When Atlanta announced plans to build a gigantic $90 million police training facility, dubbed Cop City by opponents, on 300 acres of forest land, a grassroots protest movement emerged led by a coalition of environmentalists and criminal justice activists.
Since then, law enforcement has launched a brutal crackdown, arresting and jailing dozens of activists on flimsy charges and killing 26-year-old forest defender Manuel “Tortuguita” Terán during a raid on a forest protest encampment.
The Intercept is continuing to lead on the Cop City story. We began reporting on the movement well before other major news outlets, developing sources on the ground, filing public records requests, and reporting out the social and environmental costs of the Cop City development.
Now we’re investigating the “domestic terror” charges thrown at protesters and the continuing retaliation of law enforcement agencies — like a recent SWAT raid targeting bail fund organizers. Meanwhile, other national news outlets are scrambling to catch up or providing credulous, pro-police coverage that does more to obscure the truth than inform.
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Initially, the movement to stop the project achieved real success, delaying construction and forcing concessions from the city. Deploying a range of tactics including encampments, tree-sits, peaceful protest marches, local community events, investigative research, and more, protesters were able to hold Cop City at bay.
The response from law enforcement was swift and brutal:
- During a highly militarized raid on a forest encampment on January 18, police shot 26-year-old forest defender Manuel “Tortuguita” Terán 57 times in what appears to be a firing-squad type execution. Police claimed Terán fired a gun at a state trooper, but no gunpowder residue was found on his hands during the official autopsy. An independent autopsy requested by the family of the victim found that he was sitting cross-legged with his hands up when he was killed.
- On May 31, a heavily armed Atlanta Police Department SWAT team raided a private residence and arrested three organizers of legal support and bail funds for protesters and activists who have faced indiscriminate arrest and overreaching charges in the struggle to stop Cop City. It’s the first time a bail fund has ever been targeted in this way, according to civil liberties advocates.
- Three activists were charged with felony intimidation of an officer of the state and misdemeanor stalking for placing flyers on mailboxes protesting the police killing of Terán. If found guilty, they could each face up to 20 years in prison.
- 42 movement participants currently face state domestic terrorism charges and as much as 35 years in prison for allegedly engaging in minor property damage — the evidence for which is as flimsy as police citing mud on protesters’ shoes.
The extraordinary repression of anti-Cop City protests demands national media attention and close scrutiny to hold law enforcement and government officials accountable for rampant violations of civil liberties. But The Intercept is one of the only news outlets providing the in-depth investigative reporting the Cop City crackdown deserves.
