atlanta and everywhere

in terms of police violence, 2023 has already been a terrible year. here in los angeles, the police department has killed 3 people this month. in atlanta, where residents have been fighting the good fight to stop cop city since 2021, police killed longtime activist tortuguita.

i don’t think enough people know about cop city. and based on our nation’s response to increased police violence being increased funding for murderers and liars who are terrible at their job, i worry atlanta’s cop city will not be the last fight of its kind. we may all be fighting against cop cities near us soon enough.

so, what is cop city, you ask?

this horrific monument to police militarization intends to take up over 380 acres, approx. 100 of those being forest^[1]stolen muskogee land, to be precise. the atlanta police department convinced city council it needs its own mock city, with multiple shooting ranges, helipad, bomb testing, and teargas deployment. naturally it would also destroy a majority black, working-class neighborhood.

seventeen goddamn hours of public comment from residents was not enough to stop atlanta’s backing of the blue. so it is no surprise that atlantans have been consistently protesting this dystopic horrorshow since 2021! serious calls to defund police have been happening for years now, especially in the wake of george floyd. cop city is a big middle finger to atlantans, and georgians at large.

with the protests comes violence, which is always condemned when it is from activists, and never when it is from the cops. activists are arrested and charged with felonies. cops get to turn around and whine for more money because of these “dangerous” activists. the police narrative is never questioned.

there is no bodycam footage of tortuguita’s killing. local and national news breathlessly report the police’s version of events, that they were shot at. that they were the victims ^[2]“we need more money to fail at fixing this problem we cause”. the media is on their side.

this is how the state is able to squash the will of the people and continue their agenda. they do not care that the people are oppressed and angry. god forbid some property destruction occurs in response to destroying nature, destroying humans!

cop city represents everything wrong with our nation’s policing.

this morning i woke up intending to write just about cop city. i am so angry that cops get such a fucking pass in this country. cop city represents everything wrong with our nation’s policing.

what we do doesn’t work. america’s police state creates more crime, more poverty, more inequality. instead of re-assessing, and giving money to social services and mental health care, we do what we do harder. police get more money, deadlier toys, and basically a free pass to murder whoever.

so this morning news broke about a shooting in an LA suburb not far from here. monterey park has a big chinese population, and new year celebrations were underway. now, 10 people are dead and the gunman is still at large.

a community is grieving, fearful of racism and hatred. what support will they get from their elected officials?

the police will get even more money. that will be our answer. these awful terror events are an excuse to back the blue even harder. twisted excuses for other places to propose their own cop cities.

stay vigilant. protest for peace and a stop to cop city. look out for your friends and neighbors. happy new year.

links:

stop cop city

mainline zine: stop cop city

atlanta police kill forest defender

mlk’s vision lives on in the fight against cop city

six charged with domestic terrorism

police killing of protestor brings grief, urgency to atl’s stop cop city movement