(The Center Square) – Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr said Wednesday anyone caught rioting is at risk to face domestic terrorism charges.

“It’s very simple,” he said. “Protesters use words. Rioters use violence. There is no gray area. We are not California or New York. We are Georgia. We don’t make excuses for criminals here. We prosecute them.”

A charge of domestic terrorism has a penalty of five to 35 years in prison, he said.

Carr’s remarks come as rioting continues in Los Angeles. Protesters are upset with federal lawmen enforcing federal law. To enter America from another country, if not a U.S. citizen, a visa or some other travel authorization is required to be presented at a port of entry.

An immigration protest was held Tuesday evening in Brookhaven, just outside of Atlanta, resulting in six arrests, according to WSB-TV. The television station said a video captured by its photographer showed people throwing fireworks at police.

A coalition of grassroots organizations is planning hundreds of protests across the country on Saturday called “The No Kings Nationwide Day of Defiance.” More than a dozen protests are lined up for the metro Atlanta area, according to a map on the group’s website. Other Georgia cities where “No Kings” protests are scheduled include Dalton, Macon, Gainesville, Columbus and Savannah.

The protests are in response to a Saturday military parade in Washington marking the Army’s 250th birthday and Flag Day. President Donald Trump also turns 79 on Saturday.

“Instead of allowing this military parade to be the center of gravity, activists will make action everywhere else the story of America that day,” according to a release from Indivisible, one of the groups involved in the protests.

“This parade salutes our soldiers’ remarkable strength and unbeatable spirit,” Trump said in a promotional video on Thursday of last week.

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Before You Dismiss This Article…

We live in a time when information feels overwhelming, but here’s what hasn’t changed: facts exist whether they comfort us or not.

When A&W launched their third-pound burger to compete with McDonald’s Quarter Pounder in the 1980s, it failed spectacularly. Not because it tasted worse, but because customers thought 1/3 was smaller than 1/4. If basic math can trip us up, imagine how easily we can misread complex news.

The press isn’t against you when it reports something you don’t want to hear. Reporters are thermometers, not the fever itself. They’re telling you what verified sources are saying, not taking sides. Good reporting should challenge you — that’s literally the job.

Next time a story makes you angry, pause. Ask yourself: What evidence backs this up? Am I reacting with my brain or my gut? What would actually change my mind? And most importantly, am I assuming bias just because the story doesn’t match what I hoped to hear.

Smart readers choose verified information over their own comfort zone.

Kim Jarrett | The Center Square

Kim Jarrett's career spans over 30 years with stops in radio, print and television. She has won awards from both the Georgia Press Association and the Georgia Association of Broadcasters.