{"id":44340,"date":"2023-03-25T07:05:08","date_gmt":"2023-03-25T13:05:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/radiozapatista.org\/?p=44340"},"modified":"2023-03-25T07:21:48","modified_gmt":"2023-03-25T13:21:48","slug":"el-bosque-en-la-ciudad-contra-la-ciudad-policia-en-atlanta-eua","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiozapatista.org\/?p=44340","title":{"rendered":"[:es]El bosque en la ciudad &#8211; Contra la &#8220;Ciudad Polic\u00eda&#8221; en Atlanta, EUA[:en]The Forest in the City[:]"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[:es]<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"p-x-title\" style=\"text-align: center;\">El bosque en la ciudad<\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"p-x-subtitle\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Dos a\u00f1os de defensa forestal en Atlanta, Georgia<\/h3>\n<p><em>La campa\u00f1a para <a href=\"https:\/\/crimethinc.com\/2022\/04\/11\/la-ciudad-en-el-bosque-reinventando-la-resistencia-para-una-era-de-colapso-ecologico-y -polic\u00eda-militarizaci\u00f3n\">defender el bosque<\/a> en Atlanta, Georgia, se ha convertido en uno de los movimientos m\u00e1s vibrantes de la era posterior a Trump, entrelazando el ambientalismo, el abolicionismo y la lucha contra la gentrificaci\u00f3n. Sin embargo, a medida que la polic\u00eda pasa a emplear <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/article\/activism\/cop-city-deadly-police-violence\/\">violencia letal<\/a> y <a href=\"https:\/\/saportareport.com \/apd-official-reveals-12-arrested-in-protest-raids-describe-use-of-terrorism-charges\/sections\/reports\/johnruch\/\">cargos de terrorismo indiscriminado<\/a>, ha llegado a un punto cr\u00edtico. Los participantes exploran c\u00f3mo se ha desarrollado esta lucha durante el \u00faltimo a\u00f1o, reflexionando sobre las pr\u00e1cticas que le han dado fuerza y \u200b\u200banalizando los desaf\u00edos que enfrenta.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"lo-que-esta-en-juego-en-la-lucha\">Lo que est\u00e1 en juego en la lucha<\/h3>\n<p>Nuestra sociedad est\u00e1 en un punto de crisis. D\u00e9cadas de creciente presi\u00f3n econ\u00f3mica han creado una desigualdad y una desesperaci\u00f3n desenfrenadas. En lugar de abordar las causas profundas de estos, los pol\u00edticos de todo el espectro pol\u00edtico contin\u00faan canalizando m\u00e1s y m\u00e1s dinero a la polic\u00eda, confiando en ellos para reprimir los disturbios solo por la fuerza. Esta dependencia ha permitido que los departamentos de polic\u00eda y sus aliados consuman una gran cantidad de recursos p\u00fablicos. Mientras tanto, impulsado por las mismas presiones econ\u00f3micas, el cambio clim\u00e1tico catastr\u00f3fico est\u00e1 generando huracanes, incendios forestales, sequ\u00edas y un colapso ecol\u00f3gico generalizado.<\/p>\n<p>En este contexto, a partir de abril de 2021, un <a href=\"https:\/\/defendtheatlantaforest.org\/\">movimiento audaz<\/a> se dispuso a defender un bosque en Atlanta, Georgia, donde los pol\u00edticos locales y los especuladores corporativos quieren construir un complejo de entrenamiento policial y un escenario sonoro para la industria del cine. El complejo de entrenamiento, conocido como Cop City, ser\u00eda el centro de entrenamiento policial m\u00e1s grande de los Estados Unidos. Devastar\u00eda el South River Forest, tambi\u00e9n conocido como Weelaunee Forest en honor al pueblo de Muscogee Creek que vivi\u00f3 all\u00ed hasta que fueron deportados en el Trail of Tears (Sendero de L\u00e1grimas).<\/p>\n<p>El movimiento para defender el Bosque de Weelaunee ha reunido a una amplia gama de grupos y estrategias. Organizaciones de defensa legal como South River Forest Coalition, que est\u00e1 entablando una demanda contra el gobierno del condado de Dekalb, trabajan en paralelo con grupos como SRY Campaign, un colectivo an\u00f3nimo de investigadores que publican las direcciones de las casas y oficinas de quienes buscan destruir el bosque. . . Mientras que los abolicionistas y los ambientalistas radicales han establecido campamentos y casas en los \u00e1rboles en el bosque, una red de preescolares y padres han construido jardines comunitarios y organizado eventos de divulgaci\u00f3n p\u00fablica. Otros han <a href=\"https:\/\/ra.co\/features\/4058\">organizado raves<\/a> y eventos culturales en el bosque, conectando a los artistas m\u00e1s ambiciosos con el <a href=\"https:\/\/crimethinc.com\/2022\/08 \/09\/bajo-el-concreto-el-bosque-cuentas-desde-la-defensa-del-bosque-de-atlanta\">esp\u00edritu incontenible<\/a> del movimiento. (* Raves: fiestas libres, autogestionadas)<\/p>\n<p>Entre los que desean que se construya Cop City se encuentran la Fundaci\u00f3n de la Polic\u00eda de Atlanta (APF), el alcalde Andre Dickens y las diversas corporaciones que se beneficiar\u00e1n del desarrollo. Al mismo tiempo, gracias a un acuerdo clandestino con el gobierno de la ciudad, el magnate inmobiliario y ejecutivo de la industria cinematogr\u00e1fica Ryan Millsap se prepara para destruir un parque p\u00fablico en una parcela de tierra adyacente dentro del mismo bosque.<\/p>\n<p><!--more-->Detr\u00e1s de escena, Cop City cuenta con el apoyo del Comit\u00e9 para el Progreso de Atlanta, una asociaci\u00f3n empresarial que involucra a las camarillas industriales y burocr\u00e1ticas m\u00e1s poderosas de la regi\u00f3n. Alex Taylor, el <a href=\"https:\/\/www.atlantamagazine.com\/great-reads\/the-birds-stopped-singing-inside-the-battle-for-atlantas-south-river-forest\/\">ex presidente<\/a>, es tambi\u00e9n el presidente interino de Cox Enterprises, que <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2023\/jan\/21\/protester-killed-georgia-cop-city-police-shooting\">posee<\/a> varios medios de Atlanta y se encuentra entre los <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/darcatl\/status\/1429208980384108548\">financiadores principales<\/a> de la Fundaci\u00f3n de la Polic\u00eda de Atlanta. Con el fin de crear una apariencia de proceso democr\u00e1tico y apoyo local, la APF y sus partidarios crearon el Comit\u00e9 Asesor de Partes Interesadas de la Comunidad (CSAC), compuesto por miembros de la Fundaci\u00f3n de la Polic\u00eda y algunos residentes de Southwest Dekalb. Cuando uno de los miembros iniciales de CSAC se pronunci\u00f3 en contra del proyecto, ella <a href=\"https:\/\/saportareport.com\/city-hall-in-confusion-over-training-center-advisory-committee-vacancies-and-administration\/columnists\/johnruch\/\">fue eliminada<\/a> desde su posici\u00f3n.<\/p>\n<p>Estas son las fuerzas que se enfrentan sobre el bosque. Por un lado, algunas de las figuras m\u00e1s ricas e institucionalmente poderosas del estado de Georgia. Por otro lado, una red de activistas locales y sus amigos.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/20.jpg\" \/><figcaption>Manifestantes en el centro de Atlanta el 21 de enero de 2023.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Durante la <a href=\"https:\/\/crimethinc.com\/2020\/06\/17\/snapshots-from-the-uprising-accounts-from-three-weeks-of-countrywide-revolt\">rebeli\u00f3n de George Floyd<\/a> de 2020, por primera Con el tiempo, se pudo hablar de la abolici\u00f3n policial como una propuesta viable sobre c\u00f3mo romper el ciclo de violencia que la pobreza y la militarizaci\u00f3n policial imponen en nuestras comunidades. Sin embargo, todos los intentos de \u201cdesfinanciar a la polic\u00eda\u201d a trav\u00e9s de medios institucionales han llegado a un callej\u00f3n sin salida. Bajo Joe Biden, el Partido Dem\u00f3crata se ha duplicado en el apoyo incondicional a la polic\u00eda. Si existe alguna esperanza de limitar la continua expansi\u00f3n de la infraestructura policial y la violencia estatal, los movimientos de base y la acci\u00f3n directa tendr\u00e1n que mostrar el camino.<\/p>\n<p>Lo mismo ocurre con el cambio clim\u00e1tico. En este punto, pr\u00e1cticamente todo el mundo est\u00e1 de acuerdo en que la humanidad est\u00e1 en curso de colisi\u00f3n con el desastre ecol\u00f3gico, pero los esfuerzos institucionales para abordar la situaci\u00f3n han logrado muy poco. El movimiento para defender el bosque en Atlanta ofrece un vistazo de lo que se necesitar\u00eda para defender a nuestras comunidades de la especulaci\u00f3n desenfrenada y la <a href=\"ttps:\/\/crimethinc.com\/2023\/01\/19\/la-defensa-de-lutzerath-un-ensayo-fotografico-y-un-cartel-que-documentan-la-destruccion-ecologica-y-la-resistencia\">represi\u00f3n<\/a> que nos est\u00e1n imponiendo a todos esta cat\u00e1strofe.<\/p>\n<p>El bosque de Atlanta se ha convertido en un punto \u00e1lgido en ambas peleas. Con tanto en juego, es f\u00e1cil ver por qu\u00e9 las personas de ambos lados est\u00e1n dedicando tanta energ\u00eda a este conflicto.<\/p>\n<p>Despu\u00e9s de dos a\u00f1os de conflicto latente, la situaci\u00f3n se est\u00e1 intensificando. A partir de diciembre, la polic\u00eda comenz\u00f3 a presentar cargos de terrorismo contra casi todos los activistas que arrestaron, citando como motivos suficientes estar en el bosque y publicar en las redes sociales. El 18 de enero, agentes de la Patrulla Estatal de Georgia <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/atlanta\/news\/family-of-manuel-teran-demands-gbi-release-info-on-deadly-police-shooting\/\">asesinaron<\/a> Manuel Ter\u00e1n, conocido en la selva como Tortuguita. Tortuguita hab\u00eda estado viviendo sitiada durante casi un a\u00f1o como una parte querida de la peque\u00f1a comunidad que viv\u00eda en los campamentos.<\/p>\n<p>Mientras las autoridades buscan aplastar el movimiento por cualquier medio, los esfuerzos de solidaridad <a href=\"https:\/\/www.anarchistfederation.net\/how-you-can-help-stop-cop-city\/\">surgen en todo el mundo<\/a>. Los defensores de los bosques en Atlanta est\u00e1n planeando otra Semana de Acci\u00f3n del <a href=\"https:\/\/defendtheatlantaforest.org\/2023\/02\/16\/pression-mounts-against-cop-city\/\">4 al 11 de marzo<\/a>, invitando a todos a unirse a ellos.<\/p>\n<p class=\"verde\"><em>El siguiente texto fue redactado por personas desconsoladas en habitaciones abarrotadas, que recib\u00edan llamadas telef\u00f3nicas y mensajes de texto d\u00eda y noche. Ofrecemos este humilde aporte en medio del dolor y el horror por la matanza de Tortuguita. Esperamos transmitir recuerdos y an\u00e1lisis de la lucha a la que se uni\u00f3 Tortuguita en abril de 2022.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"verde\"><em>Para apoyar a las personas detenidas, haga una donaci\u00f3n <a href=\"https:\/\/atlsolidarity.org\/\">aqu\u00ed<\/a>. Para conocer los antecedentes del movimiento y las estrategias que los participantes emplearon desde su inicio hasta marzo de 2022, lea \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/eu.crimethinc.com\/2022\/04\/11\/la-ciudad-en-el-bosque-reinventar-la-resistencia-en-una-epoca-de-crisis-climatica-y-militarizacion-policial\">La ciudad en el bosque<\/a>. Tambi\u00e9n hemos preparado un cartel que puedes usar para promover la lucha en las paredes de tu propia comunidad.<\/em><\/p>\n<figure class=\"portrait\"><a href=\"https:\/\/crimethinc.com\/posters\/defend-the-forest\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/6.jpg\" \/> <\/a><figcaption>Haga clic en la imagen para descargar <a href=\"https:\/\/crimethinc.com\/posters\/defend-the- forest\">el cartel<\/a>. Obra de arte cortes\u00eda de <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/breakaway_____\/\">Breakaway<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"tomando-la-iniciativa\">Tomando la iniciativa<\/h3>\n<p>A finales de enero de 2022, como se describe en <a href=\"https:\/\/crimethinc.com\/2022\/04\/11\/la-ciudad-en-el-bosque-reinventar-la-resistencia-en-una-epoca-de-crisis-climatica-y-militarizacion-policial\">un ensayo anterior<\/a>, parec\u00eda casi imposible frenar el ritmo de los preparativos para la construcci\u00f3n que estaban llevando a cabo Reeves+Young y su subcontratista Long Engineering. Ni las acciones de grupos peque\u00f1os ni las protestas m\u00e1s grandes lograron retrasar la perforaci\u00f3n y el muestreo del suelo en Old Atlanta Prison Farm. Los segmentos del movimiento que anteriormente hab\u00edan tratado de influir en el Concejo Municipal estaban en desorden, mientras que los activistas orientados hacia la <a href=\"https:\/\/crimethinc.com\/2017\/03\/14\/direct-action-guide\">acci\u00f3n directa<\/a> a\u00fan buscaban la apalancamiento que necesitan.<\/p>\n<p>El 1 de marzo de 2022, un grupo an\u00f3nimo verti\u00f3 lej\u00eda en los motores de cinco veh\u00edculos pertenecientes a Long Engineering. Seg\u00fan una declaraci\u00f3n en l\u00ednea, esta acci\u00f3n ten\u00eda la intenci\u00f3n de imponer consecuencias por su participaci\u00f3n en los esfuerzos de \u201cpreconstrucci\u00f3n\u201d en el bosque. El 19 de marzo, seis m\u00e1quinas propiedad de Reeves+Young, incluidas dos excavadoras, fueron supuestamente destruidas por saboteadores en el suburbio de Flowery Branch. El 9 de abril, apareci\u00f3 un <a href=\"https:\/\/srycampaign.org\/\">sitio web<\/a> que enumeraba los nombres y domicilios de los ejecutivos de Reeves+Young. Esto se produjo solo unos d\u00edas despu\u00e9s de que investigadores independientes descubrieran que Brasfield &amp; Gorrie hab\u00eda sido contratado para construir Cop City. Es raro que m\u00e1s de un contratista general supervise proyectos como este. Lo que estaba pasando detr\u00e1s de puertas cerradas era confuso; lo \u00fanico que estaba claro era que los destructores del bosque avanzaban y nada los deten\u00eda.<\/p>\n<p>Y luego, inesperadamente y sin explicaci\u00f3n, Reeves+Young rescindi\u00f3 el contrato. Buscando controlar la narrativa, la Fundaci\u00f3n de la Polic\u00eda afirm\u00f3 que el trabajo que hab\u00edan contratado a Reeves+Young estaba completo y que ya no estaban en el proyecto. En ese momento, sin embargo, Reeves+Young apenas hab\u00eda hecho ning\u00fan trabajo. Hab\u00edan enviado a un representante para escoltar a un subcontratista al bosque varias veces, pero las banderas y estacas de top\u00f3grafo que hab\u00edan colocado hab\u00edan sido retiradas durante la noche.<\/p>\n<p>Probablemente no se retiraron como consecuencia de la acumulaci\u00f3n de acciones, ni como resultado de ninguna acci\u00f3n en particular. Lo m\u00e1s probable es que fuera la sensaci\u00f3n de que las cosas pod\u00edan ir en cualquier direcci\u00f3n, que no se pod\u00eda predecir el futuro del proyecto ni calcular los costes de forma fiable.<\/p>\n<p>Todo el movimiento interpret\u00f3 esto como una victoria. Con esta peque\u00f1a victoria se abri\u00f3 un nuevo per\u00edodo de resistencia.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"la-primavera-fue-nuestra\">La primavera fue nuestra<\/h3>\n<p>Sigui\u00f3 un frenes\u00ed de actividad. Las reuniones masivas, los esfuerzos de captaci\u00f3n, las entrevistas con los medios y el sabotaje aumentaron en frecuencia y enfoque. Muchos movimientos y organizadores conf\u00edan en la represi\u00f3n o el miedo para movilizar a sus seguidores; Los activistas que defienden el bosque en Atlanta han tratado de mantener una actitud <a href=\"https:\/\/territories.substack.com\/p\/i-believe-that-we-will-win\">positiva<\/a> y proactiva en todo momento, destacando la confianza y los objetivos incluso en ante los contratiempos, con el objetivo de fomentar mentalidades y propuestas ambiciosas y resolutivas.<\/p>\n<p>A fines de abril, la polic\u00eda comenz\u00f3 a explorar el bosque, haciendo incursiones poco entusiastas en algunas ocasiones por la puerta norte de la granja de la prisi\u00f3n de Old Atlanta. A veces pasaron desapercibidos o ignorados; en ocasiones, los activistas los repel\u00edan con piedras. Nadie estaba seguro de c\u00f3mo se desarrollar\u00eda la situaci\u00f3n para aquellos que acampaban en el bosque.<\/p>\n<p>La organizaci\u00f3n anunci\u00f3 una tercera Semana de Acci\u00f3n para la segunda semana de mayo de 2022. Parec\u00eda probable que atrajera a muchas m\u00e1s personas al movimiento que las semanas de acci\u00f3n anteriores. En el per\u00edodo previo, los organizadores locales comenzaron a promover una cumbre con las comunidades de Muscogee (Creek) en Oklahoma. Partiendo del <a href=\"https:\/\/crimethinc.com\/2022\/04\/11\/la-ciudad-en-el-bosque-reinventar-la-resistencia-en-una-epoca-de-crisis-climatica-y-militarizacion-policial#baile-de-los-pisotones\">baile<\/a> ceremonial creek de noviembre de 2021, esta fue una oportunidad para escuchar a los ancianos, <a href=\"https:\/\/markauslander.com\/2022\/04\/26\/songs-of-the-forest-a- re-matriation-gathering-in-weelaunee-south-river-forest\/\">historiadores<\/a>, y activistas. Una estaci\u00f3n de radio local vino a transmitir las presentaciones en vivo al aire. Varios preescolares asistieron a la cumbre junto con estudiantes, profesores y padres.<\/p>\n<p>Uniendo diferentes narrativas, formas de comprensi\u00f3n y <a href=\"https:\/\/millennialsarekillingcapitalism.libsyn.com\/multiple-grammars-of-struggle-to-defend-the-atlanta-forest-and-stop-cop- ciudad\">formas de conocimiento<\/a> ha sido una fuerza del movimiento desde el principio. En lugar de combinar esfuerzos en nombre de la eficiencia, diferentes grupos realizan las mismas tareas, reproduciendo infraestructuras, esfuerzos y eventos similares. A veces, esto es intencional, a veces no. Esto ha creado resiliencia en el movimiento, asegurando que el poder se distribuya entre muchas personas y proyectos en lugar de acumularse en unas pocas manos. Cuando un grupo se agota, se enfrenta a la represi\u00f3n, pierde fuelle o se ralentiza, otras secciones del movimiento toman el relevo. Las diferentes actitudes, est\u00e9ticas y estilos de organizaci\u00f3n que componen este movimiento son inumerables, a veces incluso mutuamente ininteligibles, pero esto ha hecho que el movimiento sea m\u00e1s fuerte, como la proverbial hidra de muchas cabezas.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/9.jpg\" \/><figcaption>Una pancarta que describe la relaci\u00f3n de los pueblos Muscogee Creek y Cherokee con la tierra.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"tercera-semana-de-accion-mayo-2022\">Tercera Semana de Acci\u00f3n (Mayo 2022)<\/h3>\n<p>La tercera Semana de Acci\u00f3n marc\u00f3 el umbral entre una fase y otra, nada menos que cuando el Ayuntamiento de Atlanta aprob\u00f3 la ordenanza de la Cop City en un <a href=\"https:\/\/eu.crimethinc.com\/2022\/04\/11\/la-ciudad-en-el-bosque-reinventar-la-resistencia-en-una-epoca-de-crisis-climatica-y-militarizacion-policial\">momento decisivo<\/a> anterior en oto\u00f1o de 2021.<\/p>\n<p>A partir del 8 de mayo de 2022, cientos de personas acudieron al bosque: anarquistas, ecologistas, abolicionistas y otros grupos de acci\u00f3n directa que tra\u00edan tiendas, hamacas, sacos de dormir y comida. Algunos llegaron preparados para hacer funcionar una cocina de campa\u00f1a. Por todas partes surgieron peque\u00f1os campamentos, algunos de los cuales adoptaron nombres propios. Aparecieron grupos de tiendas y toldos en un mosaico a ambos lados del South River, algunos organizados por grupos afines, otros por casualidad. Es dif\u00edcil hacer un recuento en el bosque, como probablemente tambi\u00e9n hayan notado los opositores al movimiento. Los equipos de cocina calcularon que un m\u00ednimo de 200 personas dorm\u00edan en el bosque por la noche; algunos d\u00edas, un n\u00famero considerablemente mayor se uni\u00f3 a la ocupaci\u00f3n.<\/p>\n<p>El bosque sigui\u00f3 siendo inclusvo para familiaa; ni\u00f1as y ni\u00f1os estaban presentes en el bosque todos los d\u00edas de la semana, recibiendo visitas guiadas, haciendo arte o dirigiendo en su propio tiempo bajo el cuidado de los miembros de la comunidad. Pero este no era tu t\u00edpico campamento de protesta. Muchas de las personas participantes llevaban pasamonta\u00f1as. Llegaron preparados para emprender acciones directas contra la Fundaci\u00f3n de la Polic\u00eda y sus afiliados, con el objetivo de cambiar la balanza de poder.<\/p>\n<p>El primer d\u00eda de la Semana de Acci\u00f3n, el 9 de mayo, las defensoras de los bosques se despertaron con el sonido de los \u00e1rboles que ca\u00edan. A instancias de Ryan Millsap, un peque\u00f1o equipo de construcci\u00f3n y un grupo de sheriffs del condado de Dekalb que trabajaban como seguridad privada se dirig\u00edan hacia la l\u00ednea de \u00e1rboles desde el club Radio Control (\u201cRC\u201d) en el lado sureste de Intrenchment Creek Park. Varias personas decididas respondieron de inmediato, repeliendo las excavadoras con algunas piedras antes de unir sus brazos y gritar \u201cretroceded\u201d al un\u00edsono a los agentes de polic\u00eda que se encontraban m\u00e1s lejos. Una persona valiente se acerc\u00f3 a un oficial y le explic\u00f3 que el equipo de construcci\u00f3n estaba realizando una actividad ilegal. M\u00e1s tarde, el condado de Dekalb emiti\u00f3 una orden de \u201cDetener el trabajo\u201d, aparentemente despu\u00e9s de que una serie de llamadas de abogados y grupos de vecinos que les informaron sobre el trabajo ilegal.<\/p>\n<p>En los d\u00edas siguientes, en medio de asambleas, talleres, comidas compartidas, paseos para coger setas y socializaci\u00f3n informal, las personas llegadas para la semana de acci\u00f3n se esforzaron por convertir el bosque de Weelaunee en una zona libre de polic\u00edas. Cada vez que los oficiales se acercaban al \u00e1rea, se aventuraban en el aparcamiento o aparcaban sus veh\u00edculos cerca, los y las activistas los confrontaban. En algunos casos, varias docenas de personas descendieron desde varios lados del bosque, embistiendo veh\u00edculos policiales, perforando neum\u00e1ticos, rompiendo ventanas y arrojando piedras.<\/p>\n<p>Nadie fue arrestado o herido en estos enfrentamientos. Tampoco alteraron el ambiente del bosque de forma desproporcionada. Hab\u00eda mucho espacio en el que cualquiera que tuviera objeciones o preocupaciones sobre este tipo de acci\u00f3n pod\u00eda estar seguro de que no se ver\u00eda atrapado en una confrontaci\u00f3n. La tercera Semana de Acci\u00f3n cre\u00f3 un espacio en el que pod\u00edan coexistir personas de muy diferentes temperamentos y estrategias.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/10.jpg\" \/><\/figure>\n<h4 id=\"el-infierno-esta-vacio-todos-los-demonios-estan-aqui\">El infierno est\u00e1 vac\u00edo, todos los demonios est\u00e1n aqu\u00ed<\/h4>\n<p>Al mismo tiempo, comenzaron en serio las acciones dirigidas a los bur\u00f3cratas y ejecutivos que supervisan la destrucci\u00f3n del bosque. Estas acciones destacaron a las fuerzas responsables de Cop City. Estaban impulsadas \u200b\u200bpor <a href=\"https:\/\/crimethinc.com\/2000\/06\/02\/do-you-have-ideas-or-do-ideas-have-you\">abstracciones<\/a>, v\u00edctimas de un sistema competitivo que enfrenta a la humanidad contra todos los seres vivos. Pero tambi\u00e9n son seres humanos.<\/p>\n<p>El 9 de mayo, varias decenas de personas marcharon hacia la casa suburbana de Shepherd Long, director ejecutivo de Long Engineering, una subsidiaria de Atlas Technical Consultants y subcontratista de Brasfield &amp; Gorrie. Esta fue la primera de varias acciones de este tipo durante la Tercera Semana de Acci\u00f3n.<\/p>\n<p>El 11 de mayo, una peque\u00f1a multitud se reuni\u00f3 frente a la vivienda residencial de Keith Johnson, presidente regional de Brasfield &amp; Gorrie. Los manifestantes saltaron la cerca y tocaron tambores temprano en la ma\u00f1ana, gritando \u201c\u00a1Abandonen el contrato!\u201d Johnson tiene la autoridad para tomar decisiones en nombre de Brasfield &amp; Gorrie, y recibe una generosa compensaci\u00f3n por esta responsabilidad, a juzgar por el tama\u00f1o y la ubicaci\u00f3n de su patrimonio de varias casas.<\/p>\n<p>Brasfield &amp; Gorrie es uno de los contratistas generales de construcci\u00f3n m\u00e1s grandes del sureste. Tienen su sede en Birmingham, Alabama, pero tienen oficinas en todo el sureste, incluida una en la periferia noroeste de Atlanta, junto al estadio de los Atlanta Braves, en un distrito conocido como \u201cThe Battery\u201d. Esta parte de la ciudad, un pseudo-barrio inventado recientemente por los especuladores inmobiliarios, ofrece una imitaci\u00f3n rid\u00edcula de la vida urbana. Restaurantes de comida r\u00e1pida, condominios de lujo, hoteles corporativos y gasolineras llenan el \u00e1rea, interrumpida por estacionamientos y unidades de almacenamiento. Nunca hubo una protesta all\u00ed, ni siquiera en 2020 durante la rebeli\u00f3n de George Floyd.<\/p>\n<p>El 12 de mayo, alrededor de 80 personas con sudaderas con capucha y camuflaje llegaron a la oficina regional de Brasfield &amp; Gorrie en The Battery. Los manifestantes corearon \u201cStop Cop City\u201d mientras algunos en la multitud pintaban graffiti y disparaban fuegos artificiales a la fachada del edificio. Despu\u00e9s de romper el c\u00e9sped de la instalaci\u00f3n, algunas personas decididas comenzaron a arrojar globos de pintura y piedras al edificio, rompiendo las ventanas de vidrio. Otros continuaron lanzando fuegos artificiales. Despu\u00e9s de varios minutos, la multitud se dispers\u00f3 por las calles de los alrededores.<\/p>\n<p>En unos minutos, los coches de polic\u00eda rodearon el \u00e1rea, deteniendo a los coches y echando a los peatones de la calle. Algunas personas fueron detenidas en centros comerciales y gasolineras cercanas. En las horas que siguieron, la polic\u00eda del condado de Cobb acos\u00f3 e intimid\u00f3 a cualquiera que vest\u00eda ropa negra o \u201calternativa\u201d. Al final del d\u00eda, la polic\u00eda arrest\u00f3 a cinco personas que, seg\u00fan afirman, participaron en la acci\u00f3n contra Brasfield &amp; Gorrie. Todas fueron acusados \u200b\u200bde delitos graves, incluidos \u201cdisturbios\u201d y \u201cda\u00f1os criminales a la propiedad\u201d. En ese momento, esta fue la represi\u00f3n m\u00e1s grave que hab\u00eda enfrentado el movimiento. La cobertura de noticias de la manifestaci\u00f3n se extendi\u00f3 dentro de las \u201cinfoesferas\u201d de izquierda y las \u201cc\u00e1maras de eco\u201d construidas algor\u00edtmicamente. En el <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mdjonline.com\/news\/police_fire\/cop-city-protesters-vandalize-cumberland-office\/article_0aa57230-d224-11ec-9f88-270b47f6fc2b.html\">comunicado de prensa<\/a> que sigui\u00f3, Brasfield &amp; Gorrie confirm\u00f3 por primera vez lo que los activistas ya sab\u00edan: estaban participando en la construcci\u00f3n de Cop City.<\/p>\n<p>A la ma\u00f1ana siguiente, muy temprano, varias personas con buzos blancos <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsbtv.com\/news\/local\/atlanta\/new-surveillance-video-released-showing-suspects-accused-vandalism-tied-cop-city-project\/ZFFSQZXJGVBPLEHQ646ZHX7PNI\/\">destrozaron la sede corporativa de Brasfield &amp; Gorrie<\/a> en Birmingham, Alabama. Un video difundido por la empresa mostraba al grupo pintando esl\u00f3ganes, arrojando piedras y usando objetos contundentes para romper puertas y ventanas de vidrio. La noticia de esta acci\u00f3n lleg\u00f3 al campamento en Atlanta muchas horas despu\u00e9s, cuando se ley\u00f3 en voz alta una demanda de responsabilidad a una gran multitud alrededor de una fogata -compensando la desmoralizaci\u00f3n que algunas pueden haber sentido despu\u00e9s de los arrestos en la oficina de Atlanta.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/16.jpg\" \/><figcaption>Im\u00e1genes de la manifestaci\u00f3n en la sede corporativa de Brasfield &amp; Gorrie, cortes\u00eda de <a href=\"https:\/\/unicornriot.ninja\/\">Unicorn Riot<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h4 id=\"no-entienden-quienes-somos\">No Entienden Qui\u00e9nes Somos<\/h4>\n<p>La situaci\u00f3n que se desarrollaba en el bosque era incontrolable y el gobierno lo sab\u00eda. A la luz del vandalismo, la cobertura de noticias y los comentarios de Internet opuestos al movimiento comenzaron a evocar una imagen de militancia de una pel\u00edcula de Hollywood. Seg\u00fan esta narrativa falsa, el movimiento estaba compuesto por extremistas de l\u00ednea dura de otras partes del pa\u00eds. Donde hab\u00eda un espacio cultural hermoso y bullicioso lleno de creatividad y apoyo mutuo, el gobierno describi\u00f3 solo terror y caos. Al pintar este cuadro, la oposici\u00f3n al movimiento esperaban preparar al p\u00fablico para apoyar una represi\u00f3n.<\/p>\n<p>En lugar de reforzar esta caricatura de la militancia y contribuir as\u00ed indirectamente a la estrategia represiva del gobierno local, los hechos del 14 de mayo \u2014\u00faltimo d\u00eda de la tercera Semana de Acci\u00f3n\u2014 la contradijeron directamente. Esto no fue una artima\u00f1a: de hecho, se trata de un movimiento popular con un amplio apoyo cultural y c\u00edvico, y el final de la Semana de Acci\u00f3n fue un buen momento para mostrarlo.<\/p>\n<p>Temprano en la tarde, m\u00e1s de 100 residentes marcharon en East Atlanta Village, principalmente ni\u00f1as y ni\u00f1os en edad preescolar con sus padres y madres, y maestras. Muchas ni\u00f1as y ni\u00f1os tomaron el meg\u00e1fono para expresarse. Comprendieron las apuestas pol\u00edticas de la lucha m\u00e1s claramente que sus cr\u00edticos: no quer\u00edan que se destruyera el bosque porque estaban preocupados por su futuro; No quer\u00edan que la polic\u00eda tuviera el control de una gran parte de la ciudad porque no quer\u00edan ver m\u00e1s infraestructuras productoras de violencia. Hubo muchas fotograf\u00edas de esta marcha, pero los medios de comunicaci\u00f3n locales no las distribuyeron, y probablemente ninguna aparece en las presentaciones de diapositivas de la Oficina de Investigaciones sobre el movimiento. De igual manera, algunos segmentos del movimiento han participado sin darse cuenta en la censura de los y las escolares al enfocarse \u00fanicamente en las acciones militantes o en el avance de los juicios, en detrimento de un an\u00e1lisis coherente del movimiento en su conjunto.<\/p>\n<p>Unas horas despu\u00e9s de esta marcha, alrededor de las 4 pm, otro grupo de m\u00e1s de 200 personas se reuni\u00f3 en Freedom Park, cerca de Little 5 Points. Con muchos participantes sosteniendo peque\u00f1as ramas y plantas, que recuerdan a los soldados al final de <em>Macbeth<\/em> de Shakespeare, partieron detr\u00e1s de pancartas y tambores hacia los vecindarios circundantes. Adem\u00e1s de bloquear el tr\u00e1fico y lanzar algunos fuegos artificiales, las personas congregadas parec\u00edan m\u00e1s interesadas \u200b\u200ben comunicarse con el p\u00fablico que en participar en acciones directas o enfrentarse a la polic\u00eda. El ambiente era jubiloso e innumerables automovilistas y residentes locales se detuvieron para aplaudir. Despu\u00e9s de una hora, la multitud comenz\u00f3 a dispersarse en Inman Park, en Euclid Avenue. Helic\u00f3pteros volaban sobre sus cabezas. Las patrullas de la polic\u00eda corr\u00edan arriba y abajo por todas las calles circundantes. \u00bfFue la polic\u00eda lo suficientemente temeraria como para caer en la trampa?<\/p>\n<p>Despu\u00e9s de que la protesta se dispers\u00f3, los polic\u00edas frustrados salieron corriendo de sus veh\u00edculos y entraron al parque y al distrito comercial por todos lados. Esta no era la turba que escupe fuego que ellos mismos hab\u00edan convencido de que estar\u00eda sitiando la zona. A\u00fan as\u00ed, no pudieron alterar sus planes. La composici\u00f3n cultural de los manifestantes coincid\u00eda con la est\u00e9tica bohemia de la mayor\u00eda de los peatones, vecinos y compradores de la zona, haciendo imposible distinguir entre los partidarios del movimiento y las personas que sal\u00edan de las tiendas de ropa de segunda mano o tiendas naturistas de las calles cercanas. Las c\u00e1maras de los informativos filmaron a los vecinos gritando a los oficiales desde sus jardines. Varias personas fueron abordadas y golpeadas por agentes por su presunta participaci\u00f3n en la protesta. Un periodista fue disparado con una pistola el\u00e9ctrica de alto voltaje. Al final, 17 personas fueron detenidas y acusadas de \u201cpeat\u00f3n en la carretera\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Desde una perspectiva, la protesta fue un desastre. La multitud no estaba lista para enfrentar a la polic\u00eda en una confrontaci\u00f3n f\u00edsica. Por otro lado, alter\u00f3 la narrativa medi\u00e1tica y la percepci\u00f3n p\u00fablica del movimiento a favor de los manifestantes. Es raro ver un cambio as\u00ed poco despu\u00e9s de que activistas enmascarados rompan ventanas y destruyan una sede corporativa. En lugar de una camarilla enloquecida de extremistas violentos, el movimiento pod\u00eda verse como lo que realmente era: una lucha popular que enfrentaba la hostilidad imprudente de las autoridades locales. El verdadero arte de la subversi\u00f3n no puede reducirse a la actividad ilegal o a la resistencia f\u00edsica. M\u00e1s bien, se trata de poner patas arriba los sistemas de control, cultivando una situaci\u00f3n en la que la actividad autogestionada pueda florecer de manera contagiosa.<\/p>\n<p>En pocos d\u00edas, se retiraron todos los cargos contra las 17 personas detenidas. Las personas acusadas \u200b\u200bahora pueden llevarse a casa miles de d\u00f3lares cada una en indemnizaci\u00f3n por sus arrestos injustos. Esta protesta no estaba planeada para producir ese resultado, pero si lo hubiera sido, habr\u00eda sido inteligente.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/18.jpg\" \/><figcaption>El bosque.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h4 id=\"intentaron-dividirnos-redada-posterior-a-la-semana-de-accion\">Intentaron dividirnos: Redada posterior a la Semana de Acci\u00f3n<\/h4>\n<p>Despu\u00e9s de la tercera semana de acci\u00f3n, mucha gente esperaba que la polic\u00eda buscara venganza. La forma m\u00e1s f\u00e1cil de responder ser\u00eda atacar los campamentos en el bosque. Aunque la cobertura de los medios que la polic\u00eda de Atlanta hab\u00eda recibido por sus excesos en Little 5 Points hab\u00eda cambiado las actitudes del p\u00fablico, probablemente no alter\u00f3 sustancialmente el entusiasmo de los aparatos policiales por usar la fuerza. Dado el panorama de los medios de hoy en d\u00eda tendiendo a mostrar a los consumidores solo lo que ya creen, es probable que las fuerzas del orden p\u00fablico y sus aliados solo vieran la cobertura que confirmaba sus propias perspectivas.<\/p>\n<p>El 17 de mayo, la frustraci\u00f3n y el rencor de la polic\u00eda, que se hab\u00edan acumulado durante una semana, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RevSouthNolan\/status\/1526622437751676928\">se desataron sobre los que viv\u00edan en la granja de la prisi\u00f3n de Old Atlanta<\/a>. Temprano en la ma\u00f1ana, decenas de veh\u00edculos policiales, helic\u00f3pteros y drones rodearon el bosque. El Departamento de Polic\u00eda de Atlanta, los sheriffs del condado de Dekalb, el Departamento de Seguridad Nacional, el Departamento de Recursos Naturales, el Escuadr\u00f3n Antibombas de Atlanta, la Fuerza de Tarea Conjunta contra el Terrorismo y posiblemente otras agencias movilizaron sus fuerzas y se prepararon para atacar.<\/p>\n<p>La polic\u00eda entr\u00f3 en el bosque alrededor de las 10 am desde Key Road. La mayor\u00eda de los oficiales llevaban cascos y otras formas de equipo de protecci\u00f3n; algunos lucieron camuflaje y m\u00e1scaras. Los agentes y oficiales involucrados en la operaci\u00f3n se dedicaron de inmediato a destruir alimentos, albergues e infraestructura de protesta. Un oficial us\u00f3 un mazo para destrozar un generador. Otros trabajaron con trabajadores forestales para destruir casas en los \u00e1rboles en desuso o se sentaron debajo de los \u00e1rboles ocupados y amenazaron con ejercer violencia contra las activistas que se encontraban sobre ellos.<\/p>\n<p>Mientras tanto, otros activistas se involucraron en respuestas proporcionales al operativo policial. Un cami\u00f3n abandonado se incendi\u00f3, al igual que barricadas de madera y llantas sin usar. Peque\u00f1os grupos e individuos involucrados en acciones de ataque y fuga. Mientras que la polic\u00eda emple\u00f3 equipos, armaduras y armamento de \u00faltima generaci\u00f3n, los defensores del bosque utilizaron estructuras rudimentarias, sudaderas con capucha harapientas, palos, piedras y fuegos artificiales. En m\u00e1s de una ocasi\u00f3n, laos defensoras del bosque utilizaron c\u00f3cteles molotov para evitar m\u00e1s incursiones policiales, presumiblemente buscando evitar que los invasores causaran da\u00f1os graves a las indefensas activistas que ocupaban los \u00e1rboles. Esos dispositivos solo se usaban en claros donde los resultados pod\u00edan predecirse f\u00e1cilmente. Los defensores de la polic\u00eda pasaron muchos meses creando un esc\u00e1ndalo por unas cuantas botellas improvisadas de l\u00edquido inflamable. Seguramente, la polic\u00eda no preferir\u00eda enfrentarse a las pelotas de goma, los gases lacrim\u00f3genos, el gas pimienta, los helic\u00f3pteros buscadores de calor y las unidades K9 que han utilizado habitualmente contra los defensores del bosque.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"video-container \"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/711270166?title=0&amp;byline=0&amp;portrait=0\" width=\"300\" height=\"150\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><figcaption class=\"caption video-caption video-caption-vimeo\">La polic\u00eda discute el uso de fuerza letal contra los manifestantes en el bosque en mayo de 2022.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Despu\u00e9s de varias horas, la polic\u00eda comenz\u00f3 a retirarse de la zona. Al otro lado del bosque, los agentes de polic\u00eda del condado de Dekalb entraron en Intrenchment Creek Park y arrestaron a las primeras ocho personas que encontraron, acus\u00e1ndolos a todos de \u201centrar sin autorizaci\u00f3n\u201d en un parque a plena luz del d\u00eda. Estos asistentes al parque pueden o no haber sido participantes en el movimiento, pero es casi seguro que no eran las mismas personas involucradas en la defensa en Prison Farm al otro lado del r\u00edo, a casi una milla de distancia.<\/p>\n<p>Sin embargo, la precisi\u00f3n no era el objetivo. Estos arrestos fueron un componente esencial de la estrategia policial. Hasta el d\u00eda de hoy, los informes noticiosos afirman que \u201cocho manifestantes fueron arrestados despu\u00e9s de que los activistas arrojaran piedras y c\u00f3cteles molotov a la polic\u00eda\u201d, lo que implica fuertemente que los arrestados fueron acusados \u200b\u200bde realizar tales acciones. De hecho, nadie que participara en t\u00e1cticas de protesta combativa fue arrestado en el transcurso de la redada. Al final, a pesar de los da\u00f1os a la infraestructura del campamento, la redada fue un fracaso.<\/p>\n<h4 id=\"medios-a-tope\">Medios a tope<\/h4>\n<p>Sin las acciones defensivas que se hab\u00edan llevado a cabo en el bosque, incluido el lanzamiento de piedras y otras formas de acci\u00f3n directa, es posible que quienes viv\u00edan en casas en los \u00e1rboles o tiendas de campa\u00f1a hubieran sufrido heridas importantes, o que el bosque mismo hubiera ca\u00eddo en el agua. Instalar manos de la polic\u00eda. Ese d\u00eda tambi\u00e9n se realizaron otras intervenciones. Mientras continuaba el enfrentamiento en el bosque, una red de activistas y organizaciones envi\u00f3 un comunicado de prensa anunciando una conferencia de prensa a las 4 pm.<\/p>\n<p>El operativo policial termin\u00f3 con la llegada de simpatizantes del movimiento y medios corporativos al borde del bosque. Los activistas denunciaron el operativo policial, pero no se limitaron a comentar la represi\u00f3n. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CdrDXYsgpYh\/\">Frente a las c\u00e1maras de noticias<\/a>, enfocaron a la multitud reunida en la necesidad de una resistencia directa, en lo que est\u00e1 en juego en la lucha contra el caos clim\u00e1tico, el racismo, la gentrificaci\u00f3n , y el colonialismo. Las im\u00e1genes de las declaraciones se reprodujeron en las noticias de televisi\u00f3n en el \u00e1rea metropolitana, que generalmente es dominio exclusivo de los reaccionarios y los portavoces de la polic\u00eda, quienes en su mayor\u00eda guardaron silencio sobre el movimiento durante varios meses despu\u00e9s.<\/p>\n<p>Se invirti\u00f3 el panorama medi\u00e1tico habitual completamente. Optar por el silencio y la oscuridad no ayud\u00f3 a la polic\u00eda, como rara vez ayud\u00f3 a los movimientos subversivos en el pasado.<\/p>\n<h4 id=\"hablando-por-nosotras-mismas\">Hablando por nosotras mismas<\/h4>\n<p>Hoy en d\u00eda, es inusual que anarquistas u otras aspirantes a revolucionarias se dirijan a los medios corporativos. Durante las \u00faltimas d\u00e9cadas, los radicales han desarrollado muchas teor\u00edas sobre el papel de las organizaciones de noticias corporativas, los efectos de la comunicaci\u00f3n de masas en la imaginaci\u00f3n popular y las consecuencias para los movimientos que consienten en ser representados. Informados por estos an\u00e1lisis, muchas personas han desarrollado proyectos de medios alternativos y clandestinos que incluyen sitios web, revistas, revistas y podcasts para eludir la censura y dirigirse a las audiencias de manera m\u00e1s horizontal. Aunque las luchas de masas han estallado a\u00f1o tras a\u00f1o, los que est\u00e1n en primera l\u00ednea generalmente han optado por no tratar de explicarse ante los cientos de millones de personas que aprenden sobre el mundo principalmente a trav\u00e9s de la radio, los peri\u00f3dicos, las revistas y los televisores corporativos.<\/p>\n<p>La experiencia de la revuelta en s\u00ed misma puede transformar la conciencia de aquellos que participan en ella, cambiando su punto de vista sobre la realidad. Pero las acciones no son suficientes cuando una sociedad est\u00e1 tan llena de falsas narrativas como la nuestra. Mientras los participantes m\u00e1s ambiciosos y valientes en estas luchas no puedan dirigirse a la gente en su propio nombre, los bur\u00f3cratas, los liberales, los reformistas y los acad\u00e9micos tienen las manos libres para tergiversarlos. A menudo, esto significa retratarlos como soldados rasos de otros grupos que est\u00e1n dispuestos a explicar la situaci\u00f3n a audiencias masivas de acuerdo con sus propias pol\u00edticas.<\/p>\n<p>Con la esperanza de romper este patr\u00f3n, el movimiento para defender el bosque ha asumido abordar los medios corporativos como una de sus actividades centrales.<\/p>\n<p>Algunas personas conocen este movimiento como Defender el Bosque de Atlanta, otras como Stop Cop City (Parar la Ciudad Policial). Ambos esl\u00f3ganes describen m\u00e1s o menos la misma constelaci\u00f3n de grupos, t\u00e1cticas, objetivos y bosques, pero se dirigen a sectores diferentes. Entendido como un todo, el movimiento opera una infraestructura de redes sociales sofisticada que incluye Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Mastodon, TikTok y Telegram, as\u00ed como sitios web, kits de medios y correos electr\u00f3nicos que figuran en la lista p\u00fablica. Estas plataformas aseguran que el movimiento pueda comunicarse con aquellas personas que ya lo apoyan y quiz\u00e1s con aquellas inmediatamente pr\u00f3ximas a ellos.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet \" data-lang=\"en\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/defendATLforest\/status\/1627058976784535553\">https:\/\/twitter.com\/defendATLforest\/status\/1627058976784535553<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Cuando los periodistas se ponen en contacto con una de las plataformas del movimiento, las activistas se coordinan para asegurarse de que alguien dentro del movimiento pueda interactuar con ellos. Por lo general, son los defensores del cambio social radical quienes asumen esta responsabilidad, incluidas las abolicionistas, las autonomistas negras, los anarquistas u otros aspirantes a revolucionarios. En lugar de presentarse como l\u00edderes o portavoces, los activistas responden las preguntas de los periodistas, les dan recorridos a pie, les ofrecen paquetes de informaci\u00f3n, les ofrecen investigaciones y tambi\u00e9n an\u00e1lisis internos, pistas, im\u00e1genes, citas y narraciones adecuadas para sus tareas. Este trabajo no es remunerado y es en gran medida invisible para los consumidores de los medios.<\/p>\n<p>Todas las fuentes y plataformas m\u00e1s accesibles asociadas con el movimiento se han negado a denunciar la acci\u00f3n directa o la pol\u00edtica radical. Si bien las diferentes plataformas presentan sus propias perspectivas en una variedad de tonos diferentes, ninguna de ellas se ha alejado tanto de las dem\u00e1s como para ofrecer a los medios de comunicaci\u00f3n brechas para explotar. Durante entrevistas y conferencias de prensa, los comentaristas del movimiento utilizan oraciones claras y concisas. Idealmente, cada oraci\u00f3n debe valerse por s\u00ed misma como un fragmento de sonido, de modo que sea imposible para un editor mutilarlas. Cuando los periodistas hacen preguntas sobre temas complicados o inesperados, los activistas no dudan en decir simplemente \u201cNo s\u00e9 nada de eso en este momento, pero tal vez podamos hacer un seguimiento m\u00e1s adelante\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Los periodistas no esperan que todas las personas entrevistadas sepan todo, pero quieren que otras personas hagan la mayor parte posible de su trabajo por ellos. Siempre que las personas participantes en el movimiento est\u00e9n dispuestos a tomarlos de la mano durante todo el proceso, los escritores o fot\u00f3grafos a menudo les ofrecer\u00e1n una cobertura comprensiva. Si los radicales no asumen este trabajo que requiere mucho tiempo, las organizaciones liberales lo har\u00e1n en pos de sus propias agendas. Si las historias no son coherentes, interesantes o lo suficientemente oportunas, las agencias de noticias optar\u00e1n por la ret\u00f3rica a favor de la polic\u00eda o inventar\u00e1n historias falsas de la nada.<\/p>\n<p>Debido a que la cobertura de los medios corporativos es el principal medio por el cual las autoridades preparan a la opini\u00f3n popular para que acepte la represi\u00f3n de los manifestantes y la gente pobre, puede ser peligroso <em>no<\/em> intervenir en ella. Los movimientos nunca deber\u00edan presentarse gratuitamente como m\u00e1s poderosos o destructivos de lo que realmente son; Es mucho mejor ser subestimado que dar a tus adversarios la oportunidad de movilizar a otros contra ti. Asimismo, no deben perder ninguna oportunidad de humanizar a los participantes y enmarcar ellos mismos la narrativa.<\/p>\n<p>Al mismo tiempo, hacerlo implica una serie de desaf\u00edos.<\/p>\n<p>Puede ser tentador, por ejemplo, que los portavoces de los medios diluyan sus mensajes para que atraigan a la audiencia m\u00e1s amplia posible. Sin embargo, esto no preparar\u00e1 a las audiencias para comprender las t\u00e1cticas o prioridades del movimiento, ni lo que est\u00e1 en juego al luchar. Lo m\u00e1s importante no es tanto generar una cobertura favorable como estructurar la percepci\u00f3n popular del movimiento, fijando los t\u00e9rminos del debate.