Cop City is an urban warfare training facility being built on the South side of Atlanta. To construct this sprawling $90 million compound stretching 85 acres, developers are bulldozing a forest. The stated motive for this project was to boost morale of police in the wake of the George Floyd uprisings, which showed that the public in Atlanta and elsewhere had lessening faith in the role of policing in keeping them safe.
I first heard about the Stop Cop City campaign in 2022 when a friend shared the story with me. We were inspired by this campaign that brought together land defence, the movement away from police and towards liberatory alternatives, and a critical anti-racist analysis, something which has lacked in the history of environmental movements of the past. It reminded me of the tree sits I once participated in to protect forests in Tseshaht, Te'mexw. Snaw-naw-as, K'omoks territories (Cathedral Grove, British Columbia).
The story of the Stop Cop City campaign has since blown up, because of the public outrage at the project, due to the killing of Tortuguita by police, a forest defender camping out in the contested forest.
I got to speak with Leila about the history and ongoing progress of the campaign, how it has evolved, how public support continues to grow for the Stop Cop City movement, and how many local institutions, such as  local universities and major corporations are revoking support or outright condemning the training facility.
It’s a hard listen at times, but really makes the case that this absurd project, of cutting down the largest urban forest in the United States to build a military-style training facility is not only not good for public safety, but detrimental to the land.
To learn more :
Stop Cop City website
StopCopCity instagram
Interview with Tortuguita
StopCopCitySolidarity.org
Stop Cop City link tree