Atlanta, GA — This week (June 24 – July 1) activists, organizers, and community members opposed to ‘Cop City’ are converging in Atlanta for a “Week of Action” against the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center. From June 24 through July 1, people will gather in and around Atlanta to mobilize against the Atlanta Police Foundation’s proposed urban warfare training center.
In the months since the last national convergence against the project, clear cutting in Weelaunee, where the training facility may be built, has escalated, the city of Atlanta has approved millions in additional funds for the project, and repression against organizers has continued.
The fight has drawn national attention, and those opposed to what would be the largest police training compound in the nation remain determined to stop the project. Unicorn Riot has been on the ground covering the fight against ‘Cop City’ for the past two years, and our coverage of this diverse struggle will continue this week as we report from Atlanta throughout the “week of action.” Check back here for updates on our coverage as the sixth week of action continues.
State of the Movement
Anarchists, environmentalists and activists of various stripes have been resisting ‘Cop City’ since late 2021. Through political organizing and militant direct action, including physically repelling police and construction workers and occupying the forest itself until early 2023, people have successfully delayed ‘Cop City’s’ construction for nearly two years.
Unicorn Riot will be covering the 6th Week of Action against Cop City on the ground, follow along below:
Day 1: Kick-Off Party In Brownwood Park and Vigil For Tortuguita
The ‘Week of Action’ started with a gathering featuring food and plant distribution, creating and giving out signs, banners, shirts and other art, a bouncy house for kids, and a barbecue.
After approximately 9 relaxed hours of people gathering in the park, Atlanta Police arrived at right around the scheduled start time of a vigil for slain forest defender Manuel ‘Tortuguita’ Terán, claiming they were there in a “friendly” visit to remind protesters they could not remain in the park after 11 p.m. Chanting protesters followed the police throughout the park until they left.
Unicorn Riot livestreamed the tail end of the police action (seen in its main portion in the Twitter video above as police exited the grounds of Brownwood Park:
The vigil went ahead as planned with the crowd heading words and sharing prayers with Tortuguita’s mother Belkis Terán. After the vigil concluded, attendees of the gathering removed all structures and tents and left the park before 11; a group of officers reportedly swept through the park looking for tents around midnight.
Day 2: Rematriating Mvskoke Land and Hardcore Benefit Show
At Community Books in Stone Mountain, GA near Atlanta, Mekko Chebon Kernell — a spiritual leader and ceremonial practitioner of the Muscogee Creek people — spoke about the history of their displacement from lands in Georgia including the Weeluanee Forest, which encompasses the proposed ‘Cop City’ site. He also shared stories, lessons and principles from Muscogee Creek cosmology and how they could inform people from diverse backgrounds working to co-create a livable future for future generations in the face of ongoing damage to the earth.
The same evening in Atlanta also saw a hardcore punk concert that raised funds to benefit the Atlanta Solidarity Fund as Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr has tried to criminalize the group for providing legal aid to protect the constitutional rights of protesters.
Day 3: ‘Stop Cop City’ Week Of Action Day 3: Bike Ride/Rally, Signature Gathering, Discussing Movement History
After hearing words from Tortuguita’s mother Belkis Terán, a ‘slow roll’ bike ride memorializing Manuel ‘Tortuguita’ Terán rode the Beltline trail to Freedom Park, where attendees collected signatures for the petition to hold a ballot referendum that would allow Atlanta residents to vote to cancel the lease for the proposed ‘Cop City’ site in the South River Forest.
The same evening in Brownwood Park, a panel discussion and community conversation facilitated by Unity and Struggle provided education about the last decade (2010-2019) of radical social movement struggles in Atlanta. Speakers shared stories and lessons from their experiences in Atlanta protesting and organizing in periods such as the 2011-2012 Occupy movement and the so-called “Black Lives Matter” protests that took place from roughly 2014-2016 after the spark provided by events in Ferguson.
Day 4: Rally To ReOpen Intrenchment Creek Park
Students and other community members rallied at DeKalb County headquarters in Decatur, GA to demand county officials reopen Intrenchment Creek Park, which has been closed under the pretext of safety concerns since March 24. DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond said in early June that the county plans to reopen Intrenchment Creek Park to the public, however it remains closed to public access.