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/12.jpg\" \/><\/figure>\n<p>Si las personas participantes en movimientos combativos no est\u00e1n dispuestos a aparecer en la prensa con sus nombres legales o al menos con sus rostros visibles por miedo a la violencia estatal y de los vigilantes, los medios corporativos generalmente no trabajar\u00e1n con ellas. Los riesgos son bastante reales; de hecho, incluso los l\u00edderes liberales que denuncian t\u00e1cticas radicales pueden seguir siendo blanco de trolls y polic\u00edas de extrema derecha que los asocian con un movimiento feroz. Afortunadamente, los medios de comunicaci\u00f3n social del siglo XXI han brindado a los activistas de base cierta influencia contra esta forma de censura corporativa al derribar algunas barreras a la comunicaci\u00f3n masiva. Si los editores temen perder la oportunidad de generar ingresos al negarse a suavizar sus pol\u00edticas con respecto al anonimato, a veces har\u00e1n excepciones, incluso presentando plataformas a manifestantes vestidos con pasamonta\u00f1as si estos \u00faltimos pueden presentarse de manera cre\u00edble como participantes de movimientos poderosos. Sin embargo, la mayor\u00eda de las veces, los medios de comunicaci\u00f3n simplemente pasar\u00e1n a cubrir otras historias.<\/p>\n<p>Los movimientos ambiciosos deben tratar de mantener una interfaz de medios de rango completo. Deben estar preparados para trabajar extraoficialmente con periodistas y documentalistas simpatizantes, para operar estrategias de redes sociales las 24 horas del d\u00eda, para tener algunos participantes disponibles que est\u00e9n dispuestos a mostrar sus rostros, otros que est\u00e9n dispuestos a expresar sus voces, y m\u00e1s que est\u00e9n dispuestos a responder entrevistas escritas. En aras de la reciprocidad, los grupos anticapitalistas, abolicionistas y anarquistas no deber\u00edan criticar innecesariamente a los grupos m\u00e1s moderados.<\/p>\n<p>Algunos podr\u00edan objetar que es mejor invertir toda esta energ\u00eda en otras tareas. Seguramente, hay cuestiones m\u00e1s apremiantes que la forma en que el movimiento es percibido por aquellas personas que ni siquiera participan en \u00e9l. A menudo, son los oportunistas orientados a labrarse una carrera los que terminan manejando las operaciones de los medios. Esto deja a los participantes de primera l\u00ednea al margen de la atenci\u00f3n p\u00fablica, lo que hace que sea casi inevitable que tengan que invertir incontables horas y noches de insomnio luchando por desmentir o superar los intentos divisivos reformistas y contraproducentes. Al final, puede ser m\u00e1s eficiente comenzar con una estrategia de medios adecuada que ponerse a jugar a pillar al final.<\/p>\n<p>En el movimiento para defender el bosque, las activistas en la prensa local y nacional apoyan abiertamente la acci\u00f3n directa, fomentan la participaci\u00f3n diversa y abogan por un cambio social radical en un lenguaje claro, sin hip\u00e9rboles. En este caso, son los reformistas los que se quejan de la cobertura \u201cdesequilibrada\u201d. Cuando los periodistas hacen preguntas tendenciosas, tratando de incitar a las activistas a que se denuncien unas a otras, casi siempre lo rechazan de plano.<\/p>\n<p>Ha habido excepciones. Un participante denunci\u00f3 estupefacto que el movimiento era \u201cm\u00e1s decepcionante que la propia Cop City\u201d, m\u00fasica para los o\u00eddos de APF (Atlanta Production Factory). Estos cr\u00edticos suelen enmarcar la pol\u00edtica en met\u00e1foras espaciales, describiendo identidades coherentes y fronteras entre el interior y el exterior. En lugar de contribuir libremente en un campo de juego abierto, algunos se apresuran a asociarse o disociarse de tendencias espec\u00edficas o facciones percibidas, mientras que otras personas observan desde la barrera, emitiendo juicios o esperando instrucciones.<\/p>\n<p>El impulso de denunciar la lucha parece atenazar a algunas personas con especial fuerza en momentos de brutal represi\u00f3n. Algunas personas incluso publicaron c\u00ednicas cr\u00edticas del tipo \u201cte lo dije\u201d tras el asesinato de Tortuguita. Al mismo tiempo, estas personas no dudan en asociarse al movimiento cuando \u00e9ste les proporciona capital social. Sin embargo, a pesar de campa\u00f1as individuales de desprestigio como \u00e9stas, los medios de comunicaci\u00f3n corporativos y las fuerzas del orden no han conseguido dividir el movimiento en facciones que se enfrenten entre s\u00ed.<\/p>\n<p>Si los movimientos no pueden tolerar las diferencias entre sus participantes, deben ser capaces de abordarlas internamente, directamente o a trav\u00e9s de mediadores. Si eso no es posible, las tendencias o grupos en conflicto deben ignorarse mutuamente. La claridad sobre las diferencias es importante, pero los conflictos prolongados entre bandos rivales casi siempre benefician m\u00e1s a las autoridades. Cuantas m\u00e1s divisiones haya en un movimiento, m\u00e1s envalentonadas estar\u00e1n las autoridades para atacar a las corrientes m\u00e1s sobresalientes dentro de \u00e9l; cuando los rivales publican en las redes sociales los errores o vulnerabilidades de los dem\u00e1s, esto puede ayudar a las autoridades a trazar estrategias o a construir una narrativa que justifique la represi\u00f3n. A menudo, estos conflictos polarizan innecesariamente a movimientos enteros, ya que todo el mundo se ve obligado a tomar partido; muchas ideolog\u00edas justifican este tipo de comportamiento, para desgracia de todos. Por desgracia, las plataformas de las redes sociales contempor\u00e1neas suelen incentivar este tipo de conducta.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/8.jpg\" \/><figcaption>Defensora del bosque.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h4 id=\"el-impulso-genera-resistencia\">El impulso genera resistencia<\/h4>\n<p>En todo el pa\u00eds, al menos veinte actos de acci\u00f3n directa siguieron a la redada policial de mayo de 2022. Con la moral alta tras la tercera Semana de Acci\u00f3n, participantes del movimiento fuera de Atlanta estaban decididos a preservar la iniciativa. Cultivar estrategias ganadoras no es simplemente una cuesti\u00f3n de utilizar las t\u00e1cticas adecuadas, ni de acumular acciones contra un objetivo. M\u00e1s bien, la estrategia de centrarse en la log\u00edstica de la construcci\u00f3n de forma descentralizada ha tenido \u00e9xito porque es <strong>empoderadora<\/strong>: ha permitido a muchas personas participar en el movimiento en sus propios t\u00e9rminos. Al mismo tiempo, el torbellino de acontecimientos y t\u00e1cticas diferentes ha confundido a la Fundaci\u00f3n de la Polic\u00eda, a sus partidarios bur\u00f3cratas y a sus contratistas.<\/p>\n<p>La moral es un factor crucial en la lucha. Las personas que creen que van a ganar tienen m\u00e1s probabilidades de ganar. Es m\u00e1s probable que respondan con urgencia a los ataques, que est\u00e9n dispuestos a hacer sacrificios, a enfrentarse a los problemas en lugar de evitarlos. Curiosamente, en los movimientos aut\u00f3nomos estadounidenses, muchas de las personas participantes m\u00e1s inteligentes suelen abrazar el cinismo sobre los movimientos en los que participan y las ideas que defienden. Al hacerlo, se encogen de hombros ante la responsabilidad de formular planes eficaces, de probar nuevas hip\u00f3tesis, de fomentar movimientos fuertes y diversos. El pesimismo y el distanciamiento ir\u00f3nico les sirven de excusa para no convencer a la gente, trabajar bien con los dem\u00e1s o llevar a cabo acciones valientes.<\/p>\n<p>En manifestaciones, ruedas de prensa y asambleas, en declaraciones escritas, las participantes en el movimiento de defensa del bosque exhiben regularmente una actitud de confianza. Afirmar que tienen la intenci\u00f3n de ganar esta lucha no es arrogancia: es una decisi\u00f3n impulsada por una convicci\u00f3n real. Esa convicci\u00f3n surge de algo m\u00e1s grande que la voluntad individual.<\/p>\n<h4 id=\"la-gente-de-los-arboles\">La gente de los \u00e1rboles<\/h4>\n<p>Varias activistas hab\u00edan establecido casas en los \u00e1rboles (\u201ctree sits\u201d) en el bosque a partir del 19 de enero de 2022. Esta fue una de varias intervenciones durante un periodo dif\u00edcil para el movimiento. En aquel momento, Reeves+Young segu\u00eda siendo el contratista general de la Fundaci\u00f3n de la Polic\u00eda. Su subcontratista, Long Engineering, estaba llevando a cabo labores de topograf\u00eda y excursiones para tomar muestras del suelo, y los y las activistas estaban confusas sobre c\u00f3mo detenerlas. Cuatro meses despu\u00e9s, en mayo de 2022, la situaci\u00f3n hab\u00eda cambiado por completo.<\/p>\n<p>Al salir de la tercera Semana de Acci\u00f3n, los grupos del movimiento dedicados a la resistencia in situ necesitaban innovar su forma de lucha. Si los medios de comunicaci\u00f3n segu\u00edan difundiendo im\u00e1genes de encapuchados lanzando c\u00f3cteles molotov, eso podr\u00eda envalentonar a la polic\u00eda para utilizar niveles de fuerza que pocas personas estaban preparados para resistir. Las sentadas en los \u00e1rboles permitieron replantear la narrativa.<\/p>\n<p>A finales de mayo de 2022 se construyeron al menos media docena de casas en los \u00e1rboles en la granja de la antigua prisi\u00f3n de Atlanta y en una secci\u00f3n del parque Intrenchment Creek. Los residentes y arquitectos les dieron nombres y las decoraron a su gusto; algunas casas en los \u00e1rboles coexistieron con campamentos en el suelo pr\u00f3ximos. En las semanas siguientes a la redada, los activistas que viv\u00edan en estas casas en los \u00e1rboles redactaron declaraciones, concedieron entrevistas a la prensa y tomaron fotograf\u00edas que documentaban su determinaci\u00f3n. En junio, la mayor parte de la cobertura informativa -incluida la prensa nacional, como <em>The New Yorker<\/em>&#8211; hab\u00eda pasado a mostrar un inter\u00e9s casi antropol\u00f3gico por los ex\u00f3ticos y rom\u00e1nticos habitantes de las casas en los \u00e1rboles.<\/p>\n<p>La estrategia de quienes pretend\u00edan destruir el bosque tambi\u00e9n cambi\u00f3, aunque esto llev\u00f3 m\u00e1s tiempo. Al principio, las autoridades no ten\u00edan claro que la redada del 17 de mayo hab\u00eda fracasado. Esto s\u00f3lo se hizo evidente cuando los contratistas de Long Engineering entraron en el bosque cerca de los caminos Constitution y Old Constitution el 2 de junio. El equipo de construcci\u00f3n lleg\u00f3 con una maquinaria para talar \u00e1rboles, pero sin suficientes efectivos policiales; unos diez activistas los repelieron f\u00e1cilmente. Adem\u00e1s de gritar y agitar los brazos, algunas de estas defensores del bosque lanzaron petardos en direcci\u00f3n a los equipos de obras para llamar su atenci\u00f3n. Los trabajos se suspendieron por ese d\u00eda.<\/p>\n<p>Durante los seis meses siguientes, no se realiz\u00f3 ning\u00fan trabajo dentro del per\u00edmetro del bosque sin una considerable protecci\u00f3n policial.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"portrait\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/25.jpg\" \/><figcaption>Una casa en un \u00e1rbol del bosque.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h4 id=\"nuevas-aperturas\">Nuevas aperturas<\/h4>\n<p>Este fue el comienzo de una espiral de paranoia para los organismos policiales. El 6 de junio de 2022, un convoy de agentes de polic\u00eda acompa\u00f1\u00f3 a un equipo de trabajo en Key Road. Los trabajadores de Boyette Brothers Construction Rental estaban derribando \u00e1rboles a un lado de la carretera. Esto formaba parte de la fase previa a la construcci\u00f3n de la urbanizaci\u00f3n que deb\u00eda incluir la erecci\u00f3n de una valla de seguridad de 2,5 metros. Las manifestantes se acercaron desarmados a los destructores de bosques. Haciendo sonar silbatos y agitando los brazos, los defensores del bosque intentaron entrar en las inmediaciones de los equipos de trabajo de forma que pudieran inducirles a detener las obras. Sin dudarlo, los polic\u00edas sacaron sus armas y apuntaron directamente a los manifestantes. Al retirarse al bosque, las defensoras del bosque consiguieron salvar sus propias vidas, pero no pudieron detener la destrucci\u00f3n. Al final del d\u00eda, los trabajadores hab\u00edan talado decenas de \u00e1rboles.<\/p>\n<p>Sin embargo, esa misma tarde, las m\u00e1quinas que hab\u00edan utilizado para destruir los \u00e1rboles estaban en ruinas. Un comunicado an\u00f3nimo on-line afirmaba que la empresa hab\u00eda sido identificada y que sus instalaciones se encontraban en Conyers (Georgia). La mayor parte de su flota hab\u00eda sido destrozada y parte de ella quemada. El comunicado on-line dec\u00eda <em>\u201cSi lo construyes, lo quemaremos\u201d<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>El 10 de junio, unos d\u00edas despu\u00e9s, el gobierno del condado de Dekalb coloc\u00f3 una orden de \u201cParada de Obras\u201d en la puerta de entrada a la Granja de la Vieja Prisi\u00f3n, probablemente debido a las llamadas telef\u00f3nicas a diversos departamentos y comisiones. Evidentemente, dichas obras se hab\u00edan realizado sin los permisos adecuados, que a\u00fan no hab\u00edan sido aprobados por el gobierno del condado. Tras el sabotaje y la orden de paralizaci\u00f3n de las obras, no se intent\u00f3 realizar ni un solo d\u00eda de trabajo de \u201cpre-construcci\u00f3n\u201d durante casi cinco meses en la Granja de la Vieja Prisi\u00f3n de Atlanta. Es posible que otros posibles subcontratistas que normalmente trabajan para Brasfield &amp; Gorrie no estuvieran dispuestos a licitar en este contrato a la luz de lo ocurrido en Boyette Brothers Rental.<\/p>\n<p>A lo largo del verano siguieron produci\u00e9ndose iniciativas para defender el bosque en todo el pa\u00eds. Se produjeron actos de desobediencia civil en una oficina de Brasfield &amp; Gorrie en Charlotte (Carolina del Norte). Los y las manifestantes distribuyeron octavillas en los domicilios, barrios e iglesias de los ejecutivos relacionados con el proyecto. Tambi\u00e9n hubo actos de sabotaje y vandalismo en las oficinas de los subcontratistas. Cada semana parec\u00eda haber nuevas declaraciones y art\u00edculos de prensa.<\/p>\n<p>Durante este tiempo surgieron nuevas constelaciones y grupos dentro del movimiento. El grupo de profesores, alumnos de preescolar y organizadores asociados que hab\u00edan organizado la marcha de mayo siguieron organizando marchas, actos comunitarios y jornadas hort\u00edcolas con ni\u00f1as y ni\u00f1os en el bosque. Su participaci\u00f3n como grupo organizado -la Coalici\u00f3n Weelaunee- permiti\u00f3 a los simpatizantes con hijos e hijas participar en el movimiento sin tener que comprometerse en acciones arriesgadas ni buscar guarder\u00edas para sus hijos. Estos grupos no son fuerzas auxiliares que s\u00f3lo sirven para arreglar la reputaci\u00f3n del movimiento. Conservan su propia autonom\u00eda estrat\u00e9gica y su propio discurso, comprometi\u00e9ndose como todos los dem\u00e1s participantes, dando forma al movimiento y responsabiliz\u00e1ndose de \u00e9l a su manera.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/32.jpg\" \/><figcaption>Uno de los \u00e1rboles del bosque.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h4 id=\"atraerlos\">Atraerlos<\/h4>\n<p>La estrategia pol\u00edtica se desarrolla a medida que las fuerzas contendientes act\u00faan y reaccionan entre s\u00ed en un circuito creativo, cada una de las cuales identifica los puntos d\u00e9biles de la estrategia contraria y los explota. Las estrategias que resuelven un problema suelen generar otro.<\/p>\n<p>A lo largo de junio y julio, y hasta bien entrado el oto\u00f1o, la polic\u00eda empez\u00f3 a realizar \u201cbarridos\u201d rituales en el bosque, concretamente en la granja de la antigua prisi\u00f3n de Atlanta. En estas redadas sol\u00edan participar entre cinco y veinte agentes del Departamento de Polic\u00eda de Atlanta. Dado que operaban fuera de su jurisdicci\u00f3n y, por tanto, no pod\u00edan realizar detenciones, estas intervenciones eran principalmente simb\u00f3licas. Los martes por la ma\u00f1ana, y a veces tambi\u00e9n los mi\u00e9rcoles o los viernes, los agentes entraban por la llamada \u201cPuerta Norte\u201d de Key Road. Se juntaban durante una hora m\u00e1s o menos antes de subir a los Veh\u00edculos Utilitarios (UTV) o a los Veh\u00edculos Todo Terreno (ATV).<\/p>\n<p>Adivinando que estas redadas eran principalmente simb\u00f3licas, las activistas se negaron a enfrentarse a la polic\u00eda durante las mismas. Esconderse, correr, trepar a las casas de los \u00e1rboles o mantenerse alejados de los agentes se convirti\u00f3 en la principal respuesta de los defensores, mientras los polic\u00edas se dedicaban a destrozar tiendas, tirar comida, robar agua y merodear. Durante este periodo, las fuerzas policiales se vieron arrastradas, conscientemente o no, a enredos infructuosos en el bosque. Con los activistas obstruyendo sus esfuerzos, no pod\u00edan avanzar en el proyecto, pero tampoco pod\u00edan encontrar a las bien escondidas defensoras del bosque.<\/p>\n<p>Los mandos superiores recibieron noticias de que los manifestantes hab\u00edan abandonado la zona, que transmitieron a la Fundaci\u00f3n Policial de Atlanta. Al parecer, la APF difundi\u00f3 esta informaci\u00f3n err\u00f3nea al Comit\u00e9 Asesor de Partes Interesadas de la Comunidad (CSAC), una organizaci\u00f3n creada por la Fundaci\u00f3n de la Polic\u00eda de Atlanta y sus defensores con el fin de dar el visto bueno a Cop City bajo el pretexto de una respuesta democr\u00e1tica.<\/p>\n<p>Dos personas, Sharon Williams y Allison Clark, empezaron a utilizar el CSAC como plataforma para difundir en los medios de comunicaci\u00f3n mitos cada vez m\u00e1s paranoicos y descabellados. Fueron de las primeras en <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/UR_Ninja\/status\/1623150549066711040\">denunciar a las activistas<\/a> como \u201cecoterroristas\u201d. A medida que la opini\u00f3n popular se volv\u00eda en contra de Cop City, las opiniones del CSAC cobraban m\u00e1s importancia para el proyecto, ya que era el \u00fanico grupo p\u00fablico dispuesto a ponerse delante de las c\u00e1maras de los telediarios para defenderlo.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet \" data-lang=\"en\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/UR_Ninja\/status\/1623150549066711040\">https:\/\/twitter.com\/UR_Ninja\/status\/1623150549066711040<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h3 id=\"cuarta-semana-de-accion\">Cuarta Semana de Acci\u00f3n<\/h3>\n<p>Los grupos locales anuncian la cuarta Semana de Acci\u00f3n para finales de julio. Con tan poco tiempo desde la \u00faltima Semana de Acci\u00f3n, no estaba claro qu\u00e9 pod\u00edan organizar a gran escala. Por otra parte, un calendario de obras publicado por la Fundaci\u00f3n de la Polic\u00eda expresaba su intenci\u00f3n de empezar a \u201cdesbrozar y nivelar\u201d -eufemismo para referirse a la tala de \u00e1rboles y la alteraci\u00f3n del terreno- antes del final del verano. Si la tercera Semana de Acci\u00f3n hab\u00eda sido esencialmente un ejercicio de convergencia de masas y acci\u00f3n directa, la pr\u00f3xima tendr\u00eda que ser algo totalmente distinto.<\/p>\n<h4 id=\"el-sonido-de-la-musica\">El sonido de la m\u00fasica<\/h4>\n<p>Las nuevas ideas rara vez surgen de la pol\u00edtica; simplemente se trasladan a ella. Las innovaciones en el pensamiento y el lenguaje no surgen \u00fanicamente de la reflexi\u00f3n y la conversaci\u00f3n. Al igual que algunos atletas profesionales toman clases de baile fuera de temporada, los rebeldes y los aspirantes a revolucionarios se han inspirado durante mucho tiempo en la literatura, la poes\u00eda, el arte y la m\u00fasica, quiz\u00e1 la \u00fanica forma de actividad humana que canaliza de forma inmanente la vitalidad y la intensidad comunes a todos los seres y sistemas del cosmos.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet \" data-lang=\"en\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/defendATLforest\/status\/1627906812887412736\">https:\/\/twitter.com\/defendATLforest\/status\/1627906812887412736<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Los movimientos de liberaci\u00f3n negra siempre han tenido una relaci\u00f3n generativa con la m\u00fasica negra. Esta relaci\u00f3n alimenta la lucha, ayudando a transmitir conocimientos culturales y pol\u00edticos, lecciones y conciencia. La m\u00fasica desempe\u00f1a un papel igualmente importante en muchas luchas ind\u00edgenas. En cambio, algunos movimientos predominantemente blancos no atribuyen un papel comparable a la m\u00fasica y el arte. Algunos participantes intentan compensarlo con fantas\u00edas militantes, o consumen acr\u00edticamente innovaciones culturales sin comprender lo que tienen de poderosas. Algunos activistas incluso se ocultan c\u00ednicamente en los c\u00edrculos culturales, esperando el momento de pasar a la acci\u00f3n \u201creal\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Afortunadamente, el movimiento para defender Weelaunee no es uno de esos movimientos. Esta lucha repone constantemente su conexi\u00f3n con la m\u00fasica, las comunidades art\u00edsticas y los eventos culturales. Ser\u00eda dif\u00edcil exagerar el impacto que esto ha tenido en la longevidad y la creatividad de la defensa del bosque, tanto en el bosque como en el centro y en toda la regi\u00f3n.<\/p>\n<p>Cuando se anunci\u00f3 la cuarta Semana de Acci\u00f3n, un grupo organizador aut\u00f3nomo declar\u00f3 que coordinar\u00eda un festival de m\u00fasica gratuito en el bosque. A los pocos d\u00edas, un artista folk local popular entre la juventud negra alternativa anunci\u00f3 su intenci\u00f3n de organizar uno tambi\u00e9n. Artistas y m\u00fasicos empezaron a ponerse en contacto. Pronto se form\u00f3 un cartel repleto de artistas de danza, indie, folk, hip hop y hardcore punk de la regi\u00f3n. Otras personas anunciaron m\u00e1s talleres y acciones. Los periodistas musicales empezaron a ponerse en contacto con los organizadores locales, expresando su deseo de acampar con los manifestantes y asistir a los eventos musicales.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/13.jpg\" \/><figcaption>El Parque Popular Weelaunee tras la ceremonia de corte de cinta del 23 de julio de 2022.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h4 id=\"parque-popular-weelaunee\">Parque Popular Weelaunee<\/h4>\n<p>En los d\u00edas previos a la Semana de Acci\u00f3n prevista para el 23 de julio, Ryan Millsap, de Blackhall Studios, empez\u00f3 a colaborar con la polic\u00eda de Dekalb para bloquear el acceso al parque Intrenchment Creek. En las semanas anteriores, Blackhall Studios hab\u00eda pasado a llamarse Shadowbox Studios tras su adquisici\u00f3n por Commonwealth Asset Management, una empresa de inversi\u00f3n de la que Millsap forma parte del consejo de administraci\u00f3n. Millsap cre\u00eda que esta venta anulaba sus acuerdos con el gobierno del condado de Dekalb para convertir un claro cercano (que ya hab\u00eda destruido) en el \u201cParque Michelle Obama\u201d a cambio de construir un complejo de estudios. Con esta artima\u00f1a, pretend\u00eda robar legalmente unos 40 acres situados en la entrada y los alrededores del sendero del parque Intrenchment Creek, incluido un tramo del sendero ciclista y peatonal de la Fundaci\u00f3n PATH, el campo RC y parte del bosque.<\/p>\n<p>Las demandas en curso coordinadas por activistas de la South River Watershed Alliance (Alianza de la Cuenca Hidrogr\u00e1fica del R\u00edo Sur) fueron una de las \u00fanicas medidas que impidieron que avanzara esta apropiaci\u00f3n de tierras. Seg\u00fan los t\u00e9rminos de la demanda, el bosque no deb\u00eda alterarse sustancialmente y el parque deb\u00eda seguir siendo accesible al p\u00fablico hasta que el caso se resolviera en los tribunales. Aunque los promotores de la demanda y los esfuerzos por llegar a soluciones judiciales actuaban a distancia del resto del movimiento, la mayor\u00eda de los activistas que ocupaban el bosque o presionaban a los contratistas consideraban que estas estrategias eran medios leg\u00edtimos de defender el terreno.<\/p>\n<p>El gobierno de la ciudad de Atlanta hab\u00eda adoptado \u201cVisi\u00f3n de Bosque del R\u00edo Sur\u201d, la visi\u00f3n de la Watershed Alliance, como prop\u00f3sito oficial para este terreno antes de cambiar a la propuesta de Cop City tras la rebeli\u00f3n de George Floyd. Los equipos que trabajan en las demandas sirven al bosque como baluarte defensivo, ejemplificado por la orden de paralizaci\u00f3n de las obras del 10 de junio, pero tambi\u00e9n constituyen uno de los frentes ofensivos de la lucha. Si el movimiento gana, es probable que se manifieste en forma de decisi\u00f3n en los tribunales.<\/p>\n<p>El 19 de julio, Ryan Millsap incumpli\u00f3 el acuerdo de mantener el parque accesible al p\u00fablico. No fue la \u00fanica vez que lo hizo. La defensa legal es una parte importante de una estrategia integral, pero no bastar\u00e1 para evitar la destrucci\u00f3n del terreno.<\/p>\n<p>A \u00faltima hora de la tarde del 19 de julio, unos contratistas acompa\u00f1ados por los sheriffs del condado de Dekalb levantaron barreras de hormig\u00f3n en el camino de entrada al Intrenchment Creek Park Trailhead, bloqueando el acceso al aparcamiento. Presumiblemente, Millsap cre\u00eda que esto mantendr\u00eda a la gente fuera del parque durante la Semana de Acci\u00f3n. Con cientos de personas prepar\u00e1ndose para acampar en el bosque y bandas que esperaban tocar all\u00ed, parec\u00eda urgente retirar las barreras y reorientarse alrededor de esta secci\u00f3n del bosque por el momento, ya que los esfuerzos de pre-construcci\u00f3n en la Granja Prisi\u00f3n se hab\u00edan detenido.<\/p>\n<p>La noche del 21 de julio, un grupo autodenominado \u201c100 lindas hormiguitas\u201d desplaz\u00f3 las pesadas barreras a un lado, abriendo espacio suficiente para que entraran uno o dos coches a la vez. La nueva colocaci\u00f3n de las barreras permit\u00eda a los civiles entrar con facilidad, pero dificultaba el manejo de maquinaria o veh\u00edculos grandes en la peque\u00f1a entrada que daba a West Side Place. La gente redecor\u00f3 las barreras grises con pintura rosa y esl\u00f3ganes.<\/p>\n<p>La Semana de Acci\u00f3n se inaugur\u00f3 el 23 de julio con una ceremonia de corte de cinta a la que asistieron m\u00e1s de 100 personas. Se plant\u00f3 en el suelo un precioso cartel de aspecto oficial en el que se le\u00eda \u201cParque Popular Weelaunee\u201d en un lado y \u201cParque Forestal del R\u00edo Sur\u201d en el otro. Tras cortar la cinta, la multitud core\u00f3 \u201cPeople\u2019s park, people\u2019s park\u201d (Parque del pueblo, parque del pueblo) mientras los coches y los equipos empezaban a llegar. Por la tarde, cientos de personas llenaban la zona.<\/p>\n<p>Mientras los habitantes del parque y los defensores del bosque montaban campamentos y escuchaban las primeras actuaciones en directo, otros organizaban manifestaciones en sus casas. A partir del 25 de julio, los manifestantes visitaron los domicilios de varios directivos de Brasfield &amp; Gorrie, coreando y portando pancartas. La respuesta policial a estas manifestaciones se intensific\u00f3 a lo largo de la semana, creando una atm\u00f3sfera de peligro en lo que de hecho eran protestas legales.<\/p>\n<p>Al otro lado del bosque, una empresa de tecnolog\u00eda de vigilancia llamada Flock Safety empez\u00f3 a instalar c\u00e1maras de seguridad en peque\u00f1as torres. El 25 de julio, dos d\u00edas despu\u00e9s de iniciada la Semana de Acci\u00f3n, un grupo de defensoras del bosque se enfrent\u00f3 a un cami\u00f3n de obras asociado a Flock Safety. El trabajador que iba dentro acababa de instalar una nueva c\u00e1mara de vigilancia en Key Road. Los y las activistas ahuyentaron al cami\u00f3n arroj\u00e1ndole gravilla, rompieron una de sus ventanillas y desmontaron la nueva c\u00e1mara. Esta acci\u00f3n, en la que nadie result\u00f3 herido, contribuy\u00f3 a aumentar la paranoia de las fuerzas del orden.<\/p>\n<p>Durante los d\u00edas siguientes, Sharon Williams y Allison Clark, del Comit\u00e9 Asesor de Partes Interesadas de la Comunidad (CSAC), trabajaron con bur\u00f3cratas del departamento de polic\u00eda para difundir la falsedad de que las activistas hab\u00edan disparado un arma contra el trabajador de Flock Safety. La \u00fanica \u201cprueba\u201d que ofrecieron fue un casquillo de bala al azar a un lado de la carretera. Miembros activos de la comunidad colocaron octavillas refutando esta afirmaci\u00f3n en los buzones de todo el vecindario circundante.<\/p>\n<p>Los polic\u00edas de a pie no son inmunes a la propaganda policial. A d\u00eda de hoy, muchos de ellos siguen creyendo que los defensores del bosque dispararon contra un trabajador de la construcci\u00f3n. Los trolls de derechas y el fiscal del distrito local repitieron esta mentira en cada oportunidad. Gracias a esta mentira publicitada por Williams y Clark, aument\u00f3 la temperatura.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/28.jpg\" \/><figcaption>Una pancarta en la marquesina del Parque Popular Weelaunee.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h4 id=\"los-ninos-opinaran\">Los ni\u00f1os opinar\u00e1n<\/h4>\n<p>El festival de m\u00fasica comenz\u00f3 el 28 de julio. Los materiales promocionales promet\u00edan tres d\u00edas de \u201cPaz, Amor y Anarqu\u00eda\u201d. Los m\u00fasicos actuaron en un escenario improvisado bajo lonas colgadas entre postes y \u00e1rboles. El sistema de sonido funcionaba con generadores. Los asistentes pod\u00edan abastecerse de material informativo, as\u00ed como ropa, agua y comida.<\/p>\n<p>Durante los dos primeros d\u00edas, cientos de personas pasaron por la zona, escuchando la m\u00fasica que lat\u00eda en un peque\u00f1o claro entre los pinos. Por todas partes surgieron tiendas y peque\u00f1os campamentos. La multitud era diversa por donde se la mirase, y reun\u00eda a personas de distintos or\u00edgenes \u00e9tnicos; los estilos musicales no se segmentaban en d\u00edas o bloques distintos, sino que flu\u00edan unos dentro de otros exclusivamente seg\u00fan el principio de empezar despacio e ir cogiendo fuerza. Juntos, los asistentes crearon una experiencia transformadora, lejos de los locales corporativos y las experiencias musicales controladas a las que la mayor\u00eda estaba acostumbrada.<\/p>\n<p>El 30 de julio, \u00faltimo d\u00eda de la Semana de Acci\u00f3n, las campistas se despertaron al grito de: <em>\u201c\u00a1Van a remolcar vuestro coche! \u00a1Despertad todos! \u00a1La gr\u00faa est\u00e1 aqu\u00ed! Id al aparcamiento \u201c<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Hacia las 8 de la ma\u00f1ana, Ryan Millsap y un colega suyo llegaron al Parque Popular Weelaunee con una gr\u00faa que arrastraba una excavadora sobre un remolque de plataforma, acompa\u00f1ados por una peque\u00f1a cohorte de polic\u00edas del condado de Dekalb que \u00e9l hab\u00eda contratado como seguridad privada. En Georgia, se puede contratar legalmente a polic\u00edas fuera de servicio, a los que se permite llevar consigo sus armas de servicio, uniformes y veh\u00edculos de propiedad municipal mientras cumplen un contrato privado. Esto no es habitual en otras partes del Norte Global, pero s\u00ed en el resto de Am\u00e9rica.<\/p>\n<p>Millsap no se alej\u00f3 mucho de su coche, pero su colega, Anthony Wayne James, se acerc\u00f3 a las defensoras del bosque que estaban sentadas bajo un cenador en medio del aparcamiento. James empez\u00f3 a utilizar la excavadora para golpear el techo de la marquesina, a pesar del riesgo potencialmente letal que ello supon\u00eda para las personas debajo. En ese momento, los polic\u00edas intervinieron y notificaron a James que no era aceptable que se arriesgara a matar gente delante de ellos. Frustrado, empez\u00f3 a gritarles que detuvieran a la gente: \u201c\u00a1Haced vuestro trabajo!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>En unos minutos, empezaron a llegar m\u00e1s personas desde la arboleda, la mayor\u00eda de ellas con m\u00e1scaras y capuchas. Una persona se dirigi\u00f3 a la multitud, compuesta ahora por unas 40 personas: \u201c\u00bfVamos a hacer algo o nos vamos a quedar aqu\u00ed parados?\u201d. Inmediatamente, esta persona sac\u00f3 un martillo de su cintura y empez\u00f3 a romper las ventanillas de la camioneta de Millsap. A la vista del vandalismo, la polic\u00eda vacil\u00f3. Una ligera lluvia de piedras y latas de bebida empez\u00f3 a caer sobre James, Millsap y la polic\u00eda de Dekalb, que se apresuraron a salir a la calle.<\/p>\n<p>Algunas personas continuaron destruyendo el cami\u00f3n, mientras otras reun\u00edan montones de piedras anticipando una nueva confrontaci\u00f3n. La barricada de hormig\u00f3n que se hab\u00eda construido por orden de Millsap unos d\u00edas antes se utiliz\u00f3 ahora para cerrar el aparcamiento; otros a\u00f1adieron neum\u00e1ticos y pal\u00e9s de madera. M\u00e1s veh\u00edculos policiales intentaron acercarse, pero tambi\u00e9n recibieron pedradas. Millsap, encogido detr\u00e1s de los agentes en un ataque de furia ciega, gritaba ep\u00edtetos a la multitud: \u201c\u00a1Comprad vuestro propio parque! Dejad de ser sin-techo\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Media hora despu\u00e9s, su cami\u00f3n estaba destrozado. Le hab\u00edan quitado el catalizador, desvalijado el interior y destrozado el motor. Tras una hora o m\u00e1s de calma, qued\u00f3 claro que la polic\u00eda no iba a volver. La multitud, que hab\u00eda crecido hasta alcanzar el centenar, se dispers\u00f3 lentamente hacia el bosque o regres\u00f3 a la ciudad. Los y las activistas escuchaban presentaciones o se preparaban para la \u00faltima noche de m\u00fasica.<\/p>\n<p>Al final, cuando todo el mundo hab\u00eda abandonado el aparcamiento, alguien prendi\u00f3 fuego al cami\u00f3n. El humo se extendi\u00f3 por encima de la l\u00ednea de \u00e1rboles. El parque est\u00e1 enfrente de un parque de bomberos, y un cami\u00f3n de bomberos lo apag\u00f3 desde la calle. Algunos tem\u00edan que la visi\u00f3n del cami\u00f3n calcinado pudiera disuadir a la gente de asistir a los talleres o a los eventos musicales, que pretend\u00edan atraer al bosque a vecinos sin experiencia previa en movimientos de esta naturaleza y que podr\u00edan haberse mostrado ya desconfiados a la hora de participar.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo sabemos lo que va a pasar\u201d, dijo un habitante del bosque. \u201cVamos a ver. No nos asustemos\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Al final, esa persona ten\u00eda raz\u00f3n. El cami\u00f3n se convirti\u00f3 en un monumento a la fortaleza y el valor del movimiento. La gente no dud\u00f3 en asistir a las presentaciones que historiadores y acad\u00e9micos ofrecieron ese d\u00eda.<\/p>\n<p>Al anochecer, cientos de asistentes a los conciertos se agolpaban en el parque para asistir a la velada final del festival. Muchas de estas personas se hicieron fotos con los restos del cami\u00f3n o lo decoraron con pintadas. A medida que el espect\u00e1culo iba cobrando impulso, una alegre multitud coreaba mientras una serie de bandas de hardcore punk sub\u00edan al escenario. A continuaci\u00f3n, se balanceaban y rebotaban al son de los rockeros indie post-punk, y luego se contoneaban al ritmo de la m\u00fasica disco y los repetitivos golpes de los DJ nocturnos. A mitad de la noche empez\u00f3 a llover. Las lonas cubr\u00edan a todos los que deseaban permanecer secos, pero algunos optaron por empaparse en el agua que descend\u00eda por las copas de los \u00e1rboles.<\/p>\n<p>Entre actuaci\u00f3n y actuaci\u00f3n, la gente le\u00eda en voz alta octavillas y folletos. Algunos artistas lideraron c\u00e1nticos de \u201c\u00a1Parad la Ciudad Policial!\u201d y \u201c\u00a1Defended el bosque!\u201d. Los organizadores tomaron repetidamente el micr\u00f3fono para explicar los objetivos del movimiento, haciendo hincapi\u00e9 en su naturaleza aut\u00f3noma y descentralizada, e instando a todos los reunidos a asumir la responsabilidad personal de darle vida.<\/p>\n<p>Muchos asistentes al concierto afirmaron que hab\u00eda sido una de las mejores experiencias de su vida.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"portrait\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/14.jpg\" \/><figcaption>\u201c\u00a1Comprad vuestro propio parque!\u201d, grit\u00f3 el magnate Ryan Millsap a los defensores del bosque. Despu\u00e9s, su cami\u00f3n luci\u00f3 estos lemas.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<hr \/>\n<h3 id=\"otono\">Oto\u00f1o<\/h3>\n<p>Muchos participantes en el movimiento, especialmente los que permanec\u00edan en las acampadas, esperaban que la cuarta Semana de Acci\u00f3n fuera seguida de una redada masiva, como lo hab\u00eda sido la tercera. El Comit\u00e9 Asesor de las Partes Interesadas de la Comunidad estaba difundiendo mentiras sobre el supuesto uso de armas de fuego contra un trabajador de Flock Safety. Un sentimiento de temor dominaba algunos sectores del movimiento.<\/p>\n<p>Cuatro d\u00edas despu\u00e9s, el 3 de agosto de 2022, se produjo efectivamente una gran operaci\u00f3n en los alrededores del bosque. En la calle Bouldercrest Road, la calle Key, la calle Fayetteville, Constitution y Old Constitution -todas las calles adyacentes a la secci\u00f3n del bosque que fue ocupado- los trabajadores de la construcci\u00f3n y las empresas de servicios p\u00fablicos comenzaron a trabajar, acompa\u00f1ados por agentes de polic\u00eda y guardias de seguridad. Algunos de estos trabajadores realizaban tareas de mantenimiento el\u00e9ctrico; otros trabajaban en la fontaner\u00eda bajo la calle, o en baches, mantenimiento del alcantarillado u otros proyectos municipales en las inmediaciones del bosque. Georgia Power, la compa\u00f1\u00eda el\u00e9ctrica que financia el APF, utiliz\u00f3 cortac\u00e9spedes industriales en una secci\u00f3n del Parque Popular de Weelaunee para <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/defendATLforest\/status\/1554856617778335744\">crear una servidumbre<\/a> a trav\u00e9s de la cual pod\u00edan realizar tareas de mantenimiento. Sin embargo, ante la posibilidad de destruir un huerto comunitario construido por ni\u00f1os de preescolar una semana antes, optaron por rodearlo.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet \" data-lang=\"en\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/defendATLforest\/status\/1554856617778335744\">https:\/\/twitter.com\/defendATLforest\/status\/1554856617778335744<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Era dif\u00edcil saber qu\u00e9 estaba pasando. Pero estaba claro lo que <em>no<\/em> estaba ocurriendo.<\/p>\n<p>La operaci\u00f3n no estaba atacando a los que se sentaban en los \u00e1rboles. Los ignoraba. No estaba talando \u00e1rboles ni construyendo una valla. Sin embargo, tras semanas de expectaci\u00f3n, era dif\u00edcil no percibir todo este trabajo como relacionado con alg\u00fan tipo de operaci\u00f3n represiva en el bosque. Y puede que as\u00ed fuera. Tal vez los contratistas del condado de Dekalb estaban all\u00ed en nombre de la APF, o de Millsap, o de otros intereses corporativos que pretend\u00edan aumentar la capacidad de aguante de las carreteras para la maquinaria de gran tama\u00f1o, o la capacidad de la red el\u00e9ctrica para la futura infraestructura de Cop City. Algunas de las empresas ten\u00edan hojas de papel pegadas sobre sus logotipos. \u00bfEra porque no quer\u00edan ser identificadas como subcontratistas de Brasfield &amp; Gorrie? \u00bfO porque la polic\u00eda les hab\u00eda hecho creer que todos los habitantes de la zona corr\u00edan peligro inminente de sufrir da\u00f1os a manos de los despiadados manifestantes que viv\u00edan en los bosques?<\/p>\n<p>A d\u00eda de hoy, no lo sabemos. Durante los meses siguientes, la situaci\u00f3n sigui\u00f3 siendo confusa. Cada semana aparec\u00eda cobertura del movimiento en <em>Rolling Stone, The Guardian,<\/em> CNN, Vice, the Intercept, NPR, Fox, MSNBC, the <em>New Yorker,<\/em> the <em>Washington Post.<\/em> El movimiento hab\u00eda alcanzado un nuevo umbral de publicidad, casi toda favorable.<\/p>\n<p>Al mismo tiempo, lo que hab\u00eda sido un movimiento innovador parec\u00eda estabilizarse en sus elementos m\u00e1s simples y reproducibles. Dado que la deforestaci\u00f3n se hab\u00eda paralizado definitivamente, resultaba dif\u00edcil identificar con exactitud qui\u00e9n colaboraba con Brasfield &amp; Gorrie, aunque eso no impidi\u00f3 que los activistas trataran de averiguarlo. Continuaron las campa\u00f1as de llamadas, las manifestaciones a domicilio y otras acciones, especialmente contra Atlas Technical Consultants, la empresa matriz de Long Engineering, que trabajaba a las \u00f3rdenes de Reeves+Young.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/1.jpg\" \/><figcaption>La construcci\u00f3n de la <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/Cn0aqtgJNs1\/\">casa de palets<\/a> en el bosque en oto\u00f1o de 2022.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"bloqueo-e-innovacion\">Bloqueo e innovaci\u00f3n<\/h3>\n<p>Como era dif\u00edcil recabar informaci\u00f3n actualizada, los activistas no pod\u00edan saber si su estrategia estaba funcionando. M\u00e1s all\u00e1 del aparente estancamiento en el bosque y la persistencia de los campamentos, no estaba claro si presionar a los contratistas y subcontratistas estaba surtiendo efecto. Ir\u00f3nicamente, este escenario era el resultado de las victorias que los grupos defensivos hab\u00edan conseguido sobre el terreno, as\u00ed como de la orden de paralizaci\u00f3n de las obras de la Granja Prisi\u00f3n.<\/p>\n<p>Las pocas declaraciones que las fuerzas del orden hicieron a la prensa suger\u00edan que todo el mundo se estaba pasando la pelota: La polic\u00eda de Dekalb estaba aplazando la responsabilidad a la polic\u00eda de Atlanta, que estaba aplazando a la Oficina de Investigaciones de Georgia, que estaba aplazando al Departamento de Seguridad Nacional, que estaba esperando a que el CSAC estableciera sus prioridades, que estaba esperando los informes de la polic\u00eda. Como nadie estaba enviando trabajadores al bosque y ninguna de las empresas estaba haciendo declaraciones a la prensa (aparte de los denunciantes de algunas empresas que filtraban informaci\u00f3n a los investigadores del movimiento), era imposible juzgar la eficacia de las estrategias en juego.<\/p>\n<p>Tras la rebeli\u00f3n de George Floyd de 2020, es posible que las tensiones m\u00e1s agudas dentro de los futuros movimientos no surjan en torno a la cuesti\u00f3n de la violencia (como hace 20 a\u00f1os), ni a las identidades de los participantes (como hace 10 a\u00f1os), sino m\u00e1s bien, sobre la tensi\u00f3n entre especializaci\u00f3n y participaci\u00f3n. Despu\u00e9s de 2020, necesitamos urgentemente formas de acci\u00f3n y pensamiento que permitan que la agitaci\u00f3n social transforme a las personas, cultivando nuevos cuerpos sociales y formas organizativas en lugar de simplemente combinar lo que ya existe. S\u00f3lo el tiempo dir\u00e1 si el movimiento de Atlanta puede contribuir a estas nuevas pol\u00edticas, o si s\u00f3lo expresar\u00e1 el t\u00e9rmino de la inteligencia pol\u00edtica cultivada por los movimientos de los a\u00f1os precedentes.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/3.jpg\" \/><figcaption>La construcci\u00f3n de la <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/Cn0aqtgJNs1\/\">casa de palets<\/a> en el bosque en oto\u00f1o de 2022.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"preparandose-para-una-represion\">Prepar\u00e1ndose para una represi\u00f3n<\/h3>\n<p>Mientras tanto, a lo largo del oto\u00f1o, los destructores del bosque fueron desarrollando una nueva estrategia medi\u00e1tica, a medida que se involucraban la Oficina de Investigaciones de Georgia, el Comit\u00e9 Asesor de Partes Interesadas de la Comunidad, el Departamento de Seguridad Nacional y el gobernador de Georgia, Brian Kemp.<\/p>\n<p>Despu\u00e9s de la cuarta Semana de Acci\u00f3n, estos grupos empezaron a experimentar con la criminalizaci\u00f3n abierta del movimiento. Sharon Williams, Allison Clark y varios agentes del orden empezaron a utilizar la expresi\u00f3n \u201cecoterrorista\u201d en sus reuniones y ruedas de prensa. Colaboraron con los medios de comunicaci\u00f3n locales para difundir historias infundadas, como la falsedad de que los defensores de los bosques hab\u00edan disparado a un trabajador de Flock Safety. Algunas de estas historias no eran s\u00f3lo exageradas, sino pura invenci\u00f3n, incluidas las afirmaciones de que las defensoras de los bosques estaban destrozando casas, asaltando a la gente o robando coches. Nada de eso hab\u00eda ocurrido. Cuando el desguazador entr\u00f3 en el bosque para robar los restos del cami\u00f3n de Millsap, dijo a la polic\u00eda que \u201ctem\u00eda por [su] vida\u201d y que estuvo a punto de \u201cser quemado vivo\u201d, otra falsedad.<\/p>\n<p>Con toda probabilidad, las autoridades de las altas esferas del gobierno local y de las agencias estatales y federales tienen una idea bastante clara de a qu\u00e9 se enfrentan. Esto no les impide difundir teor\u00edas conspirativas y mentiras a los agentes de base, a los financiadores del APF y a sus partidarios. Para los agentes sobre el terreno, sin embargo, la capacidad de distinguir los argumentos de la realidad se estaba volviendo peligrosamente borrosa. Para ellos, todo lo malo que ocurr\u00eda en el suroeste del condado de Dekalb era culpa de unas pocas docenas de j\u00f3venes que com\u00edan de estufas de propano y fumaban cigarrillos liados a mano.<\/p>\n<p>Pero \u00e9se era el tipo de relato que sus jefes necesitaban para justificar la violencia que estaban a punto de desatar.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/4.jpg\" \/><figcaption>La construcci\u00f3n de la <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/Cn0aqtgJNs1\/\">casa de palets<\/a> en el bosque en oto\u00f1o de 2022.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"la-represion\">La represi\u00f3n<\/h3>\n<p>El estancamiento se rompi\u00f3 en diciembre.<\/p>\n<p>En oto\u00f1o de 2022, no era raro o\u00edr a los activistas especular con que en los meses de invierno la polic\u00eda y sus aliados se reagrupar\u00edan, especialmente en el bosque, donde la cubierta arb\u00f3rea y el follaje se reducir\u00edan. Pero nadie estaba preparado para lo que ocurri\u00f3.<\/p>\n<p>Tras semanas de propaganda, el 13 de diciembre una gran redada interinstitucional rode\u00f3 el bosque. Bajo la direcci\u00f3n de la Oficina de Investigaciones de Georgia, agentes de la Polic\u00eda de Atlanta, la Polic\u00eda de Dekalb, el Escuadr\u00f3n Antibombas y el Departamento de Seguridad Nacional entraron en el bosque desde Key, Constitution, Fayetteville, Bouldercrest y West Park Place. Avanzaron a pie desde Constitution y Fayetteville. Los drones sobrevolaban el bosque y los helic\u00f3pteros sobrevolaban los \u00e1rboles con c\u00e1maras t\u00e9rmicas enfocando los campamentos. Agentes antidisturbios equipados con veh\u00edculos todoterreno invadieron la Granja Penitenciaria por la puerta norte con las armas de fuego preparadas.<\/p>\n<p>Los activistas se retiraron a casas en los \u00e1rboles o escondites, o huyeron del bosque. Como no hab\u00eda subcontratistas presentes, pocos optaron por resistirse a la operaci\u00f3n; las personas defensoras del bosque no quer\u00edan verse envueltas en conflictos con la polic\u00eda que en realidad no retrasaban la construcci\u00f3n. Antes, esto hab\u00eda parecido la idea m\u00e1s sensata, sobre todo despu\u00e9s de que empezaran las barridas simb\u00f3licas del bosque. Pero \u00e9sta era una misi\u00f3n de extracci\u00f3n: m\u00e1s que escoltar a excavadoras o subcontratistas o hacer una aparici\u00f3n simb\u00f3lica, la polic\u00eda pretend\u00eda hacer detenciones y destruir campamentos. En retrospectiva, si hubiera llegado m\u00e1s gente para resistir, las cosas podr\u00edan haber resultado diferentes. Algunas personas del bosque se enfrentaron a los agentes, sobre todo lanzando piedras y levantando barricadas.