The Anarchist Federation joins the call to all people of good will to stand in
solidarity with the movement to stop Cop City and defend Atlanta's WeelauneeForest. ---- On Jan. 18, Atlanta police shot and killed a man in their latestmilitarized crackdown in the woods. This is only the latest case in a series ofviolent police reprisals against the forest defense movement. Officials say CopCity is necessary to keep Atlanta "safe," but this brutal killing reveals whatthey mean when they use that word. ---- Forests are the lungs of planet Earth.Deforestation affects us all. As is gentrification and police violence tofacilitate the destruction of the Weelaunee Forest by heavy machinery. What'shappening in Atlanta isn't just local.Politicians who support Cop City have tried to discredit the forest defenders as"outside agitators". The slur has a shameful history in the South, withauthorities using it against abolitionists, unionists, and the civil rightsmovement, among others. The goal of those pushing this narrative is to discouragesolidarity, isolate communities from one another, and at the same time provide apretext for the involvement of state and federal forces, who are the real"outside agitators." The consequence of this strategy was fully manifested in thetragedy of January 18.Replacing the forest with a police training center will only create a moreviolent police society in which taxpayer funds enrich police and arms companiesinstead of addressing social needs. Mass incarceration and police militarizationhave failed to reduce crime or improve conditions for poor and working-classcommunities.In Atlanta and across the United States, investments in police budgets come atthe expense of access to food, education, child care and health care, affordableand stable housing, parks and public spaces, transportation and free movement ofpeople, economic stability for the majority. The concentration of resources inthe hands of the police serves to defend the extreme accumulation of wealth andpower by corporations and the wealthiest.What do police officers do with their increased budgets and a "free hand" frompoliticians? They kill people every day. They imprison and traumatizeschoolchildren, parents, loved ones who are simply trying to survive. We must notsettle for a society that is recklessly organized on the values of violence,racism, greed and carefree indifference to life.The fight taking place in Atlanta is a fight for the future. As the catastrophiceffects of climate change plague our communities with hurricanes, heat waves andwildfires, the stakes of this fight are clearer than ever. It will decide whetherthose who come after us will inherit a habitable Earth or a nightmare in the formof a police state. It is up to us to create a peaceful society that does notconsider human life expendable.Forest defenders are trying to create a better world for all of us. We owe it tothe people of Atlanta and future generations everywhere in the world to support them.Here are some ways you can support the defense of the Atlanta forest:* Donate to the Atlantic Solidarity Fund to cover legal costs for arrestedprotesters and ongoing legal action .* Call on the investors of the project to get rid of the stake in Cop City (listof investors HERE ). Urge the project builders to give up their constructioncontracts.* Organize funds and committees to defend forests where you live.* Organize or participate in local solidarity events.* Support and spread this declaration of solidarity.To support this statement, please email defendweelaunee@riseup.net. The list,which already includes several hundred individuals, collectives andorganizations, is regularly updated ( HERE ).https://cs.crimethinc.com/2023/01/19/solidarity-with-the-movement-to-stop-cop-city-and-defend-weelaunee-foresthttps://www.afed.cz/text/7849/stop-cop-city_________________________________________A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C EBy, For, and About AnarchistsSend news reports to A-infos-en mailing listA-infos-en@ainfos.ca
Geen opmerkingen:
Een reactie posten