Situated within a wave of increased training proposed across the country and a rise in police killings nationally since 2020, the now two-year struggle in Atlanta to stop Cop City, a $90 million, over 381-acre training fortress has been escalating since cops killed an Indigenous Venezuelan, queer and non-binary protestor and forest protector, Tortuguita, earlier this year.
Over this past weekend, the Atlanta (ATL) Forest defense resistance was raided and 35 people were arrested, 23 of whom now facing domestic terrorism charges, making 42 forest defenders in total so far facing charges of domestic terrorism since December 2022. With bail likely to be high or denied all together, we’re calling on all of Critical Resistance’s allies to give to the ATL Solidarity Fund and to spread the hotline number for the National Lawyers Guild in ATL.
“Cop City” must be stopped. The impact of Cop City on communities in across the US would be catastrophic in our efforts to stop state violence and move resources away from institutions of punishment and policing. Cops from Oakland to LA, Portland, Memphis, New York, Philly, Chicago, even Israeli police, and frankly, any region or department could be sent to this 381-acre training center to bring back additional tactics of terror & harm to cause violence to the people on our streets and in our communities.
TAKE ACTION NOW TO STOP COP CITY & RESIST THE EXPANSION OF POLICING
- Participate in the Phone Zap (sample script & numbers to call below) and make as many calls as you can to drop the charges for those arrested
- Read & circulate this statement of solidarity by some CA based organizations (including CR’s Oakland and LA chapters) 🔗bit.ly/stopcopcityCA.
- Give to ATL Solidarity Fund and circulate the call for funds & support (scan the QR code on CR’s flyer or visit: bit.ly/ATLSolidarityFund
- Connect people on the ground in ATL to the National Lawyers Guild for legal support
Primary Contact: atlanta@nlg.org
Statewide Georgia Legal Support Hotline: (678) 902-JAIL (678-902-5245)
Facebook: facebook.com/NLGMetroATL
Twitter: @NLGMetroATL
Instagram: @nationallawyersguild
TAKE ACTION NOW: Call the following authorities and demand they drop the domestic terrorism charges.
- Please share your email address after making your calls so we can follow up with future information, actions and additional support.
- Christopher M. Carr
Georgia Attorney General
40 Capitol Square SW
Atlanta, GA 30334
(404) 458-3600
- Sherry Boston
DeKalb County District Attorney
556 N McDonough Street, Suite 700
Decatur, GA 30030
Phone: 404-371-2561
- Fani Willis
Fulton County District Attorney
141 Pryor St SW
Atlanta, GA 30303
404-612-4000
- Tasha Mosley
Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council Chair
9151 Tara Boulevard, 4th Floor
Jonesboro, GA 30236
770-477-3450Sample Script:
“Hello, this is __________
I am calling to urge you to drop the domestic terrorism charges against Defend the Atlanta Forest protestors and South River Music Festival attendees. These charges are designed to chill lawful protest, constrain civic space, and erode First Amendment Freedoms. They are clearly political charges and will not hold up in court.
To date, 42 people have been charged with domestic terrorism, for alleged crimes such as tree-sitting, posting on social media, and attending a free music festival.
It is clear that none of these chargers will hold up in court, and by pursuing them you are embarrassing yourselves and opening up your offices to liability and lawsuits over First Amendment violations.
We urge you to drop the domestic terrorism charges against the Stop Cop City/Defend the Atlanta Forest defendants.”