<\/p>\n<p>La polic\u00eda destroz\u00f3 decenas de tiendas y campamentos. Pasaron el bulldozer por encima del Weelaunee Caf\u00e9. Utilizaron motosierras para demoler la estaci\u00f3n de calentamiento junto a hamacas, mesas, puestos m\u00e9dicos, botellas de agua y escenarios improvisados. Se introdujo en el bosque una plataformas elevadora; utilizaron trabajadores forestales para destruir las casas de los \u00e1rboles desocupadas. Los agentes que lograron localizar a los defensores del bosque apostados en los \u00e1rboles se pusieron debajo de ellos, insult\u00e1ndoles y amenaz\u00e1ndoles. La polic\u00eda apunt\u00f3 con armas de fuego a los defensores de los \u00e1rboles; les dispararon con bolas de pimienta, gas lacrim\u00f3geno y balas de goma. La polic\u00eda de Atlanta solt\u00f3 perros de ataque contra los activistas que se desplazaban a pie por el bosque.<\/p>\n<p>Al final del d\u00eda, cinco personas estaban detenidas. Todas ellas fueron abofeteados con cargos de delito grave, incluyendo \u201cTerrorismo Dom\u00e9stico\u201d.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"todas-somos-defensoras-del-bosque\">Todas somos defensoras del bosque<\/h3>\n<p>Una de las consecuencias de este estancamiento fue la tendencia a emprender acciones con objetivos menos precisos. Algunas personas incluso abogaban por ello. Aparte del sabotaje habitual de las c\u00e1maras de seguridad de los pastos de ganado, al parecer algunos individuos trataron de convertir el propio bosque -anteriormente una zona de operaciones defensivas- en un frente ofensivo. De septiembre a noviembre se produjeron varias acciones dirigidas contra infraestructuras en los alrededores del bosque, incluidos algunos ataques incendiarios. No hay pruebas que sugieran que nadie que viviera en el bosque estuviera implicado en ninguna de estas acciones, aunque la polic\u00eda les atribuy\u00f3 posteriormente todas las acciones espec\u00edficamente a ellas.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/2.jpg\" \/><figcaption>La construcci\u00f3n de la <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/Cn0aqtgJNs1\/\">casa de paletas<\/a> en el bosque en oto\u00f1o de 2022.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>En una ocasi\u00f3n, se incendi\u00f3 equipo que pertenec\u00eda a Norfolk Southern, financiador de la fundaci\u00f3n de la polic\u00eda (y, por cierto, la corporaci\u00f3n detr\u00e1s de un <a href=\"https:\/\/aplaneta.org\/2023\/02\/21\/los-trabajadores-lo-advertieron-megacontaminacion-en-ohio-por-descarrilamiento-ferroviario\/\">descarrilamiento<\/a> de tren y cat\u00e1strofe qu\u00edmica t\u00f3xica en East Palestine, Ohio, el 3 de febrero de 2023). En otra ocasi\u00f3n, a principios de noviembre, un hombre se present\u00f3 con un remolque de plataforma y se enfrent\u00f3 con los y las habitantes del parque y defensores del bosque, insistiendo en su derecho a llevarse los restos quemados del cami\u00f3n de Millsap. Tras un breve altercado, su cami\u00f3n tambi\u00e9n se incendi\u00f3. M\u00e1s tarde, declar\u00f3 a los medios de comunicaci\u00f3n que no ten\u00eda ni idea de lo que estaba ocurriendo y que simplemente hab\u00eda sido v\u00edctima de un delito violento. En otra ocasi\u00f3n, se incendi\u00f3 un edificio anexo perteneciente a Shadowbox\/Blackhall. Varias piezas de maquinaria pesada aparcadas en una zona cercana al bosque fueron saboteadas, tal vez en respuesta a la informaci\u00f3n que las relacionaba con las urbanizaciones previstas. Por \u00faltimo, en noviembre, alguien sabote\u00f3 las l\u00edneas el\u00e9ctricas que daban servicio al campo de tiro de la polic\u00eda situado en una zona del bosque, inutilizando la entrada.<\/p>\n<p>Mientras todo esto suced\u00eda, la mayor\u00eda de los sectores del movimiento parec\u00edan inertes. Las herramientas que el movimiento hab\u00eda desarrollado eran sencillas, pero no proliferaban. Se segu\u00edan organizando paseos por la naturaleza y actos comunitarios con los centros de educaci\u00f3n preescolar; se segu\u00edan celebrando cenas semanales en el parque, as\u00ed como talleres y cursos de formaci\u00f3n, concentraciones y ruedas de prensa, conciertos y fiestas. Sin embargo, nada de esto hab\u00eda roto el imperceptible muro que manten\u00eda al movimiento en una meseta.<\/p>\n<p>Un grupo de constructores aficionados construy\u00f3 una incre\u00edble cocina en el aparcamiento del Parque Popular Weelaunee, bautiz\u00e1ndola como \u201cWeelaunee Caf\u00e9\u201d. Durante semanas se celebraron all\u00ed comidas y reuniones. En otro lugar del bosque, un equipo se dedic\u00f3 a construir un refugio de calentamiento visualmente impresionante. Al movimiento no le faltaba apoyo moral ni simpat\u00eda pasiva.<\/p>\n<p>Aun as\u00ed, no surgi\u00f3 ninguna forma de actividad a gran escala en este periodo. S\u00f3lo la actividad autodirigida de un gran n\u00famero de personas puede movilizar el tipo de potencial colectivo que puede prevalecer sobre las estructuras de poder autoritario. Esta es la fuerza que pueden aportar los levantamientos de masas, las huelgas generales y las insurrecciones, y que no pueden aportar las campa\u00f1as activistas. El movimiento hab\u00eda avanzado, pero no hab\u00eda salido del aislamiento pol\u00edtico que limita a tantos movimientos.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/5.jpg\" \/><figcaption>La <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/Cn0aqtgJNs1\/\">casa de pal\u00e9s<\/a>, construida en oto\u00f1o de 2022 por y para los defensores de los bosques.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Quiz\u00e1 la especializaci\u00f3n contribuy\u00f3 a este estancamiento. Los grupos centrados que trabajan incansablemente en tareas concretas pueden lograr muchas cosas. Pueden dirigir equipos de contravigilancia o mantener campamentos; pueden supervisar iniciativas legales y asistir a audiencias c\u00edvicas; pueden realizar entrevistas y asesorar a periodistas; pueden organizar reuniones o equipos de prospecci\u00f3n; pueden trabajar incansablemente en el apoyo carcelario o la asistencia jur\u00eddica; pueden organizar actos ben\u00e9ficos y recaudaciones de fondos\u2026<\/p>\n<p>Pero lo que pueden conseguir los grupos especializados tiene sus l\u00edmites. A menudo son incapaces de crear el tipo de impulso participativo expansivo que los movimientos necesitan para ganar. A medida que se vuelven m\u00e1s h\u00e1biles en las tareas que han elegido, puede resultarles dif\u00edcil mantener bajas las barreras de entrada, conectar a los reci\u00e9n llegados con su propia agencia. En la medida en que las diversas formas est\u00e1ndar de compromiso reproducen funciones en el movimiento, esto puede contribuir a un cuello de botella, ya que la mayor parte del entusiasmo procede de personas sin habilidades o conexiones especiales, que no pueden integrarse f\u00e1cilmente en la confusa red de funciones y mucho menos organizar contactos de luchas anteriores que avalen su fiabilidad. De todas estas formas, los grupos especializados pueden limitar involuntariamente los movimientos que construyen, provocando una forma <em>de facto<\/em> de contenci\u00f3n pol\u00edtica.<\/p>\n<p>El movimiento respondi\u00f3 inmediatamente. El 14 de diciembre se celebr\u00f3 una conferencia de prensa frente al Parque Popular Weelaunee. El parque fue cerrado temporalmente por la polic\u00eda, que cerr\u00f3 ilegalmente el acceso al terreno con sus veh\u00edculos durante un segundo d\u00eda de operaciones en el bosque. No hab\u00edan conseguido desalojar todas las casas en los \u00e1rboles, as\u00ed que volvieron para completar su objetivo. Mientras los polic\u00edas del condado de Dekalb estaban en el bosque disparando bolas de pimienta a Tortuguita -en aquel momento, s\u00f3lo conocido como un activista an\u00f3nimo que ocupaba una casa en un \u00e1rbol-, activistas y miembros de la comunidad se reunieron fuera del parque para pronunciar discursos ante los medios de comunicaci\u00f3n locales. Esto no puso fin a la redada, como lo hab\u00eda hecho la conferencia de prensa de mayo de 2022, pero s\u00ed alej\u00f3 a los recursos policiales del aparcamiento, especialmente despu\u00e9s de que los activistas traspasaran la l\u00ednea policial caminando hacia el linde del bosque, llevando consigo a los equipos de noticias para fotografiar a los antidisturbios en las ruinas del Weelaunee Caf\u00e9 y el mirador del parque.<\/p>\n<p>Las im\u00e1genes de la rueda de prensa se emitieron repetidamente en la televisi\u00f3n local. Otra persona fue detenida en las inmediaciones del bosque y acusada de \u201cTerrorismo Dom\u00e9stico\u201d. Sin embargo, la operaci\u00f3n policial no consigui\u00f3 desalojar a las personas que segu\u00edan en las copas de los \u00e1rboles ni a los dem\u00e1s activistas que permanec\u00edan en el bosque. En los d\u00edas siguientes, la represi\u00f3n recibi\u00f3 cobertura nacional en <a href=\"https:\/\/www.democracynow.org\/2022\/12\/21\/atlanta_residents_protest_construction_of_cop\">Democracy Now!<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2022\/12\/14\/us\/atlanta-police-cop-city-terrorism\/index.html\">CNN<\/a> y otros medios.<\/p>\n<p>Todas las organizaciones y tendencias implicadas en el movimiento se unieron para defender a las personas detenidas. Otros grupos, incluidos socialistas y otros que se hab\u00edan mantenido alejados del movimiento por cualquier motivo, salieron a la palestra para denunciar la represi\u00f3n de los seis j\u00f3venes detenidos.<\/p>\n<p>El 16 de diciembre, el gobierno del condado de Dekalb deneg\u00f3 el \u201cpermiso de alteraci\u00f3n del terreno\u201d necesario para iniciar la destrucci\u00f3n de la granja de la antigua prisi\u00f3n de Atlanta. Era la cuarta vez que se denegaba la solicitud del permiso. Al d\u00eda siguiente, 200 personas se reunieron en East Atlanta Village. En ese momento, se trataba de una de las mayores protestas locales en el contexto del movimiento. Oradores de organizaciones locales de liberaci\u00f3n negra, de un centro de educaci\u00f3n preescolar, de una organizaci\u00f3n de solidaridad y del propio movimiento denunciaron la represi\u00f3n. \u201cNo podemos permitir que seis j\u00f3venes se pudran en la c\u00e1rcel por emprender acciones que todos estamos de acuerdo en que son necesarias\u201d, declar\u00f3 una persona ante una multitud enfervorizada. Toda la multitud compart\u00eda la sensaci\u00f3n de que este ataque contra los ocupantes del bosque constitu\u00eda un ataque contra el movimiento en su conjunto.<\/p>\n<p>Tras una hora de encendidos discursos, la multitud se reuni\u00f3 tras una pancarta que exig\u00eda que Brasfield &amp; Gorrie rescindiera el contrato con el APF y otra que declaraba \u201cTodxs somos defensorxs del bosque\u201d. Marcharon por la zona comercial y residencial durante una hora, arrancando aplausos y v\u00edtores. En muchos sentidos, el asalto policial hab\u00eda fomentado la simpat\u00eda hacia el movimiento, no su par\u00e1lisis.<\/p>\n<p>Por su parte, la polic\u00eda afirm\u00f3 que se trataba de un largo y peligroso enfrentamiento \u201cque por fin llegaba a su fin\u201d, dando a entender que el movimiento hab\u00eda terminado. Nada m\u00e1s lejos de la realidad.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"destruccion-en-el-parque-popular-weelaunee\">Destrucci\u00f3n en el Parque Popular Weelaunee<\/h3>\n<p>El 21 de diciembre, una semana despu\u00e9s de la redada, Ryan Millsap y su secuaz entraron en Weelaunee People\u2019s Park. Casi ocho meses despu\u00e9s de su intento de destruir la zona durante la tercera Semana de Acci\u00f3n, por fin ten\u00eda v\u00eda libre.<\/p>\n<p>Introdujeron excavadoras y maquinaria pesada en la zona a trav\u00e9s de la entrada del club de Radio Control. <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.org\/details\/tro-response-with-exhibits\">Seg\u00fan se informa<\/a>, la Oficina de Investigaciones de Georgia lo solicit\u00f3 con el prop\u00f3sito expl\u00edcito de negar a los anarquistas la posibilidad de operar libremente en el bosque. Derribaron docenas de \u00e1rboles a lo largo del carril bici pavimentado, volcaron la marquesina del parque y talaron un gran n\u00famero de \u00e1rboles j\u00f3venes y arbustos. A mediod\u00eda, hab\u00edan destruido franjas considerables del bosque cerca del aparcamiento y del inicio del camino, creando l\u00edneas de visi\u00f3n despejadas a ras de suelo. Nunca se sabr\u00e1 a cu\u00e1ntos habitantes no humanos del bosque mat\u00f3 o desplaz\u00f3 esta operaci\u00f3n. Era la primera vez que se destru\u00eda el bosque a tal escala. Cuando algunos periodistas llegaron al lugar, los contratistas se retiraron.<\/p>\n<p>Al d\u00eda siguiente, 22 de diciembre, los contratistas volvieron. Esta vez demolieron el aparcamiento con maquinaria pesada y arrancaron una gran parte del carril bici pavimentado. Trabajaron con rapidez. No les acompa\u00f1aba ning\u00fan agente de polic\u00eda. S\u00f3lo un hombre con una chaqueta de \u201cAgente de la Paz\u201d supervis\u00f3 la zona del aparcamiento. Cuando llegaron algunas defensoras del bosque y periodistas, los contratistas huyeron de nuevo. Camiones de obras asociados a una empresa llamada Stake Center estaban cerca; se les ha visto en numerosas ocasiones en las inmediaciones del bosque, pero sigue sin estar claro qui\u00e9n estaba ejecutando la destrucci\u00f3n a instancias de Millsap.<\/p>\n<p>En las horas siguientes al segundo d\u00eda de destrucci\u00f3n, los miembros de la comunidad llamaron a los comisarios del condado de Dekalb y a varios departamentos para notificarles los trabajos que se estaban realizando. A las pocas horas, dos agentes de polic\u00eda del condado de Dekalb se acercaron cautelosamente al aparcamiento, que ahora estaba en ruinas. Notificaron ansiosamente a los reunidos que pronto volver\u00edan con una orden de \u201cParada de Obras\u201d. Pidieron a los manifestantes que les permitieran hacerlo sin molestarles.<\/p>\n<p>Con las \u00f3rdenes de \u201cStop Work\u201d ya en vigor en ambos lados del bosque, muchas personas del movimiento sintieron un poco de alivio temporal. Sin embargo, nada imped\u00eda a la polic\u00eda entrar en el bosque para desalojar los campamentos o atacar las infraestructuras del movimiento.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/7.jpg\" \/><figcaption>La marquesina volcada en el Parque Popular de Weelaunee tras los destrozos del 21 de diciembre de 2022.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"recuperacion-de-la-confianza\">Recuperaci\u00f3n de la confianza<\/h3>\n<p>En las \u00faltimas semanas de diciembre, el movimiento trabaj\u00f3 duro para reorganizar las prioridades y recuperar la confianza. Los campamentos de la granja de la antigua prisi\u00f3n de Atlanta se mantuvieron firmes frente a la represi\u00f3n. M\u00fasicos y artistas locales organizaron una recaudaci\u00f3n de fondos \u201cRock contra la represi\u00f3n\u201d para las personas acusadas de terrorismo; asistieron varios centenares de personas. Los equipos de apoyo carcelario y asistencia letrada trabajaron sin descanso en un esfuerzo sobrehumano por garantizar la seguridad de las personas acusadas. Activistas y abogados de todo el pa\u00eds ofrecieron asistencia junto con consejos extra\u00eddos de \u00e9pocas anteriores de represi\u00f3n, incluido el <a href=\"https:\/\/crimethinc.com\/2008\/02\/22\/green-scared\">Miedo Verde<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>El movimiento atrajo la atenci\u00f3n nacional, especialmente de medios como <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vice.com\/en\/article\/xgy9yk\/activists-occupying-the-woods-to-block-cop-city-face-terrorism-charges\">Motherboard<\/a>, preocupados por la persecuci\u00f3n pol\u00edticamente cargada contra las defensoras de los bosques. Los trolls de extrema derecha tambi\u00e9n tomaron nota y se pusieron del lado de las autoridades organizando campa\u00f1as de <a href=\"https:\/\/crimethinc.com\/2020\/08\/26\/doxcare-prevention-and-aftercare-for-those-targeted-by-doxxing-and-political-harassment\">linchamiento p\u00fablico<\/a> y desprestigio contra los acusados.<\/p>\n<p>La fiscal del distrito del condado de Dekalb, Sherri Boston, y los portavoces de la polic\u00eda argumentaron que la afiliaci\u00f3n al movimiento Defend the Atlanta Forest era en s\u00ed misma una base leg\u00edtima para los cargos de terrorismo. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.documentcloud.org\/documents\/23587689-dtwarrantscombined_redacted\">Seg\u00fan el gobierno<\/a>, algunos de los actos que \u201cafirmaban\u201d la \u201cpertenencia\u201d al movimiento eran acampar en el bosque, estar en el bosque durante una redada, publicar sobre el movimiento en las redes sociales y protestar contra la destrucci\u00f3n del bosque. Los fiscales afirmaron <a href=\"https:\/\/www.documentcloud.org\/documents\/23463024-domestic_terrorism_warrants\">falsamente<\/a> que el Departamento de Seguridad Nacional hab\u00eda \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ajc.com\/news\/atlanta-news\/a-closer-look-at-the-terrorism-charges-against-cop-city-protesters\/YMAUVAGB4FBHFBEMI6BSEQ7D3I\/\">clasificado<\/a>\u201d el movimiento como grupo extremista violento interno.<\/p>\n<p>Una vez m\u00e1s, se trataba de una falsedad. La documentaci\u00f3n interna de Seguridad Nacional sobre acciones delictivas es simplemente eso: memorandos internos sobre acciones y acontecimientos. Incluso si hubieran clasificado todo el movimiento como grupo terrorista nacional, habr\u00eda sido una cuesti\u00f3n administrativa, no jur\u00eddica. Pero el DHS no clasifica movimientos, como se ve en su rechazo a la absurda exigencia de Donald Trump de que clasifiquen a \u201cAntifa\u201d como grupo terrorista.<\/p>\n<p>Para disuadir de seguir atacando el bosque y recuperar la moral dentro del movimiento, la gente empez\u00f3 a organizar concentraciones diarias en las ruinas del aparcamiento. Cada ma\u00f1ana temprano, decenas de personas se reun\u00edan para desayunar y tomar caf\u00e9 en el antiguo aparcamiento del Parque Popular Weelaunee. As\u00ed se enteraban inmediatamente de las intervenciones policiales o de la llegada de maquinaria pesada.<\/p>\n<p>En las ma\u00f1anas de las concentraciones no aparecieron ni contratistas ni polic\u00edas. Sin m\u00e1s datos, no podemos saber si las concentraciones matinales influyeron en el calendario de destrucci\u00f3n del bosque. En el futuro, tal vez podr\u00edan utilizarse t\u00e1cticas creativas similares para movilizar a quienes no pueden pernoctar en el bosque, suponiendo que el propio terreno siga siendo una zona disputada.<\/p>\n<p>En Nochevieja, cientos de personas se reunieron en el bosque. Vecinos, ravers y activistas se reunieron bajo un nuevo cenador que se hab\u00eda montado de forma de cubierta a lo largo del d\u00eda en una parte del parque apenas fuera de la zona que Millsap afirma poseer. Unas barritas luminosas iluminaban un sendero a trav\u00e9s de la destrucci\u00f3n, al son de una m\u00fasica atronadora. Un colectivo queer local organiz\u00f3 la fiesta, que fue todo un \u00e9xito.<\/p>\n<p>Para muchas personas, volver al bosque se hab\u00eda convertido en algo tenso y estresante. Muchos de los asistentes dijeron que esperaban que esta fiesta marcara el cambio de tendencia contra quienes deseaban destruir el bosque.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"anulacion-de-la-orden-judicial\">Anulaci\u00f3n de la orden judicial<\/h3>\n<p>Tras la destrucci\u00f3n del 21 de diciembre, los defensores legales presentaron una solicitud de medida cautelar contra Ryan Millsap ante el tribunal del condado de Dekalb. El recurso pon\u00eda de relieve el continuo abuso del terreno por parte de Millsap y sus matones y las persistentes violaciones de los t\u00e9rminos del acuerdo de intercambio de terrenos alcanzado entre Millsap y el condado de Dekalb, incluidos sus repetidos intentos de cerrar el acceso al parque y su decisi\u00f3n de destrozar el carril bici que conecta el inicio del sendero que dice poseer con varios otros parques que no reclama legalmente.<\/p>\n<p>El 28 de diciembre, el juez <a href=\"https:\/\/www.11alive.com\/article\/news\/local\/blackhall-studios-dekalb-county-land-swap-lawsuit-injunction-request-denied\/85-031d4e0b-3644-4c48-8981-016793ceeb1b\">deneg\u00f3 el recurso<\/a>, asoci\u00e1ndolo infundadamente con las protestas y afirmando descaradamente que \u201cel da\u00f1o que est\u00e1n haciendo a la propiedad las personas que la habitan es mucho peor que cualquier otra cosa que se est\u00e9 haciendo en este momento\u201d. Estaba repitiendo como un loro un t\u00f3pico a menudo repetido por otros opositores al movimiento -de derechas, de izquierdas, burocr\u00e1ticos y de base por igual- de que las protestas estaban haciendo m\u00e1s mal que bien. Los y las activistas no hab\u00edan talado \u00e1rboles, destruido infraestructuras p\u00fablicas ni bloqueado el acceso p\u00fablico al parque.<\/p>\n<p>En su discurso de clausura, dej\u00f3 expl\u00edcitamente claro que Ryan Millsap era libre de seguir destruyendo el bosque como quisiera, independientemente de los acuerdos con el condado de Dekalb o de cualquier otra cosa. La Oficina de Planificaci\u00f3n y Sostenibilidad del condado de Dekalb hab\u00eda rechazado esta idea cuando emiti\u00f3 su orden de paralizaci\u00f3n de las obras el 22 de diciembre. Actualmente, como consecuencia de esa orden, Millsap no puede seguir destruyendo Weelaunee sin permisos. Pero como consecuencia de la sentencia del 3 de enero, es libre de solicitar los permisos que le permitir\u00edan hacerlo.<\/p>\n<p>La verdad es que nada impedir\u00e1 que Millsap reanude la destrucci\u00f3n del bosque, salvo la resistencia audaz y creativa de la gente corriente.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/24.jpg\" \/><figcaption>El condado de Dekalb y la polic\u00eda de Atlanta se preparan para llevar a cabo una redada letal el 18 de enero de 2023.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"de-enero-de-2023\">18 de enero de 2023<\/h3>\n<p>Durante la primera quincena de enero, la situaci\u00f3n en los campamentos del bosque hab\u00eda cambiado, pero los y las activistas se estaban adaptando a ella. Fuera del bosque, los organizadores tambi\u00e9n trazaban estrategias, intentando averiguar c\u00f3mo responder a la represi\u00f3n y, al mismo tiempo, recuperar la iniciativa. Casi todos los grupos organizativos estaban ocupados con reuniones, llamadas telef\u00f3nicas, entrevistas y tareas similares.<\/p>\n<p>Al mismo tiempo, aparecieron nuevos antagonistas, probablemente atra\u00eddos por toda la cobertura informativa. La congresista Marjorie Taylor Greene, el ex presidente Donald Trump y su legi\u00f3n de imitadores en Internet empezaron a comentar el movimiento, describi\u00e9ndolo caricaturescamente como una \u201czona aut\u00f3noma ANTIFA\u201d. Aprovechando esta demagogia, medios de comunicaci\u00f3n m\u00e1s grandes empezaron a utilizar la descripci\u00f3n intencionadamente enga\u00f1osa \u201cla zona, denominada \u201cZona Aut\u00f3noma ANTIFA\u201d\u201d. Los fascistas locales empezaron a vigilar el movimiento <a href=\"https:\/\/atlantaantifa.org\/2023\/01\/24\/violent-white-nationalist-leader-works-on-anti-antifa-info-project-from-new-base-in-atlanta\/\">haci\u00e9ndose pasar por periodistas<\/a>. Muchos seguidores de la extrema derecha exigieron al gobernador Brian Kemp que reprimiera el movimiento.<\/p>\n<p>Como la polic\u00eda del \u00e1rea metropolitana no hab\u00eda conseguido aplastar las acampadas, el gobernador decidi\u00f3 probar suerte enviando a la Patrulla Estatal de Georgia (GSP). Estos agentes, en su inmensa mayor\u00eda hombres blancos que viven en las urbanizaciones de las afueras de la ciudad, realizan normalmente controles de tr\u00e1fico en la interestatal; tienen muy poca experiencia en el control de protestas. El aumento de la propaganda a lo largo del oto\u00f1o y la redada del 13 de diciembre empujaron el conflicto hacia un nuevo terreno.<\/p>\n<p>Las experiencias que la Patrulla Estatal de Georgia <em>ha<\/em> tenido con las protestas no hacen sino subrayar las tensiones ya existentes entre la GSP y las activistas. El 27 de noviembre de 2014, tras el fracaso de un gran jurado para acusar al oficial de polic\u00eda de Ferguson Darren Wilson por el asesinato de Michael Brown en Missouri, GSP respondi\u00f3 a los manifestantes en el conector I-75\/I-85, atacando a mujeres negras y otras personas que estaban bloqueando pasivamente la carretera. El 4 de julio de 2020, un Bloque Negro vandaliz\u00f3 la sede de la Patrulla Estatal de Georgia, rompiendo ventanas y provocando incendios en el interior del edificio. Ese mismo verano, agentes de la GSP atacaron a la multitud desde el interior de veh\u00edculos blindados Bearcat, disparando botes lacrim\u00f3genos a las cabezas de los manifestantes.<\/p>\n<p>Es posible que, aparte de estos episodios, pocos agentes actuales de la GSP se hayan enfrentado alguna vez a una protesta en Atlanta. En cualquier caso, es casi seguro que estos polic\u00edas creyeron las falsas narrativas de sus jefes y de los miembros del Comit\u00e9 Asesor de las Partes Interesadas de la Comunidad. El GSP entr\u00f3 en el bosque anticipando la violencia, preparado para matar a los que viv\u00edan en los campamentos.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"el-tiroteo\">El tiroteo<\/h3>\n<p>En las primeras horas del 18 de enero, la polic\u00eda estableci\u00f3 un centro de control de operaciones en el aparcamiento de Gresham Park. Decenas de veh\u00edculos policiales de agencias de la zona metropolitana de Atlanta empezaron a acumularse all\u00ed. Al otro lado del bosque, otras agencias encabezadas por el Departamento de Polic\u00eda de Atlanta empezaron a concentrarse en las calles Key, Fayetteville, Woodham y adyacentes. Los helic\u00f3pteros sobrevolaban la zona. Los defensores del bosque pod\u00edan o\u00edr el sonido de los drones de la polic\u00eda sobrevolando cerca de sus casas en los \u00e1rboles y tiendas de campa\u00f1a. Llegaron unidades K9 con perros. El escuadr\u00f3n antibombas estaba estacionado cerca, mientras que todoterrenos negros aparcaban junto a Constitution Road, cerca de Shadowbox Studios. Por primera vez, la Patrulla Estatal de Georgia entr\u00f3 en el Parque Popular Weelaunee.<\/p>\n<p>A las 9:04 de la ma\u00f1ana, sonaron unos 30 disparos o m\u00e1s en el bosque.<\/p>\n<p>La Patrulla Estatal de Georgia hab\u00eda matado en el bosque a Manuel P\u00e1ez Ter\u00e1n, un anarquista venezolano de ascendencia Tomoto-Cuica que se hac\u00eda llamar Tortuguita.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"portrait\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/29.jpg\" \/><figcaption>Obra de arte que celebra la vida de Manuel P\u00e1ez Ter\u00e1n, conocido en el bosque como Tortuguita, por N.O. Bonzo. Puede imprimir copias del cartel <a href=\"https:\/\/justseeds.org\/graphic\/memorial-piece-for-tort\/\">aqu\u00ed<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Tortuguita viv\u00eda en el bosque desde mayo de 2022. Durante su estancia en Atlanta, se hab\u00eda hecho amigo de muchos otros defensores del bosque. Coordinaban los esfuerzos de ayuda mutua para los que viv\u00edan en el bosque, algo que ten\u00edan experiencia en hacer en Tallahassee para las personas sin hogar, as\u00ed como para las v\u00edctimas de desastres naturales. Ten\u00edan fama de ser muy valientes y muy cari\u00f1osos con sus allegados. Murieron defendiendo el bosque. Su muerte es una p\u00e9rdida incalculable.<\/p>\n<p>Horriblemente, la operaci\u00f3n no termin\u00f3 ah\u00ed. Durante las horas siguientes, los oficiales siguieron abri\u00e9ndose paso por el bosque, continuando descaradamente su asalto. Una vez m\u00e1s, destrozaron las infraestructuras de los campamentos, apuntaron con sus armas a los habitantes del parque y dispararon bolas de pimienta contra las casas de los \u00e1rboles. Una valiente persona que viv\u00eda en una casa en un \u00e1rbol fue rodeada por las fuerzas del orden, que enviaron a un forestal al \u00e1rbol. El trabajador forestal destruy\u00f3 la casa del \u00e1rbol, pero el activista subi\u00f3 m\u00e1s alto, <a href=\"https:\/\/todon.eu\/@CrimethInc\/109712410150409994\">neg\u00e1ndose a bajar<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>El activista permaneci\u00f3 suspendido en el aire sujeto por un arn\u00e9s durante casi 19 horas. La polic\u00eda no abandon\u00f3 el pie del \u00e1rbol en todo el d\u00eda y luego, por primera vez, permaneci\u00f3 en el bosque al anochecer. Por fin, el que estaba sentado en el \u00e1rbol baj\u00f3 y tambi\u00e9n fue detenido.<\/p>\n<p>Cinco de las personas que sobrevivieron al asalto mortal al bosque fueron detenidas y acusadas de terrorismo dom\u00e9stico.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/27.jpg\" \/><figcaption>En esta y otras declaraciones juradas, la polic\u00eda acusa a los detenidos de Terrorismo Dom\u00e9stico \u00fanicamente por el hecho de que estaban presentes en el bosque y ocupaban una casa en un \u00e1rbol. En este caso concreto, la polic\u00eda aduce como prueba adicional que el detenido estaba en el bosque cuando mataron a Tortuguita.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"tortuguita-vive-la-lucha-sigue\">Tortuguita Vive, la Lucha Sigue<\/h3>\n<p>A medida que la ma\u00f1ana del 18 de enero entraba en la tarde, a\u00fan no se sab\u00eda qui\u00e9n hab\u00eda sido asesinado. Lo que s\u00ed se sab\u00eda, gracias a una rueda de prensa que la polic\u00eda dio a mediod\u00eda, era que un patrullero hab\u00eda sido tiroteado. A d\u00eda de hoy, las autoridades no han facilitado ninguna informaci\u00f3n sobre qui\u00e9n era ese patrullero ni sobre c\u00f3mo le dispararon. Sin m\u00e1s informaci\u00f3n, no podemos saber si este agente se dispar\u00f3 a s\u00ed mismo, si le dispar\u00f3 un compa\u00f1ero -como se vio en un v\u00eddeo policial publicado posteriormente, en el que se ve\u00eda a agentes preocupados por el fuego cruzado y a uno de ellos declarando \u2018\u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/todon.eu\/@CrimethInc\/109832465141787501\">Has jodido a tu propio agente<\/a>\u201d- o si le dispar\u00f3 un defensor del bosque en defensa propia.<\/p>\n<p>La fase inicial de la propaganda policial afirmaba que los agentes hab\u00edan sido \u201cemboscados\u201d por un tirador. El <em>New York Times<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/01\/18\/us\/atlanta-police-center-protester-killed.html\">invent\u00f3 la idea<\/a> de que los disparos se hab\u00edan producido durante un \u201ctiroteo\u201d en el bosque. <a href=\"https:\/\/gbi.georgia.gov\/press-releases\/2023-02-09\/gbi-investigates-officer-involved-shooting-following-multi-agency\">M\u00e1s tarde<\/a>, la Oficina de Investigaciones de Georgia cambi\u00f3 su historia, afirmando que los agentes hab\u00edan encontrado a alguien en una tienda de campa\u00f1a (sic), les ordenaron salir, y esa persona abri\u00f3 fuego \u201csin previo aviso\u201d contra los patrulleros. Sin embargo, la foto que publicaron para acompa\u00f1ar su historia no mostraba una tienda de campa\u00f1a, sino una hamaca. A diferencia de una tienda de campa\u00f1a, las hamacas no ocultan ninguna l\u00ednea de visi\u00f3n. Uno no puede \u201cesconderse\u201d en una hamaca, que es precisamente por lo que el GBI decidi\u00f3 utilizar la palabra \u201ctienda\u201d en su campa\u00f1a de mentiras.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"portrait\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/15.jpg\" \/><figcaption>Hamaca de Tortuguita el d\u00eda que fueron asesinados. Como puede verse claramente, no estaban en una \u201ctienda de campa\u00f1a\u201d, contrariamente a las mentiras de la Oficina de Investigaciones de Georgia.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>El 19 de enero, tras una cuidadosa deliberaci\u00f3n, los defensores del bosque decidieron que no era aceptable permitir que la polic\u00eda fuera la primera en anunciar el nombre de los fallecidos. A muchos les preocupaba que tal anuncio incluyera un esfuerzo por manchar la reputaci\u00f3n de Tortuguita, como es habitual en la polic\u00eda que trata de justificar los asesinatos que lleva a cabo con frecuencia. Era mejor adelantarse a la maquinaria propagand\u00edstica.<\/p>\n<p>No se sabe si Tortuguita dispar\u00f3 o no contra los agentes durante la redada. Debido a las dificultades, es posible que nunca conozcamos los detalles. Dado que todos los organismos policiales que pod\u00edan investigar el suceso participaban en la operaci\u00f3n, ninguno de ellos es una fuente cre\u00edble al respecto; incluso la fiscal del distrito lo reconoci\u00f3 al recusarse del caso. Ninguno de los asesinos llevaba c\u00e1maras corporales y todav\u00eda no ha aparecido ning\u00fan testigo cre\u00edble.<\/p>\n<p>Lo que es innegable es que Tortuguita (que tambi\u00e9n era conocido como Geese, Onka, Cami, Manny y otros nombres) dedic\u00f3 su vida a defender el bosque y a sus habitantes, al planeta y a todos sus pueblos oprimidos. A pesar de la escalada de violencia dirigida contra ellos, <a href=\"https:\/\/bittersoutherner.com\/feature\/2023\/little-turtles-war-cop-city-atlanta\">siguieron firmemente comprometidos<\/a> a resistir hasta el final la militarizaci\u00f3n de la polic\u00eda y la destrucci\u00f3n del planeta. Por eso la polic\u00eda los mat\u00f3.<\/p>\n<p>La noche de la matanza, unas 200 personas se reunieron en Findley Plaza, en Little 5 Points. A pesar de la lluvia, esta multitud se reuni\u00f3 para encender velas y defender el espacio para los dolientes. Algunas personas asistentes leyeron declaraciones o pronunciaron discursos. Otras permanecieron en silencio. Muchas lloraron.<\/p>\n<p>La mayor\u00eda de los congregados bloquearon la avenida Moreland. Cuando se acerc\u00f3 un coche patrulla de la polic\u00eda, algunas personas le arrojaron objetos para que se alejara. La multitud march\u00f3 lentamente por Euclid Avenue, arrastrando escombros por la calle. Alguien rompi\u00f3 el escaparate de una tienda. Finalmente, todos se dispersaron con calma.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"resistencia-indomable\">Resistencia indomable<\/h3>\n<p>En los d\u00edas siguientes, la cobertura del movimiento alcanz\u00f3 proporciones internacionales. Empresas de todo el mundo occidental publicaron art\u00edculos sobre la matanza y el movimiento en defensa del bosque. Se anunci\u00f3 otra concentraci\u00f3n para el viernes 20 de enero en el Parque Popular Weelaunee. Se anunciaron acciones y concentraciones similares en docenas de ciudades de Estados Unidos y de todo el mundo. Algunas de esas concentraciones fueron bastante multitudinarias, teniendo en cuenta el contexto y el fr\u00edo; los actos de Richmond, Portland, Nueva York, Chicago y Austin congregaron a m\u00e1s de 100 personas cada uno. En total, varios miles de personas se movilizaron ese fin de semana en memoria de Tortuguita.<\/p>\n<p>A la concentraci\u00f3n en el Parque Popular Weelaunee asistieron unas 100 personas y varios agentes de polic\u00eda encubiertos. Hab\u00eda agentes antidisturbios apostados en las inmediaciones. Sin embargo, la concentraci\u00f3n se desarroll\u00f3 sin incidentes. Era importante que la gente pudiera reunirse en comunidad cerca del lugar del asesinato, para escuchar algunas de las canciones que Tort adoraba, compartir espacio y llorar.<\/p>\n<p>Esa noche se llevaron a cabo acciones de solidaridad en todo el pa\u00eds. Un local de UPS fue objeto de actos vand\u00e1licos en Portland porque UPS financia la Fundaci\u00f3n de la Polic\u00eda de Atlanta. Una oficina de Atlas Technical Consultants fue objeto de vandalismo en Detroit a causa de su contrato con Brasfield &amp; Gorrie. En Oakland, se rompieron docenas de ventanas en un Banco de America en memoria de Tortuguita. Bank of America es tambi\u00e9n patrocinador del APF.<\/p>\n<p>El s\u00e1bado 21 de enero, unas 300 personas se reunieron en Underground Atlanta, una plaza y centro comercial del centro de la ciudad. La mayor\u00eda de esta multitud vest\u00eda de negro para lamentar la muerte de Tortuguita, como ped\u00eda una octavilla. Hacia las 5 de la tarde, miembros de una organizaci\u00f3n socialista de \u00e1mbito nacional empezaron a pronunciar discursos a la multitud desde detr\u00e1s de sus pancartas. En ocasiones, pasaban el meg\u00e1fono a quienes lo ped\u00edan. Nadie m\u00e1s parec\u00eda dispuesto a pronunciar discursos, pero los socialistas del meg\u00e1fono no hab\u00edan organizado este acto, simplemente hab\u00edan llegado con la intenci\u00f3n de instrumentalizar a las personas asistentes para sus propios fines pol\u00edticos. Es una estrategia que utilizan con eficacia, sobre todo en los juegos de poder dirigidos a movimientos espont\u00e1neos, en los que los organizadores pueden no estar preparados para dar discursos ellos mismos.<\/p>\n<p>Hacia las 5:45, la multitud parti\u00f3 de la plaza en direcci\u00f3n al edificio del Capitolio del Estado. Un contingente de unas cien personas con sudaderas negras con capucha y m\u00e1scaras detuvo a la multitud y comenz\u00f3 a marchar en direcci\u00f3n contraria, explicando a los dem\u00e1s que \u00e9se era el plan original para la ruta. Finalmente, amigas y compa\u00f1eros de Tortuguita se pusieron al frente.<\/p>\n<p>La multitud gir\u00f3 hacia Peachtree Street en direcci\u00f3n norte. Un humo de colores comenz\u00f3 a flotar por encima de la multitud. Algunos peatones se unieron a la marcha. La hora punta de tr\u00e1fico peatonal y de autom\u00f3viles en el centro de la ciudad dio la bienvenida a los y las manifestantes, que coreaban <em>\u201cLa ciudad policial no se construir\u00e1 jam\u00e1s! \u201c<\/em> y <em>\u201cPolis, cerdos, asesinos!\u201d<\/em> Justo al norte de la estaci\u00f3n MARTA de Peachtree Center, un todoterreno de la polic\u00eda de Atlanta intent\u00f3 dar la vuelta, retrocediendo despu\u00e9s de que un manifestante le lanzara un artefacto pirot\u00e9cnico. Los agentes aparcaron el coche y se alejaron corriendo. Cuando la multitud alcanz\u00f3 el veh\u00edculo, le rompieron las ventanillas.<\/p>\n<p>El veh\u00edculo policial estaba aparcado justo delante de la Torre Deloitte. La sede de la Fundaci\u00f3n de la Polic\u00eda de Atlanta est\u00e1 en la planta baja; ya fue objeto de vandalismo una vez, durante la primera Semana de Acci\u00f3n de 2021. En la noche del 21 de enero de 2023, varias personas lanzaron piedras contra el edificio, mientras que otras destrozaron puertas y ventanas. Alguien de la multitud lanz\u00f3 fuegos artificiales fuera del edificio. Desgraciadamente, \u00e9stos explotaron entre la multitud, lo que sobresalt\u00f3 a la parte trasera de la marcha, enviando a algunas personas en direcci\u00f3n contraria.<\/p>\n<p>Una manzana m\u00e1s adelante, la multitud se cruz\u00f3 con otro veh\u00edculo de la polic\u00eda de Atlanta y se dispuso a romper sus ventanillas. Alguien arroj\u00f3 un artefacto pirot\u00e9cnico en su interior. Unos minutos m\u00e1s tarde, el veh\u00edculo en llamas arroj\u00f3 humo en el horizonte de la tarde. Alguien rompi\u00f3 una ventana del Truist Bank. Media manzana m\u00e1s adelante, un Wells Fargo perdi\u00f3 muchas ventanas y se rompieron los dos cajeros autom\u00e1ticos de la calle. Una vez m\u00e1s, estallaron fuegos artificiales cerca de la multitud a pie de calle, sin ning\u00fan prop\u00f3sito claro. La marcha estaba cada vez m\u00e1s nerviosa, aunque hasta entonces no hab\u00eda encontrado ning\u00fan obst\u00e1culo.<\/p>\n<p>M\u00e1s adelante, tres veh\u00edculos policiales bloquearon Peachtree Street cerca del cruce con Baker Street. Algunos defensores del bosque empezaron a lanzar fuegos artificiales y piedras contra los coches, lo que impidi\u00f3 que avanzaran m\u00e1s cerca de la marcha. Casi media manzana separaba a la multitud de los coches patrulla, y no hab\u00eda polic\u00edas detr\u00e1s de la marcha, que ahora contaba con unas 120 personas. En lugar de enfrentarse a los agentes, un enfrentamiento que la marcha probablemente podr\u00eda haber ganado, el grupo vacil\u00f3, deteni\u00e9ndose durante unos momentos cruciales. De repente, unos cuantos polic\u00edas de Atlanta salieron de sus coches en direcci\u00f3n al Black Bloc. S\u00f3lo un pu\u00f1ado de manifestantes lanz\u00f3 piedras y fuegos artificiales; todos los dem\u00e1s retrocedieron, aunque no se dispersaron ni salieron en estampida.<\/p>\n<p>Los agentes consiguieron abordar a unos cuantos j\u00f3venes cerca de la parte delantera de la protesta. R\u00e1pidamente, el Black Bloc se dispers\u00f3 por el centro de la ciudad. Poco despu\u00e9s, la polic\u00eda abord\u00f3 y detuvo a algunas personas m\u00e1s de las que sospechaba que participaban en el acto. Agentes del estado de Georgia aparcaron a lo largo de Peachtree Center y Piedmont, se pusieron m\u00e1scaras antig\u00e1s y sacaron gas lacrim\u00f3geno de sus maleteros, pero la manifestaci\u00f3n hab\u00eda terminado.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/19.jpg\" \/><figcaption>Manifestantes conmemorando la vida de Tortuguita en el centro de Atlanta el 21 de enero de 2023.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Todas las personas detenidas esa noche fueron acusadas de Terrorismo Dom\u00e9stico, con lo que el n\u00famero total de acusadas en virtud del estatuto asciende a 18 personas. Una persona se enfrenta a dos cargos, uno por el ataque del 13 de diciembre en el bosque, y otra por encontrarse en las inmediaciones de la protesta del 21 de enero. En el momento de la publicaci\u00f3n de este informe, a 7 de las 18 personas acusadas se les hab\u00eda denegado la libertad bajo fianza durante m\u00e1s de un mes. Varias de las personas acusadas no reciben atenci\u00f3n m\u00e9dica adecuada ni alimentos apropiados para sus necesidades diet\u00e9ticas.<\/p>\n<p>Todos las personas acusadas est\u00e1n imputados en virtud del <a href=\"https:\/\/readingroom.law.gsu.edu\/cgi\/viewcontent.cgi?article=2902&amp;context=gsulr\">Acta Dom\u00e9stica 452<\/a>, la ley de Terrorismo Dom\u00e9stico de Georgia. Esta ley redefine el Terrorismo Dom\u00e9stico en Georgia tras la horrible matanza de feligreses negros en Charleston, Carolina del Sur, en 2017. Bajo la ley anterior, tal acto no habr\u00eda constituido Terrorismo Dom\u00e9stico, porque s\u00f3lo nueve personas fueron asesinadas, y la antigua ley requer\u00eda que diez personas murieran antes de que se pudiera aplicar una ampliaci\u00f3n de Terrorismo. Con la HB 452, no existe tal cuota. La ley tiene un alcance extremadamente amplio; dependiendo de c\u00f3mo se interprete, podr\u00eda servir para criminalizar una amplia gama de actividades de protesta ordinarias, debido a una cl\u00e1usula vagamente redactada sobre \u201cinfraestructuras cr\u00edticas\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>A las personas detenidas el 21 de enero no se les acusa de terrorismo dom\u00e9stico porque rompieran escaparates. Si lo hubieran hecho, eso ya constituir\u00eda un abuso escandaloso y novedoso de la autoridad judicial. M\u00e1s bien se les acusa de formar parte de una multitud en la que algunas personas rompieron cristales y lanzaron fuegos artificiales.<\/p>\n<p>Los fiscales de la zona de Atlanta pretenden sentar el precedente de que enviar mensajes de texto, acampar en el bosque, publicar en las redes sociales y participar en una protesta descontrolada son formas de terrorismo. Esto sienta un precedente para el totalitarismo absoluto.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/23.jpg\" \/><figcaption>Manifestantes conmemorando la vida de Tortuguita en el centro de Atlanta el 21 de enero de 2023.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"todo-esta-llegando-a-un-punto-critico\">\u00bfTodo est\u00e1 llegando a un punto cr\u00edtico?<\/h3>\n<p>Las im\u00e1genes del coche de polic\u00eda incendiado el 21 de enero se propagaron viralmente por Internet. Tanto los informes de las empresas como los de los ciudadanos destacaron la precisi\u00f3n del vandalismo: los manifestantes s\u00f3lo rompieron los cristales de las sucursales bancarias con conexiones directas con el APF, as\u00ed como algunos coches patrulla de la APD y la propia sede del APF. A juzgar por las conversaciones en la ciudad y en Internet, el p\u00fablico parec\u00eda entender los objetivos y la rabia de las defensoras del bosque tras el asesinato de Tortuguita, aunque no aprobaran el vandalismo pol\u00edtico en abstracto.<\/p>\n<p>Al mismo tiempo, la popularidad del movimiento se disparaba. Miles de organizaciones sin \u00e1nimo de lucro y grupos c\u00edvicos se unieron a anarquistas, autonomistas, anticapitalistas y revolucionarios de todo el mundo para firmar una <a href=\"https:\/\/defendtheatlantaforest.org\/solidarity\/\">declaraci\u00f3n de solidaridad<\/a> con el movimiento. Entre esos grupos se encontraban 350.org, Rainforest Action Network, Center for Biological Diversity, Greenpeace, Sierra Club, Sunrise Movement, No More Deaths, Black Alliance for Peace, National Lawyers Guild y PEN America, el tipo de grupos que anteriormente se hab\u00edan mantenido al margen de la lucha para defender el bosque. Varios m\u00e1s redactaron sus propias declaraciones de apoyo al movimiento, entre ellos el King Center. Muchos de estos grupos hicieron hincapi\u00e9 en la lista de objetivos secundarios y terciarios relacionados con Cop City, y pidieron a sus miembros que presionaran a esas empresas para que desinvirtieran en el APF. Poco despu\u00e9s de la marcha en el centro de la ciudad, tres congresistas del Partido Dem\u00f3crata <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2023\/feb\/09\/cop-city-opposition-georgia\">declararon su apoyo<\/a> al movimiento.<\/p>\n<p>En menos de una semana, el movimiento se hab\u00eda enfrentado a una tragedia indescriptible y hab\u00eda reorientado la narrativa 180 grados, superando las falsedades de la polic\u00eda, los pol\u00edticos y los medios de comunicaci\u00f3n corporativos.<\/p>\n<p>Si el movimiento contin\u00faa su trayectoria actual hacia la movilizaci\u00f3n y el apoyo masivos, demostrar\u00e1 la viabilidad de su estrategia, siempre que no se borre la forma en que se desarroll\u00f3 el movimiento en primer lugar (como ocurri\u00f3, por ejemplo, en <a href=\"https:\/\/crimethinc.com\/2021\/11\/07\/como-no-abolir-la-policia-una-guia-desde-la-ciudad-de-minneapolis\">la rebeli\u00f3n de George Floyd<\/a>). En concreto, demostrar\u00eda que un grupo peque\u00f1o y dedicado de activistas militantes puede precipitar una movilizaci\u00f3n a gran escala, no s\u00f3lo perseguirla. Si el movimiento sigue creciendo, habr\u00e1 sido gracias a la tenaz determinaci\u00f3n, flexibilidad, valent\u00eda, creatividad e inteligencia de un par de centenares de personas que presionaron continuamente desde el principio.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/21.jpg\" \/><figcaption>Un coche de polic\u00eda en llamas en el centro de Atlanta la noche del 21 de enero de 2023.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"sangre-en-el-agua\">Sangre en el agua<\/h3>\n<p>El 31 de enero, el alcalde de Atlanta, Andre Dickens, y el director general del condado de Dekalb, Michael Thurmond, celebraron una rueda de prensa conjunta. Tras invitar a toda la prensa local, las autoridades cambiaron de opini\u00f3n en el \u00faltimo momento, cerrando el acceso p\u00fablico al acto y encerrando fuera a todos los medios de comunicaci\u00f3n corporativos, salvo a dos, junto a los manifestantes. Desplegaron 60 patrullas de polic\u00eda alrededor del per\u00edmetro del Ayuntamiento para contener a las decenas de personas que se reunieron para protestar contra la rueda de prensa.