The Atlanta Police Chief, Mayor Dickens, Governor Kemp, and others in positions of power have tried to
demonize the Stop Cop City/Defend the Forest movement any way they can; from calling those in the
movement “outside agitators” to “domestic terrorists,” ignoring the vast majority of community
members who are against the building of this facility, and have voiced this opposition in a multitude of
ways. Community members have submitted hours of statements to City Council, we have reached out to
our elected officials in multiple ways, we have participated in phone zaps and canvassing, we have
demonstrated in rallies and marches, we have spoken up in community meetings, we have written
articles for the media – we have done everything in our power to be heard and have been ignored by
the powers that be. But the world is listening. Our message is resonating with so many around the
country and the world because they see the same abuse of power by police in their community: a force
emboldened by bloated budgets and qualified immunity to do as they please with little to no
consequences.

In Atlanta, they murdered Manuel “Tortugita”, Paez Terán, a 26-year-old queer brown protestor, who
was defending the forest from being bulldozed to build a militarized training facility where the police
can learn how to more effectively terrorize Black, brown, and working-class people in the city. In
Memphis, they killed Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, by repeatedly beating him after a routine
traffic stop. In LA, they killed Keenan Anderson, a 31-year-old Black man who was a school teacher, by
repeatedly tasing him till he had to be taken to the hospital. The country is watching these happen in
horror, wondering how many more of us have to die before things change. The 2020 protests ignited
hope in people that maybe the powers that be were finally listening, but instead of fulfilling their
promises of change, every city in the country has increased their police budgets, thus rewarding police
behavior instead of censoring it.

We say no more – you don’t get to brutalize us and be rewarded with a playground where you will learn
better ways to terrorize and suppress us. We understand what happens in Atlanta has far-reaching
implications, because police forces exchange information, tactics, plans, and a militarized urban warfare
training facility in Atlanta means a blueprint for similar facilities in other cities. We stand in solidarity
with those in Memphis, L.A., and anywhere else where people are feeling the pain of losing a loved one
at the hands of police. We support the demands of the Tyre Nichols family and Decarcerate Memphis to
release the body cam footage, name the officers fired in connection with the case, and end the use of
pre-textual traffic stops – and we stand with anyone who takes to the streets in protest.

Our struggles are connected and cross state boundaries because if the police from different cities can
travel to learn oppression tactics from each other, we can also learn liberation tactics from each other.
Together, through our continued efforts, we can stop cop city from being built, a step towards stopping
the unchecked power of the police.

In Solidarity!

Community Movement Builders

Community Movement Builders Affiliate Group

Atlanta Community Press Collective

Atlanta National Lawyers Guild

University of Georgia National Lawyers Guild