Diverse Coalition Unites Against Atlanta’s Plan to Build “Cop City” - Filter
"On Jan. 18th, Manuel Esteban Paez Terán, a 26-year-old forest defender who used the name Tortuguita, was shot and killed in their tent in a botched raid by the Georgia State Patrol... No one who knew Tortuguita believes that they had a firearm or that they would have fired at a police officer. They were, by all witness accounts, asleep in their tent at the time of the raid. Tortuguita was a disciplined activist, someone who studied and understood the value of principled struggle. They were fighting the long game for the success of the forest and the people of Atlanta against violence. Their death was completely preventable and is a horrific, human-made tragedy.
One of the major funders of the Atlanta Police Foundation is Cox Enterprises who also is a stakeholder in The Atlanta Journal Constitution and Channel 2 News here in Atlanta. The reporting on the opposition to “Cop City” particularly by these local outlets from the onset through today has reflected their investments in the APF and is not unbiased." - Charis Books And More
A diverse coalition of environmental and indigenous activists has mobilized in Georgia to fight the construction of a $90 million police training facility. Dubbed “Cop City”, the new complex would be built on a patch of forest just south of Atlanta. Activists argue that the facility is unneeded and unwanted, and that building it would endanger the local ecosystem and air quality. - Filter
- Where is the proposed project?
- Will forest land be razed?
- Which corporations are promoting it?
- How much will tax payer funding will go to the project?
- Which communities would be hurt the most?
- What can activists do to protest?
How do you explain a complex issue and suggest actions readers can take? Keep it simple with a StoryMap.
Defend The Atlanta Forest
"Activist Marlon Kautz predicted “a situation where the police are murdering protesters in order to advance, not public safety, but their particular political agenda” in building Cop City. The corporate media and the police have an investment in this being settled quickly, with clear cut "criminals" and clear cut "good guys," but it is important to remember this movement has lasted for more than a year and has been about the inefficacy of violent policing since day one. The police and the corporate-backed Atlanta Police Foundation want to destroy a forest and a watershed in a majority Black and Brown neighborhood so that they can learn and export new and more violent tactics to surveil, police, and imprison people here in Atlanta and around the country. The time for action is now. If you are sad or enraged please know your voice matters." - Charis Books And More
Call or email your city council person
Call or email Mayor Dickens: 404-330-6100
Donate to the Atlanta Solidarity Fund to support legal costs for arrested protestors and ongoing legal action:
POST ON SOCIAL MEDIA! Generate public awareness!
Why is Cop City bad for Atlanta? Why is training police in militarization dangerous?
This facility will further militarize police, making Black, Brown, and low-income communities less safe. Training officers in military-grade weaponry and urban warfare techniques is dangerous. Police already use excessive and lethal force, which results in violence and death. In Atlanta, the police have murdered Rayshard Brooks, Anthony Hill, Jamarion Robinson, Matthew Williams, and many other innocent people. Militarized police are lethal, and they make marginalized communities less safe. - SURJ
Follow the money
"This facility is being funded, designed, and pushed forward against the will of the community by the Atlanta Police Foundation. The Atlanta Police Foundation is a part of a network of police foundations that militarize police for the benefit of the corporations that fund them. Read this ground-breaking report by Color of Change that details the connection between corporations and police foundations. Millions of dollars for this facility are being put up by corporations in Atlanta invested in maintaining the status quo. This facility reflects the interests of corporate elites in training the police to suppress community movements for justice." - SURJ
Showing Up For Racial Justice (SURJ)
SURJ is committed to supporting the leadership of and organizing in poor and working-class communities. Our culture, media, and politicians blame poor and working-class white people for racism, often without recognizing that middle- and owning-class white people disproportionately support policies and practices that uphold white supremacy. SURJ rejects the harmful stereotypes and the analysis that poor and working-class white people are responsible for racism. The people who benefit most from racism and white supremacy are the very wealthy — not poor or working-class white people. - SURJ
Create an Actionable GIF
An "Actionable GIF" combines an animation, campaign hashtag and a QR Code. We used PowerPoint and the free QR Code Generator app to create this Actionable #StopCopCity GIF.
Resources
Overview: Stop Cop City; Protect South River Forest Fact Sheet
Diverse Coalition Unites Against Atlanta’s Plan to Build “Cop City”
Showing Up For Racial Justice (SURJ)
Solidarity Vigils From Across the World
Meet the Major Corporations and Cultural Institutions Helping Build Cop City in Atlanta
Activist killed protesting Georgia’s ‘Cop City’ - The Guardian
Plan for ‘Cop City’ sparks a web of resistance - Waging Non Violence
TakeAway: Use innovative storytelling apps like StoryMaps to mobilize supporters to oppose environmental racism.
Deepak
DemLabs
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