<\/p>\n<p>Juntos, el alcalde y el director general del condado de Dekalb anunciaron un \u201ccompromiso\u201d entre ambos gobiernos. El nuevo acuerdo, que no es jur\u00eddicamente vinculante, surge de una serie de reuniones a puerta cerrada sin ninguna aportaci\u00f3n p\u00fablica ni transparencia. Introduce cambios que nadie pidi\u00f3: por ejemplo, supuestamente, los nuevos planes para Cop City ya no incluyen un centro de pruebas de explosivos. Presumiblemente, este cambio pretende acelerar el proceso de concesi\u00f3n de permisos. Los nuevos permisos incluyen una \u201ccl\u00e1usula de elasticidad\u201d que permite a la APF modificar o ampliar la urbanizaci\u00f3n una vez en marcha, lo que les deja una v\u00eda libre para cumplir su plan original de forma solapada. Aunque el anuncio no representa una victoria, s\u00ed sugiere que podr\u00eda estar afianz\u00e1ndose cierto grado de p\u00e1nico institucional.<\/p>\n<p>El permiso de alteraci\u00f3n del suelo fue aprobado. Durante toda una hora de mentiras y medias verdades, el alcalde Dickens no mencion\u00f3 ni una sola vez el asesinato de Tortuguita.<\/p>\n<p>Mientras tanto, la familia de Tortuguita hab\u00eda encargado una autopsia privada, que <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wabe.org\/private-autopsy-shows-officers-shot-cop-city-activist-at-least-13-times-attorneys-say\/\">revel\u00f3<\/a> que varios agentes le hab\u00edan disparado al menos 13 veces diferentes.<\/p>\n<p>La semana siguiente, el alcalde Dickens anunci\u00f3 su intenci\u00f3n de organizar una sesi\u00f3n de preguntas y respuestas en el Atlanta University Center (AUC). El AUC alberga el Morehouse College, el Spelman College, el Clark Atlanta y la Morehouse School of Medicine. Estas son las universidades hist\u00f3ricamente negras de propiedad privada por las que Atlanta es famosa.<\/p>\n<p>El alcalde estaba decidido a organizar esta sesi\u00f3n de preguntas y respuestas con los estudiantes negros el 7 de febrero, porque una semana antes, el 31 de enero, un grupo de estudiantes protagoniz\u00f3 una interrupci\u00f3n p\u00fablica de un acto en el campus, durante el cual exigieron que la escuela desinvirtiera en la Fundaci\u00f3n de la Polic\u00eda de Atlanta y denunciara a ls Ciudad Policial. Al mismo tiempo, el 20% del profesorado de Morehouse firm\u00f3 <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/1iBaAadACjTx2vt8SYdN6f9QWbbnr8qYvL8ZX7W763mU\/edit\">una carta abierta<\/a> dirigida a la administraci\u00f3n del campus, denunciando en\u00e9rgicamente la implicaci\u00f3n de la instituci\u00f3n con la APF.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet \" data-lang=\"en\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/kamaufranklin\/status\/1621509325310267394\">https:\/\/twitter.com\/kamaufranklin\/status\/1621509325310267394<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Durante la sesi\u00f3n de preguntas y respuestas del 7 de febrero, algunos estudiantes y miembros de la comunidad se negaron a entrar en el auditorio, coreando consignas y denunciando el acto desde fuera. Dentro del acto, un orador tras otro critic\u00f3 al presidente de Morehouse, al alcalde de Atlanta y a los sistemas de supremac\u00eda blanca y capitalismo que aterrorizan y matan a las comunidades a las que se supone que la escuela debe educar y elevar. El acto fue un desastre para la estrategia de relaciones p\u00fablicas del gobierno municipal.<\/p>\n<p>Al d\u00eda siguiente, el 8 de febrero, el Departamento de Polic\u00eda de Atlanta hizo p\u00fablicas las im\u00e1genes de la <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/politics\/police-video-from-cop-city-operation-doesnt-show-shooting\/2023\/02\/09\/73d58b26-a8b3-11ed-b2a3-edb05ee0e313_story.html\">redada del 18 de enero<\/a>. Estas im\u00e1genes se publicaron sin ceremonias, sin declaraciones ni ruedas de prensa. Despu\u00e9s de que el GBI afirmara que no exist\u00eda ninguna grabaci\u00f3n relevante para el caso, a muchos les sorprendi\u00f3 lo que mostraba el v\u00eddeo.<\/p>\n<p>La grabaci\u00f3n de la c\u00e1mara corporal no muestra el asesinato de Tortuguita por parte de los patrulleros del estado de Georgia. M\u00e1s bien muestra a unos agentes caminando por el bosque cuando estallan unos disparos en las inmediaciones. No hay gritos ni \u00f3rdenes que precedan al tiroteo. Un polic\u00eda de Atlanta dice: \u201c\u00bfHan jodido a su propio agente?\u201d. En la grabaci\u00f3n, que muestra muchas perspectivas y momentos de la ma\u00f1ana, tres grupos distintos de polic\u00edas de Atlanta parecen tener la impresi\u00f3n de que los patrulleros han disparado accidentalmente a uno de los suyos. El v\u00eddeo tambi\u00e9n registra un \u00fanico disparo inexplicable varios minutos despu\u00e9s de la andanada inicial.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet \" data-lang=\"en\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/atlanta_press\/status\/1623484224924798976\">https:\/\/twitter.com\/atlanta_press\/status\/1623484224924798976<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Todo esto parece socavar la narrativa oficial. Al hacer p\u00fablicas las im\u00e1genes, la polic\u00eda de Atlanta cedi\u00f3 a la presi\u00f3n ejercida por la familia de Tortuguita y sus abogados, que hab\u00edan organizado una <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wabe.org\/private-autopsy-shows-officers-shot-cop-city-activist-at-least-13-times-attorneys-say\/\">conferencia de prensa<\/a> dos d\u00edas antes. Tambi\u00e9n es concebible que esperaran distanciarse de las acciones del GBI.<\/p>\n<p>En los d\u00edas siguientes, un gran n\u00famero de polic\u00edas comenz\u00f3 a apostarse alrededor de Key Road y en el interior de la puerta norte de la granja de la antigua prisi\u00f3n de Atlanta. Escoltaron a la empresa Brent Scarborough, subcontratista de Brasfield &amp; Gorrie y donante del Gobernador y de la APF, hasta la propiedad, donde los agentes levantaron una lona de barrera y varios focos de gran tama\u00f1o orientados hacia el bosque. Dentro de la verja, los trabajadores empezaron a colocar grava y a talar \u00e1rboles para levantar vallas para controlar la erosi\u00f3n. Agentes de polic\u00eda y veh\u00edculos sin identificaci\u00f3n fueron apostados las 24 horas del d\u00eda en posiciones cada pocas decenas de metros a lo largo del per\u00edmetro de la Granja Prisi\u00f3n. En una <a href=\"https:\/\/saportareport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/williams-affidavit-Copy.pdf\">declaraci\u00f3n reciente ante el tribunal del condado de Dekalb<\/a>, la APF afirma que est\u00e1 gastando <a href=\"https:\/\/saportareport.com\/training-center-security-costs-41500-a-day-planner-claims\/sections\/reports\/johnruch\/\">41.500 d\u00f3lares<\/a> al d\u00eda para defender el lugar.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/17.jpg\" \/><figcaption>Vandalismo selectivo en el centro de Atlanta la noche del 21 de enero de 2023.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>La resistencia se extiende. Durante la \u00faltima semana de enero, se produjeron protestas y concentraciones en <a href=\"https:\/\/itsgoingdown.org\/solidarity-with-fight-cop-city-grows-weekend\/\">m\u00e1s de 20 ciudades<\/a> El 9 de febrero, m\u00e1s de 100 estudiantes de Georgia Tech <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsbtv.com\/news\/local\/atlanta\/georgia-tech-students-protest-public-safety-training-center-beating-tyre-nichols\/UL4GPZDSTNGOFDKWLB53KFH3R4\/\">marcharon<\/a> alrededor del campus denunciando Cop City e intentando asaltar los edificios de la administraci\u00f3n. Desde principios de febrero, se han celebrado concentraciones, marchas y espect\u00e1culos ben\u00e9ficos en <a href=\"https:\/\/itsgoingdown.org\/ann-arbor-michigan-takes-to-streets-in-solidarity-with-tortuguita\/\">Ann Arbor<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/itsgoingdown.org\/dc-rallies-against-wells-fargo-cox-enterprises-support-for-cop-city\/\">Washington, DC<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/itsgoingdown.org\/report-back-on-vigil-for-tortuguita-in-binghamton-new-york\/\">Binghamton<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/itsgoingdown.org\/report-back-from-new-orleans-vigil-for-tortuguita\/\">Nueva Orleans<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/itsgoingdown.org\/report-back-rally-solidarity-flagstaff\/\">Flagstaff<\/a>, Tucson, <a href=\"https:\/\/itsgoingdown.org\/vancouver-solidarity-march-stop-cop-city\/\">Vancouver<\/a>, Humboldt y otros lugares.<\/p>\n<p>Mientras Brasfield &amp; Gorrie y sus subcontratistas siguen avanzando a instancias del APF, los defensores de los bosques de todo el mundo se est\u00e1n organizando en comit\u00e9s locales y grupos de organizaci\u00f3n para presionar a los contratistas, concienciar, recaudar fondos y enviar delegaciones a Atlanta para la Semana de Acci\u00f3n prevista a partir del <a href=\"https:\/\/defendtheatlantaforest.org\/2023\/02\/16\/pressure-mounts-against-cop-city\/\">4 de marzo<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Es posible que el movimiento est\u00e9 m\u00e1s cerca de la victoria de lo que parece. Ciertamente, se encuentra en un umbral crucial, sin duda el m\u00e1s determinante de toda la lucha. Depende de las personas valientes seguir impulsando estrategias m\u00e1s audaces y creativas.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"portrait\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/30.jpg\" \/><figcaption>Obra de arte de N.O. Bonzo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<hr \/>\n<h3 id=\"apendice-cronologia-de-los-acontecimientos\">Ap\u00e9ndice: Cronolog\u00eda de los acontecimientos<\/h3>\n<p><em>Recopilaci\u00f3n de informes p\u00fablicos.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>2 de abril de 2022:<\/strong> Una solicitud de informaci\u00f3n p\u00fablica al Estado de Georgia revela que Brasfield &amp; Gorrie ha sido contratada para encargarse de las obras de la Ciudad Policial. Brasfield &amp; Gorrie lo confirma m\u00e1s tarde en un comunicado de prensa.<\/p>\n<p><strong>9 de abril:<\/strong> Lanzamiento del sitio web de la campa\u00f1a SRY (en ese momento StopReevesYoung.com). El sitio incluye los nombres y domicilios particulares de quienes pretenden destruir el bosque, incluido el presidente y director general de Reeves+Young.<\/p>\n<p><strong>18 de abril:<\/strong> Reeves+Young <a href=\"https:\/\/www.srycampaign.org\/2022\/04\/27\/reeves-young-backs-out\/\">rescinde el contrato<\/a> con la Fundaci\u00f3n de la Polic\u00eda.<\/p>\n<p><strong>23 de abril:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CcB2sDruKxt\">La Cumbre Muscogee<\/a> atrae a cientos de personas al bosque para asistir a sesiones informativas y a una presentaci\u00f3n hist\u00f3rica.<\/p>\n<p><strong>26 de abril:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/04\/26\/portland-bank-of-america-attacked-in-solidarity-with-atlanta-forest-defenders\/\">Se rompen los cristales del Banco de America<\/a> en Portland debido a la conexi\u00f3n del banco con la Fundaci\u00f3n de la Polic\u00eda de Atlanta (APF).<\/p>\n<p><strong>27 de abril:<\/strong> Se sabotean cajeros autom\u00e1ticos en toda la <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/04\/27\/bay-area-atms-sabotaged-in-solidarity-with-land-defenders-in-the-atlanta-forest-and-across-occupied-land\/\">zona de la bah\u00eda<\/a> en apoyo del movimiento y contra instituciones que apoyan a la APF.<\/p>\n<p><strong>1 de mayo:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/05\/01\/with-love-from-minneapolis\/\">Se rompen ventanas y se pintan paredes<\/a> en la oficina de Minneapolis de Atlas Technical Consultants, subcontratista que participa en la construcci\u00f3n de la Ciudad Policial en nombre de Brasfield y Gorrie. El mismo d\u00eda, una oficina de Atlas Technical Consultants en Highland, Indiana <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/05\/02\/keep-up-the-good-fight\/\">es pintada<\/a> en solidaridad con el movimiento y un Bank of America en Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/05\/07\/bank-attacked-in-solidarity-with-yintah-land-defenders-and-atlanta-forest-defenders-in-pittsburgh-usa\/\">tiene sus ventanas rotas<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>4 de mayo:<\/strong> La polic\u00eda intenta entrar en la Granja de la Prisi\u00f3n por la Puerta Norte. Son <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/05\/07\/police-retreat-from-forest\/\">repelidos<\/a> con barricadas ardiendo, piedras y humo.<\/p>\n<p><strong>8-14 de mayo:<\/strong> La Tercera Semana de Acci\u00f3n para Defender el Bosque atrae a cientos de participantes a un campamento aut\u00f3nomo en el bosque de South River\/Weelaunee. Decenas de actos, paseos, charlas, fiestas y acciones tienen lugar durante toda la semana, liberando de hecho la zona del control policial.<\/p>\n<p><strong>9 de mayo:<\/strong> Un bulldozer con la inscripci\u00f3n \u201cDodd Drilling LLC\u201d y dos sheriffs del condado de Dekalb entran en el bosque por la entrada del Club de Radio Control en Constitution Drive. A pesar de la temprana hora de su llegada, unas docenas de activistas <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/05\/09\/bulldozer-enter-woods-forest-defenders-repel-them-and-the-police\/\">repelieron con \u00e9xito<\/a> la excavadora y la polic\u00eda, aunque no sin antes derribar varios \u00e1rboles. Ese mismo d\u00eda se celebr\u00f3 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=EeMYNZobQhQ\">una manifestaci\u00f3n<\/a> en casa de Shepherd Long, director general de Long Engineering, subcontratista de Brasfield &amp; Gorrie.<\/p>\n<p><strong>10 de mayo:<\/strong> \u201cAlg\u00fan anarquista\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/05\/13\/atlas-office-windows-smashed-vandalism-in-albany-ny\/\">rompe siete ventanas<\/a> en una oficina de Atlas Technical Consultants en Albany, Nueva York, a causa de su contrato con Brasfield &amp; Gorrie.<\/p>\n<p><strong>11 de mayo:<\/strong> Dos coches patrulla de la polic\u00eda del condado de Dekalb entran en el aparcamiento del parque Intrenchment Creek, pero son repelidos por grupos de personas que lanzan piedras. Una hora m\u00e1s tarde, una furgoneta perteneciente al Centro de Detenci\u00f3n de Menores aparca en el aparcamiento. Varias docenas de activistas vestidos de negro <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/05\/11\/multiple-police-cars-damaged\/\">tienden una emboscada<\/a> al veh\u00edculo desde varios lados, pinch\u00e1ndole las ruedas y rompi\u00e9ndole las ventanillas. 30 manifestantes se <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/05\/14\/may-11-house-visit-at-keith-johnson-brasfield-gorrie\/\">re\u00fanen<\/a> en casa de Keith Johnson. Johnson es el presidente de la regi\u00f3n oriental de Brasfield &amp; Gorrie, contratista general de la Ciudad Policial.<\/p>\n<p><strong>12 de mayo:<\/strong> Unas 80 manifestantes <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/05\/12\/953\/\">convergen en<\/a> la sede de Brasfield &amp; Gorrie en el noroeste de Atlanta. Brasfield &amp; Gorrie es el nuevo contratista general de la Ciudad Policial. Los manifestantes pintan esl\u00f3ganes, lanzan globos de pintura contra la chapa del edificio, rompen ventanas y disparan fuegos artificiales contra las instalaciones antes de dispersarse. Cerca de all\u00ed, varias personas son detenidas por su presunta relaci\u00f3n con el suceso.<\/p>\n<p><strong>13 de mayo:<\/strong> De madrugada, alguien <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/05\/13\/brasfield-gorrie-corporate-hq-in-alabama-attacked\/\">pinta<\/a> \u201cDrop Cop City or Else\u201d (Eliminar la Ciudad policial o si no\u2026) en la sede de Brasfield &amp; Gorrie en Birmingham (Alabama) tambi\u00e9n se rompen muchas ventanas en las instalaciones. En Atlanta, se <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/05\/13\/atlanta-police-believe-that-an-organized-group-is-tracking-and-targeting-officers\/\">oye por casualidad<\/a> a la polic\u00eda quejarse de \u201cBlack Flag Atlanta\u201d, una organizaci\u00f3n ficticia de anarquistas que, seg\u00fan ellos, les vigilan de cerca, obstaculizando sus movimientos en la zona del bosque de Weelaunee.<\/p>\n<p><strong>14 de mayo:<\/strong> M\u00e1s de 100 personas se unen a una <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/05\/14\/march-to-defend-the-forest-led-by-preschoolers\/\">marcha<\/a> en East Atlanta Village para denunciar la Ciudad Policial, encabezada por preescolares, padres y profesores. M\u00e1s tarde ese mismo d\u00eda, m\u00e1s de 200 personas <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/05\/14\/200-protesters-marched-through-atlanta-to-stop-cop-city\/\">marchan<\/a> en Little 5 Points para oponerse a la Ciudad Policial. Comunidad y peatones muestran un apoyo abrumador a las personas asistentes. Al finalizar la marcha, decenas de veh\u00edculos policiales y varios helic\u00f3pteros inundan la zona. La polic\u00eda detiene a numerosas personas al azar mientras transe\u00fantes expresan su desaprobaci\u00f3n.<\/p>\n<p><strong>16 de mayo:<\/strong> Una casa \u201casociada con\u201d Dodd Drilling LLC es <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/05\/16\/a-home-associated-with-dodd-drilling-llc-vandalized\/\">objeto de vandalismo<\/a>. El mismo d\u00eda, una <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/05\/16\/call-brasfield-gorrie-today\/\">campa\u00f1a de llamadas<\/a> se centra en Brasfield &amp; Gorrie.<\/p>\n<p><strong>17 de mayo:<\/strong> Cientos de agentes del Departamento de Polic\u00eda de Atlanta, del condado de Dekalb, del Escuadr\u00f3n Antibombas, del Grupo de Trabajo Conjunto contra el Terrorismo, de la Oficina de Investigaciones de Georiga, del Departamento de Recursos Naturales y de Parques y Actividades Recreativas del condado de Dekalb participan en una redada interinstitucional en la Granja de la Antigua Prisi\u00f3n de Atlanta. Los y las defensores del bosque evaden a los agentes y los repelen con piedras, fuegos artificiales y c\u00f3cteles molotov. Varios visitantes del parque son detenidos en el parque adyacente de Intrenchment Creek, aunque poco despu\u00e9s se retiran los cargos contra ellxs. Todos los principales medios de comunicaci\u00f3n asisten a una rueda de prensa en el parque Intrenchment Creek, en la que activistas denuncian la operaci\u00f3n policial. Filtraciones de audio de las comunicaciones policiales revelan que la polic\u00eda habla de la redada del d\u00eda como un \u201cencuentro con fuerza mortal\u201d, justificando el uso de fuerza letal contra los activistas.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Mayo:<\/strong> En el transcurso de un mes, equipos de construcci\u00f3n para varios proyectos en el condado de Lane, Oreg\u00f3n, son <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/05\/19\/construction-vehicles-vandalized-in-lane-county\/\">vandalizados<\/a> en apoyo al movimiento.<\/p>\n<p><strong>20 de mayo:<\/strong> En Minneapolis, rompen los cristales del <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/05\/20\/attack-on-bank-of-america-in-minneapolis-in-solidarity-with-arrested-forest-defenders\/\">Bank of America<\/a> y pintan \u201cDefund Cop City\u201d (Desfinanciar la Ciudad Policial) en el edificio.<\/p>\n<p><strong>26 de mayo:<\/strong> Se <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/05\/26\/attack-on-atlas-subsidary-office-in-oakland\/\">rompen<\/a> las ventanas de Consolidated Engineering Laboratories, filial de Atlas Technical Consultants.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Mediados de mayo:<\/strong> Manifestantes <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/09\/22\/keith-johnson-had-a-noise-demo-in-springtime\/\">visitan<\/a> Keith Johnson, presidente regional de Brasfield &amp; Gorrie, en su domicilio. La verja exterior de su propiedad est\u00e1 decorada con pintura en aerosol.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Finales de mayo:<\/strong> Defensoras del bosque construyen casas en los \u00e1rboles del bosque de Weelaunee.<\/p>\n<p><strong>1 de junio:<\/strong> Se <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/06\/01\/erie-pennsylvania-atlas-office-covered-in-graffiti-and-windows-smashed\/\">rompen<\/a> las ventanas de la oficina de Atlas Technical Consultants en Erie, Pensilvania.<\/p>\n<p><strong>2 de junio:<\/strong> S\u00f3lo diez defensoras del bosque <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/06\/02\/forest-defenders-fire-fireworks-throw-rocks-and-attack-construction-machine\/\">repelen<\/a> a un equipo de construcci\u00f3n en la granja de la antigua prisi\u00f3n de Atlanta utilizando piedras y fuegos artificiales. Una oficina de Atlas Technical Consultants es <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/06\/04\/atlas-office-in-columbus-oh-smashed-up\/\">vandalizada<\/a> en Columbus, Ohio.<\/p>\n<p><strong>5 de junio:<\/strong> Activistas <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/06\/06\/church-of-michael-keller-visited\/\">visitan<\/a> la iglesia de Michael Keller, Director de Preconstrucci\u00f3n de Brasfield &amp; Gorrie, y colocan octavillas en los coches aparcados fuera de la misa.<\/p>\n<p><strong>6 de junio:<\/strong> Un gran contingente de polic\u00edas escolta a los trabajadores hasta la Granja de la Antigua Prisi\u00f3n de Atlanta. Cuando los y las activistas intentan disuadir a los trabajadores, los agentes les apuntan con armas de fuego. Se talan unas decenas de \u00e1rboles. M\u00e1s tarde, varias m\u00e1quinas propiedad de Boyette Brothers Rental Service que se utilizaron para derribar los \u00e1rboles <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/06\/07\/boyette-brothers-equipment-rental-service-machines-set-on-fire\/\">se incendian<\/a>. Una declaraci\u00f3n on-line se dirige a \u201ccualquiera que intente ayudar a construir la Ciudad Policial, nuestro mensaje es simple: \u2018Si lo construyes, lo quemaremos\u2019\u201d.<\/p>\n<p><strong>7 de junio:<\/strong> En respuesta a un intento de desalojo de un arbolista, decenas de personas llevan a cabo una protesta en \u201ccaravana de coches\u201d, bloqueando el acceso a Constitution Road y tocando el claxon. Se detiene la operaci\u00f3n de desalojo. En otro lugar, se produce una <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/06\/08\/noise-demo-outside-nyc-atlas-office\/\">manifestaci\u00f3n por el ruido<\/a> ante la oficina de Atlas Technical Consultants en Nueva York.<\/p>\n<p><strong>10 de junio:<\/strong> Se <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/06\/11\/atlas-technical-branch-in-tallahassee-attacked\/\">rompen las ventanas<\/a> de la oficina de Atlas Technical Consultants en Tallahassee. El gobierno del condado de Dekalb emite una orden de <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/defendATLforest\/status\/1535290794550116355\">suspensi\u00f3n de las obras<\/a> por la tala ilegal de \u00e1rboles y la excavaci\u00f3n en la Granja de la Prisi\u00f3n.<\/p>\n<p><strong>12 de junio:<\/strong> \u201cTodas las ventanas y puertas\u201d de la oficina de Kansas City Atlas Technical Consultants <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/06\/13\/kansas-city-atlas-construction-office-attacked\/\">est\u00e1n rotas<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>15 de junio:<\/strong> La oficina de Atlas Technical Consultants en Springfield, Massachusetts, es <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/07\/04\/springfield-massachusetts-atlas-technical-consultants-office-has-windows-smashed-and-vandalized\/\">objeto de vandalismo<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>19 de junio:<\/strong> Activistas construyen <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/06\/28\/juneteenth-treesits-erected-to-block-juvenile-detention-ctr-annexation-stop-cop-city-juneteenth-treesits-erected-to-block-juvenile-detention-ctr-annexation-stop-cop-cityjuneteenth-treesits\/\">ocupaciones adicionales de \u00e1rboles<\/a> para conmemorar el 19 de junio.<\/p>\n<p><strong>20 de junio:<\/strong> Se inicia una gira de <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/defendATLforest\/status\/1539243818700136450\">conferencias por la costa oeste<\/a>, que durar\u00e1 hasta el 7 de julio.<\/p>\n<p><strong>28 de junio:<\/strong> Se informa de que se <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/06\/29\/more-trees-spiked-in-the-welaunee-forest\/\">clavan clavos<\/a> en m\u00e1s \u00e1rboles en el bosque de Weelaunee.<\/p>\n<p><strong>30 de junio:<\/strong> Manifestantes <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/06\/30\/road-blocked-by-protestors-today-near-the-charlotte-nc-offices-of-brasfield-gorrie\/\">bloquean carreteras<\/a> e interrumpen en una oficina de Brasfield &amp; Gorrie en Charlotte, Carolina del Norte. Comienza una gira de conferencias por la <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/06\/26\/stopcopcity-defendatlantaforest-east-coast-tour\/\">costa este<\/a> que durar\u00e1 hasta el 3 de julio.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Del 29 de junio al 1 de julio:<\/strong> Defensoras del bosque evaden o resisten repetidamente las incursiones policiales en la granja de la antigua prisi\u00f3n de Atlanta. Se construyen <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/07\/01\/north-gate-barricaded-shut-to-protect-forest-from-cops-with-chainsaws\/\">barricadas<\/a> en la puerta norte para frenar la entrada.<\/p>\n<p><strong>1 de julio:<\/strong> Se <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/07\/02\/flyers-about-stopapf-noblogs-org\/\">lanza<\/a> una nueva p\u00e1gina web llamada \u201cStop the Atlanta Police Foundation\u201d. El sitio web detalla los v\u00ednculos que conectan a empresas como Norfolk Southern con la APF.<\/p>\n<p><strong>7 de julio:<\/strong> La polic\u00eda de Atlanta instala una c\u00e1mara de vigilancia en un poste cerca del bosque. \u201cCastores\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/07\/07\/beavers-gnaw-down-40-ft-wooden-surveillance-pole-in-welaunee-forest-installed-by-apd-city-of-atl\/\">cortan<\/a> el poste de 12 metros.<\/p>\n<p><strong>19 de julio:<\/strong> Ryan Millsap ordena a los contratistas que coloquen barreras de hormig\u00f3n en la entrada del parque Intrenchment Creek, cerrando de hecho la instalaci\u00f3n p\u00fablica.<\/p>\n<p><strong>20 de julio:<\/strong> En respuesta a las acciones policiales de las semanas anteriores, entre ellas apuntar con armas de fuego a manifestantes desarmados, se <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/07\/21\/new-website-cops-of-cop-city\/\">lanza<\/a> un nueva p\u00e1gina web llamada \u201cCops of Cop City\u201d (Polis de la Ciudad Policial). En este sitio web aparecen im\u00e1genes y direcciones de los agentes de polic\u00eda del \u00e1rea de Atlanta.Esta p\u00e1gina web ofrece im\u00e1genes y direcciones de domicilios de las fuerzas de seguridad del \u00e1rea de Atlanta.<\/p>\n<p><strong>21 de julio:<\/strong> \u201c100 lindas hormiguitas\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/07\/21\/ant-gang-moves-2-ton-barricade-of-public-park\/\">mueven<\/a> las barreras de hormig\u00f3n de la entrada al parque Intrenchment Creek, restableciendo el acceso abierto al bosque justo antes de la cuarta semana de acci\u00f3n.<\/p>\n<p><strong>22 de julio:<\/strong> South River Watershed Alliance y Atlanta Community Press Collective <a href=\"https:\/\/atlantapresscollective.com\/2022\/10\/19\/atlanta-public-safety-training-center-site-plans-hub-july-2022-plans\/\">publican<\/a> el calendario de construcci\u00f3n y los planos del emplazamiento, revelando que est\u00e1 previsto que \u201cClearing and Grading\u201d comience en oto\u00f1o de 2022. Mientras tanto, el club Remote Control ve destrozadas sus instalaciones y el acceso al aer\u00f3dromo, que hab\u00eda estado utilizando de forma semilegal, <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/07\/22\/rc-field-barricaded\/\">cerrado con barricadas<\/a>. En las semanas anteriores, algunas activistas hab\u00edan llegado a creer que el club RC colaboraba con la polic\u00eda en las operaciones contra los defensores de los bosques.<\/p>\n<p><strong>23 de julio:<\/strong> Activistas clim\u00e1ticas <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsobserver.com\/news\/state\/north-carolina\/article263729833.html\">se encadenan<\/a> a las puertas principales de la oficina de Brasfield &amp; Gorrie en Charlotte, Carolina del Norte. En Atlanta, comienza la Cuarta Semana de Acci\u00f3n. Activistas <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/07\/23\/weelaunee-peoples-park-opening-and-ribbon-cutting-ceremony\/\">se re\u00fanen<\/a> en el lugar de las barricadas de hormig\u00f3n y colocan una pancarta en la que se lee \u201cParque Popular Weelaunee\u201d.<\/p>\n<p><strong>25 de julio:<\/strong> Las protestas <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/08\/18\/keith-johnson-eastern-regional-president-of-brassfield-gorrie-what-do-you-have-to-say-for-yourself\/\">tienen lugar<\/a> en casa de Keith Johnson, presidente regional de Brasfield &amp; Gorrie, y <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/08\/04\/forest-defenders-visit-brasfield-employee\/\">Jodye Ellen DiSario<\/a>, asistente ejecutiva de Brasfield &amp; Gorrie. Activistas llevan a cabo una <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/07\/27\/banner-drop-in-minneapolis-usa-in-solidarity-with-the-week-of-action-to-defend-the-weelaunee-forest\/\">colocaci\u00f3n de pancartas<\/a> en Minneapolis para apoyar la Semana de Acci\u00f3n. En el propio bosque, varias c\u00e1maras y un cami\u00f3n de trabajo <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/07\/25\/flock-security-vehicle-windows-smashed-scared-out-of-forest\/\">son objeto de actos vand\u00e1licos<\/a>; pertenecen a Flock Safety, entidad contratada para establecer infraestructuras de vigilancia en torno al bosque. La polic\u00eda y los entusiastas de la polic\u00eda afirman falsamente que los defensores del bosque han utilizado un arma de fuego contra los contratistas. En las semanas siguientes, todas las c\u00e1maras instaladas en la zona son objeto de repetidos actos de vandalismo hasta que Flock deja de instalar nuevas.<\/p>\n<p><strong>28 de julio:<\/strong> Comienza un <a href=\"https:\/\/crimethinc.com\/2022\/08\/09\/bajo-el-hormigon-el-bosque-relatos-de-la-defensa-del-bosque-de-atlanta\">festival de m\u00fasica aut\u00f3noma<\/a> de tres d\u00edas en el Parque Popular Weelaunee, que re\u00fane actuaciones indie, tecno, hip hop y hardcore punk. Unas 1.000 personas asisten a los actos, escuchan discursos, leen literatura y acampan en el territorio. En otros lugares, aparecen carteles de <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/07\/28\/dtf-flyers-wheatpasted-throughout-the-twin-cities\/\">Defender el Bosque<\/a> en las ciudades gemelas.<\/p>\n<p><strong>29 de julio:<\/strong> Se colocan pancartas en <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/07\/29\/orlando-usa-banner-drop-in-solidarity-with-forest-defenders\/\">Orlando, Florida<\/a> y <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/07\/29\/banner-drop-in-lenapehoking-in-solidarity-with-the-weelaunee-forest-defenders\/\">Brooklyn, Nueva York<\/a>. Una obra de Brasfield &amp; Gorrie en la intersecci\u00f3n de Hank Aaron Drive y Fulton Street es <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/09\/22\/brassfield-and-gorrie-work-site-demo-in-atlanta\/\">interrumpida<\/a> por 30-40 manifestantes que entran coreando. M\u00e1s tarde, la polic\u00eda detiene a 8 personas en la zona, alegando que estaban relacionados con el suceso.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet \" data-lang=\"en\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/UR_Ninja\/status\/1553951710585954307\">https:\/\/twitter.com\/UR_Ninja\/status\/1553951710585954307<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>30 de julio:<\/strong> Ryan Millsap y su socio Anthony Wayne James atacan el inicio del sendero del Parque Popular Weelaunee \/Intrenchment Creek Park. Una multitud se re\u00fane r\u00e1pidamente y <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/08\/02\/report-back-on-the-fight-between-milsap-dozer-cops-and-forest-defenders\/\">repele<\/a> Millsap, James y a los sheriffs del condado de Dekalb que han acudido a defenderles. Un cami\u00f3n y un remolque propiedad de Millsap son requisados y posteriormente quemados. Mientras tanto, en Filadelfia, las activistas hacen <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/07\/30\/philly-graffiti-in-solidarity-with-welaunee-forest\/\">pintadas<\/a> en apoyo del movimiento.<\/p>\n<p><strong>3 de agosto:<\/strong> Durante una operaci\u00f3n de varias agencias en el bosque y sus alrededores, se <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/08\/05\/georgia-power-truck-windows-smashed\/\">rompen<\/a> las ventanillas de un cami\u00f3n de Georgia Power. Georgia Power estaba proporcionando apoyo infraestructural a Eberly &amp; Associates y otras empresas que esperaban iniciar la pre-construcci\u00f3n de la Ciudad Policial.<\/p>\n<p><strong>4 de agosto:<\/strong> Se rompen <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/08\/04\/nebraska-atlas-technical-consultants-office-vandalized\/\">las ventanas<\/a> y se pinta el revestimiento de la oficina de Atlas Technical Consultants en Omaha, Nebraska.<\/p>\n<p><strong>5 de Agosto:<\/strong> Alta Vista, una filial de Atlas Technical Consultants, tiene sus ventanas <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/08\/05\/alta-vista-office-smashed-in-nyc\/\">rotas<\/a> en Manhattan, NYC.<\/p>\n<p><strong>24 de agosto:<\/strong> Activistas visitan la casa de Justin Rannick, <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/09\/21\/1303\/\">enfrent\u00e1ndose<\/a> a \u00e9l en la entrada de su casa. Rannick es director de divisi\u00f3n de Brasfield &amp; Gorrie y forma parte del consejo de la Fundaci\u00f3n de la Polic\u00eda de Atlanta. Manifestantes tambi\u00e9n <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/09\/22\/keith-johnson-had-his-dinner-interrupted\/\">visitan<\/a> de nuevo la casa de Keith Johnson. M\u00e1s tarde, la polic\u00eda para un coche y detiene a tres personas, acus\u00e1ndolas de participar en la protesta.<\/p>\n<p><strong>26 de agosto:<\/strong> Cuatro piezas de maquinaria pesada son <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/08\/26\/brassfield-gorrie-site-attacked\/\">inutilizadas<\/a> en una obra de Brasfield &amp; Gorrie en Ralph McGill Boulevard. \u201cStop Cop City\u201d est\u00e1 escrito con pintura roja.<\/p>\n<p><strong>8 de septiembre:<\/strong> \u201cVarias m\u00e1quinas de construcci\u00f3n\u201d almacenadas en un lugar adyacente a Intrenchment Creek Park en Key Road y Bouldercrest <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/09\/08\/construction-machinery-torched-in-the-atlanta-forest\/\">se incendian<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Principios de septiembre de 2022:<\/strong> Una excavadora <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/09\/14\/excavator-torched-at-michelle-obama-park\/\">se incendia<\/a> en la parcela de tierra actualmente propiedad de Blackhall\/Shadowbox situada en Bouldercrest Road. Esta parcela, que se llamar\u00e1 \u201cMichelle Obama Park\u201d, est\u00e1 programada para ser remodelada en un parque con el fin de facilitar el acuerdo de intercambio de tierras entre el Condado de Dekalb y Ryan Millsap.<\/p>\n<p><strong>25 de septiembre:<\/strong> Alguien <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/09\/25\/dear-m-miller-buttface-chairman-and-ceo-of-brasfield-buttface\/\">visita<\/a> la casa de Magnus Miller Gorrie, consejero delegado de Brasfield &amp; Gorrie. Sus veh\u00edculos de lujo son vandalizados con disolvente, mientras que su camino de entrada y una estatua en su patio son vandalizados con pintura rosa.<\/p>\n<p><strong>6 de octubre:<\/strong> Los empleados del Stake Center entran en el per\u00edmetro de la granja de la antigua prisi\u00f3n de Atlanta para inspeccionar el terreno y colocar estacas. Sus ventanas est\u00e1n <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/10\/06\/stake-center-twats-city-of-atl-assholes-ambushed-along-perimeter-of-south-atl-woods\/\">rotas<\/a> y sus neum\u00e1ticos rajados. Es la primera vez en varios meses que los trabajadores llegan al bosque sin escolta policial. No regresan.<\/p>\n<p><strong>18 de octubre:<\/strong> Varios veh\u00edculos de la polic\u00eda de Ypsilanti, en Michigan, son <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/10\/18\/1324\/\">pintados<\/a> con la leyenda \u201cNo Cop Cities\u201d. En Atlanta, un edificio auxiliar de los estudios Blackhall\/Shadowbox <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/10\/18\/shadowbox-blackhall-studios-set-aflame\/\">se incendia<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>24 de octubre:<\/strong> El abogado de Ryan Millsap <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/10\/26\/ryan-milsaps-attorney-wants-our-documents\/\">ataca<\/a> un sitio web, organizaciones y p\u00e1ginas asociadas al movimiento con una petici\u00f3n de documentos.<\/p>\n<p><strong>31 de octubre:<\/strong> Activistas <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/11\/01\/1347\/\">cuelgan una pancarta<\/a> en la Universidad Estatal de Florida en Tallahassee. Manifestantes <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/11\/06\/trick-or-treaters-leave-a-treat-at-atlas-ceo-lonnie-boyers-ugly-house\/\">visitan<\/a> la casa del CEO de Atlas Technical Consultants, Lonnie Joe Boyer, en Austin, Texas.<\/p>\n<p><strong>5 de noviembre:<\/strong> Alguien <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/11\/05\/we-cut-down-the-surveillance-camera-at-the-landfill-part-of-prison-farm\/\">corta<\/a> una c\u00e1mara de vigilancia que apuntaba al bosque desde un vertedero propiedad del gobierno.<\/p>\n<p><strong>8 de noviembre:<\/strong> Una gr\u00faa entra en el bosque intentando retirar los restos quemados del cami\u00f3n de Millsaps, que se ha convertido en una especie de monumento para el movimiento. La polic\u00eda no est\u00e1 dispuesta a escoltar al conductor en el bosque, y esta gr\u00faa tambi\u00e9n se quema. El conductor dice a los periodistas que estuvo \u201ca punto de quemarse vivo\u201d, lo que no es cierto.<\/p>\n<p><strong>11 de noviembre:<\/strong> Norfolk Southern, que apoya a la Fundaci\u00f3n de la Polic\u00eda de Atlanta, deja una excavadora junto al bosque de Weelaunee, que <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/11\/11\/ns-excavator-lit-on-fire-by-railroad-near-welaunee\/\">se incendia<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>19 de noviembre:<\/strong> \u201cMilitantes con motosierras\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/11\/23\/concerning-the-closure-of-apds-firing-range\/\">derriban algunos \u00e1rboles<\/a> en el bosque, bloqueando el acceso al campo de tiro de la polic\u00eda. Uno de los \u00e1rboles destruye un transformador el\u00e9ctrico, paralizando las instalaciones durante d\u00edas.<\/p>\n<p><strong>12 de diciembre:<\/strong> Sin pruebas, el subjefe de polic\u00eda de Atlanta, Carven Tyus, afirma que las defensoraas del bosque participaron en el <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fox5atlanta.com\/news\/eastside-parc-cop-city-fire-investigation\">incendio<\/a> de dos casas en construcci\u00f3n cerca del bosque, una acusaci\u00f3n de la que se hicieron eco las noticias locales.<\/p>\n<p><strong>13 de diciembre:<\/strong> La polic\u00eda y otros organismos hacen una redada en el bosque, acusando a cinco personas de terrorismo dom\u00e9stico, incluidas las que ocupaban los \u00e1rboles.<\/p>\n<p><strong>14 de diciembre:<\/strong> La polic\u00eda rodea la rueda de prensa posterior. Detienen a otra persona acusada de terrorismo dom\u00e9stico.<\/p>\n<p><strong>15 de diciembre:<\/strong> El banco Wells Fargo de San Francisco es <a href=\"https:\/\/www.indybay.org\/newsitems\/2022\/12\/15\/18853422.php\">vandalizado<\/a> por sus conexiones con la Fundaci\u00f3n de la Polic\u00eda de Atlanta y en solidaridad con los acusados de terrorismo.<\/p>\n<p><strong>16 de diciembre:<\/strong> en Oakland, California, alguien rompe los cristales de CEL, filial de Atlas Technical Consultants. En Atlanta, el gobierno del condado de Dekalb deniega por cuarta vez los permisos de alteraci\u00f3n del suelo para la Ciudad Policial.<\/p>\n<p><strong>17 de diciembre:<\/strong> Casi 200 personas marchan en East Atlanta Village en solidaridad con las personas detenidas, declarando su determinaci\u00f3n de seguir luchando contra la destrucci\u00f3n del bosque.<\/p>\n<p><strong>21 de diciembre:<\/strong> Trabajadores de la construcci\u00f3n al servicio de Ryan Millsap vuelcan la marquesina del Parque Popular Weelaunee y destruyen parte del carril bici pavimentado.<\/p>\n<p><strong>22 de diciembre:<\/strong> Trabajadores derriban m\u00e1s \u00e1rboles en ICP antes de que un peque\u00f1o grupo de vecinos los ahuyente junto con su seguridad.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Finales de diciembre:<\/strong> Todas las ma\u00f1anas, a partir de las 7:30, se celebra una concentraci\u00f3n con desayuno y caf\u00e9 en el Parque Popular Weelaunee. Los grupos se re\u00fanen para observar la zona en caso de que los trabajadores de la construcci\u00f3n o la polic\u00eda lleguen en masa.<\/p>\n<p><strong>31 de diciembre:<\/strong> Cientos de personas se re\u00fanen en el Parque Popular Weelaunee para celebrar una fiesta en el bosque en Nochevieja.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>1 de enero de 2023:<\/strong> Alguien prende fuego a una sucursal del Banco de America en Portland (Oreg\u00f3n) y publica un comunicado an\u00f3nimo en el que expresa su solidaridad con los detenidos en Atlanta, citando la financiaci\u00f3n del APF por parte del Banco de America. La sucursal bancaria se cierra definitivamente.<\/p>\n<p><strong>3 de enero:<\/strong> Un juez <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ajc.com\/neighborhoods\/dekalb\/injunction-denied-near-cop-city-site-but-stop-work-order-in-place\/WQ746FA6NZFRFEI7YAMPEJJ67E\/\">falla en contra<\/a> del recurso de amparo contra Millsap, declarando infundadamente que los y las manifestantes son \u201cm\u00e1s destructivos\u201d para el bosque que la propia demolici\u00f3n de \u00e1rboles e infraestructuras del parque.<\/p>\n<p><strong>14 de enero:<\/strong> Una manifestaci\u00f3n nocturna tiene lugar en Palmetto Bay, Florida, en la <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2023\/02\/13\/palmetto-bay-noise-demo\/\">casa<\/a> de Michael Peters, Vicepresidente y Director de Divisi\u00f3n de Brasfield and Gorrie.<\/p>\n<p><strong>15 de enero:<\/strong> Vecinos <a href=\"https:\/\/unoffensiveanimal.is\/2023\/01\/18\/pissed-off-locals-sabotage-logging-trucks-in-solidarity-with-the-atlanta-forest\/\">sabotean<\/a> camiones madereros en Ozarks en solidaridad con el movimiento.<\/p>\n<p><strong>18 de enero:<\/strong> La polic\u00eda de Atlanta y Dekalb, la Oficina de Investigaciones de Georgia, el Departamento de Seguridad Nacional y la Patrulla Estatal de Georgia invaden el bosque en una operaci\u00f3n armada a gran escala. A las 9:04 am, los oficiales de la Patrulla Estatal de Georgia disparan aproximadamente 40 tiros consecutivos, matando a Manuel Ter\u00e1n, un anarquista queer e ind\u00edgena venezolano conocido en el bosque como Tortuguita. La polic\u00eda destruye la infraestructura del campamento y detiene a varias personas m\u00e1s, acus\u00e1ndolas indiscriminadamente de terrorismo. Cientos de personas asisten a una concentraci\u00f3n posterior en Little 5 Points; algunos arrastran barricadas a la calle y arrojan escombros a un coche de polic\u00eda. Nicole Morado, del Comit\u00e9 Consultivo de Partes Interesadas de la Comunidad <a href=\"https:\/\/saportareport.com\/training-center-permit-challenged-by-its-own-review-committee-member-another-quits-over-protester-killing\/sections\/reports\/johnruch\/\">dimite<\/a> al enterarse de la muerte de Tortuguita.<\/p>\n<p><strong>19 de enero:<\/strong> Durante los d\u00edas siguientes, se anuncian concentraciones en memoria de Manuel Ter\u00e1n en decenas de lugares de Estados Unidos. Un grupo <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2023\/01\/19\/mpls-forest-creatures-descend-on-the-atlas-office\/\">irrumpe en las oficinas<\/a> de Atlas Technical Consultants en Minneapolis, exigiendo que abandonen Brasfield &amp; Gorrie.<\/p>\n<p><strong>20 de enero:<\/strong> Cientos de personas se re\u00fanen en el Parque Popular Weelaunee para celebrar otra concentraci\u00f3n. Media docena de polic\u00edas encubiertos intentan infiltrarse entre la multitud. Polic\u00edas antidisturbios se apostan en las inmediaciones. Expertos de derechas extienden el miedo sobre un post de un comentarista an\u00f3nimo on-line que llama a una \u201cNoche de Furia\u201d.<\/p>\n<p><strong>21 de enero:<\/strong> 300 personas se re\u00fanen en Underground Atlanta, en el centro de la ciudad. Aproximadamente la mitad de la multitud forma un Black Bloc y comienza a marchar hacia el norte por Peachtree Street. Se rompen cristales de Wells Fargo, Truist Bank y la sede de la Fundaci\u00f3n de la Polic\u00eda de Atlanta. Dos veh\u00edculos de la polic\u00eda de Atlanta son objeto de vandalismo y uno de ellos es incendiado. Las acciones se dirigen contra los bancos y contratistas que trabajan con la Police Foundation en <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2023\/01\/21\/chicago-abolitionists-shut-down-bank-of-america-atm-by-gluing-access-points\/\">Chicago<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2023\/01\/21\/vengeance-from-oakland-viva-tortuguita\/\">Oakland<\/a> y otros lugares.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/11.jpg\" \/><figcaption>Un coche de polic\u00eda en llamas en el centro de Atlanta la noche del 21 de enero de 2023.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>22 de enero:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2023\/01\/22\/reporting-from-nyc\/\">Ventanas rotas<\/a> en Atlas Technical Consultants en Nueva York.<\/p>\n<p><strong>23 de enero:<\/strong> Manifestantes en <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2023\/01\/22\/reporting-from-nyc\/\">Filadelfia<\/a> rompen ventanas y bloquean calles. Saboteadores en Portland <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2023\/01\/23\/fire-to-the-earth-destroyers\/\">inutilizan una excavadora<\/a>. En <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2023\/01\/30\/march-vigil-in-vancouver-canada\/\">Vancouver (Canad\u00e1)<\/a> manifestantes bloquean el tr\u00e1fico.<\/p>\n<p><strong>24 de enero:<\/strong> Una oficina de KPMG, donante del APF, es objeto de actos vand\u00e1licos en <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2023\/01\/24\/kpmg-office-vandalized-in-boulder\/\">Boulder<\/a>. Tambi\u00e9n es atacada la oficina de Atlas Technical en <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2023\/01\/24\/atlas-offices-redecorated-in-novi\/\">Detroit<\/a>. En una Wells Fargo de <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2023\/01\/26\/durham-wells-fargo-tagged\/\">Durham<\/a> pintan \u201cStop Cop City\u201d. En Milwaukie, Oreg\u00f3n, los manifestantes <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2023\/01\/27\/forest-creatures-in-milwaukie-or-descend-on-cushman-wakefield-office\/\">piquetean las oficinas de Cushman &amp; Wakefield<\/a>, exigiendo que John O\u2019Neill III, uno de sus ejecutivos y miembro del APF, cancele la Ciudad Policial.<\/p>\n<p><strong>25 de enero:<\/strong> Alta Vista, filial de Atlas Technical, es <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2023\/01\/26\/alta-vista-office-attacked-in-lenapehoking\/\">objeto de actos vand\u00e1licos<\/a> en Nueva York.<\/p>\n<p><strong>28 de enero:<\/strong> Unas 100 personas se manifiestan ante la oficina de <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2023\/02\/02\/tortiguita-mourned-in-ann-arbor-cars-painted-and-tires-slashed\/\">Ann Arbor Merril Lynch<\/a>. Alrededor de 40 veh\u00edculos de lujo Porsche nuevos son destrozados por manifestantes por su relaci\u00f3n con la Fundaci\u00f3n de la Polic\u00eda de Atlanta.