Scenes From Atlanta Forest - Defend Atlanta Forest
Wild to see this on my dash.
The situation, as you can imagine, is fucked. Two huge areas in south/southeast Atlanta have been bought & there are plans to raze the forest. One to build MORE film studios for Blackhall Studios (think Venom, Jumanji), and the other -- Cop City.
There is a massive plan to essentially make a fake-city for APD and other law enforcement agencies to train in, to practice their increased militarization. The plan is bigger than the NYPD training ground iirc.
The Cop City news caught a lot of citizens surprised, and after a lot of push back, Atlanta City Council was basically like "Okay, fine, here's a day everyone can call in and comment". I think it was something like 13 hours of calls, 65% disapproval of Cop City. And City Council approved anyways. They pulled the same stunt with the juvenile detention center in Decatur like 20 years earlier.
And I'm sure no one will be surprised to hear that this is in a predominantly black neighborhood in ATL. City Council would never dream of allowing forest to be destroyed & Cop City to be built in Buckhead or other whiter, wealthier areas of ATL (not that it should be built at all!!)
There's a ton more information on their Twitter & their other social media in the linktree. Talk to your neighbors, call city council, provide aid to the forest defenders if you can.
Defend The Forest
They are cutting trees in the largest urban green space in the country for the largest pig training facility in the country.
This is still going on, and they recently killed a forest defender called Tortugita.
[ID: Images in the OP: photos of signs hanging from various places in a forest. The first reads “you are now leaving the USA.” The second reads “Zadlanta!” (the first A is the anarchist ‘A’; the N is the international squatter's symbol). The third reads “land acknowledgement: the Atlanta forest is of the Muscogee Creek and Cherokee peoples, Indigenous caretakers, and Black descendants.” the third is written across the blade of a bulldozer and has text “defend the ATL forest” alongside an anarchist ‘A’ symbol. Another piece of heavy machinery (eikon EX33OLC) with “defend the ATL forest” spray-painted on it. A photo of a person dressed in black with black head wrappings and only their eyes visible. A mechanical/maintenance box with “fire to the machines,” “ACAB” and “FTP” spray-painted on it alongside anarchist ‘A’s. A huge sign suspended high in the trees reading “no forest no peace. #StopCopCity. #NoHollywoodDystopia. Defend ATL forest.” A damaged piece of heavy machinery with its tires flattened partly covered in black spray paint. Spray-painted writing on it reads “no cop city, no Blackhall.” A barricade constructed in the forest on which is written "1312", "ACAB" and "fuck off."
Images in the first reblog: Four people standing and squatting on top of a flatbed truck turned on its side. A sign suspended in the trees above them reads "fuck the police." A barricade of tires and wire fencing in the forest. A piece of heavy machinery that has been set aflame. A group of people with their faces covered standing at an elevation compared to the camera. An upturned car, spraypainted black, next to a sign reading "fuck this world and its cops." A person wearing red sunglasses and a keffiyeh with a rifle print. A person sitting in a platform suspended in a tree; a group of eight people in camouflage with their faces covered stand on the ground beneath them. A sign propped up in front of them reads "haha Lou, fuck you." The last image is of a sign suspended in the trees that reads "forest defense is self-defense." an antifascist action flag is suspended next to the sign.
The image in the third reblog is text reading: "A message from the tree sitters. We are here today to stop the development of a police militarization facility, where police would train in tactics of repression and violence against the citizens of Atlanta. We are here today to stop a beautiful forest from being destroyed, to stop countless animals and plants from being exterminated in this place. Two incredibly important topics are at stake here today. Climate change and police violence are two of the most pressing issues affecting our society today, and they will only worsen if this facility is built. We cannot stand by as we sacrifice humanity's future for a Cop City." the message is attributed to "Wish." hashtags at the bottom read "defend the Atlanta forest," "stop cop city," and "no Hollywood dystopia." end ID.]
these forest defenders are calling for solidarity actions against funders, insurers, and contractors. they've mapped some of the targets here, with more detail here, and collected a calendar of actions already in the works. these solidarity actions are widespread so check for one near you or plan one with a friend!
there's also phone calls to make. plus, several people were arrested and denied bail on the absurd change of "domestic terrorism" - this account shares how you can write to them and advocate for them.
if you can make it to Atlanta, a mass mobilization is planned for March 4-11.
