in March 2023 – after all arrests occurred.

Still, the visit was frustrating, they said. Several attorneys noted that the state prohibited them from bringing their clients to the forest, which the state calls a “crime scene”. This added to the difficulty locating scenes of arrests and alleged crimes.

“Without having the clients physically with us, it was impossible to know exactly where things happened,” said Xavier de Janon, who filed a motion with Fulton county superior court earlier this month seeking to have all charges related to arrests in the forest dismissed due to the state’s refusal to schedule the visits.