<\/p>\n<p><strong>29 de enero:<\/strong> Las oficinas de US Bank y Wells Fargo en <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2023\/01\/30\/us-bank-and-wells-fargo-smashed-for-tortuguita-and-tyre-nichols\/\">Minneapolis<\/a> son atacadas en memoria de Tortuguita y Tyre Nichols.<\/p>\n<p><strong>30 de enero:<\/strong> Se rompen ventanas en la oficina de <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2023\/02\/09\/atlas-office-targeted-in-fridley-minnesota\/\">Fridley (Minnesota)<\/a>, oficina t\u00e9cnica de Atlas. El gobierno de la ciudad de Atlanta y el director general del condado de Dekalb, Michael Thurmond, <a href=\"https:\/\/saportareport.com\/dekalb-issues-land-disturbance-permit-for-training-center-commissioner-may-appeal\/sections\/reports\/johnruch\/\">aprueban el permiso de alteraci\u00f3n del terreno para la<\/a> Ciudad Policial. Cruceros policiales rodean a los manifestantes y a los medios de comunicaci\u00f3n, que se quedan fuera del anuncio.<\/p>\n<p><strong>31 de enero:<\/strong> En <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2023\/02\/01\/atlas-office-attacked-with-powerful-stench-agent\/\">Highland, Indiana<\/a>, se rompen \u201ctodas las ventanas y puertas de cristal\u201d de Atlas Technical Consultants y se lanza una bomba f\u00e9tida al interior. Tambi\u00e9n son objeto de vandalismo seis veh\u00edculos pertenecientes a la empresa. M\u00e1s de 1.300 grupos ecologistas <a href=\"https:\/\/truthout.org\/articles\/1300-social-justice-groups-demand-atlanta-mayor-resign-over-tortuguitas-death\/\">firman una declaraci\u00f3n<\/a> exigiendo la dimisi\u00f3n del alcalde Dickens.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/26.jpg\" \/><figcaption>Pintada en Ciudad de M\u00e9xico con la leyenda \u201cPor el bosque y la tierra-Tortuguita <em>presente!<\/em>\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>2 de febrero:<\/strong> Una <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wabe.org\/private-autopsy-shows-officers-shot-cop-city-activist-at-least-13-times-attorneys-say\/\">autopsia privada<\/a> encargada por la familia de Tortuguita revela que varios agentes diferentes dispararon a Tortuguita al menos 13 veces. La estaci\u00f3n de carga Rivian y los camiones de reparto de Amazon son objeto de vandalismo en <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2023\/02\/14\/attack-on-amazon-delivery-vehicles-in-brooklyn-ny-in-solidarity-with-atl-forest\/\">Brooklyn, Nueva York<\/a> en solidaridad con los defensores de los bosques de Atlanta. Alrededor de 150 agentes de polic\u00eda vigilan y rodean a 12 manifestantes frente a la oficina de <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wrbl.com\/news\/local-news\/columbus\/mayor-skip-henderson-comments-on-fridays-scheduled-community-rally-in-columbus\/\">Columbus, Georgia Brasfield &amp; Gorrie<\/a>, que se concentran pac\u00edficamente y sin incidentes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>4 de febrero:<\/strong> Se rompen cristales y se pintan lemas en una sucursal de Wells Fargo de <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2023\/02\/04\/tortuguita-solidarity-action-in-denver\/\">Denver (Colorado)<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>5 de febrero:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/defendtheatlantaforest.org\/2023\/02\/06\/atlanta-healthcare-workers-demand-emory-cut-ties-to-apf\/\">M\u00e1s de 100 estudiantes y profesores<\/a> de la Universidad de Emory exigen la dimisi\u00f3n de la Dra. Claire Sterk de la Fundaci\u00f3n de la Polic\u00eda de Atlanta.<\/p>\n<p><strong>6 de febrero:<\/strong> Quality Glass Co. anuncia que ha <a href=\"https:\/\/www.srycampaign.org\/2023\/02\/06\/quality-glass-co-drops-bg\/\">roto todos sus lazos profesionales<\/a> con Brasfield &amp; Gorrie. En un sorprendente giro del destino, Amy Taylor, del Comit\u00e9 Consultivo de la Comunidad de Partes Interesadas, <a href=\"https:\/\/saportareport.com\/dekalb-issues-land-disturbance-permit-for-training-center-commissioner-may-appeal\/sections\/reports\/johnruch\/\">presenta un recurso<\/a> contra el permiso de alteraci\u00f3n del suelo de la Ciudad Policial.<\/p>\n<p><strong>9 de febrero:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2023\/02\/09\/windows-smashed-at-atlas-office-in-augusta\/\">Se rompen ventanas<\/a> en la oficina t\u00e9cnica Atlas de Augusta (Georgia). Una feria de reclutamiento militar y carreras corporativas es <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2023\/02\/13\/anti-military-protest-in-ann-arbor-michigan\/\">interrumpida por manifestantes<\/a> en la Universidad de Michigan. La Dra. Claire Sterk dimite de la Fundaci\u00f3n de la Polic\u00eda de Atlanta. Tres miembros del Congreso, las representantes Rashida Tlaib y Cori Bush y el senador Ed Markey, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2023\/feb\/09\/cop-city-opposition-georgia\">se hacen eco de las peticiones<\/a> de una investigaci\u00f3n independiente sobre la muerte de Tortuguita.<\/p>\n<p><strong>10 de febrero:<\/strong> Cuatro camiones de Atlas son <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2023\/02\/10\/columbia-atlas-trucks-immobilized\/\">inmovilizados<\/a> en una oficina de Atlas en Columbia, Carolina del Sur. Se inutilizan <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2023\/02\/10\/5-bank-of-america-atms-sabotaged-in-berkeley\/\">cinco cajeros autom\u00e1ticos<\/a> en dos locales del Bank of America de Berkeley. Unos 150 estudiantes <a href=\"https:\/\/itsgoingdown.org\/georgia-tech-students-rally-and-march-against-cop-city-in-atlanta-ga\/\">marchan por el campus de Georgia Tech<\/a>, intentando asaltar repetidamente los edificios de la administraci\u00f3n y el centro de estudiantes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>13 de febrero:<\/strong> El Consejo Editorial de <em>Emory Wheel<\/em>, el medio de comunicaci\u00f3n oficial de la Universidad de Emory, <a href=\"https:\/\/emorywheel.com\/cop-city-outrage-unites-our-community-as-emory-administration-does-nothing\/\">denuncia la Ciudad Policial<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>14 de febrero:<\/strong> Los estudiantes de la AUC <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidehighered.com\/news\/2023\/02\/14\/hbcu-students-faculty-denounce-cop-city\">interrumpen<\/a> un acto en el campus para denunciar la Ciudad Policial. El 20% del profesorado del Morehouse College redacta una <a href=\"https:\/\/defendtheatlantaforest.org\/2023\/02\/06\/morehouse-college-faculty-letter\/\">carta abierta<\/a> denunciando el proyecto. Alex Joseph, de la Junta de \u00c9tica del condado de Dekalb, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AlexJosephATL\/status\/1625607567329075208\">dimite<\/a>, alegando su objeci\u00f3n a las \u201creuniones a puerta cerrada\u201d. Otras dos personas siguen su ejemplo.<\/p>\n<p><strong>17 de febrero:<\/strong> Pintan con spray una sucursal del Banco de America en <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2023\/02\/20\/action-against-bank-of-america-stop-cop-city\/\">el condado de Sonoma, California<\/a>. El tribunal del condado de Dekalb deniega un recurso de paralizaci\u00f3n de obras presentado en relaci\u00f3n con la granja de la <a href=\"https:\/\/decaturish.com\/2023\/02\/judge-denies-request-for-restraining-order-to-stop-cop-city-construction\/\">antigua prisi\u00f3n de Atlanta<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>18 de febrero:<\/strong> Se producen protestas frente a las casas de <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.org\/details\/dc-stop-cop-city-home-demos-2-18-2023-540p\">Washington, DC<\/a> de ambos senadores de Georgia.<\/p>\n<p><strong>19 de febrero:<\/strong> Tres piezas de <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2023\/02\/19\/3-machines-burned-in-honor-of-tortuguita-to-defend-weelaunee\/\">maquinaria pesada<\/a> son incendiadas en Weelaunee Forest, a pesar de la amplia protecci\u00f3n policial.<\/p>\n<p><strong>19-26 de febrero:<\/strong> Se celebra una \u201cSemana de Solidaridad\u201d con el movimiento Stop Cop City\/Defendamos el Bosque. Se celebran acciones, concentraciones, recaudaciones de fondos, fiestas y conciertos en al menos 38 ciudades.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Finales de febrero:<\/strong> Decenas de veh\u00edculos policiales estacionan las 24 horas del d\u00eda en el per\u00edmetro de la granja de la antigua prisi\u00f3n de Atlanta. Los focos apuntan directamente a los \u00e1rboles. La empresa Brent Scarborough tala la maleza, coloca grava en el interior de la puerta norte de Key Road y coloca vallas para controlar la erosi\u00f3n.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"portrait\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/31.jpg\" \/><figcaption>Una pancarta de apoyo al movimiento de defensa del bosque, avistada en el Caribe en febrero de 2023.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>[:en]<em>The campaign to <a href=\"https:\/\/crimethinc.com\/2022\/04\/11\/the-city-in-the-forest-reinventing-resistance-for-an-age-of-ecological-collapse-and-police-militarization\">defend the forest<\/a> in Atlanta, Georgia has become one of the most vibrant movements of the post-Trump era, interweaving environmentalism, abolitionism, and the fight against gentrification. Yet as police shift to employing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/article\/activism\/cop-city-deadly-police-violence\/\">lethal violence<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/saportareport.com\/apd-official-reveals-12-arrested-in-protest-raids-describes-use-of-terrorism-charges\/sections\/reports\/johnruch\/\">indiscriminate terrorism charges<\/a>, it has reached a critical juncture. Participants explore how this struggle has developed over the past year, reflecting on the practices that have given it strength and analyzing the challenges before it.<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h1 id=\"the-stakes-of-the-fight\">The Stakes of the Fight<\/h1>\n<p>Our society is at a crisis point. Decades of escalating economic pressure have created rampant inequality and desperation. Rather than addressing the root causes of these, politicians across the political spectrum continue channeling more and more money to police, relying on them to suppress unrest by force alone. This dependance has enabled police departments and their allies to consume a vast amount of public resources. Meanwhile, driven by the same economic pressures, catastrophic climate change is generating hurricanes, forest fires, droughts, and widespread ecological collapse.<\/p>\n<p>In this context, starting in April 2021, a <a href=\"https:\/\/defendtheatlantaforest.org\/\">bold movement<\/a> set out to defend a forest in Atlanta, Georgia, where local politicians and corporate profiteers want to build a police training compound and a soundstage for the film industry. The training compound, known as Cop City, would be the largest police training facility in the United States. It would devastate the South River Forest, also known as Weelaunee Forest in honor of the Muscogee Creek people who lived there until they were deported in the Trail of Tears.<\/p>\n<p>The movement to defend the Weelaunee Forest has drawn together a wide range of groups and strategies. Legal defense organizations like the South River Forest Coalition, which is bringing a lawsuit against the Dekalb County government, work parallel to groups like the SRY Campaign, an anonymous collective of researchers who publicize the home and office addresses of those who seek to destroy the forest. While abolitionists and radical environmentalists have established encampments and tree houses in the forest, a network of pre-schools and parents has built community gardens and hosted public outreach events. Still others have <a href=\"https:\/\/ra.co\/features\/4058\">organized raves<\/a> and cultural events in the forest, connecting the most ambitious artists with the <a href=\"https:\/\/crimethinc.com\/2022\/08\/09\/beneath-the-concrete-the-forest-accounts-from-the-defense-of-the-atlanta-forest\">irrepressible spirit<\/a> of the movement.<\/p>\n<p>Among those who wish to see Cop City built are the Atlanta Police Foundation (APF), mayor Andre Dickens, and the various corporations that stand to profit on the development. At the same time, thanks to a back-room deal with the city government, real estate mogul and film industry executive Ryan Millsap is preparing to destroy a public park on an adjacent land parcel within the same forest.<\/p>\n<p><!--more-->Behind the scenes, Cop City has the support of the Atlanta Committee for Progress, a business association involving the region\u2019s most powerful industrial and bureaucratic cliques. Alex Taylor, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.atlantamagazine.com\/great-reads\/the-birds-stopped-singing-inside-the-battle-for-atlantas-south-river-forest\/\">former chairman<\/a>, is also the acting president of Cox Enterprises, which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2023\/jan\/21\/protester-killed-georgia-cop-city-police-shooting\">owns<\/a> various Atlanta media outlets and is among the <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/darcatl\/status\/1429208980384108548\">leading funders<\/a> of the Atlanta Police Foundation. In order to create a veneer of democratic process and local support, the APF and their supporters have contrived the Community Stakeholders Advisory Committee (CSAC), comprised of members of the Police Foundation and a few residents of Southwest Dekalb. When one of the initial members of CSAC spoke out against the project, she <a href=\"https:\/\/saportareport.com\/city-hall-in-confusion-over-training-center-advisory-committee-vacancies-and-administration\/columnists\/johnruch\/\">was removed<\/a> from her position.<\/p>\n<p>These are the forces that are facing off over the forest. On one side, some of the wealthiest and most institutionally powerful figures in the state of Georgia. On the other, a network of local activists and their friends.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/20.jpg\" \/><figcaption>Demonstrators in downtown Atlanta on January 21, 2023.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<hr \/>\n<p>During the <a href=\"https:\/\/crimethinc.com\/2020\/06\/17\/snapshots-from-the-uprising-accounts-from-three-weeks-of-countrywide-revolt\">George Floyd rebellion<\/a> of 2020, for the first time, it became possible to speak of police abolition as a viable proposal about how to break the cycle of violence that poverty and police militarization impose on our communities. Yet every effort to \u201cdefund the police\u201d via institutional means reached a dead end. Under Joe Biden, the Democratic Party has doubled down on unconditional support for police. If there is any hope of limiting the continuous expansion of police infrastructure and state violence, grassroots movements and direct action will have to show the way.<\/p>\n<p>The same goes double for climate change. At this point, practically everyone agrees that humanity is on a collision course with ecological disaster, but institutional efforts to address the situation have accomplished precious little. The movement to defend the forest in Atlanta offers a glimpse of what it would take to defend our communities from the unbridled profiteering and <a href=\"https:\/\/crimethinc.com\/2023\/01\/19\/the-defense-of-lutzerath-a-photoessay-and-poster-documenting-ecological-destruction-and-resistance\">repression<\/a> that are forcing this catastrophe on all of us.<\/p>\n<p>The Atlanta forest has become a flashpoint in both of these fights. With stakes this high, it is easy to see why people on both sides are dedicating so much energy to this conflict.<\/p>\n<p>After two years of simmering conflict, the situation is escalating. Starting in December, the police began bringing terrorism charges against almost every activist they arrest, citing being in the forest and posting on social media as sufficient grounds. On January 18, Georgia State Patrol Officers <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/atlanta\/news\/family-of-manuel-teran-demands-gbi-release-info-on-deadly-police-shooting\/\">killed<\/a> Manuel Ter\u00e1n, known in the forest as Tortuguita. Tortuguita had been living under siege for almost a year as a beloved part of the small community dwelling in the encampments.<\/p>\n<p>While the authorities seek to crush the movement by any means, solidarity efforts are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.anarchistfederation.net\/how-you-can-help-stop-cop-city\/\">springing up across the world<\/a>. Forest defenders in Atlanta are planning another Week of Action from <a href=\"https:\/\/defendtheatlantaforest.org\/2023\/02\/16\/pressure-mounts-against-cop-city\/\">March 4 to 11<\/a>, inviting everyone to join them.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p class=\"darkgreen\"><em>The following text was drafted by heartbroken people in crowded rooms, receiving phone calls and text messages day and night. We offer this humble contribution in the midst of grief and horror at the killing of Tortuguita. We hope to pass on memories and analysis from the fight that Tortuguita joined in April 2022.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"darkgreen\"><em>To support the arrestees, donate <a href=\"https:\/\/atlsolidarity.org\/\">here<\/a>. For background on the movement and the strategies that participants employed from its inception through March 2022, read \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/crimethinc.com\/2022\/04\/11\/the-city-in-the-forest-reinventing-resistance-for-an-age-of-ecological-collapse-and-police-militarization\">The City in the Forest<\/a>.\u201d We\u2019ve also prepared a poster that you can use to promote the struggle on the walls of your own community.<\/em><\/p>\n<figure class=\"portrait\"><a href=\"https:\/\/crimethinc.com\/posters\/defend-the-forest\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/6.jpg\" \/> <\/a><figcaption>Click on the image to download <a href=\"https:\/\/crimethinc.com\/posters\/defend-the-forest\">the poster<\/a>. Artwork courtesy of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/breakaway_____\/\">Breakaway<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<hr \/>\n<h1 id=\"taking-the-initiative\">Taking the Initiative<\/h1>\n<p>At the end of January 2022, as described in <a href=\"https:\/\/crimethinc.com\/2022\/04\/11\/the-city-in-the-forest-reinventing-resistance-for-an-age-of-ecological-collapse-and-police-militarization\">a previous essay<\/a>, it seemed almost impossible to slow the pace of the preparations for construction that Reeves+Young and their subcontractor Long Engineering were carrying out. Neither small group actions nor larger protests had succeeded in delaying the soil boring and sampling at the Old Atlanta Prison Farm. The segments of the movement that had previously sought to sway City Council were in disarray, while activists oriented towards <a href=\"https:\/\/crimethinc.com\/2017\/03\/14\/direct-action-guide\">direct action<\/a> were still seeking the leverage they needed.<\/p>\n<p>On March 1, 2022, an anonymous group poured bleach into the engines of five vehicles belonging to Long Engineering. According to an online statement, this action was intended to impose consequences for their participation in \u201cpre-construction\u201d efforts in the forest. On March 19, six machines owned by Reeves+Young, including two excavators, were reportedly destroyed by saboteurs in the Flowery Branch suburb. On April 9, a <a href=\"https:\/\/srycampaign.org\/\">website<\/a> appeared listing the names and home addresses of executives in Reeves+Young. This came just a few days after independent researchers discovered that Brasfield &amp; Gorrie had been contracted to build Cop City. It is rare for more than one general contractor to oversee projects like this. What was happening behind closed doors was confusing; the only thing that was clear was that the forest destroyers were moving forward and nothing was stopping them.<\/p>\n<p>And then, unexpectedly and without explanation, Reeves+Young dropped the contract. Seeking to control the narrative, the Police Foundation claimed that the work Reeves+Young had been contracted for was complete and they were no longer on the project. At the time, however, Reeves+Young had hardly done any work. They had sent a representative to escort a subcontractor into the forest a few times, but the surveyor flags and stakes that they had placed had been removed overnight.<\/p>\n<p>They probably did not withdraw as a consequence of the accumulation of actions, nor as the result of any particular action. More likely, it was the feeling that things could go in any direction, that the future of the project could not be predicted, nor the costs reliably calculated.<\/p>\n<p>The entire movement interpreted this as a win. With this small victory, a new period of resistance opened up.<\/p>\n<h1 id=\"the-spring-was-ours\">The Spring Was Ours<\/h1>\n<p>A frenzy of activity followed. Mass meetings, canvassing efforts, media interviews, and sabotage all increased in frequency and focus. Many movements and organizers rely on repression or fear to mobilize supporters; activists defending the forest in Atlanta have sought to maintain a <a href=\"https:\/\/territories.substack.com\/p\/i-believe-that-we-will-win\">positive<\/a> and proactive attitude throughout, highlighting confidence and goals even in the face of setbacks, aiming to foster ambitious, solution-oriented mentalities and proposals.<\/p>\n<p>At the end of April, police began scoping out the forest, making half-hearted incursions into the Old Atlanta Prison Farm North Gate on a few occasions. Sometimes these went unnoticed or ignored; occasionally, activists repelled them with stones. Nobody was sure how the situation would develop for those camping in the forest.<\/p>\n<p>Organizers announced a third Week of Action for the second week of May 2022. It seemed likely to bring many more people into the movement than the previous weeks of action. In the lead-up, local organizers began to promote a summit with the Muscogee (Creek) communities in Oklahoma. Building on the Stomp Dance <a href=\"https:\/\/crimethinc.com\/2022\/04\/11\/the-city-in-the-forest-reinventing-resistance-for-an-age-of-ecological-collapse-and-police-militarization#stomp-dance\">ceremony<\/a> of November 2021, this was a chance to hear from elders, <a href=\"https:\/\/markauslander.com\/2022\/04\/26\/songs-of-the-forest-a-re-matriation-gathering-in-weelaunee-south-river-forest\/\">historians<\/a>, and activists. A local radio station came to broadcast the presentations live on the air. Several preschools attended the summit along with students, faculty, and parents.<\/p>\n<p>Tying together different narratives, ways of understanding, and <a href=\"https:\/\/millennialsarekillingcapitalism.libsyn.com\/multiple-grammars-of-struggle-to-defend-the-atlanta-forest-and-stop-cop-city\">forms of knowledge<\/a> has been a strength of the movement from the beginning. Rather than combining efforts in the name of efficiency, different groups perform the same tasks, reproducing similar infrastructures, efforts, and events. Sometimes, this is intentional, sometimes not. This has created resiliency in the movement, ensuring that power is distributed across many people and projects rather than aggregating in a few hands. When one group burns out, faces repression, loses steam, or slows down, other sections of the movement pick up the slack. The different attitudes, aesthetics, and styles of organizing that comprise this movement are incommensurable, sometimes even mutually unintelligible, but this has made the movement stronger, like the proverbial many-headed hydra.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/9.jpg\" \/><figcaption>A banner describing the relationship of the Muscogee Creek and Cherokee peoples to the land.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h1 id=\"third-week-of-action-may-2022\">Third Week of Action (May 2022)<\/h1>\n<p>The third Week of Action marked the threshold between one phase and another\u2014no less than when the Atlanta City Council had passed the Cop City ordinance at an earlier <a href=\"https:\/\/crimethinc.com\/2022\/04\/11\/the-city-in-the-forest-reinventing-resistance-for-an-age-of-ecological-collapse-and-police-militarization\">decisive moment<\/a> in fall 2021.<\/p>\n<p>Starting on May 8, 2022, hundreds of people poured into the forest: anarchists, environmentalists, abolitionists, and other direct action-oriented groups bringing tents, hammocks, sleeping bags, and food. Some arrived prepared to operate a field kitchen. Small encampments emerged everywhere, some adopting names for themselves. Clusters of tents and canopies appeared in a patchwork on both sides of the South River\u2014some organized by affinity group, others by chance. It is difficult to take a head count in the forest, as the opponents of the movement have probably also noticed. The kitchen crews estimated that a minimum of 200 people were sleeping in the forest at night; on some days, considerably more people joined the occupation.<\/p>\n<p>The forest remained family-friendly; kids were present in the forest every day of the week, receiving guided tours, making art, or directing their own time under the care of community members. But this was not your standard protest encampment. Many of the participants wore balaclavas. They arrived prepared to take direct action against the Police Foundation and its affiliates, aiming to shift the balance of power.<\/p>\n<p>On the first day of the Week of Action, May 9, forest defenders awoke to the sound of falling trees. At the behest of Ryan Millsap, a small construction crew and a group of Dekalb County Sheriffs working as private security were making their way into the tree line from the Radio Control (\u201cRC\u201d) club on the southeast side of Intrenchment Creek Park. A number of determined people responded immediately, repelling the bulldozers with a few stones before linking arms and chanting \u201cmove back\u201d in unison at the police officers further afield. One courageous person approached an officer and explained to him that the construction crew was engaging in illegal activity. Later, Dekalb County issued a \u201cStop Work\u201d order, ostensibly following a flurry of calls by lawyers and neighborhood groups tipping them off about the illegal work.<\/p>\n<p>In the following days, amid assemblies, workshops, shared meals, mushroom walks, and informal socializing, those gathered for the week of action endeavored to make the Weelaunee Forest into a cop-free zone. Whenever officers approached the area, venturing into the parking lot or parking their vehicles nearby, activists confronted them. In some instances, several dozen people descended from multiple sides of the forest, rushing police vehicles, slashing tires, smashing windows, throwing rocks.<\/p>\n<p>No one was arrested or injured in these confrontations. They did not disproportionately shape the atmosphere in the forest, either. There was plenty of space in which anyone with objections to or concerns about this kind of action could be confident that they would not be caught in a confrontation. The third Week of Action created a space in which people of many different temperaments and strategies could coexist.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/10.jpg\" \/><\/figure>\n<h1 id=\"hell-is-empty-all-the-devils-are-here\">Hell is Empty, All the Devils Are Here<\/h1>\n<p>At the same time, actions targeting the bureaucrats and executives overseeing the destruction of the forest began in earnest. These actions highlighted the forces responsible for Cop City. They are driven by <a href=\"https:\/\/crimethinc.com\/2000\/06\/02\/do-you-have-ideas-or-do-ideas-have-you\">abstractions<\/a>, victims of a competitive system pitting humanity against all living things. But they are also human beings.<\/p>\n<p>On May 9, several dozen people marched to the suburban home of Shepherd Long, the CEO of Long Engineering, a subsidiary of Atlas Technical Consultants and a subcontractor of Brasfield &amp; Gorrie. This was the first of several such actions during the Third Week of Action.<\/p>\n<p>On May 11, a small crowd gathered outside the suburban home of Keith Johnson, regional President of Brasfield &amp; Gorrie. Protesters scaled the fence and banged on drums early in the morning, chanting \u201cDrop the contract!\u201d Johnson is invested with the authority to make decisions for Brasfield &amp; Gorrie\u2014and he is compensated handsomely for this responsibility, judging by the size and location of his multi-house estate.<\/p>\n<p>Brasfield &amp; Gorrie is one of the largest construction general contractors in the Southeast. They are based out of Birmingham, Alabama, but they have offices throughout the Southeast, including one in the northwest periphery of Atlanta, next to the Atlanta Braves stadium, in a district known as \u201cThe Battery.\u201d This part of the city, a pseudo-neighborhood recently invented by developers, offers a farcical imitation of urban life. Fast food restaurants, luxury condominiums, corporate hotels, and gas stations fill the area, punctuated by parking lots and storage units. There had never been a protest there, not even in 2020 during the George Floyd rebellion.<\/p>\n<p>On May 12, around 80 people in hoodies and camouflage descended on the Brasfield &amp; Gorrie regional office in The Battery. Demonstrators chanted \u201cStop Cop City\u201d while some in the crowd painted graffiti and shot fireworks at the fa\u00e7ade of the building. After breaching the lawn of the facility, a few determined people began throwing paint balloons and stones at the building, cracking the plate glass windows. Others continued lobbing fireworks. After several minutes, the crowd dispersed into the surrounding streets.<\/p>\n<p>Within a few minutes, police cars encircled the area, pulling over cars and snatching pedestrians off the street. Some people were detained in nearby strip malls and gas stations. In the hours that followed, Cobb County police harassed and intimidated anyone wearing black or \u201calternative\u201d clothing. By the end of the day, police had arrested five people they claim participated in the action against Brasfield &amp; Gorrie. All were charged with felonies including \u201cRioting\u201d and \u201cCriminal Damage to Property.\u201d At the time, this was the most serious repression the movement had faced. News coverage of the demonstration spread within left-wing \u201cinfospheres\u201d and algorithmically constructed \u201cecho chambers.\u201d In the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mdjonline.com\/news\/police_fire\/cop-city-protesters-vandalize-cumberland-office\/article_0aa57230-d224-11ec-9f88-270b47f6fc2b.html\">press release<\/a> that followed, Brasfield &amp; Gorrie confirmed for the first time what activists had already known: they were participating in the construction of Cop City.<\/p>\n<p>The following morning, in the very early hours, several people in white coveralls <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsbtv.com\/news\/local\/atlanta\/new-surveillance-video-released-showing-suspects-accused-vandalism-tied-cop-city-project\/ZFFSQZXJGVBPLEHQ646ZHX7PNI\/\">vandalized the Brasfield &amp; Gorrie corporate headquarters<\/a> in Birmingham, Alabama. Video released by the company showed the group painting slogans, throwing rocks, and using blunt objects to smash glass doors and windows. News of this action reached the encampment in Atlanta many hours later, when an online claim of responsibility was read aloud to a large crowd around a campfire\u2014offsetting the demoralization some may have felt after the arrests at the Atlanta office.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/16.jpg\" \/><figcaption>Footage from the demonstration at Brasfield &amp; Gorrie corporate headquarters, courtesy of <a href=\"https:\/\/unicornriot.ninja\/\">Unicorn Riot<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h1 id=\"they-dont-understand-who-we-are\">They Don\u2019t Understand Who We Are<\/h1>\n<p>The situation developing in the forest was uncontrollable\u2014and the government knew it. In light of the vandalism, news coverage and internet commentary opposed to the movement began to conjure an image of militancy out of a Hollywood movie. According to this false narrative, the movement was comprised of hardline extremists from other parts of the country. Looking at a beautiful, rambunctious cultural zone teeming with creativity and mutual support, the government described only terror and chaos. In painting this picture, opponents of the movement hoped to prepare the public to support a crackdown.<\/p>\n<p>Rather than reinforcing this caricature of militancy and thus contributing indirectly to the repressive strategy of the local government, the events of May 14\u2014the final day of the third Week of Action\u2014directly contradicted it. This was no ruse: this is in fact a popular movement with widespread cultural and civic support, and the end of the Week of Action was a good time to showcase that.<\/p>\n<p>In the early afternoon, over 100 residents marched in East Atlanta Village, chiefly pre-school children with their parents and teachers. Many children took the megaphone to express themselves. They comprehended the political stakes of the struggle more clearly than its critics: they did not want the forest to be destroyed because they were worried about their futures; they did not want the police to be given control over a large portion of the city because they didn\u2019t want to see more violence-producing infrastructure. There were many photographs of this march, but local media outlets did not circulate them, and likely none appear in the Bureau of Investigations slide-show presentations about the movement. Similarly, some segments of the movement have inadvertently participated in the censorship of the schoolchildren by focusing only on militant actions or the progress of the lawsuits, to the detriment of a coherent analysis of the movement as a whole.<\/p>\n<p>A few hours after this march, around 4 pm, another group of over 200 people met in Freedom Park near Little 5 Points. With many participants holding small branches and plants, reminiscent of the soldiers at the conclusion of Shakespeare\u2019s <em>Macbeth,<\/em> they set off behind banners and drums into the surrounding neighborhoods. Aside from blocking traffic and setting off a few fireworks, those gathered seemed more interested in communicating with the public then engaging in direct action or clashing with police. The atmosphere was jubilant, and countless motorists and local residents stopped to applaud. After an hour, the crowd began dispersing in Inman Park, off Euclid Avenue. Helicopters were circling overhead. Police cruisers were racing up and down all of the surrounding streets. Were the police foolhardy enough to fall into the trap?<\/p>\n<p>After the protest dispersed, frustrated cops sprinted from their vehicles, pouring into the park and shopping district from every side. This was not the fire-breathing mob they had convinced themselves would be laying siege to the area. Still, they were not able to alter their plans. The cultural composition of the protesters matched the bohemian aesthetics of the majority of the pedestrians, residents, and shoppers in the area, rendering it impossible to distinguish between supporters of the movement and people leaving the second-hand clothing shops or health food stores on nearby streets. News cameras filmed neighbors screaming at officers from their lawns. Multiple people were tackled and beaten by officers for their alleged participation in the protest. One journalist was tazed. In the end, 17 people were arrested and charged with \u201cpedestrian in a roadway.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>From one perspective, the protest was a disaster. The crowd was not ready to engage the police in a physical confrontation. On the other hand, it altered the media narrative and the public perception of the movement in favor of the protesters. It is rare to see such a shift shortly after masked activists smash windows and vandalize a corporate headquarters. Instead of a mad clique of violent extremists, the movement could be seen for what it really was: a popular struggle facing reckless hostility from local authorities. The real art of subversion cannot be reduced to illegal activity or physical resistance. Rather, it is a question of turning systems of control upside down, cultivating a situation in which self-directed activity can flourish contagiously.<\/p>\n<p>Within a few days, all the charges against the 17 arrestees had been dropped. The accused now stand to take home thousands of dollars apiece in restitution for their wrongful arrests. This protest was not planned to produce that outcome, but if it had been, it would have been astute.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/18.jpg\" \/><figcaption>The forest.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h1 id=\"they-tried-to-break-us-post-week-raid\">They Tried to Break Us: Post-Week Raid<\/h1>\n<p>After the third Week of Action, many expected police to seek revenge. The easiest way to respond would be to attack the encampments in the forest. Although the media coverage that Atlanta police had received for their excesses in Little 5 Points had shifted public attitudes, it probably did not substantially alter the eagerness of law enforcement agencies to use force. Since today\u2019s media landscape tends to show consumers only what they already believe, it is likely that law enforcement and their allies only saw coverage confirming their own perspectives.<\/p>\n<p>On May 17, the frustration and bitterness of the police, which had accumulated for a week, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RevSouthNolan\/status\/1526622437751676928\">was unleashed on those living in the Old Atlanta Prison Farm<\/a>. In the early morning, dozens of police vehicles, helicopters, and drones encircled the forest. Atlanta Police Department, Dekalb County Sheriffs, the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Natural Resources, the Atlanta Bomb Squad, the Joint Terrorism Task Force, and possibly other agencies mobilized their forces and prepared to raid.<\/p>\n<p>Police entered the forest around 10 am from Key Road. Most officers were wearing helmets or other forms of protective gear; some sported camouflage and masks. The agents and officers involved in the operation immediately set about destroying food, shelters, and protest infrastructure. One officer used a sledgehammer to smash a generator. Others worked with arborists to destroy unused tree houses or sat beneath the occupied tree sits threatening to do violence to the activists above them.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, other activists engaged in proportional responses to the police operation. An abandoned truck caught fire, as did barricades made of wood and unused tires. Small groups and individuals engaged in hit-and-run actions. While the police employed state-of-the-art equipment, armor, and weaponry, forest defenders used rudimentary structures, ragged hoodies, sticks, stones, and fireworks. On more than one occasion, forest defenders used Molotov cocktails to prevent further police incursions, presumably seeking to prevent the invaders from doing serious harm to the defenseless activists who were occupying the trees. Those devices were only used in clearings where the results could be easily predicted. Pro-police advocates spent many months making a fuss about a few improvised bottles of flammable liquid. Surely, the police would not prefer to face the flash balls, tear gas, pepper spray, heat-seeking helicopters, and K9 units that they have routinely used against forest defenders.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"video-container \"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/711270166?title=0&amp;byline=0&amp;portrait=0\" width=\"300\" height=\"150\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><figcaption class=\"caption video-caption video-caption-vimeo\">Police discuss using deadling force against protesters in the forest in May 2022.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>After several hours, police began to withdraw from the area. On the other side of the forest, Dekalb County police officers entered Intrenchment Creek Park and arrested the first eight people they encountered, charging them all with \u201cTresspassing\u201d in a park in broad daylight. These parkgoers may or may not have been participants in the movement, but they almost certainly were not the same people engaged in defense at the Prison Farm on the other side of the river, nearly a mile away.<\/p>\n<p>Precision was not the point, however. These arrests were an essential component of the policing strategy. To this day, news reports claim \u201ceight protesters were arrested after activists threw rocks and Molotov cocktails at police,\u201d strongly implying that the arrestees were themselves charged with taking such actions. In fact, no one engaged in combative protest tactics was arrested in the course of the raid. In the end, despite the damage to camp infrastructure, the raid was a failure.<\/p>\n<h1 id=\"full-court-press\">Full-Court Press<\/h1>\n<p>Without the defensive actions that had taken place in the forest, including rock-throwing and other forms of direct action, it is possible that those living in tree houses or tents would have suffered significant injuries, or that the forest itself would have fallen into the hands of the police. Other interventions took place that day, as well. While the confrontation in the forest was still ongoing, a network of activists and organizations sent out a press release announcing a press conference at 4 pm.<\/p>\n<p>The police operation ended upon the arrival of movement supporters and corporate media at the edge of the forest. The speakers denounced the police operation, but they did not confine themselves to commenting on repression. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CdrDXYsgpYh\/\">In front of the news cameras<\/a>, they focused the assembled crowd on the need for direct resistance, on the stakes of the struggle against climate chaos, racism, gentrification, and colonialism. Footage of the statements played on television news in the metro area, which is usually the sole domain of reactionaries and police spokespeople\u2014who were mostly silent about the movement for several months afterwards.<\/p>\n<p>This was a direct inversion of the usual media landscape. Opting for silence and obscurity did not help the police, just as it has rarely helped subversive movements in the past.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"speaking-for-ourselves\">Speaking for Ourselves<\/h2>\n<p>Nowadays, it is unusual for anarchists or other aspiring revolutionaries to address the corporate media. Over the past several decades, radicals have developed many theories about the role of corporate news organizations, the effects of mass communication on the popular imagination, and the consequences for movements that consent to be represented. Informed by these analyses, many people have developed alternative and underground media projects including websites, journals, zines, and podcasts to circumvent censorship and address audiences on a more horizontal basis. Though mass struggles have erupted year after year, those on the front lines have usually opted not to try to explain themselves to the hundreds of millions of people who learn about the world chiefly through the corporate radio, newspapers, magazines, and televisions.<\/p>\n<p>The experience of revolt itself can transform the consciousness of those who participate in it, shifting their vantage point on reality. But actions are not enough when a society is as filled with false narratives as ours is. As long as the most ambitious and courageous participants in these struggles are not able to address people on their own behalf, bureaucrats, liberals, reformers, and academics have a free hand to misrepresent them. Often, this means portraying them as foot soldiers for other groups who are willing to explain the situation to mass audiences according to their own politics.<\/p>\n<p>Hoping to break this pattern, the movement to defend the forest has taken on addressing corporate media as one of its core activities.<\/p>\n<p>Some people know this movement as Defend the Atlanta Forest, others as Stop Cop City. Both of these slogans describe more or less the same constellation of groups, tactics, goals, and woodlands, but they speak to slightly different demographics. Understood as a whole, the movement operates a sophisticated social media infrastructure including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Mastodon, TikTok, and Telegram, as well as websites, media kits, and publicly-listed emails. These platforms ensure that the movement can communicate with those who already support it and perhaps with those immediately adjacent to them.<\/p>\n<div class=\"twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"twitter-widget-0\" class=\"\" title=\"Twitter Tweet\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=crimethinc&amp;creatorUserId=14884161&amp;dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=eyJ0ZndfdGltZWxpbmVfbGlzdCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOltdLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2ZvbGxvd2VyX2NvdW50X3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9iYWNrZW5kIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19yZWZzcmNfc2Vzc2lvbiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfbWl4ZWRfbWVkaWFfMTU4OTciOnsiYnVja2V0IjoidHJlYXRtZW50IiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19leHBlcmltZW50c19jb29raWVfZXhwaXJhdGlvbiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOjEyMDk2MDAsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZHVwbGljYXRlX3NjcmliZXNfdG9fc2V0dGluZ3MiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib24iLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3ZpZGVvX2hsc19keW5hbWljX21hbmlmZXN0c18xNTA4MiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ0cnVlX2JpdHJhdGUiLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2xlZ2FjeV90aW1lbGluZV9zdW5zZXQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijp0cnVlLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3R3ZWV0X2VkaXRfZnJvbnRlbmQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib24iLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfX0%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1627058976784535553&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fcrimethinc.com%2F2023%2F02%2F22%2Fthe-forest-in-the-city-two-years-of-forest-defense-in-atlanta-georgia&amp;sessionId=962fd958def335ed6bf6847a3b2265bc7171771e&amp;siteScreenName=crimethinc&amp;siteUserId=14884161&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=aaf4084522e3a%3A1674595607486&amp;width=550px\" width=\"300\" height=\"150\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-tweet-id=\"1627058976784535553\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>When journalists contact one of the movement\u2019s platforms, activists coordinate to ensure that someone within the movement can engage with them. It is usually proponents of radical social change who assume this responsibility, including abolitionists, Black autonomists, anarchists, or other aspiring revolutionaries. Rather than presenting themselves as leaders or spokespeople, activists answer journalists\u2019 questions, give them walking tours, offer them information packets, provide them with research, and supply them with insider perspectives, leads, images, quotes, and narratives suitable for their assignments. This work is unpaid and largely invisible to media consumers.