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The people of Dekalb County and the City of Atlanta are in the midst of an enormous struggle to protect the Atlanta Forest—a struggle that has already spanned over two years. On a site that is home to one of the largest urban forests in the US within one of the nation’s most threatened watersheds, the Atlanta Police Foundation, in conjunction with the City of Atlanta, have proposed to build a militarized police training facility. The proposed facility is known colloquially as Cop City. Additionally, Ryan Millsap of Blackhall Studios is working to destroy an adjacent section of the forest in order to expand his media empire. Most of the forest would be completely removed in order to accomplish these developments. It is not unlikely that the entire forest would eventually be destroyed in conjunction with this development, though the current plans seem to obfuscate this reality.

We believe the fight to protect the 300acre Atlanta Forest from its destruction is a bellwether event for the global ecological movement. The stratification of the global conflict is laid bare on this site in a way that is unparalleled to any other contested site in the world. As we currently understand it, the conflict over the construction of Cop City reveals four primary strata of oppression that compromise the possibility for building a future that is equitable and ecologically sound.

Strata 1: Ecological Oppression

The Atlanta Forest represents a remnant of the vast woodland that once occupied the urban space we know as Atlanta. It is also a significant aspect of the South River watershed, which has been under threat for decades as a result of destructive practices in upstream extraction, poor waste management practices, and adjacent development. Not only does the remainder of the forest provide important habitat for the flora and fauna of this community, it also functions as the community sponge— absorbing and filtering the stormwater that would otherwise flood the community. Destroying a site of this ecological significance has extreme consequences for human and non-human communities in the vicinity.

Strata 2 & 3: Race and Class Oppression

The forest exists within a community that is primarily populated by Black and workingclass people. Forgoing the question of whether Cop City should exist at all, folks on the ground have made it clear that there are other sites where the facility could be constructed with fewer detrimental outcomes for both the environment and the community. Leadership has refused to consider other sites. This reality lays bare a brutal and bleak reality we are all too familiar with: the communities made up of people of color and the working class are targeted when it comes to the development of sites that will generate toxic pollutants, detrimental ecological impacts, and heavier police presence. What’s more, there is a proposal for police housing to be subsidized in the neighborhoods surrounding the forest, which would further increase police presence in the community.

Strata 4: State Violence and Global Militarization of Police

State violence is the mechanism by which corporations and the state itself have chosen to accomplish their own economic and political goals. This is not democracy. With the above in mind, and in the wake of the police murder of Tortuguita, it is clear that state violence will continue to proliferate on this site in at least four ways: (1) Violence has been used in an attempt to enforce the destruction of this site, (2) officers will be trained in tactical violence on the site, (3) police violence will be promoted within the community as a result of the installation of Cop City, and (4) America’s police culture will continue to be exported around the world as governments send their officers to be trained in Atlanta.

Mergoat Magazine stands in full solidarity with the forest defenders. We stand in full solidarity with the activists working each day to protect this vital ecological resource. We stand in full solidarity with the surrounding community in Dekalb County as they oppose the construction of the proposed urban warfare training facility. We oppose the legal strategies being employed by the City of Atlanta and the State of Georgia against protestors. We reject the notion that the protests are violent. We reject the notion that the protestors are terrorists. We oppose the use of state-sponsored violence by police against the community and activists in Atlanta. May Tortuguita, the beloved one who died while defending one of our region’s treasured ecological resources, rest in power. May we all behold and learn from their strength, determination, and commitment to this important conflict.

In the following interviews, grassroots leaders from Atlanta teach us about the history and stakes of this conflict. First, Kathryn Kolb of EcoAddendum provides an ecological history of Atlanta, a place affectionately known as “the city in a forest.” Dr. Jacqueline Echols of South River Water Alliance provides a historical view of the South River watershed, eventually detailing the ecological and social stakes of the proposed development. Finally, Kamau Franklin of Community Movement Builders gives insight into the political dynamics at play in the conflict at large. We urge our readers to seek out these organizations, as well as the Atlanta Solidarity Fund and Atlanta Community Press Collective, to provide support to the movement.