<\/p>\n<p>All of the most accessible sources and platforms associated with the movement have refused to denounce direct action or radical politics. While different platforms present their own perspectives in a variety of different tones, none of them have veered so far away from the others as to offer the news outlets rifts to exploit. During interviews and press conferences, commenters from the movement speak in clear and concise sentences. Ideally, every single sentence should stand on its own as a soundbite, so that it is impossible for an editor to mutilate them. When journalists ask questions about complicated or unexpected topics, activists do not hesitate to say simply \u201cI don\u2019t know about that right now, but maybe we can follow up later.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Journalists do not expect everyone to know everything, but they want other people to do as much of their jobs for them as possible. As long as participants in the movement are willing to hold their hands throughout the process, writers or photographers will often offer them sympathetic coverage. If radicals do not take on this time-consuming work, liberal organizations will take it up in pursuit of their own agendas. If the stories are not coherent or interesting or timely enough, news agencies will go with pro-police rhetoric or else invent false stories from whole cloth.<\/p>\n<p>Because corporate media coverage is the primary means by which the authorities prepare popular opinion to accept the repression of protesters and poor people, it can be dangerous <em>not<\/em> to intervene in it. Movements should never gratuitously portray themselves as more powerful or destructive than they actually are; it is much better to be underestimated than to give your adversaries an opportunity to mobilize others against you. Likewise, they should not miss any opportunity to humanize the participants and frame the narrative themselves.<\/p>\n<p>At the same time, doing so involves a host of challenges.<\/p>\n<p>It can be tempting, for instance, for media spokespeople to water down their messaging so that it appeals to the broadest possible audience. However, this will not prepare audiences to understand the tactics or priorities of the movement, nor the stakes for which they are fighting. The most important thing is not to generate favorable coverage so much as to structure the popular perception of the movement, setting the terms of debate.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"portrait\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/12.jpg\" \/><\/figure>\n<p>If participants in combative movements are unwilling to appear in the press under their legal names or at least with their faces visible for fear of state and vigilante violence, corporate outlets will usually not work with them. The risks are real enough; indeed, even liberal leaders who denounce radical tactics may still be targeted by far-right trolls and police who associate them with a fierce movement. Fortunately, 21st century social media outlets have given grassroots activists some leverage against this form of corporate censorship by breaking down some barriers to mass communication. If editors fear that they will miss a chance to generate revenue by refusing to ease their policies regarding anonymity, they will sometimes make exceptions, even platforming balaclava-clad demonstrators if the latter can credibly present themselves as participants in powerful movements. More often than not, however, news outlets will simply move on to covering other stories.<\/p>\n<p>Ambitious movements should seek to maintain a full-spectrum media interface. They should be prepared to work off the record with sympathetic journalists and documentary filmmakers, to operate round-the-clock social media strategies, to have some participants available who are willing to show their faces, others who are willing to air their voices, and more who are willing to answer written interviews. For the sake of reciprocity, anti-capitalist, abolitionist, and anarchist groups should not needlessly criticize more moderate groups.<\/p>\n<p>Some might object that all of this energy is better invested in other tasks. Surely, there are more pressing issues than the way that the movement is perceived by those who are not even taking part in it. Often, it is career-oriented opportunists who end up handling media operations. This leaves front-line participants at the margins of public attention, rendering it almost inevitable that they will have to invest countless hours and sleepless nights struggling to unmask or outmaneuver self-defeating and divisive reformist perspectives. In the end, it can be more time-efficient to start out with a proper media strategy than to play catch-up late in the game.<\/p>\n<p>In the movement to defend the forest, activists in local and national press openly support direct action, encourage diverse participation, and advocate for radical social change in clear language, without hyperbole. In this case, it is the careerists who are left complaining about \u201cimbalanced\u201d coverage. When journalists ask leading questions, attempting to goad activists into denouncing each other, this is almost always rejected outright.<\/p>\n<p>There have been exceptions. One participant stupefyingly denounced the movement as \u201cmore disappointing than Cop City itself\u201d\u2014surely music to the ears of the APF. Such critics often frame politics via spatial metaphors, describing coherent identities and boundaries between inside and outside. Rather than contributing freely in a field of open play, some rush to associate themselves with or dissociate themselves from specific tendencies or perceived factions, while others watch from the sidelines, passing judgment or waiting for instructions.<\/p>\n<p>The urge to denounce the struggle seems to grip some people especially tightly during moments of brutal repression. Some people even posted cynical \u201cI told you so\u201d criticisms after the killing of Tortuguita. At the same time, these people do not hesitate to associate themselves with the movement when it provides them social capital. Despite individual smear campaigns like these, however, corporate media and law enforcement have failed to foster rival factions to pit against one another.<\/p>\n<p>If movements cannot tolerate differences among their participants, they must be able to address them internally, directly or through mediators. If that is not possible, the conflicting tendencies or groups should ignore each other. Clarity about differences is important, but drawn-out conflicts between rival camps almost always benefit the authorities most of all. The more divisions in a movement, the more emboldened the authorities will be to target the most effective currents within it; when rivals post on social media about each other\u2019s errors or vulnerabilities, this can assist the authorities in strategizing or building a narrative to justify repression. Often such conflicts needlessly polarize entire movements, as everyone is compelled to take sides; many ideologies justify this kind of behavior, to everyone\u2019s misfortune. Unfortunately, contemporary social media platforms often incentivize this sort of conduct.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/8.jpg\" \/><figcaption>A forest defender.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h1 id=\"momentum-breeds-resistance\">Momentum Breeds Resistance<\/h1>\n<p>Across the country, at least twenty acts of direct action followed the police raid of May 2022. With morale high after the third Week of Action, movement participants outside Atlanta were determined to preserve the initiative. Cultivating winning strategies is not simply a question of using the right tactics, nor of accumulating actions against a target. Rather, the strategy of targeting the logistics of the development on a decentralized basis has succeeded because it is <strong>empowering<\/strong>: it has enabled many people to participate in the movement on their own terms. At the same time, the whirlwind of different events and tactics has confused the Police Foundation, their bureaucratic supporters, and their contractors.<\/p>\n<p>Morale is a crucial factor in struggle. Those who believe that they will win are more likely to win. They are more likely to respond urgently to attacks, to be prepared to make sacrifices, to confront problems rather than avoiding them. Oddly, in US-based autonomous movements, many of the most intelligent participants often embrace cynicism about the movements they participate in and the ideas they espouse. In doing so, they shrug off the responsibility to formulate effective plans, to test new hypotheses, to foster strong and diverse movements. Pessimism and ironic detachment serve to excuse them from convincing people, working well with others, or carrying out courageous deeds.<\/p>\n<p>At demonstrations, press conferences, and assemblies, in written statements, participants in the movement to defend the forest regularly exhibit an attitude of confidence. Stating that they intend to win this fight is not arrogant\u2014it is a decision driven by real conviction. That conviction emerges from something greater than individual will.<\/p>\n<h1 id=\"the-tree-people\">The Tree People<\/h1>\n<p>Several activists had established tree houses (\u201ctree sits\u201d) in the forest beginning on January 19, 2022. This was one of several interventions during a difficult period for the movement. At that time, Reeves+Young was still the general contractor for the Police Foundation. Their subcontractor, Long Engineering, was conducting surveying efforts and soil sampling excursions and activists were confused about how to stop them. Four months later, in May 2022, the situation had changed completely.<\/p>\n<p>Coming out of the third Week of Action, movement groups dedicated to on-site resistance needed to innovate their form of struggle. If the news media continued broadcasting footage of hooded people throwing Molotov cocktails, that could embolden the police to utilize levels of force that few were prepared to resist. The tree sits made it possible to reframe the narrative.<\/p>\n<p>At least half a dozen treehouses were constructed on the Old Atlanta Prison Farm and a section of Intrenchment Creek Park in late May 2022. The residents and architects gave them names and decorated them according to their tastes; some tree houses co-existed with adjacent ground camps. In the weeks following the raid, activists living in these tree houses drafted statements, gave interviews to the press, and took photographs documenting their determination. By June, the majority of news coverage\u2014including in national press such as <em>The New Yorker<\/em>\u2014had shifted to an almost anthropological interest in the exotic, romantic tree sitters.<\/p>\n<p>The strategy of those who were seeking to destroy the forest also changed, though this took longer. At first, it did not seem clear to the authorities that the raid of May 17 had failed. This only became evident when contractors with Long Engineering entered the forest near Constitution and Old Constitution Road on June 2. The construction crew arrived with a piece of tree-felling machinery, but without sufficient police detail; about ten activists easily repelled them. Aside from yelling and waving their arms, a few of these forest defenders tossed firecrackers in the direction of the work crews in order to get their attention. Work was canceled for the day.<\/p>\n<p>For the next six months, no work took place inside the perimeter of the forest without considerable police protection.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"portrait\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/25.jpg\" \/><figcaption>A tree house in the forest.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h1 id=\"new-openings\">New Openings<\/h1>\n<p>This was the beginning of a spiral of paranoia for the police agencies. On June 6, 2022, a convoy of police officers accompanied a work crew on Key Road. Workers with Boyette Brothers Construction Rental were knocking down trees at the side of the road. This was intended to be a part of the pre-construction phase of development that was meant to include the erection of an 8-foot security fence. Protesters approached the forest destroyers unarmed. Blowing whistles and waving their arms, forest defenders sought to enter the vicinity of work crews in a fashion likely to induce them to halt work. Without hesitating, police officers drew their weapons and pointed them directly at the protesters. Withdrawing into the woods, forest defenders managed to save their own lives, but they were not able to halt the destruction. By the end of the day, the workers had felled dozens of trees.<\/p>\n<p>Later that evening, however, the machines they had used to destroy the trees were in ruins. An anonymous online communiqu\u00e9 stated that the company had been identified and their facilities located in Conyers, GA. The greater part of their fleet was vandalized, some of it burned. The online statement read <em>\u201cIf you build it, we will burn it.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>On June 10, a few days later, the Dekalb County Government posted a \u201cStop Work\u201d order at the entry gate to the Old Prison Farm, likely because of phone calls to various departments and commissions. Evidently, the aforementioned work had been undertaken without the proper permits, which still had not been approved by the county government. After the sabotage and Stop Work order, not a single day of \u201cpre-construction\u201d work was attempted for nearly five months on the Old Atlanta Prison Farm. Other potential subcontractors who normally work for Brasfield &amp; Gorrie may have been unwilling to bid on this contract in light of what took place at Boyette Brothers Rental.<\/p>\n<p>Throughout the summer, initiatives to defend the forest continued to occur across the country. Acts of civil disobedience occurred at a Brasfield &amp; Gorrie office in Charlotte, North Carolina. Protesters distributed fliers at the homes, neighborhoods, and churches of executives associated with the project. There were also acts of sabotage and vandalism at the offices of subcontractors. Every week, there seemed to be new statements and news articles.<\/p>\n<p>New constellations and groups emerged within the movement during this time. The group of teachers, preschool students, and associated organizers who had organized the march in May continued to host walks, community events, and gardening days that brought children to the forest. Their participation as an organized group\u2014the Weelaunee Coalition\u2014enabled supporters with children to participate in the movement without having to commit to risky actions or find childcare for their kids. Such groups are not auxiliary forces that serve only to tidy up the movement\u2019s reputation. They preserve their own strategic autonomy and discourse, engaging as all the other participants do, shaping the movement and taking responsibility for it in their own ways.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/32.jpg\" \/><figcaption>One of the trees in the forest.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h1 id=\"luring-them-in\">Luring Them in<\/h1>\n<p>Political strategy develops as contending forces act and react to one another in a creative circuit, each identifying weaknesses in the opposing strategy and exploiting it. Strategies that solve one problem often produce another.<\/p>\n<p>Throughout June and July and continuing well into fall, police began carrying out ritualistic \u201csweeps\u201d of the forest, specifically the Old Atlanta Prison Farm. These sweeps typically involved five to twenty officers from the Atlanta Police Department. Because they were operating outside of their jurisdiction and were therefore unable to perform arrests, these interventions were chiefly symbolic. On Tuesday mornings and sometimes Wednesdays or Fridays as well, officers would enter the so-called \u201cNorth Gate\u201d on Key Road. They would assemble for an hour or so before boarding Utility Task Vehicles (UTVs) or All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs).<\/p>\n<p>Guessing that these sweeps were chiefly symbolic, activists refused to engage police during them. Hiding, running, climbing into tree houses, or otherwise remaining distant from officers became the defenders\u2019 primary response, while the cops engaged in slashing tents, dumping out food, stealing water, and loitering. During this period, police agencies were being lured, consciously or not, into fruitless entanglements in the forest. With the activists obstructing their efforts, they could not move forward on the project, but they also could not find the well-hidden forest defenders.<\/p>\n<p>The higher-ups received updates to the effect that protesters had abandoned the zone, which they passed along to the Atlanta Police Foundation. Apparently, the APF spread this misinformation to the Community Stakeholders Advisory Committee (CSAC), an organization contrived by the Atlanta Police Foundation and their advocates for the purpose of rubber-stamping Cop City under the pretense of democratic feedback.<\/p>\n<p>Two people, Sharon Williams and Allison Clark, began to use CSAC as a platform to spread increasingly paranoid and far-fetched myths to the media. They were among the very first to <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/UR_Ninja\/status\/1623150549066711040\">denounce activists<\/a> as \u201ceco-terrorists.\u201d As popular opinion turned against Cop City, the opinions of CSAC became more important to the project, as it was the only public group willing to stand in front of news cameras to defend it.<\/p>\n<div class=\"twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"twitter-widget-1\" class=\"\" title=\"Twitter Tweet\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=crimethinc&amp;creatorUserId=14884161&amp;dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-1&amp;features=eyJ0ZndfdGltZWxpbmVfbGlzdCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOltdLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2ZvbGxvd2VyX2NvdW50X3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9iYWNrZW5kIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19yZWZzcmNfc2Vzc2lvbiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfbWl4ZWRfbWVkaWFfMTU4OTciOnsiYnVja2V0IjoidHJlYXRtZW50IiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19leHBlcmltZW50c19jb29raWVfZXhwaXJhdGlvbiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOjEyMDk2MDAsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZHVwbGljYXRlX3NjcmliZXNfdG9fc2V0dGluZ3MiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib24iLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3ZpZGVvX2hsc19keW5hbWljX21hbmlmZXN0c18xNTA4MiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ0cnVlX2JpdHJhdGUiLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2xlZ2FjeV90aW1lbGluZV9zdW5zZXQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijp0cnVlLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3R3ZWV0X2VkaXRfZnJvbnRlbmQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib24iLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfX0%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1623150549066711040&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fcrimethinc.com%2F2023%2F02%2F22%2Fthe-forest-in-the-city-two-years-of-forest-defense-in-atlanta-georgia&amp;sessionId=962fd958def335ed6bf6847a3b2265bc7171771e&amp;siteScreenName=crimethinc&amp;siteUserId=14884161&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=aaf4084522e3a%3A1674595607486&amp;width=550px\" width=\"300\" height=\"150\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-tweet-id=\"1623150549066711040\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<h1 id=\"the-fourth-week-of-action\">The Fourth Week of Action<\/h1>\n<p>Local groups announced the fourth Week of Action for the end of July. With such short time since the last Week of Action, it wasn\u2019t clear what they could organize on a large scale. On the other hand, a construction timeline released by the Police Foundation expressed their intention to begin \u201cClearing and Grading\u201d\u2014a euphemism for felling trees and disturbing the land\u2014before the end of summer. If the third Week of Action had essentially been an exercise in mass convergence and direct action, the next one would have to be something else entirely.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"the-sound-of-music\">The Sound of Music<\/h2>\n<p>New ideas rarely arise from politics; they are merely translated into it. Innovations in thinking and language do not emerge from reflection and conversation alone. Just as some professional athletes take dance classes in the off season, rebels and aspiring revolutionaries have long drawn inspiration from literature, poetry, art, and music\u2014perhaps the only form of human activity that immanently channels the shared vibrancy and intensity common to all beings and systems in the cosmos.<\/p>\n<div class=\"twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"twitter-widget-2\" class=\"\" title=\"Twitter Tweet\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=crimethinc&amp;creatorUserId=14884161&amp;dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-2&amp;features=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%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1627906812887412736&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fcrimethinc.com%2F2023%2F02%2F22%2Fthe-forest-in-the-city-two-years-of-forest-defense-in-atlanta-georgia&amp;sessionId=962fd958def335ed6bf6847a3b2265bc7171771e&amp;siteScreenName=crimethinc&amp;siteUserId=14884161&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=aaf4084522e3a%3A1674595607486&amp;width=550px\" width=\"300\" height=\"150\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-tweet-id=\"1627906812887412736\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>Black liberation movements have always had a generative relationship with Black music. This relationship nourishes the struggle, helping to transmit cultural and political knowledge, lessons, and awareness. Music plays a similarly important role in many Indigenous struggles. By contrast, some predominantly white movements do not ascribe a comparable role to music and art. Some participants attempt to compensate with militant fantasies, or uncritically consume cultural innovations without understanding what is powerful about them. Some activists may even cynically conceal themselves in cultural circles, biding their time until the \u201creal\u201d action can begin.<\/p>\n<p>Happily, the movement to defend Weelaunee is not one of those movements. This struggle constantly replenishes its connection to music, arts communities, and cultural events. It would be difficult to overstate the impact this has had on the longevity and creativity of the forest defense, both in the woods, downtown, and around the region.<\/p>\n<p>When the fourth Week of Action was announced, an autonomous organizing group declared that they would be coordinating a free music festival in the forest. Within a few days, a local folk artist popular with alternative Black youth announced his intention to organize one as well. Artists and musicians began reaching out. Soon, full lineups were assembled including performers from the regional dance, indie, folk, hip hop, and hardcore punk music scenes. Other people announced additional workshops and actions. Music journalists began reaching out to local organizers, expressing the desire to camp out with the protesters and attend the music events.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/13.jpg\" \/><figcaption>Weelaunee People\u2019s Park after the ribbon-cutting ceremony of July 23, 2022.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 id=\"weelaunee-peoples-park\">Weelaunee People\u2019s Park<\/h2>\n<p>In the days leading up to the Week of Action slated to begin on July 23, Ryan Millsap of Blackhall Studios began to work with Dekalb police to block access to Intrenchment Creek Park. Over the previous weeks, Blackhall Studios had been renamed Shadowbox Studios following its acquisition by Commonwealth Asset Management, an investment firm that Millsap sits on the board of. Millsap believed that this sale nullified his agreements with the Dekalb County government to develop a nearby clear-cut (which he had already destroyed) into \u201cMichelle Obama Park\u201d in return for building a soundstage complex. Via this ruse, he hoped to legally steal about 40 acres located in and around the Intrenchment Creek Park trailhead, including a section of the PATH Foundation bicycle and walking trail, the RC Field, and some of the forest.<\/p>\n<p>Ongoing lawsuits coordinated by activists with the South River Watershed Alliance were one of the only things preventing this land grab from moving forward. According to the terms of the lawsuit, the forest was not to be substantially disturbed and the park was to remain accessible to the public until the case was resolved in court. While those pursuing the lawsuit and related efforts to arrive at courtroom solutions were operating at a distance from the rest of the movement, most of the activists occupying the forest or pressuring contractors considered these strategies to be legitimate means of defending the land.<\/p>\n<p>The City of Atlanta government had adopted \u201cThe South River Forest Vision,\u201d the vision of the Watershed Alliance, as the official purpose for this land before shifting to the Cop City proposal after the George Floyd rebellion. The teams working on the lawsuits serve the forest as a defensive bulwark, exemplified by the Stop Work order of June 10, but they also constitute one of the offensive fronts of the struggle. If the movement wins, that will likely manifest itself as a decision in the courts.<\/p>\n<p>On July 19, Ryan Millsap violated the agreement to keep the park accessible to the public. This was hardly the only time he did so. Legal defense is an important part of a holistic strategy, but it will not suffice to prevent the destruction of the land.<\/p>\n<p>Late on the afternoon of July 19, contractors accompanied by Dekalb County Sheriffs erected concrete barriers in the driveway of Intrenchment Creek Park Trailhead, blocking access to the parking lot. Presumably, Millsap believed that this would keep people out of the park during the Week of Action. With hundreds of people preparing to camp in the forest and bands expecting to play there, it seemed urgent to remove the barriers and reorient around this section of the forest for the time being, since pre-construction efforts in the Prison Farm had come to a halt.<\/p>\n<p>On the night of July 21, a group calling themselves \u201c100 Cute Little Ants\u201d moved the heavy barriers to the side, opening enough space for one or two cars to enter at a time. The new placement of the barriers allowed civilians to enter with ease, but made it difficult to operate large machinery or vehicles in the small entranceway facing West Side Place. People redecorated the gray barriers with pink paint and slogans.<\/p>\n<p>The Week of Action launched on July 23 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony that drew over 100 people. A lovely official-looking sign was planted in the ground reading \u201cWeelaunee People\u2019s Park\u201d on one side and \u201cSouth River Forest Park\u201d on the other. After cutting the ribbon, the assembled crowd chanted \u201cPeople\u2019s park, people\u2019s park!\u201d while cars and equipment began loading in. By afternoon, hundreds of people filled the area.<\/p>\n<p>While parkgoers and forest defenders set up camps and listened to the first live performances, others organized home demonstrations. Beginning on July 25, protesters visited the homes of various Brasfield &amp; Gorrie executives, chanting and holding banners. Police response to these demonstrations escalated over the course of the week, creating an atmosphere of danger at what were in fact legal protests.<\/p>\n<p>On the other side of the forest, a surveillance technology startup named Flock Safety began to install security cameras on small towers. On July 25, two days into the Week of Action, a group of forest defenders confronted a work truck associated with Flock Safety. The worker inside had just installed a new surveillance camera on Key Road. Activists chased off the truck by throwing gravel at it, breaking one of its windows, and dismantled the new camera. This action in which no one was injured contributed to the spiraling paranoia of law enforcement.<\/p>\n<p>Over the following days, Sharon Williams and Allison Clark of the Community Stakeholders Advisory Committee (CSAC) worked with bureaucrats in the police department to spread the falsehood that activists had fired a gun at the Flock Safety worker. The only \u201cevidence\u201d they offered was a random bullet casing on the side of the road. Enterprising community members placed fliers refuting this claim in mailboxes throughout the surrounding neighborhood.<\/p>\n<p>Ordinary police officers are not immune to police propaganda. To this day, many of them still believe that forest defenders shot at a construction worker. Right-wing trolls and the local District Attorney repeated this lie at every opportunity. Thanks to this lie publicized by Williams and Clark, the temperature increased.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/28.jpg\" \/><figcaption>A banner in the gazebo at Weelaunee People\u2019s Park.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 id=\"the-kids-will-have-their-say\">The Kids Will Have Their Say<\/h2>\n<p>The music festival began on July 28. The promotional materials promised three days of \u201cPeace, Love, and Anarchy.\u201d Musicians performed on a makeshift stage beneath tarps strung between poles and trees. The sound system was powered by generators. Attendees could help themselves to pamphlets and other informational materials as well as clothes, water, and food.<\/p>\n<p>Over the first two days, hundreds of people passed through the area, listening to the music pulsing through a small clearing in the pines. Tents and small encampments popped up everywhere. The crowd was diverse by any measure, bringing together people from different ethnic backgrounds; the styles of music were not segmented into distinct days or blocs, but flowed in and out of each other exclusively according to the principle of starting slowly and picking up steam. Together, the attendees created a transformative experience, far from the corporate venues and controlled musical experiences most were used to.<\/p>\n<p>On July 30, the final day of the Week of Action, campers woke up to shouting: <em>\u201cThey are going to tow your car! Everybody wake up! A tow truck is here! Get to the parking lot!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Around 8 am, Ryan Millsap and a colleague of his arrived at Weelaunee People\u2019s Park with a tow truck pulling an excavator atop a flatbed trailer, accompanied by a small cohort of Dekalb County police he had hired as private security. In Georgia, you can legally hire off-duty police, who are permitted to bring their service weapons, uniforms, and city-owned vehicles with them while fulfilling a private contract. This is unusual in other parts of the Global North, but common enough elsewhere in the Americas.<\/p>\n<p>Millsap did not venture far from his car, but his colleague, Anthony Wayne James, approached forest defenders who were seated beneath a gazebo in the middle of the parking lot. James began using the excavator to hit the roof of the gazebo, despite the potentially lethal risk that this posed to those beneath it. At this point, the cops-for-hire intervened, notifying James that it was not acceptable for him to attempt to risk killing people in front of them. Frustrated, he began screaming at them to arrest people: \u201cDo your jobs!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In a few minutes, more people began arriving from the tree line, most of them wearing masks and hoodies. One person addressed the crowd, now consisting of perhaps 40 people: \u201cAre we going to do something or are we going to just stand here?\u201d Promptly, this person pulled a hammer from their waistline and began smashing the windows of Millsap\u2019s pickup truck. At the sight of the vandalism, the police faltered. A light hail of stones and beverage cans began to fall upon James, Millsap, and the Dekalb Police, all of whom rushed back to the street.<\/p>\n<p>Some people continued to destroy the truck, while others assembled piles of rocks anticipating additional confrontation. The concrete barricade which had been constructed on Millsap\u2019s orders some days earlier was now used to close off the parking lot; others added tires and wooden pallets. More police vehicles attempted to approach; these, too, were pelted with stones. Millsap, cowering behind officers in a blind rage, was screaming epithets at the crowd: \u201cGo buy your own park! Stop being homeless!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Half an hour later, his truck was in pieces. The catalytic converter was removed, the interior was stripped, the engine was destroyed. After an hour or more of calm, it became clear the police were not going to return. The crowd, which had grown to about 100, slowly dispersed back into the forest or returned to town. Activists listened to presentations or prepared for the final night of music.<\/p>\n<p>Eventually, after everyone had dispersed from the parking lot, someone set the truck on fire. The smoke billowed above the tree line. The park is across the street from a fire station, and a fire truck doused the truck from the street. Some feared that the sight of the charred truck might deter people from attending the workshops or music events, which were intended to draw locals to the forest who had no prior experience in movements of this nature and who might already have been cautious about participating.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe don\u2019t know what will happen,\u201d one long-term forest occupant enjoined others. \u201cLet\u2019s see. Let\u2019s not freak out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In the end, that person was right. The truck became a monument to the fortitude and courage of the movement. People did not hesitate to attend the presentations that historians and academics offered that day.<\/p>\n<p>By nightfall, hundreds of concert-goers were pouring into the park for the festival\u2019s final evening. Many of them took pictures with the remains of the truck or decorated it with graffiti. As the show picked up momentum, a joyous throng moshed as a series of hardcore punk bands took the stage. Then they were swaying and bouncing to the sound of post-punk indie rockers, then gyrating to the disco-influenced beats and repetitive thumping of the late-night DJs. Midway through the night, it began to rain. The tarps covered all who wished to stay dry, but some chose to soak themselves in the water descending through the tree canopy above.<\/p>\n<p>Between sets, people read aloud from fliers and handbills. Some performers led chants of \u201cStop cop city!\u201d and \u201cDefend the forest!\u201d Organizers repeatedly took the microphone to explain the movement\u2019s goals, emphasizing its autonomous and decentralized nature, enjoining everyone assembled to take personal responsibility for giving life to it.<\/p>\n<p>Many concert-goers affirmed that this was one of the greatest experiences of their lives.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"portrait\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/14.jpg\" \/><figcaption>\u201cGo buy your own park!\u201d business mogul Ryan Millsap shouted at forest defenders. Afterwards, his truck bore these slogans.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<hr \/>\n<h1 id=\"fall\">Fall<\/h1>\n<p>Many participants in the movement, especially those who lived in the encampments, expected the fourth Week of Action to be followed by a massive raid, just as the third one had been. The Community Stakeholders Advisory Committee was spreading lies about the alleged use of firearms against a Flock Safety worker. A feeling of dread dominated some sections of the movement.<\/p>\n<p>Four days later, on August 3, 2022, a large operation did indeed occur around the forest. On Bouldercrest Road, Key Road, Fayetteville Road, Constitution, and Old Constitution\u2014all of the streets adjacent to the section of forest that was occupied\u2014construction workers and utility companies initiated work, accompanied by police officers and security guards. Some of these workers were doing electrical maintenance; others were working on the plumbing beneath the street, or potholes, sewage maintenance, or other municipal projects in the immediate vicinity of the forest. Georgia Power, the electrical company that is funding the APF, used industrial lawn mowers in a section of Weelaunee People\u2019s Park to <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/defendATLforest\/status\/1554856617778335744\">create an easement<\/a> via which they could perform maintenance tasks. Given the chance to destroy a community garden built by pre-school children a week earlier, however, they opted to go around it.<\/p>\n<div class=\"twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"twitter-widget-3\" class=\"\" title=\"Twitter Tweet\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=crimethinc&amp;creatorUserId=14884161&amp;dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-3&amp;features=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%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1554856617778335744&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fcrimethinc.com%2F2023%2F02%2F22%2Fthe-forest-in-the-city-two-years-of-forest-defense-in-atlanta-georgia&amp;sessionId=962fd958def335ed6bf6847a3b2265bc7171771e&amp;siteScreenName=crimethinc&amp;siteUserId=14884161&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=aaf4084522e3a%3A1674595607486&amp;width=550px\" width=\"300\" height=\"150\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-tweet-id=\"1554856617778335744\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>It was hard to tell what was happening. But it was clear what was <em>not<\/em> happening.<\/p>\n<p>The operation was not attacking tree sitters. It was ignoring them. It was not felling trees, nor was it constructing a fence. After weeks of expectation, however, it was hard to not perceive all of this work as connected to some sort of repressive operation in the forest. And perhaps it was. Perhaps the Dekalb County contractors were there on behalf of the APF, or Millsap, or other corporate interests aiming to increase carrying capacity of the roads for the sake of large machinery, or the capacity of the electrical grid for the future Cop City infrastructure. Some of the companies had paper sheets taped over their logos. Was that because they didn\u2019t want to be identified as subcontractors for Brasfield &amp; Gorrie? Or because police had misled them to believe that everyone in the area was in danger of imminent harm at the hands of vicious protesters living in the woods?<\/p>\n<p>To this day, we don\u2019t know. Over the following months, the situation remained confusing. Every week, coverage of the movement appeared in <em>Rolling Stone, The Guardian,<\/em> CNN, Vice, the Intercept, NPR, Fox, MSNBC, the <em>New Yorker,<\/em> the <em>Washington Post.<\/em> The movement had reached a new threshold of publicity, almost all of which was favorable.<\/p>\n<p>At the same time, what had been an innovative movement seemed to be stabilizing into its simplest and most reproducible elements. Since the deforestation had definitively stalled, it was difficult to identify exactly who was working with Brasfield &amp; Gorrie\u2014though that didn\u2019t stop activists from trying to figure it out. Call-in campaigns, home demonstrations, and other actions continued, especially against Atlas Technical Consultants, the parent company of Long Engineering, which worked under Reeves+Young.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/1.jpg\" \/><figcaption>The construction of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/Cn0aqtgJNs1\/\">pallet house<\/a> in the forest in fall 2022.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h1 id=\"gridlock-and-innovation\">Gridlock and Innovation<\/h1>\n<p>Because it was difficult to gather up-to-date information, activists could not tell whether their strategy was working. Beyond the apparent stalemate in the forest and the persistence of the camps, it was unclear whether pressuring contractors and subcontractors was having an effect. Ironically, this scenario resulted from the victories that defensive groups had achieved on the ground, as well as the Stop Work order for the Prison Farm.<\/p>\n<p>The few statements that law enforcement made to the press suggested that everyone was passing the buck: Dekalb Police were deferring responsibility to Atlanta Police, who were deferring to the Georgia Bureau of Investigations, who were deferring to the Department of Homeland Security, who were waiting for the CSAC to establish their priorities, who were waiting on reports from police. Because no one was sending workers into the forest and none of the companies were making statements to the press (aside from whistleblowers inside a few companies leaking information to movement researchers), it was impossible to judge the effectiveness of the strategies at play.<\/p>\n<p>One consequence of this stalemate was a tendency towards less precisely targeted actions. Some people even advocated this. Aside from the regular sabotage of Flock Safety cameras in the area, some individuals apparently sought to turn the forest itself\u2014previously a zone of defensive operations\u2014into an offensive front. From September to November, a number of actions occurred targeting infrastructure around the forest, including some incendiary attacks. There is no evidence to suggest that anyone living in the forest was involved in any of these actions, though the police later attributed all the actions to them specifically.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/2.jpg\" \/><figcaption>The construction of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/Cn0aqtgJNs1\/\">pallet house<\/a> in the forest in fall 2022.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>On one occasion, equipment was torched that belonged to Norfolk Southern, a funder of the police foundation (and incidentally, the corporation behind a train derailment and toxic chemical catastrophe in East Palestine, Ohio on February 3, 2023). On another occasion, in early November, a man showed up with a flatbed trailer and began antagonizing parkgoers and forest defenders, insisting on his right to remove the burned remains of Millsap\u2019s truck. After a brief altercation, his truck also caught fire. Later, he told the media he had no idea what was happening, and that he was simply of victim of violent crime. On another occasion, an annex building belonging to Shadowbox\/Blackhall caught fire. Several pieces of heavy machinery parked in an area near the forest were sabotaged, perhaps in response to information connecting them to the planned developments. Finally, in November, someone sabotaged the electrical powerlines serving the police shooting range located in a section of the forest, disabling the entrance.<\/p>\n<p>While all of this was happening, most segments of the movement seemed inert. The tools that the movement had developed were simple, but they weren\u2019t proliferating. Nature walks and community events were still being organized with the pre-schools; weekly dinners were still taking place in the park, as well as workshops and trainings, rallies and press conferences, concerts and parties. Yet none of these had broken through the imperceptible wall that kept the movement on a plateau.<\/p>\n<p>One group of amateur builders constructed an incredible kitchen in the parking lot of Weelaunee People\u2019s Park, dubbing it the \u201cWeelaunee Caf\u00e9.\u201d For weeks, potlucks and meetups took place there. Elsewhere in the forest, a team dedicated themselves to building a visually stunning warming shelter. The movement hardly lacked moral support or passive sympathy.<\/p>\n<p>Still, no form of large-scale activity emerged in this period. Only the self-directed activity of large numbers of people can mobilize the kind of collective potential that can prevail over structures of authoritarian power. This is the strength that mass uprisings, general strikes, and insurrections are able to bring to bear that activist campaigns are not. The movement had made strides, but it had not broken out of the political isolation that limits so many movements.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/5.jpg\" \/><figcaption>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/Cn0aqtgJNs1\/\">pallet house<\/a>, constructed in fall 2022 by and for forest defenders.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Perhaps specialization contributed to this impasse. Focused groups working tirelessly on particular tasks can accomplish many things. They can operate counter-surveillance teams or maintain camps; they can oversee legal initiatives and attend civic hearings; they can conduct interviews and advise journalists; they can organize meetings or canvassing teams; they can work tirelessly on jail support or legal aid; they can organize benefits and fundraisers\u2026<\/p>\n<p>But there are limits to what specialized groups can accomplish. They are often unable to create the sort of expanding participatory momentum that movements need to win. As they become more skilled at their chosen tasks, it can be hard for them to keep the barriers to entry low, to connect newcomers to their own agency. Insofar as the various standard forms of engagement reproduce roles in the movement, this can contribute to a bottleneck, as the majority of enthusiasm comes from people without special skills or connections, who cannot easily integrate themselves into the confusing web of functions let alone arrange for contacts from previous struggles to vouch for their trustworthiness. In all of these ways, specialized groups can unintentionally limit the movements they build, bringing about a <em>de facto<\/em> form of political containment.<\/p>\n<p>Following the George Floyd rebellion of 2020, it is possible that the most acute tensions within future movements will not emerge around the question of violence (as 20 years ago), nor the identities of the participants (as 10 years ago), but rather, over the tension between specialization and participation. After 2020, we sorely need forms of action and thought that can enable social upheaval to transform people, cultivating new social bodies and organizational forms rather than simply combining what already exists. Only time will tell whether the movement in Atlanta can contribute to these new politics, or if it will only express the terminus of the political intelligence cultivated by the movements of the preceding years.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/3.jpg\" \/><figcaption>The construction of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/Cn0aqtgJNs1\/\">pallet house<\/a> in the forest in fall 2022.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h1 id=\"preparing-for-a-clampdown\">Preparing for a Clampdown<\/h1>\n<p>Meanwhile, throughout the fall, the forest destroyers were developing a new media strategy, as the Georgia Bureau of Investigations, the Community Stakeholders Advisory Committee, the Department of Homeland Security, and Georgia Governor Brian Kemp got involved.<\/p>\n<p>After the fourth Week of Action, these groups began experimenting with openly criminalizing the movement. Sharon Williams, Allison Clark, and various law enforcement agents began using the phrase \u201ceco-terrorist\u201d in their meetings and press briefings. They worked with local news outlets to spread unfounded stories, like the falsehood about forest defenders shooting a Flock Safety worker. Some of these stories were not just exaggeration, but pure fabrication, including claims that forest defenders were vandalizing homes, mugging people, or stealing cars. Nothing of the sort had occurred. When the scrapper came into the forest to steal the remains of Millsap\u2019s truck, he told police he \u201cfeared for [his] life\u201d and that he was nearly \u201cburned alive,\u201d another falsehood.<\/p>\n<p>In all likelihood, high-ranking authorities in the local government and state and federal agencies have a fairly clear picture of what they are up against. This does not stop them from spreading conspiracy theories and lies to rank-and-file officers, APF funders, and their supporters. For officers on the ground, however, the ability to distinguish talking points from reality was becoming dangerously blurred. For them, everything bad in southwest Dekalb County was the fault of a few dozen young people eating off of propane stoves and smoking hand-rolled cigarettes.<\/p>\n<p>But that was the kind of narrative their bosses needed to justify the violence they were about to unleash.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/4.jpg\" \/><figcaption>The construction of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/Cn0aqtgJNs1\/\">pallet house<\/a> in the forest in fall 2022.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h1 id=\"the-repression\">The Repression<\/h1>\n<p>The stalemate broke in December.<\/p>\n<p>In fall 2022, it was not uncommon to hear activists speculate that the winter months would see the police and their allies regroup\u2014especially in the forest, where tree cover and foliage would be reduced. But no one was prepared for what transpired.<\/p>\n<p>Following weeks of propaganda, a massive inter-agency raid encircled the forest on December 13. Under the direction of the Georgia Bureau of Investigations, officers from the Atlanta Police, the Dekalb Police, the Bomb Squad, and the Department of Homeland Security entered the forest from Key, Constitution, Fayetteville, Bouldercrest, and West Park Place. They advanced on foot from Constitution and Fayetteville. Drones hovered overhead and helicopters circled above the trees with thermal cameras trained on the encampments. Officers in riot gear equipped with off-road vehicles invaded the Prison Farm through the North Gate with firearms at the ready.<\/p>\n<p>Activists withdrew to treehouses or hiding spots or else fled the forest altogether. Since there were no subcontractors present, few chose to resist the operation; forest defenders did not want to be caught in conflicts with police that did not actually delay construction. Previously, this had seemed like the wisest idea, especially after the symbolic sweeps of the forest began. But this was an extraction mission: rather than escorting excavators or subcontractors or making a symbolic appearance, the police intended to make arrests and destroy camps. In hindsight, if more people had arrived to resist, things might have turned out differently. Some people in the forest did clash with officers, mostly by throwing stones and erecting barricades.<\/p>\n<p>The police wrecked dozens of tents and campsites. They bulldozed the Weelaunee Caf\u00e9. They used chainsaws to demolish the warming station along with hammocks, tables, medic stations, water bottles, and makeshift stages. A cherry picker entered the forest; arborists used it to destroy unoccupied tree houses. Officers who were able to locate forest defenders positioned in the trees stood beneath them, insulting and threatening them. Police pointed firearms at tree-sitters; they shot them with pepper balls, tear gas, and rubber bullets. Atlanta police unleashed attack dogs on activists moving on foot through the forest.<\/p>\n<p>By the end of the day, five people were under arrest. All of them were slapped with felony charges including \u201cDomestic Terrorism.\u201d<\/p>\n<h1 id=\"we-are-all-forest-defenders\">We Are All Forest Defenders<\/h1>\n<p>The movement responded immediately. A press conference met on December 14 outside Weelaunee People\u2019s Park. The park was temporarily closed off by police, who illegally closed access to the land with their vehicles during a second day of operations in the forest. They had not successfully evicted all of the tree houses, so they returned to complete their goal. While Dekalb County cops were in the forest shooting pepper balls at Tortuguita\u2014at the time, known only as an anonymous activist occupying a tree house\u2014activists and community members gathered outside of the park to deliver speeches to the local news media. This did not end the raid, as the press conference in May 2022 had, but it did draw away police resources to the parking lot, especially after activists breached the police line by walking into the edge of the forest, bringing news crews with them to photograph riot police in the ruins of the Weelaunee Caf\u00e9 and park gazebo.<\/p>\n<p>Footage from the press conference played repeatedly on local television. Another person was arrested in the vicinity of the forest and charged with \u201cDomestic Terrorism.\u201d Nonetheless, the police operation failed to remove the remaining tree-sitters and the other activists who remained in the forest. Over the following days, national coverage of the repression appeared on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.democracynow.org\/2022\/12\/21\/atlanta_residents_protest_construction_of_cop\">Democracy Now!<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2022\/12\/14\/us\/atlanta-police-cop-city-terrorism\/index.html\">CNN<\/a>, and other outlets.<\/p>\n<p>All of the various organizations and tendencies involved in the movement came together to defend the accused. Other groups, including socialists and others who had kept distance from the movement for whatever reason, stepped up to denounce the repression of the six young arrestees.<\/p>\n<p>On December 16, the Dekalb County government denied the \u201cLand Disturbance Permit\u201d required to begin the destruction of the Old Atlanta Prison farm. This was the fourth time that an application for the permit was denied. The next day, 200 people gathered in East Atlanta Village. At that point, this was one of the biggest local protests in the context of the movement. Speakers from local Black liberation organizations, a pre-school, a solidarity organization, and within the movement denounced the repression. \u201cWe cannot allow six young people to rot in prison for taking actions we all agree are necessary,\u201d one person declared to a cheering crowd. The whole crowd shared the sense that this attack on the forest occupants constituted an attack on the movement as a whole.<\/p>\n<p>After an hour of fiery speeches, the crowd gathered behind a banner demanding that Brasfield &amp; Gorrie drop the contract with the APF and another declaring \u201cWe Are All Forest Defenders.\u201d They marched around the business and residential area for an hour, drawing applause and cheers. In many ways, the police assault had fostered sympathy with the movement, not paralysis.<\/p>\n<p>For their part, the police claimed that this was a long and dangerous confrontation \u201cfinally coming to a head,\u201d implying that the movement was over. Nothing could be further from the truth.<\/p>\n<h1 id=\"destruction-in-weelaunee-peoples-park\">Destruction in Weelaunee People\u2019s Park<\/h1>\n<p>On December 21, a week after the raid, Ryan Millsap and his henchman entered Weelaunee People\u2019s Park. Nearly eight months after his attempt to destroy the area during the third Week of Action, he finally had a free hand.<\/p>\n<p>They brought bulldozers and heavy machinery into the area through the entrance of the Radio Control club. <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.org\/details\/tro-response-with-exhibits\">Reportedly<\/a>, the Georgia Bureau of Investigations requested this for the explicit purpose of denying anarchists the ability to operate freely in the forest. They knocked down dozens of trees along the paved bicycle path, overturned the park gazebo, and cut down a large number of saplings and bushes. By midday, they had destroyed substantial swaths of the forest near the parking lot and trailhead, creating clear lines of sight at ground level. It will never be known how many nonhuman inhabitants of the forest this operation killed or displaced. This was the first destruction of the forest at that scale. When a few journalists arrived at the scene, the contractors withdrew.<\/p>\n<p>The next day, December 22, the contractors returned. This time, they demolished the parking lot with heavy machinery and tore up a large segment of the paved bicycle path. They worked quickly. No police officers accompanied them. Only one man in a \u201cPeace Officer\u201d jacket oversaw the parking lot area. When a few forest defenders and journalists arrived, the contractors fled once again. Work trucks associated with a company called Stake Center were nearby; they have been seen numerous times in the vicinity of the forest, but it remains unclear who was executing the destruction at Millsap\u2019s behest.<\/p>\n<p>In the hours following the second day of destruction, community members called the Dekalb County Commissioners and various departments to notify them of the work taking place. Within a few hours, two Dekalb County police officers cautiously approached the parking lot, which was now in ruins. They anxiously notified those assembled that they would soon be returning with a \u201cStop Work\u201d order. They asked protesters to allow them to do so undisturbed.<\/p>\n<p>With \u201cStop Work\u201d orders now in effect in both sides of the forest, many people in the movement felt a bit of temporary relief. Yet there was nothing preventing police from entering the forest to remove encampments or to attack movement infrastructure.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/7.jpg\" \/><figcaption>The overturned gazebo in Weelaunee People\u2019s Park after the destruction of December 21, 2022.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h1 id=\"regaining-confidence\">Regaining Confidence<\/h1>\n<p>In the final weeks of December, the movement worked hard to rearrange priorities and regain confidence. The encampments in the Old Atlanta Prison Farm held firm in the face of the repression. Local musicians and artists organized a \u201cRock Against Repression\u201d fundraiser for those facing terrorism charges; several hundred people attended. Jail support and legal aid teams worked tirelessly in a superhuman effort to assure the safety of the accused. Activists and lawyers from around the country offered assistance along with advice distilled from previous eras of repression, including the <a href=\"https:\/\/crimethinc.com\/2008\/02\/22\/green-scared\">Green Scare<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The movement was drawing national attention, especially from outlets like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vice.com\/en\/article\/xgy9yk\/activists-occupying-the-woods-to-block-cop-city-face-terrorism-charges\">Motherboard<\/a> that were concerned about the politically-charged prosecution of forest defenders. Far-right trolls also took notice, siding with the authorities by organizing <a href=\"https:\/\/crimethinc.com\/2020\/08\/26\/doxcare-prevention-and-aftercare-for-those-targeted-by-doxxing-and-political-harassment\">doxing<\/a> efforts and smear campaigns targeting the accused.<\/p>\n<p>Dekalb County District Attorney Sherri Boston and police spokespeople were arguing that affiliation with the Defend the Atlanta Forest movement was itself a legitimate basis for the terrorism charges. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.documentcloud.org\/documents\/23587689-dtwarrantscombined_redacted\">According to the government<\/a>, some of the acts that \u201caffirmed\u201d one\u2019s \u201cbelonging\u201d in the movement included camping in the forest, being in the forest during a raid, posting about the movement on social media, and protesting against the destruction of the forest. Prosecutors falsely <a href=\"https:\/\/www.documentcloud.org\/documents\/23463024-domestic_terrorism_warrants\">claimed<\/a> that the Department of Homeland Security had \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ajc.com\/news\/atlanta-news\/a-closer-look-at-the-terrorism-charges-against-cop-city-protesters\/YMAUVAGB4FBHFBEMI6BSEQ7D3I\/\">classified<\/a>\u201d the movement as a Domestic Violent Extremist Group.<\/p>\n<p>Once again, this was a falsehood. Homeland Security internal documentation on criminal action is simply that: internal memos regarding actions and events. Even if they had classified the entire movement as a domestic terror group, that would have been a clerical matter, not a legal one. But DHS does not classify movements, as seen in their rejection of Donald Trump\u2019s absurd demand that they categorize \u201cAntifa\u201d as a terrorist group.<\/p>\n<p>To discourage continued attacks on the forest and rebuild morale within the movement, people began organizing daily vigils in the ruins of the parking lot. Early each morning, dozens of people met to eat breakfast and drink coffee in the former parking lot of Weelaunee People\u2019s Park. This positioned them to learn immediately of police interventions or the arrival of heavy machinery.<\/p>\n<p>No contractors or police showed up on the mornings of the vigils. Without more data points, we can\u2019t know whether the morning vigils impacted the timeline for the destruction of the forest. In the future, perhaps similar creative tactics could be used to mobilize those who cannot sleep overnight in the forest, assuming the land itself remains a contested zone.<\/p>\n<p>On New Year\u2019s Eve, hundreds of people converged in the forest. Neighbors, ravers, and activists assembled beneath a new gazebo that had been covertly assembled over the course of the day in a section of the park just barely outside of the zone that Millsap claims to own. Glow sticks illuminated a walking path through the destruction toward the sound of thumping music. A local queer collective organized the party, which was a major success.<\/p>\n<p>For many people, returning to the forest had become fraught and stressful. Many attendees said they hoped that this party marked the turning of the tide against those who wished to destroy the forest.<\/p>\n<h1 id=\"injunction-overruled\">Injunction Overruled<\/h1>\n<p>After the destruction of December 21, legal advocates filed a request for an injunction against Ryan Millsap with the Dekalb County court. The appeal highlighted the continuous abuse of the land by Millsap and his goons and the persistent violations of the terms of the land-swap deal struck between Millsap and Dekalb County, including his repeated attempts to close access to the park and his decision to tear up the bicycle path connecting the trailhead he claims to own to several other parks that he makes no legal claim to.<\/p>\n<p>On December 28, the judge <a href=\"https:\/\/www.11alive.com\/article\/news\/local\/blackhall-studios-dekalb-county-land-swap-lawsuit-injunction-request-denied\/85-031d4e0b-3644-4c48-8981-016793ceeb1b\">denied the appeal<\/a>, groundlessly associating it with the protests and brazenly asserting \u201cthe damage being done to the property by those folks inhabiting it is far worse than anything anybody else is doing at this point.\u201d She was parroting a clich\u00e9 often repeated by other opponents of the movement\u2014right, left, bureaucratic, and grassroots alike\u2014that the protests were doing more harm than good. Protesters had not clear-cut trees, destroyed public infrastructure, or blocked public access to the park.<\/p>\n<p>In her closing remarks, she made it explicitly clear that Ryan Millsap was free to continue destroying the forest however he liked, regardless of agreements with Dekalb County or anything else. The Dekalb County Office of Planning and Sustainability had rejected this idea when they issued their Stop Work order on December 22. At present, as consequence of that order, Millsap cannot continue destroying Weelaunee without permits. But as a consequence of the January 3 ruling, he is free to apply for the permits that would allow him to do so.<\/p>\n<p>The truth is, nothing will prevent Millsap from resuming the destruction of the forest except the bold, creative resistance of ordinary people.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/24.jpg\" \/><figcaption>Dekalb County and Atlanta police prepare to carry out a lethal raid on January 18, 2023.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h1 id=\"january-18-2023\">January 18, 2023<\/h1>\n<p>During the first half of January, the situation in the forest encampments had changed, but activists were adapting to it. Outside the forest, organizers were also strategizing, trying to figure out how to respond to repression while regaining the initiative. Almost every organizing cluster was busy with meetings, phone calls, interviews, and similar tasks.<\/p>\n<p>At the same time, new antagonists appeared, likely drawn by all the news coverage. Congressperson Marjorie Taylor Greene, former president Donald Trump, and their legion of online imitators began commenting on the movement, cartoonishly describing it as an \u201cANTIFA autonomous zone.\u201d Capitalizing on this demagoguery, bigger outlets began using the intentionally misleading description \u201cthe area, referred to as an \u2018ANTIFA autonomous zone.\u2019\u201d Local fascists began surveilling the movement by <a href=\"https:\/\/atlantaantifa.org\/2023\/01\/24\/violent-white-nationalist-leader-works-on-anti-antifa-info-project-from-new-base-in-atlanta\/\">pretending to be journalists<\/a>. Many adherents of the far right demanded that Governor Brian Kemp clamp down on the movement.<\/p>\n<p>Since metro-area police had failed to crush the encampments, the governor decided to try his hand by sending in the Georgia State Patrol (GSP). These officers, the extreme majority of whom are white men who live far outside the city limits, normally conduct traffic stops on the interstate; they have very little experience controlling protests. The surge of propaganda throughout the fall and the raid of December 13 were pushing the conflict into new terrain.<\/p>\n<p>What experiences the Georgia State Patrol <em>has<\/em> had with protests only underscore the tensions already existing between the GSP and activists. On November 27, 2014, following the failure of a grand jury to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson for the killing of Michael Brown in Missouri, GSP responded to protesters on the I-75\/I-85 connector, attacking Black women and others who were passively blocking the road. On July 4, 2020, a black bloc vandalized the headquarters of the Georgia State Patrol, breaking windows and starting fires inside the building. Later that summer, GSP agents attacked crowds from within armored Bearcat vehicles, shooting tear canisters at protesters\u2019 heads.<\/p>\n<p>It is possible that aside from these episodes, few current GSP officers had ever engaged with a protest in Atlanta. In any case, these cops almost certainly believed the false narratives of their bosses and the members of the Community Stakeholders Advisory Committee. GSP entered the forest anticipating violence, prepared to kill those living in the encampments.<\/p>\n<h1 id=\"the-shooting\">The Shooting<\/h1>\n<p>In the early hours of January 18, police established an operations control center in the parking lot of Gresham Park. Dozens of police vehicles from metro-Atlanta agencies began amassing there. Across the forest, other agencies spearheaded by Atlanta Police Department began amassing on Key, Fayetteville, Woodham, and adjacent streets. Helicopters were circling overhead. Forest defenders could hear the sounds of police drones hovering near their tree houses and tents. K9 units arrived with dogs. The bomb squad was stationed nearby, while all-black SUVs parked alongside Constitution Road near Shadowbox Studios. For the first time, the Georgia State Patrol entered Weelaunee People\u2019s Park.<\/p>\n<p>At 9:04 am, some 30 or more shots rang out in the forest.<\/p>\n<p>The Georgia State Patrol had killed Manuel P\u00e1ez Ter\u00e1n, a Venezuelan anarchist of Tomoto-Cuica heritage who went by the name Tortuguita in the forest.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"portrait\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/29.jpg\" \/><figcaption>Artwork celebrating the life of Manuel P\u00e1ez Ter\u00e1n, known in the forest as Tortuguita, by N.O. Bonzo. You can print copies of the poster <a href=\"https:\/\/justseeds.org\/graphic\/memorial-piece-for-tort\/\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Tortuguita had been living in the forest since May 2022. During their time in Atlanta, they had endeared themselves to many other forest defenders. They coordinated mutual aid efforts for those living in the forest, something they had experience doing in Tallahassee for the homeless as well as victims of natural disasters. They were known to be very brave and very warm to those close to them. They died defending the forest. Their death is an incalculable loss.<\/p>\n<p>Horrifically, the operation did not end there. Over the next several hours, officers continued to fan out through the forest, shamelessly continuing their assault. Once again, they smashed camp infrastructure, pointed guns at park-goers, and fired pepper balls into the tree houses. One courageous person living in a tree house was encircled by law enforcement, who sent an arborist into the tree. The arborist destroyed the tree house, but the activist climbed higher, <a href=\"https:\/\/todon.eu\/@CrimethInc\/109712410150409994\">refusing to come down<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The activist remained suspended in the air supported by a harness for nearly 19 hours. Police did not leave the foot of the tree for the entire day and then, for the first time, remained in the forest after dark. At last, the tree sitter came down and was also arrested.<\/p>\n<p>Five of the people who survived the lethal assault on the forest were arrested and charged with Domestic Terrorism.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/27.jpg\" \/><figcaption>In this and other affidavits, the police charge arrestees with Domestic Terrorism solely on the grounds that they were present in the forest and occupied a tree house. In this particular case, the police adduce as further evidence that the arrestee was in the woods when they killed Tortuguita.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h1 id=\"tortuguita-vive-la-lucha-sigue\">Tortuguita Vive, la Lucha Sigue<\/h1>\n<p>As the morning of January 18 passed into afternoon, it was still not known who had been killed. What was known, thanks to a press conference police held at midday, was that a patrolman had been shot. To this day, the authorities have released no information about who this patrolman was or how they were shot. Without more information, we cannot know whether this officer shot himself, was shot by a fellow officer\u2014as subsequently released police video showed officers concerned about crossfire and one declaring \u2018\u2019<a href=\"https:\/\/todon.eu\/@CrimethInc\/109832465141787501\">You fucked your own officer up<\/a>\u201d\u2014or was shot by a forest defender acting in self-defense.<\/p>\n<p>The initial phase of police propaganda claimed that agents had been \u201cambushed\u201d by a shooter. The <em>New York Times<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/01\/18\/us\/atlanta-police-center-protester-killed.html\">invented the idea<\/a> that the shooting had occurred during a \u201cfirefight\u201d in the woods. <a href=\"https:\/\/gbi.georgia.gov\/press-releases\/2023-02-09\/gbi-investigates-officer-involved-shooting-following-multi-agency\">Later<\/a>, the Georgia Bureau of Investigations changed their story, claiming that agents had encountered someone in a tent (sic), ordered them to exit, and that person opened fire \u201cwithout warning\u201d on patrolmen. Yet the photo they released to accompany their story did not show a tent, but a hammock. Unlike a tent, hammocks do not occlude any line of sight. One cannot \u201chide\u201d in a hammock, which is precisely why the GBI decided to use the word \u201ctent\u201d in their campaign of lies.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"portrait\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/15.jpg\" \/><figcaption>Tortuguita\u2019s hammock on the day that they were killed. As can clearly be seen, they were not in a \u201ctent,\u201d contrary to the lies of the Georgia Bureau of Investigations.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>On January 19, after careful deliberation, forest defenders decided that it was not acceptable to permit the police to be the first ones to announce the name of the deceased. Many were concerned that such an announcement would include an effort to smear Tortuguita\u2019s reputation, as is customary for police seeking to justify the murders they frequently carry out. It was better to get ahead of the propaganda machine.<\/p>\n<p>Whether or not Tortuguita fired at officers during the raid is not known. Owing to the difficulties, we may never know the details. Since every police agency that could investigate the event was participating in the operation, none of them are credible sources on this subject; even the District Attorney acknowledged this by recusing herself of the case. None of the killers were wearing body cameras and no credible witnesses have stepped forward yet.<\/p>\n<p>What is undeniable is that Tortuguita (who was also known as Geese, Onka, Cami, Manny, and other names) dedicated their life to defending the forest and its inhabitants, to the planet and all of its oppressed peoples. Despite the escalating violence directed at them, they <a href=\"https:\/\/bittersoutherner.com\/feature\/2023\/little-turtles-war-cop-city-atlanta\">remained steadfastly committed<\/a> to resisting the militarization of the police and the destruction of the planet up to the last. This is why the police killed them.<\/p>\n<p>On the night of the killing, around 200 people gathered in Findley Plaza in Little 5 Points. Despite the rain, this crowd assembled to light candles and to defend space for those in grief. Some attendees read statements or delivered speeches. Others stood in silence. Many cried.<\/p>\n<p>Most of those gathered blocked Moreland Avenue. When a police cruiser approached, a few people threw objects at it to send it away. The crowd slowly marched down Euclid Avenue, dragging debris into the street. Someone smashed a storefront window. Eventually, everyone calmly dispersed.<\/p>\n<h1 id=\"indomitable-resistance\">Indomitable Resistance<\/h1>\n<p>Over the following days, coverage of the movement reached international proportions. Corporate outlets throughout the Western world ran articles about the killing and the movement to defend the forest. Another vigil was announced for Friday, January 20, in Weelaunee People\u2019s Park. Similar actions and vigils were announced in dozens of other cities across the US and around the world. Some of those vigils were quite large, considering the context and cold weather; the events in Richmond, Portland, New York, Chicago, and Austin drew over 100 people each. Altogether, several thousand people mobilized that weekend in Tortuguita\u2019s memory.<\/p>\n<p>The vigil in Weelaunee People\u2019s Park was attended by around 100 people and a number of undercover police officers. Officers in riot gear were stationed nearby. However, the vigil took place without incident. It was important for people to be able to gather near the site of the killing as a community, to listen to some of the songs Tort had adored, to share space with one another and grieve.<\/p>\n<p>That night, solidarity actions took place around the country. A UPS facility was vandalized in Portland because UPS funds the Atlanta Police Foundation. An office of Atlas Technical Consultants was vandalized in Detroit on account of their contract with Brasfield &amp; Gorrie. In Oakland, dozens of windows were broken at a Bank of America in memory of Tortuguita. Bank of America is also a sponsor of the APF.<\/p>\n<p>On Saturday, January 21, around 300 people gathered at Underground Atlanta, a plaza and shopping mall downtown. The majority of this crowd wore black clothing to mourn Tortuguita\u2019s passing, as the flier requested. Around 5 pm, members of a nationwide socialist organization began making speeches to the crowd from behind their banners. On occasion, they passed around the megaphone to those who asked for it. Nobody else seemed prepared to deliver speeches, but the socialists on the megaphone had not organized this event, they simply had arrived aiming to instrumentalize those assembled for their own political aims. This is a strategy they use effectively, especially in power plays targeting spontaneous movements, in which organizers may not be prepared to give speeches themselves.<\/p>\n<p>Around 5:45, the crowd set off from the plaza in the direction of the State Capitol building. A contingent of about a hundred people wearing black hooded sweatshirts and masks halted the crowd and began marching the opposite direction, explaining to others that this was the original plan for the route. Finally, Tortuguita\u2019s friends and comrades were in the front.<\/p>\n<p>The crowd turned onto Peachtree Street heading north. Colorful smoke began to drift above the throng. Some pedestrians joined the march. Rush-hour foot and car traffic in the city center gave audience to the demonstrators as they chanted <em>\u201cCop City will never be built!\u201d<\/em> and <em>\u201cCops, pigs, murders!\u201d<\/em> Just north of the Peachtree Center MARTA station, an Atlanta police SUV attempted to turn around, backing up after a demonstrator threw a firework at it. The officers parked the car and jogged away. When the crowd reached the vehicle, they broke its windows.<\/p>\n<p>The police vehicle was parked directly in front of the Deloitte Tower. The Atlanta Police Foundation headquarters is on the ground floor; it was already vandalized once, during the first Week of Action in 2021. On the night of January 21, 2023, several people threw rocks at the building while others smashed the doors and windows. Someone in the crowd dropped fireworks outside of the building. Unfortunately, those exploded in the crowd, which startled the back of the march, sending some people in the opposite direction.<\/p>\n<p>A block ahead, the crowd passed another Atlanta police vehicle and set about breaking its windows. Someone tossed a firework inside it. A few minutes later, the burning vehicle poured smoke into the early evening skyline. Someone broke a window of Truist Bank. A half block ahead, a Wells Fargo lost many windows and both of the street-level ATMs were broken. Again, fireworks exploded near the crowd at street level, to no clear purpose. Anxiety was building in the march though it had encountered no obstacles up to that point.<\/p>\n<p>Ahead, three police vehicles blocked Peachtree Street near the intersection with Baker Street. A few forest defenders began throwing fireworks and stones at the cars, which stopped them from advancing closer to the march. Nearly a half block separated the crowd from the cruisers, and there were no cops behind the march, which now numbered around 120 people. Rather than confront the officers, a confrontation the march probably could have won, the group faltered, pausing for a few crucial moments. Abruptly, a few Atlanta police officers charged out of their cars toward the black bloc. Only a handful of protesters threw stones and fireworks; everyone else pulled back, though they did not scatter or stampede.<\/p>\n<p>The officers managed to tackle a few young people near the front of the protest. Moving quickly, the black bloc dispersed into downtown. Shortly after, police tackled and arrested a few more people they suspected of participating in the event. Georgia State Patrolmen parked along Peachtree Center and Piedmont, donning gas masks and retrieving tear gas from their trunks, but the demonstration was over.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/19.jpg\" \/><figcaption>Demonstrators commemorating Tortuguita\u2019s life in downtown Atlanta on January 21, 2023.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Everyone arrested that night was charged with Domestic Terrorism, bringing the total number of those accused under the statute to 18 people. One person is facing two counts, one from the December 13 attack on the forest, and one for being in the vicinity of the January 21 protest. At time of publication, 7 of those 18 have been denied bond for over a month. Several of the accused are not receiving proper medical care or food appropriate for their dietary needs.<\/p>\n<p>All of the accused are being charged under <a href=\"https:\/\/readingroom.law.gsu.edu\/cgi\/viewcontent.cgi?article=2902&amp;context=gsulr\">House Bill 452<\/a>, the Georgia Domestic Terrorism law. This law redefines Domestic Terrorism in Georgia following the horrific killing of Black parishioners in Charleston, South Carolina in 2017. Under the previous law, such an act would not have constituted Domestic Terrorism, because only nine people were killed, and the old law required that ten people die before a Terrorism enhancement could be applied. Under HB 452, no such quota exists. The law is extremely wide-reaching; depending upon how it is interpreted, it could serve to criminalize a wide range of ordinary protest activities, because of a vaguely-worded clause about \u201ccritical infrastructure.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The protesters arrested on January 21 are not being charged with Domestic Terrorism because they broke windows. If they had, that would already constitute a shocking and novel abuse of judicial authority. Rather, they are accused of being in a crowd in which some people broke windows and threw fireworks.<\/p>\n<p>Atlanta area prosecutors aim to set the precedent that sending text messages, camping in the woods, posting on social media, and participating in an unruly protest are all forms of terrorism. This sets a precedent for outright totalitarianism.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/23.jpg\" \/><figcaption>Demonstrators commemorating Tortuguita\u2019s life in downtown Atlanta on January 21, 2023.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h1 id=\"is-everything-coming-to-a-head\">Is Everything Coming to a Head?<\/h1>\n<p>Images of the police cruiser set aflame on January 21 spread virally online. Both corporate and grassroots reporting highlighted the precision of the vandalism: protesters broke windows only at the bank branches with direct connections to the APF, as well as some APD cruisers and the APF headquarters itself. Judging by the chatter across town and online, the public seemed to understand the targets and the rage of the forest defenders in the wake of the killing of Tortuguita, even if they did not approve of political vandalism in the abstract.<\/p>\n<p>At the same time, the movement\u2019s popularity was exploding. Thousands of non-profit organizations and civic groups joined anarchists, autonomists, anti-capitalists, and revolutionaries around the world in signing a <a href=\"https:\/\/defendtheatlantaforest.org\/solidarity\/\">declaration of solidarity<\/a> with the movement. Among those groups were 350.org, Rainforest Action Network, Center for Biological Diversity, Greenpeace, Sierra Club, Sunrise Movement, No More Deaths, Black Alliance for Peace, National Lawyers Guild, and PEN America\u2014the sort of groups that had previously stood aside from the struggle to defend the forest. Several more drafted their own statements of support for the movement, including the King Center. Many of these groups emphasized the list of secondary and tertiary targets connected to Cop City, calling on their members to pressure those companies to divest from the APF. Soon after the march downtown, three Democratic Party Congresspeople <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2023\/feb\/09\/cop-city-opposition-georgia\">declared their support<\/a> for the movement.<\/p>\n<p>In less than a week, the movement had confronted an unspeakable tragedy and reoriented the narrative 180 degrees, outflanking the falsehoods of the police, politicians, and corporate media.<\/p>\n<p>If the movement continues on its current trajectory toward mass mobilization and support, it will demonstrate the viability of its strategy, provided that the way that the movement developed in the first place is not erased (as occurred, for example, in <a href=\"https:\/\/crimethinc.com\/2021\/11\/07\/how-not-to-abolish-the-police-a-guide-from-the-city-of-minneapolis\">the George Floyd rebellion<\/a>). Specifically, it would show that a small, dedicated group of militant activists can precipitate a large-scale mobilization, not just chase after it. If the movement continues to grow, that will have been because of the dogged determination, flexibility, courage, creativity, and intelligence of a couple hundred people who pushed the envelope continuously from the beginning.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/21.jpg\" \/><figcaption>A burning police car in downtown Atlanta on the night of January 21, 2023.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h1 id=\"blood-in-the-water\">Blood in the Water<\/h1>\n<p>On January 31, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and Dekalb County CEO Michael Thurmond held a joint press conference. After inviting all of the local press, the authorities changed their minds at the last minute, closing public access to the event and locking all but two corporate media outlets outside with protesters. They deployed 60 police cruisers around the perimeter of City Hall in order to contain the dozens who gathered to protest the press conference.<\/p>\n<p>Together, the mayor and the CEO of Dekalb County announced a \u201ccompromise\u201d between the two governments. The new agreement, which is not legally binding, emerges from a series of closed-door meetings with no public input or transparency. It introduces changes that nobody asked for: for example, supposedly, the new plans for Cop City no longer include an explosives testing site. Presumably, this change is intended to hurry the project through the permitting process. The new permits include an \u201celasticity clause,\u201d allowing the APF to alter or expand the development once it is underway; this leaves them an opening to underhandedly fulfill their original plan. While the announcement does not represent a victory, it does suggest that a degree of institutional panic could be taking hold.<\/p>\n<p>The Land Disturbance Permit was approved. Throughout an entire hour of lies and half-truths, Mayor Dickens did not mention the killing of Tortuguita a single time.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Tortuguita\u2019s family had commissioned a private autopsy, which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wabe.org\/private-autopsy-shows-officers-shot-cop-city-activist-at-least-13-times-attorneys-say\/\">revealed<\/a> that they were shot at least 13 different times by various officers.<\/p>\n<p>The following week, Mayor Dickens announced his intention to host a question-and-answer session at the Atlanta University Center (AUC). The AUC hosts Morehouse College, Spelman College, Clark Atlanta, and the Morehouse School of Medicine. These are the privately-owned historically Black colleges and universities that Atlanta is famous for.<\/p>\n<p>The Mayor was determined to host this Q&amp;A session with the Black students on February 7, because a week earlier, on January 31, a group of students staged a public disruption of a campus event, during which they demanded that the school divest from the Atlanta Police Foundation and denounce Cop City. At the same time, 20% of Morehouse faculty signed <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/1iBaAadACjTx2vt8SYdN6f9QWbbnr8qYvL8ZX7W763mU\/edit\">an open letter<\/a> to the campus administration, strongly denouncing the institution\u2019s involvement with the APF.<\/p>\n<div class=\"twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"twitter-widget-4\" class=\"\" title=\"Twitter Tweet\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=crimethinc&amp;creatorUserId=14884161&amp;dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-4&amp;features=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%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1621509325310267394&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fcrimethinc.com%2F2023%2F02%2F22%2Fthe-forest-in-the-city-two-years-of-forest-defense-in-atlanta-georgia&amp;sessionId=962fd958def335ed6bf6847a3b2265bc7171771e&amp;siteScreenName=crimethinc&amp;siteUserId=14884161&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=aaf4084522e3a%3A1674595607486&amp;width=550px\" width=\"300\" height=\"150\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-tweet-id=\"1621509325310267394\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>During the Q&amp;A on February 7, some students and community members refused to enter the auditorium, chanting slogans and denouncing the event from outside. Inside the event, speaker after speaker criticized the Morehouse President, the Mayor of Atlanta, and the systems of white supremacy and capitalism that terrorize and kill the communities that the school is supposed to educate and uplift. The event was a disaster for the City Government\u2019s public relations strategy.<\/p>\n<p>The following day, on February 8, the Atlanta Police Department released <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/politics\/police-video-from-cop-city-operation-doesnt-show-shooting\/2023\/02\/09\/73d58b26-a8b3-11ed-b2a3-edb05ee0e313_story.html\">body camera footage of the January 18 raid<\/a>. This footage was published unceremoniously, with no accompanying statement or press conference. After the GBI had claimed that no footage existed that was relevant to the case, many were shocked by what the video showed.<\/p>\n<p>The body camera footage does not show the killing of Tortuguita by Georgia State Patrolmen. Rather, it shows a few officers walking through the woods when gunfire bursts erupt from nearby. No yelling or commands precede the shooting. One Atlanta police officer says \u201cYou fucked your own officer up?\u201d In the footage, which shows many perspectives and moments from the morning, three separate groups of Atlanta police officers seem to be under the impression that the Patrolmen have accidentally shot one of their own. The video also records a single unexplained shot several minutes after the initial volley.<\/p>\n<div class=\"twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"twitter-widget-5\" class=\"\" title=\"Twitter Tweet\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=crimethinc&amp;creatorUserId=14884161&amp;dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-5&amp;features=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%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1623484224924798976&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fcrimethinc.com%2F2023%2F02%2F22%2Fthe-forest-in-the-city-two-years-of-forest-defense-in-atlanta-georgia&amp;sessionId=962fd958def335ed6bf6847a3b2265bc7171771e&amp;siteScreenName=crimethinc&amp;siteUserId=14884161&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=aaf4084522e3a%3A1674595607486&amp;width=550px\" width=\"300\" height=\"150\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-tweet-id=\"1623484224924798976\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>All this seems to undermine the official narrative. In releasing the footage, the Atlanta police were bowing to pressure brought to bear on them by Tortuguita\u2019s family and their lawyers, who had hosted a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wabe.org\/private-autopsy-shows-officers-shot-cop-city-activist-at-least-13-times-attorneys-say\/\">press conference<\/a> two days prior. It is also conceivable that they hoped to distance themselves from the actions of the GBI.<\/p>\n<p>In the following days, a massive number of police began stationing around Key Road and inside the North Gate of the Old Atlanta Prison Farm. They escorted Brent Scarborough Company, a Brasfield &amp; Gorrie subcontractor and a donor to the Governor and the APF, onto the property, where officers erected a barrier tarp and several large spotlights facing the forest. Inside the gate, workers began laying down gravel and clearing trees in order to erect silt fencing for erosion control. Police officers and unmarked vehicles are staging 24 hours per day at positions every few dozen feet along the perimeter of the Prison Farm. In a <a href=\"https:\/\/saportareport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/williams-affidavit-Copy.pdf\">recent statement to the Dekalb County court<\/a>, the APF claims it is spending <a href=\"https:\/\/saportareport.com\/training-center-security-costs-41500-a-day-planner-claims\/sections\/reports\/johnruch\/\">$41,500<\/a> per day to secure the site.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/17.jpg\" \/><figcaption>Targeted vandalism in downtown Atlanta on the night of January 21, 2023.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Resistance is spreading. During the final week of January, protests and vigils occurred in <a href=\"https:\/\/itsgoingdown.org\/solidarity-with-fight-cop-city-grows-weekend\/\">over 20 cities<\/a> On February 9, over 100 Georgia Tech students <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsbtv.com\/news\/local\/atlanta\/georgia-tech-students-protest-public-safety-training-center-beating-tyre-nichols\/UL4GPZDSTNGOFDKWLB53KFH3R4\/\">marched<\/a> around campus denouncing Cop City and attempting to storm administration buildings. Since the beginning of February, rallies, marches, and benefit shows have taken place in <a href=\"https:\/\/itsgoingdown.org\/ann-arbor-michigan-takes-to-streets-in-solidarity-with-tortuguita\/\">Ann Arbor<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/itsgoingdown.org\/dc-rallies-against-wells-fargo-cox-enterprises-support-for-cop-city\/\">Washington, DC<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/itsgoingdown.org\/report-back-on-vigil-for-tortuguita-in-binghamton-new-york\/\">Binghamton<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/itsgoingdown.org\/report-back-from-new-orleans-vigil-for-tortuguita\/\">New Orleans<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/itsgoingdown.org\/report-back-rally-solidarity-flagstaff\/\">Flagstaff<\/a>, Tucson, <a href=\"https:\/\/itsgoingdown.org\/vancouver-solidarity-march-stop-cop-city\/\">Vancouver<\/a>, Humboldt, and elsewhere.<\/p>\n<p>While Brasfield &amp; Gorrie and their subcontractors continue to push ahead at the behest of the APF, forest defenders everywhere are organizing themselves into local committees and organizing groups to pressure contractors, spread awareness, raise funds, and send delegations to Atlanta for the Week of Action scheduled to begin on <a href=\"https:\/\/defendtheatlantaforest.org\/2023\/02\/16\/pressure-mounts-against-cop-city\/\">March 4<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>It is possible that the movement is closer to victory than it seems. It is certainly at a crucial threshold\u2014sure to be the most determinant of the entire struggle. It is up to courageous people to keep pushing for bolder and more creative strategies.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"portrait\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/30.jpg\" \/><figcaption>Artwork by N.O. Bonzo.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<hr \/>\n<h1 id=\"appendix-timeline-of-events\">Appendix: Timeline of Events<\/h1>\n<p><em>Assembled from publicly available reports.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>April 2, 2022:<\/strong> An open records request with the State of Georgia reveals that Brasfield &amp; Gorrie has been contracted to take over work on Cop City. Brasfield &amp; Gorrie later confirms this in a press release.<\/p>\n<p><strong>April 9:<\/strong> SRY Campaign website launches (at that time as Stopreevesyoung.com). The site includes names and home addresses of those seeking to destroy the forest, including the president and CEO of Reeves+Young.<\/p>\n<p><strong>April 18:<\/strong> Reeves+Young <a href=\"https:\/\/www.srycampaign.org\/2022\/04\/27\/reeves-young-backs-out\/\">drops the contract<\/a> with the Police Foundation.<\/p>\n<p><strong>April 23:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CcB2sDruKxt\">Muscogee Summit<\/a> draws hundreds to the forest for information sessions and a historical presentation.<\/p>\n<p><strong>April 26:<\/strong> Bank of America windows <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/04\/26\/portland-bank-of-america-attacked-in-solidarity-with-atlanta-forest-defenders\/\">are broken<\/a> in Portland because of the bank\u2019s connection to the Atlanta Police Foundation (APF).<\/p>\n<p><strong>April 27:<\/strong> ATMs across the Bay Area <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/04\/27\/bay-area-atms-sabotaged-in-solidarity-with-land-defenders-in-the-atlanta-forest-and-across-occupied-land\/\">are sabotaged<\/a> in support of the movement, targeting institutions backing the APF.<\/p>\n<p><strong>May 1:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/05\/01\/with-love-from-minneapolis\/\">Windows are smashed and walls painted<\/a> at the Minneapolis office of Atlas Technical Consultants, a subcontractor involved in Cop City construction on behalf of Brasfield and Gorrie. On the same day, an Atlas Technical Consultants office in Highland, Indiana <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/05\/02\/keep-up-the-good-fight\/\">is painted<\/a> in solidarity with the movement and a Bank of America in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/05\/07\/bank-attacked-in-solidarity-with-yintah-land-defenders-and-atlanta-forest-defenders-in-pittsburgh-usa\/\">has its windows broken<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>May 4:<\/strong> Police attempt to enter the Prison Farm through the North Gate. They are <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/05\/07\/police-retreat-from-forest\/\">repelled<\/a> with burning barricades, stones, and smoke.<\/p>\n<p><strong>May 8-14:<\/strong> The Third Week of Action to Defend the Forest draws hundreds of participants to an autonomous encampment in the South River\/Weelaunee Forest. Dozens of events, walks, talks, parties, and actions take place throughout the week, effectively liberating the zone from police control.<\/p>\n<p><strong>May 9:<\/strong> A bulldozer marked \u201cDodd Drilling LLC\u201d and two Dekalb County Sheriffs enter the forest via the entrance of the Radio Control Club on Constitution Drive. Despite the early morning hour of their arrival, a few dozen activists <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/05\/09\/bulldozer-enter-woods-forest-defenders-repel-them-and-the-police\/\">successfully repelled<\/a> the bulldozer and police, though not before a number of trees were felled. On the same day, a demonstration <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=EeMYNZobQhQ\">took place<\/a> at the house of Shepherd Long, the CEO of Long Engineering, a subcontractor of Brasfield &amp; Gorrie.<\/p>\n<p><strong>May 10:<\/strong> \u201cSome anarchist\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/05\/13\/atlas-office-windows-smashed-vandalism-in-albany-ny\/\">breaks seven windows<\/a> at an office of Atlas Technical Consultants in Albany, New York on account of their contract with Brasfield &amp; Gorrie.<\/p>\n<p><strong>May 11:<\/strong> Two Dekalb County police cruisers enter the parking lot of Intrenchment Creek Park but are repelled by groups of people throwing stones. An hour later, a van belonging to the Juvenile Detention Center parks in the parking lot. Several dozen black-clad activists <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/05\/11\/multiple-police-cars-damaged\/\">ambush<\/a> the vehicle from multiple sides, slashing its tires and smashing its windows. 30 protesters <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/05\/14\/may-11-house-visit-at-keith-johnson-brasfield-gorrie\/\">assemble<\/a> at the home of Keith Johnson. Johnson is the Eastern Regional President of Brasfield &amp; Gorrie, general contractor for Cop City.<\/p>\n<p><strong>May 12:<\/strong> Approximately 80 protesters <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/05\/12\/953\/\">converge on<\/a> the Brasfield &amp; Gorrie headquarters in Northwest Atlanta. Brasfield &amp; Gorrie is the new general contractor for Cop City. Protesters paint slogans, toss paint balloons at the veneer of the building, break windows, and shoot fireworks at the facility before dispersing. Nearby, several people are arrested in alleged connection to the event.<\/p>\n<p><strong>May 13:<\/strong> In the early morning, someone <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/05\/13\/brasfield-gorrie-corporate-hq-in-alabama-attacked\/\">paints<\/a> \u201cDrop Cop City or Else\u201d on the Birmingham, Alabama headquarters of Brasfield &amp; Gorrie; many windows are broken at the facility as well. In Atlanta, police are <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/05\/13\/atlanta-police-believe-that-an-organized-group-is-tracking-and-targeting-officers\/\">overheard<\/a> complaining about \u201cBlack Flag Atlanta,\u201d a fictitious organization of anarchists that they believe are monitoring them closely, impairing their movement in the area of the Weelaunee Forest.<\/p>\n<p><strong>May 14:<\/strong> Over 100 people join a <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/05\/14\/march-to-defend-the-forest-led-by-preschoolers\/\">march<\/a> in East Atlanta Village to denounce Cop City, led by preschoolers, parents, and teachers. Later that day, over 200 people <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/05\/14\/200-protesters-marched-through-atlanta-to-stop-cop-city\/\">march<\/a> in Little 5 Points to oppose Cop City. Neighbors and pedestrians display overwhelming support for those in attendance. After the march ends, dozens of police vehicles and multiple helicopters swarm the area. Police arrest numerous people at random while bystanders express disapproval.<\/p>\n<p><strong>May 16:<\/strong> A home \u201cassociated with\u201d Dodd Drilling LLC is <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/05\/16\/a-home-associated-with-dodd-drilling-llc-vandalized\/\">vandalized<\/a>. The same day, a <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/05\/16\/call-brasfield-gorrie-today\/\">call-in campaign<\/a> targets Brasfield &amp; Gorrie.<\/p>\n<p><strong>May 17:<\/strong> Hundreds of officers from Atlanta Police Department, Dekalb County, Bomb Squad, Joint Terrorism Task Force, Georiga Bureau of Investigations, Department of Natural Resources, and Dekalb County Parks and Recreation participate in an inter-agency raid on the Old Atlanta Prison Farm. Forest defenders evade officers and repel them with stones, fireworks, and Molotov cocktails. Several park-goers are arrested in the adjacent Intrenchment Creek Park, though their charges are dropped shortly after. All of the major media outlets attend a press conference at Intrenchment Creek Park at which activists denounce the police operation. Audio leaks of police communication reveal police discussing the day\u2019s raid as a \u201cdeadly force encounter,\u201d justifying the use of lethal force against activists.<\/p>\n<p><strong>May:<\/strong> Over the course of a month, construction equipment for various projects in Lane County, Oregon is <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/05\/19\/construction-vehicles-vandalized-in-lane-county\/\">vandalized<\/a> in support of the movement.<\/p>\n<p><strong>May 20:<\/strong> In Minneapolis, Bank of America windows <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/05\/20\/attack-on-bank-of-america-in-minneapolis-in-solidarity-with-arrested-forest-defenders\/\">are broken<\/a> and \u201cDefund Cop City\u201d is painted across the building.<\/p>\n<p><strong>May 26:<\/strong> Windows are <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/05\/26\/attack-on-atlas-subsidary-office-in-oakland\/\">broken<\/a> at Consolidated Engineering Laboratories, a subsidiary of Atlas Technical Consultants.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Mid-May:<\/strong> Protesters <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/09\/22\/keith-johnson-had-a-noise-demo-in-springtime\/\">visit<\/a> Keith Johnson, Regional President of Brasfield &amp; Gorrie, at his home. The gate outside of his property is decorated with spray paint.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Late May:<\/strong> Forest defenders construct tree houses in the Weelaunee Forest.<\/p>\n<p><strong>June 1:<\/strong> Windows are <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/06\/01\/erie-pennsylvania-atlas-office-covered-in-graffiti-and-windows-smashed\/\">broken<\/a> at the office of Atlas Technical Consultants in Erie, Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n<p><strong>June 2:<\/strong> Just ten forest defenders <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/06\/02\/forest-defenders-fire-fireworks-throw-rocks-and-attack-construction-machine\/\">repel<\/a> a construction crew in the Old Atlanta Prison farm using stones and fireworks. An Atlas Technical Consultants office is <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/06\/04\/atlas-office-in-columbus-oh-smashed-up\/\">vandalized<\/a> in Columbus, Ohio.<\/p>\n<p><strong>June 5:<\/strong> Activists <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/06\/06\/church-of-michael-keller-visited\/\">visit<\/a> the church of Michael Keller, Director of Pre-Construction for Brasfield &amp; Gorrie, and place fliers on cars parked outside the service.<\/p>\n<p><strong>June 6:<\/strong> A large contingent of police escort workers into the Old Atlanta Prison Farm. When activists attempt to dissuade the workers, officers point firearms at them. A few dozen trees are felled. Later, several machines owned by Boyette Brothers Rental Service that were used to knock down trees <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/06\/07\/boyette-brothers-equipment-rental-service-machines-set-on-fire\/\">catch fire<\/a>. An online statement addresses \u201canyone who tries to help build cop city, our message is simple: \u2018If you build it, we will burn it.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>June 7:<\/strong> In response to an attempt to evict a tree-sitter, dozens of people conduct a \u201ccar caravan\u201d protest, blocking access to Constitution Road and honking their horns. The eviction operation is halted. Elsewhere, a noise demonstration <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/06\/08\/noise-demo-outside-nyc-atlas-office\/\">takes place<\/a> outside of the New York City office of Atlas Technical Consultants.<\/p>\n<p><strong>June 10:<\/strong> Windows <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/06\/11\/atlas-technical-branch-in-tallahassee-attacked\/\">are broken<\/a> at the Tallahassee office of Atlas Technical Consultants. A \u201cStop Work\u201d order is <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/defendATLforest\/status\/1535290794550116355\">delivered<\/a> by the Dekalb County Government on account of the illegal removal of trees and bulldozing in the Prison Farm.<\/p>\n<p><strong>June 12:<\/strong> \u201cEvery window and door\u201d of the Kansas City Atlas Technical Consultants office <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/06\/13\/kansas-city-atlas-construction-office-attacked\/\">is broken<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>June 15:<\/strong> The Springfield, Massachusetts office of Atlas Technical Consultants is <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/07\/04\/springfield-massachusetts-atlas-technical-consultants-office-has-windows-smashed-and-vandalized\/\">vandalized<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>June 19:<\/strong> Activists construct <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/06\/28\/juneteenth-treesits-erected-to-block-juvenile-detention-ctr-annexation-stop-cop-city-juneteenth-treesits-erected-to-block-juvenile-detention-ctr-annexation-stop-cop-cityjuneteenth-treesits\/\">additional tree occupations<\/a> to commemorate Juneteenth.<\/p>\n<p><strong>June 20:<\/strong> A speaking tour of the West Coast <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/defendATLforest\/status\/1539243818700136450\">gets underway<\/a>, lasting through July 7.<\/p>\n<p><strong>June 28:<\/strong> More trees are reportedly <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/06\/29\/more-trees-spiked-in-the-welaunee-forest\/\">spiked<\/a> in the Weelaunee Forest.<\/p>\n<p><strong>June 30:<\/strong> Protesters <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/06\/30\/road-blocked-by-protestors-today-near-the-charlotte-nc-offices-of-brasfield-gorrie\/\">block roads<\/a> and disrupt a Brasfield &amp; Gorrie office in Charlotte, North Carolina. A speaking tour of the East Coast <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/06\/26\/stopcopcity-defendatlantaforest-east-coast-tour\/\">gets underway<\/a>, lasting through July 3.<\/p>\n<p><strong>June 29-July 1:<\/strong> Forest defenders repeatedly evade or resist police incursions into the Old Atlanta Prison Farm. <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/07\/01\/north-gate-barricaded-shut-to-protect-forest-from-cops-with-chainsaws\/\">Barricades<\/a> are constructed at the North Gate to slow entry.<\/p>\n<p><strong>July 1:<\/strong> A new website <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/07\/02\/flyers-about-stopapf-noblogs-org\/\">launches<\/a> called \u201cStop the Atlanta Police Foundation.\u201d The website details the links that connect companies like Norfolk Southern to the APF.<\/p>\n<p><strong>July 7:<\/strong> Atlanta Police erect a surveillance camera on a pole near the forest. \u201cBeavers\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/07\/07\/beavers-gnaw-down-40-ft-wooden-surveillance-pole-in-welaunee-forest-installed-by-apd-city-of-atl\/\">cut down<\/a> the 40-foot pole.<\/p>\n<p><strong>July 19:<\/strong> Ryan Millsap orders contractors to place concrete barriers in the entranceway to Intrenchment Creek Park, effectively closing the public facility.<\/p>\n<p><strong>July 20:<\/strong> In response to police actions in the preceding weeks, including pointing firearms at unarmed protesters, a new website is <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/07\/21\/new-website-cops-of-cop-city\/\">launched<\/a> called \u201cCops of Cop City.\u201d This website features images and home addresses of Atlanta-area law enforcement.<\/p>\n<p><strong>July 21:<\/strong> \u201c100 cute little ants\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/07\/21\/ant-gang-moves-2-ton-barricade-of-public-park\/\">move<\/a> the concrete barriers out of the entranceway to Intrenchment Creek Park, reestablishing open access to the forest just before the fourth week of action.<\/p>\n<p><strong>July 22:<\/strong> South River Watershed Alliance and Atlanta Community Press Collective <a href=\"https:\/\/atlantapresscollective.com\/2022\/10\/19\/atlanta-public-safety-training-center-site-plans-hub-july-2022-plans\/\">release<\/a> the construction timeline and site plans, revealing that \u201cClearing and Grading\u201d is intended to begin in the fall of 2022. Meanwhile, the Remote Control club has their facilities vandalized and access to the airfield, which they had been using semi-illegally, <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/07\/22\/rc-field-barricaded\/\">closed by barricades<\/a>. In preceding weeks, some activists had come to believe the RC Club was working with the police in operations against forest defenders.<\/p>\n<p><strong>July 23:<\/strong> Climate activists <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsobserver.com\/news\/state\/north-carolina\/article263729833.html\">chain themselves<\/a> to the front doors of the Brasfield &amp; Gorrie office in Charlotte, North Carolina. In Atlanta, the Fourth Week of Action begins. Activists <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/07\/23\/weelaunee-peoples-park-opening-and-ribbon-cutting-ceremony\/\">gather<\/a> at the site of the concrete barricades and erect a sign reading \u201cWeelaunee People\u2019s Park.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>July 25:<\/strong> Protests <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/08\/18\/keith-johnson-eastern-regional-president-of-brassfield-gorrie-what-do-you-have-to-say-for-yourself\/\">take place<\/a> at the home of Keith Johnson, Regional President of Brasfield &amp; Gorrie, and <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/08\/04\/forest-defenders-visit-brasfield-employee\/\">Jodye Ellen DiSario<\/a>, Executive Assistant at Brasfield &amp; Gorrie. Activists carry out a <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/07\/27\/banner-drop-in-minneapolis-usa-in-solidarity-with-the-week-of-action-to-defend-the-weelaunee-forest\/\">banner drop<\/a> in Minneapolis to support the Week of Action. In the forest itself, several cameras and a work truck <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/07\/25\/flock-security-vehicle-windows-smashed-scared-out-of-forest\/\">are vandalized<\/a>; these belong to Flock Safety, an entity contracted to establish surveillance infrastructure around the forest. Police and police enthusiasts falsely claim that forest defenders have used a firearm against the contractors. In the following weeks, every camera installed in the area is repeatedly vandalized until Flock ceases to install new ones.<\/p>\n<p><strong>July 28:<\/strong> A three-day <a href=\"https:\/\/crimethinc.com\/2022\/08\/09\/beneath-the-concrete-the-forest-accounts-from-the-defense-of-the-atlanta-forest\">autonomous music festival<\/a> begins in Weelaunee People\u2019s Park, bringing together indie, techno, hip hop, and hardcore punk acts. Roughly 1000 people attend the events, listening to speeches, reading literature, and camping in the territory. Elsewhere, Defend the Forest posters <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/07\/28\/dtf-flyers-wheatpasted-throughout-the-twin-cities\/\">appear<\/a> around the Twin Cities.<\/p>\n<p><strong>July 29:<\/strong> Banner drops occur in <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/07\/29\/orlando-usa-banner-drop-in-solidarity-with-forest-defenders\/\">Orlando, Florida<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/07\/29\/banner-drop-in-lenapehoking-in-solidarity-with-the-weelaunee-forest-defenders\/\">Brooklyn, New York<\/a>. A Brasfield &amp; Gorrie jobsite at the intersection of Hank Aaron Drive and Fulton Street is <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/09\/22\/brassfield-and-gorrie-work-site-demo-in-atlanta\/\">disrupted<\/a> by 30-40 protesters who march inside chanting. Later, police arrest 8 individuals in the area, alleging that they were connected to the event.<\/p>\n<div class=\"twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"twitter-widget-6\" class=\"\" title=\"Twitter Tweet\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=crimethinc&amp;creatorUserId=14884161&amp;dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-6&amp;features=eyJ0ZndfdGltZWxpbmVfbGlzdCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOltdLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2ZvbGxvd2VyX2NvdW50X3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9iYWNrZW5kIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19yZWZzcmNfc2Vzc2lvbiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfbWl4ZWRfbWVkaWFfMTU4OTciOnsiYnVja2V0IjoidHJlYXRtZW50IiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19leHBlcmltZW50c19jb29raWVfZXhwaXJhdGlvbiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOjEyMDk2MDAsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZHVwbGljYXRlX3NjcmliZXNfdG9fc2V0dGluZ3MiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib24iLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3ZpZGVvX2hsc19keW5hbWljX21hbmlmZXN0c18xNTA4MiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ0cnVlX2JpdHJhdGUiLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2xlZ2FjeV90aW1lbGluZV9zdW5zZXQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijp0cnVlLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3R3ZWV0X2VkaXRfZnJvbnRlbmQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib24iLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfX0%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1553951710585954307&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fcrimethinc.com%2F2023%2F02%2F22%2Fthe-forest-in-the-city-two-years-of-forest-defense-in-atlanta-georgia&amp;sessionId=962fd958def335ed6bf6847a3b2265bc7171771e&amp;siteScreenName=crimethinc&amp;siteUserId=14884161&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=aaf4084522e3a%3A1674595607486&amp;width=550px\" width=\"300\" height=\"150\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-tweet-id=\"1553951710585954307\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p><strong>July 30:<\/strong> Ryan Millsap and his associate Anthony Wayne James attack the Weelaunee People\u2019s Park\/Intrenchment Creek Park trailhead. A crowd quickly gathers and <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/08\/02\/report-back-on-the-fight-between-milsap-dozer-cops-and-forest-defenders\/\">repels<\/a> Millsap, James, and the Dekalb County sheriffs who have come along to defend them. A truck and trailer owner by Millsap is decommissioned and later burned. Meanwhile, in Philadelphia, activists paint <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/07\/30\/philly-graffiti-in-solidarity-with-welaunee-forest\/\">graffiti<\/a> in support of the movement.<\/p>\n<p><strong>August 3:<\/strong> During a multi-agency operation in and around the forest, a Georgia Power truck has its windows <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/08\/05\/georgia-power-truck-windows-smashed\/\">broken<\/a>. Georgia Power was providing infrastructural support for Eberly &amp; Associates and other companies hoping to initiate pre-construction for Cop City.<\/p>\n<p><strong>August 4:<\/strong> The Omaha, Nebraska office of Atlas Technical Consultants has its windows <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/08\/04\/nebraska-atlas-technical-consultants-office-vandalized\/\">broken<\/a> and veneer painted.<\/p>\n<p><strong>August 5:<\/strong> Alta Vista, a subsidiary of Atlas Technical Consultants, has its windows <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/08\/05\/alta-vista-office-smashed-in-nyc\/\">broken<\/a> in Manhattan, NYC.<\/p>\n<p><strong>August 24:<\/strong> Activists visit the home of Justin Rannick, <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/09\/21\/1303\/\">confronting<\/a> him in his driveway. Rannick is the Division Manager for Brasfield &amp; Gorrie and serves on the board of the Atlanta Police Foundation. Protesters also <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/09\/22\/keith-johnson-had-his-dinner-interrupted\/\">visit<\/a> the home of Keith Johnson again. Later, police pull over a car and arrest three people, accusing them of participating in the protest.<\/p>\n<p><strong>August 26:<\/strong> Four pieces of heavy machinery are <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/08\/26\/brassfield-gorrie-site-attacked\/\">disabled<\/a> at a Brasfield &amp; Gorrie job site on Ralph McGill Boulevard. \u201cStop Cop City\u201d is written in red paint.<\/p>\n<p><strong>September 8:<\/strong> \u201cVarious construction machines\u201d stored at a location adjacent to Intrenchment Creek Park at Key Road and Bouldercrest <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/09\/08\/construction-machinery-torched-in-the-atlanta-forest\/\">catch fire<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Early September 2022:<\/strong> An excavator <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/09\/14\/excavator-torched-at-michelle-obama-park\/\">catches fire<\/a> on the parcel of land currently owned by Blackhall\/Shadowbox located on Bouldercrest Road. This parcel, to be named \u201cMichelle Obama Park,\u201d is slated to be redeveloped into a park in order to facilitate the land swap deal between Dekalb County and Ryan Millsap.<\/p>\n<p><strong>September 25:<\/strong> Someone <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/09\/25\/dear-m-miller-buttface-chairman-and-ceo-of-brasfield-buttface\/\">visits<\/a> the home of Magnus Miller Gorrie, CEO of Brasfield &amp; Gorrie. His luxury vehicles are vandalized with paint thinner, while his driveway and a statue in his yard are vandalized with pink paint.<\/p>\n<p><strong>October 6:<\/strong> Stake Center employees enter the perimeter of the Old Atlanta Prison Farm to survey the land and set stakes. Their windows are <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/10\/06\/stake-center-twats-city-of-atl-assholes-ambushed-along-perimeter-of-south-atl-woods\/\">broken<\/a> and their tires slashed. This is the first time in several months that workers have arrived to the forest without a police escort. They do not return.<\/p>\n<p><strong>October 18:<\/strong> Multiple Ypsilanti Police vehicles in Michigan are <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/10\/18\/1324\/\">painted<\/a> to read \u201cNo Cop Cities.\u201d In Atlanta, an auxiliary building of Blackhall\/Shadowbox Studios <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/10\/18\/shadowbox-blackhall-studios-set-aflame\/\">catches fire<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>October 24:<\/strong> The lawyer of Ryan Millsap <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/10\/26\/ryan-milsaps-attorney-wants-our-documents\/\">slaps<\/a> a website, organizations, and pages associated with the movement with a request for documents.<\/p>\n<p><strong>October 31:<\/strong> Activists <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/11\/01\/1347\/\">drop a banner<\/a> at Florida State University in Tallahassee. Protesters <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/11\/06\/trick-or-treaters-leave-a-treat-at-atlas-ceo-lonnie-boyers-ugly-house\/\">visit<\/a> the home of Atlas Technical Consultants CEO Lonnie Joe Boyer in Austin, Texas.<\/p>\n<p><strong>November 5:<\/strong> Someone <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/11\/05\/we-cut-down-the-surveillance-camera-at-the-landfill-part-of-prison-farm\/\">cuts down<\/a> a surveillance camera pointing at the forest from a government-owned landfill.<\/p>\n<p><strong>November 8:<\/strong> A tow truck enters the forest attempting to remove the burned remains of Millsaps truck, which has become a sort of monument to the movement. Police are unwilling to escort the driver into the forest, and this tow truck is also burned. The driver tells reporters that he was \u201cnearly burned alive,\u201d which is not true.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Novemer 11:<\/strong> Norfolk Southern, a supporter of the Atlanta Police Foundation, leaves an excavator next to the Weelaunee Forest, which <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/11\/11\/ns-excavator-lit-on-fire-by-railroad-near-welaunee\/\">catches fire<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>November 19:<\/strong> \u201cChainsaw-wielding militants\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2022\/11\/23\/concerning-the-closure-of-apds-firing-range\/\">fell some trees<\/a> in the forest, blocking access to the police firing range. One of the trees destroys an electrical transformer, shutting down the facility for days.<\/p>\n<p><strong>December 12:<\/strong> Without any evidence, Atlanta Vice Police Chief Carven Tyus claims that forest defenders were involved in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fox5atlanta.com\/news\/eastside-parc-cop-city-fire-investigation\">burning<\/a> of two houses under construction near the forest, an allegation echoed on local news.<\/p>\n<p><strong>December 13:<\/strong> Police and other agencies raid the forest, charging five arrestees with domestic terrorism, including those occupying trees.<\/p>\n<p><strong>December 14:<\/strong> Police encircle the subsequent press conference. They arrest another person on charges of domestic terrorism.<\/p>\n<p><strong>December 15:<\/strong> Wells Fargo bank in San Francisco is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.indybay.org\/newsitems\/2022\/12\/15\/18853422.php\">vandalized<\/a> because of its connections to the Atlanta Police Foundation and in solidarity with those charged with terrorism.<\/p>\n<p><strong>December 16:<\/strong> In Oakland, California, someone breaks the windows of CEL, a subsidiary of Atlas Technical Consultants. In Atlanta, the Dekalb County government denies the Land Disturbance Permits for Cop City for the fourth time.<\/p>\n<p><strong>December 17:<\/strong> Almost 200 people march in East Atlanta Village in solidarity with the accused, declaring their determination to continue fighting against destruction of the forest.<\/p>\n<p><strong>December 21:<\/strong> Construction workers serving Ryan Millsap overturn the gazebo in Weelaunee People\u2019s Park and destroy part of the paved bicycle path.<\/p>\n<p><strong>December 22:<\/strong> Workers fell more trees in ICP before a small group of neighbors scares them off along with their security.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Late December:<\/strong> A breakfast and coffee vigil takes place in Weelaunee People\u2019s Park every morning starting at 7:30 am. Groups assemble to observe the area in case construction workers or police arrive en masse.<\/p>\n<p><strong>December 31:<\/strong> Hundreds of people converge in Weelaunee People\u2019s Park for a rave in the forest on New Year\u2019s Eve.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>January 1, 2023:<\/strong> Someone sets a fire in a Bank of America branch in Portland, OR and releases an anonymous communiqu\u00e9 expressing solidarity with the arrestees in Atlanta, citing Bank of America\u2019s funding of the APF. The bank branch is now permanently closed.<\/p>\n<p><strong>January 3:<\/strong> A judge <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ajc.com\/neighborhoods\/dekalb\/injunction-denied-near-cop-city-site-but-stop-work-order-in-place\/WQ746FA6NZFRFEI7YAMPEJJ67E\/\">rules against<\/a> the appeal for an injunction against Millsap, baselessly declaring that protesters are \u201cmore destructive\u201d to the forest than the actual demolition of trees and park infrastructure.<\/p>\n<p><strong>January 14:<\/strong> A late-night demonstration takes place in Palmetto Bay, Florida, at the <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2023\/02\/13\/palmetto-bay-noise-demo\/\">home<\/a> of Michael Peters, Vice President and Division Manager at Brasfield and Gorrie.<\/p>\n<p><strong>January 15:<\/strong> Locals <a href=\"https:\/\/unoffensiveanimal.is\/2023\/01\/18\/pissed-off-locals-sabotage-logging-trucks-in-solidarity-with-the-atlanta-forest\/\">sabotage<\/a> logging trucks in the Ozarks in solidarity with the movement.<\/p>\n<p><strong>January 18:<\/strong> Atlanta and Dekalb police, Georgia Bureau of Investigations, Department of Homeland Security, and the Georgia State Patrol invade the forest in a large-scale armed operation. At 9:04 am, Georgia State Patrol officers fire approximately 40 consecutive shots, killing Manuel Teran, a queer and Indigenous Venezuelan anarchist known in the forest as Tortuguita. Police destroy camp infrastructure and arrest several more people, charging them indiscriminately with terrorism. Hundreds attend a subsequent vigil in Little 5 Points; some drag barricades into the street and throw debris at a police car. Nicole Morado of the Community Stakeholders Advisory Committee <a href=\"https:\/\/saportareport.com\/training-center-permit-challenged-by-its-own-review-committee-member-another-quits-over-protester-killing\/sections\/reports\/johnruch\/\">resigns<\/a> upon learning of Tortuguita\u2019s death.<\/p>\n<p><strong>January 19:<\/strong> Over the following days, vigils in memory of Manuel Teran are announced at dozens of locations across the US. One group <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2023\/01\/19\/mpls-forest-creatures-descend-on-the-atlas-office\/\">storms the offices<\/a> of Atlas Technical Consultants in Minneapolis, demanding that they drop Brasfield &amp; Gorrie.<\/p>\n<p><strong>January 20:<\/strong> Hundreds gather in Weelaunee People\u2019s Park for another vigil. Half a dozen undercover police attempt to infiltrate the crowd. Police in riot gear are staged nearby. Right-wing pundits spread fear about a post by an anonymous online commenter calling for a \u201cNight of Rage.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>January 21:<\/strong> 300 people gather at Underground Atlanta downtown. About half of the crowd forms a black bloc and begins marching north on Peachtree Street. Windows are broken at Wells Fargo, Truist Bank, and the Atlanta Police Foundation headquarters. Two Atlanta police cruisers are vandalized and one of them is set on fire. Actions target the banks and contractors working with the Police Foundation in <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2023\/01\/21\/chicago-abolitionists-shut-down-bank-of-america-atm-by-gluing-access-points\/\">Chicago<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2023\/01\/21\/vengeance-from-oakland-viva-tortuguita\/\">Oakland<\/a>, and elsewhere.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/11.jpg\" \/><figcaption>A burning police car in downtown Atlanta on the night of January 21, 2023.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>January 22:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2023\/01\/22\/reporting-from-nyc\/\">Windows broken<\/a> at Atlas Technical Consultants in New York City.<\/p>\n<p><strong>January 23:<\/strong> Protesters in <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2023\/01\/22\/reporting-from-nyc\/\">Philadelphia<\/a> break windows and barricade streets. Saboteurs in Portland <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2023\/01\/23\/fire-to-the-earth-destroyers\/\">disable an excavator<\/a>. In <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2023\/01\/30\/march-vigil-in-vancouver-canada\/\">Vancouver, Canada<\/a>, protesters block traffic.<\/p>\n<p><strong>January 24:<\/strong> An office belonging to KPMG, a donor to the APF, is vandalized in <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2023\/01\/24\/kpmg-office-vandalized-in-boulder\/\">Boulder<\/a>. The <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2023\/01\/24\/atlas-offices-redecorated-in-novi\/\">Detroit<\/a> office of Atlas Technical is targeted as well. \u201cStop Cop City\u201d is painted on a Wells Fargo in <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2023\/01\/26\/durham-wells-fargo-tagged\/\">Durham<\/a>. In Milwaukie, Oregon, protesters <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2023\/01\/27\/forest-creatures-in-milwaukie-or-descend-on-cushman-wakefield-office\/\">picket the offices of Cushman &amp; Wakefield<\/a>, demanding that John O\u2019Neill III, one of their executives and a member of the APF, cancel Cop City.<\/p>\n<p><strong>January 25:<\/strong> Alta Vista, a subsidiary of Atlas Technical, is <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2023\/01\/26\/alta-vista-office-attacked-in-lenapehoking\/\">vandalized<\/a> in New York City.<\/p>\n<p><strong>January 28:<\/strong> Around 100 people march outside the <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2023\/02\/02\/tortiguita-mourned-in-ann-arbor-cars-painted-and-tires-slashed\/\">Ann Arbor Merril Lynch<\/a> office. Around 40 brand new Porsche luxury vehicles are vandalized by protesters for their connection to the Atlanta Police Foundation.<\/p>\n<p><strong>January 29:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2023\/01\/30\/us-bank-and-wells-fargo-smashed-for-tortuguita-and-tyre-nichols\/\">Minneapolis<\/a> locations of US Bank and Wells Fargo are targeted in memory of Tortuguita and Tyre Nichols.<\/p>\n<p><strong>January 30:<\/strong> Windows are broken at the <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2023\/02\/09\/atlas-office-targeted-in-fridley-minnesota\/\">Fridley, Minnesota<\/a> Atlas Technical office. Atlanta City Government and Dekalb County CEO Michael Thurmond <a href=\"https:\/\/saportareport.com\/dekalb-issues-land-disturbance-permit-for-training-center-commissioner-may-appeal\/sections\/reports\/johnruch\/\">approve the Land Disturbance Permit for Cop City<\/a>. Police cruisers encircle protesters and media, who are locked out of the announcement.<\/p>\n<p><strong>January 31:<\/strong> In <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2023\/02\/01\/atlas-office-attacked-with-powerful-stench-agent\/\">Highland, Indiana<\/a>, \u201call the windows and glass doors\u201d of Atlas Technical Consultants are broken and a stink bomb is tossed inside. Six vehicles belonging to the company are also vandalized. Over 1300 environmental groups <a href=\"https:\/\/truthout.org\/articles\/1300-social-justice-groups-demand-atlanta-mayor-resign-over-tortuguitas-death\/\">sign a statement<\/a> demanding the resignation of Mayor Dickens.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/26.jpg\" \/><figcaption>Graffiti in Mexico City reading \u201cFor the forest and the earth\u2014Tortuguita <em>presente!<\/em><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>February 2:<\/strong> A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wabe.org\/private-autopsy-shows-officers-shot-cop-city-activist-at-least-13-times-attorneys-say\/\">private autopsy<\/a> commissioned by Tortuguita\u2019s family reveals that several different officers shot Tortuguita at least 13 times. Rivian charging station and Amazon delivery trucks are vandalized in <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2023\/02\/14\/attack-on-amazon-delivery-vehicles-in-brooklyn-ny-in-solidarity-with-atl-forest\/\">Brooklyn, New York<\/a> in solidarity with Atlanta forest defenders. Around 150 police officers surveil and encircle 12 protesters outside of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wrbl.com\/news\/local-news\/columbus\/mayor-skip-henderson-comments-on-fridays-scheduled-community-rally-in-columbus\/\">Columbus, Georgia Brasfield &amp; Gorrie<\/a> office, who rally peacefully and otherwise without incident.<\/p>\n<p><strong>February 4:<\/strong> Windows are broken and slogans painted at a <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2023\/02\/04\/tortuguita-solidarity-action-in-denver\/\">Denver, Colorado<\/a> Wells Fargo branch.<\/p>\n<p><strong>February 5:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/defendtheatlantaforest.org\/2023\/02\/06\/atlanta-healthcare-workers-demand-emory-cut-ties-to-apf\/\">Over 100 students and faculty members<\/a> at Emory University demand that Dr. Claire Sterk resign from the Atlanta Police Foundation.<\/p>\n<p><strong>February 6:<\/strong> Quality Glass Co. announces they that have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.srycampaign.org\/2023\/02\/06\/quality-glass-co-drops-bg\/\">broken all professional ties<\/a> with Brasfield &amp; Gorrie. In a shocking turn of fate, Amy Taylor of the Community Stakeholds Advisory Committee <a href=\"https:\/\/saportareport.com\/dekalb-issues-land-disturbance-permit-for-training-center-commissioner-may-appeal\/sections\/reports\/johnruch\/\">files an appeal<\/a> against the Cop City Land Disturbance Permit.<\/p>\n<p><strong>February 9:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2023\/02\/09\/windows-smashed-at-atlas-office-in-augusta\/\">Windows are broken<\/a> at the Augusta, Georgia Atlas Technical office. A military recruitment and corporate career fair is <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2023\/02\/13\/anti-military-protest-in-ann-arbor-michigan\/\">disrupted by protesters<\/a> at the University of Michigan. Dr. Claire Sterk resigns from Atlanta Police Foundation. Three members of Congress, Representatives Rashida Tlaib and Cori Bush and Senator Ed Markey, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2023\/feb\/09\/cop-city-opposition-georgia\">echo calls<\/a> for an independent investigation into Tortuguita\u2019s death.<\/p>\n<p><strong>February 10:<\/strong> Four Atlas trucks are <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2023\/02\/10\/columbia-atlas-trucks-immobilized\/\">immobilized<\/a> at a Columbia, South Carolina Atlas office. <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2023\/02\/10\/5-bank-of-america-atms-sabotaged-in-berkeley\/\">Five ATMs<\/a> are disabled at two Berkeley Bank of America locations. Some 150 students <a href=\"https:\/\/itsgoingdown.org\/georgia-tech-students-rally-and-march-against-cop-city-in-atlanta-ga\/\">march on Georgia Tech campus<\/a>, repeatedly attempting to storm the administration buildings and the student center.<\/p>\n<p><strong>February 13:<\/strong> The Editorial Board of the <em>Emory Wheel,<\/em> the official news outlet of Emory University, <a href=\"https:\/\/emorywheel.com\/cop-city-outrage-unites-our-community-as-emory-administration-does-nothing\/\">denounces Cop City<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>February 14:<\/strong> AUC students <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidehighered.com\/news\/2023\/02\/14\/hbcu-students-faculty-denounce-cop-city\">disrupt<\/a> a campus event to denounce Cop City. 20% of Morehouse College faculty draft an <a href=\"https:\/\/defendtheatlantaforest.org\/2023\/02\/06\/morehouse-college-faculty-letter\/\">open letter<\/a> denouncing the project. Alex Joseph of the Dekalb County Ethics Board <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AlexJosephATL\/status\/1625607567329075208\">resigns<\/a>, citing objection to \u201cclosed door meetings.\u201d Two others follow her lead.<\/p>\n<p><strong>February 17:<\/strong> A Bank of America is spray-painted in <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2023\/02\/20\/action-against-bank-of-america-stop-cop-city\/\">Sonoma County, California<\/a>. A Stop Work appeal filed in relation to Old Atlanta Prison farm is <a href=\"https:\/\/decaturish.com\/2023\/02\/judge-denies-request-for-restraining-order-to-stop-cop-city-construction\/\">denied<\/a> by Dekalb County court.<\/p>\n<p><strong>February 18:<\/strong> Protests take place outside the <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.org\/details\/dc-stop-cop-city-home-demos-2-18-2023-540p\">Washington, DC<\/a> homes of both Georgia senators.<\/p>\n<p><strong>February 19:<\/strong> Three pieces of <a href=\"https:\/\/scenes.noblogs.org\/post\/2023\/02\/19\/3-machines-burned-in-honor-of-tortuguita-to-defend-weelaunee\/\">heavy machinery<\/a> catch fire in Weelaunee Forest, despite extensive police protection.<\/p>\n<p><strong>February 19-26:<\/strong> A \u201cWeek of Solidarity\u201d with Stop Cop City\/Defend the Forest movement takes place. Actions, rallies, vigils, fundraisers, parties, and concerts occur in at least 38 cities.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Late February:<\/strong> Dozens of police vehicles park 24 hours a day on the perimeter of the Old Atlanta Prison Farm. Floodlights point directly at the trees. Brent Scarborough Company cuts down brush, lays down gravel inside of the North Gate on Key Road, and lays down silt fencing for erosion control.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"portrait\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.crimethinc.com\/assets\/articles\/2023\/02\/21\/31.jpg\" \/><figcaption>A banner in support of the movement to defend the forest, sighted in the Caribbean in February 2023.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>[:]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[:es] El bosque en la ciudad Dos a\u00f1os de defensa forestal en Atlanta, Georgia La campa\u00f1a para defender el bosque en Atlanta, Georgia, se ha convertido en uno de los movimientos m\u00e1s vibrantes de la era posterior a Trump, entrelazando el ambientalismo, el abolicionismo y la lucha contra la gentrificaci\u00f3n. Sin embargo, a medida que [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":44341,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[957,826,958,953],"tags":[79,919,171,567,531,87,148,483],"class_list":["post-44340","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-autonomia","category-medios-libres-2","category-megaproyectos","category-mundo","tag-autonomia","tag-estados-unidos","tag-medio-ambiente","tag-megaproyectos","tag-policia","tag-represion","tag-resistencia","tag-tierra-y-territorio"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiozapatista.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44340","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiozapatista.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiozapatista.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiozapatista.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiozapatista.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=44340"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/radiozapatista.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44340\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44343,"href":"https:\/\/radiozapatista.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44340\/revisions\/44343"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiozapatista.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/44341"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiozapatista.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=44340"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiozapatista.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=44340"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiozapatista.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=44340"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}