Welcome back to another Movement Monday in which we discuss all things climate. Typically, I focus on a frontline community most directly affected by the ravages of climate change and then offer an action we can take on their behalf. But today this post will be dedicated to offering information that helps connect the dots between climate activism, police response, and anti-protest legislation.

I’ve written in the past about the Weelaunee Forest and the Atlanta citizens’ efforts to stop the $90 million militarized police training center (known as Cop City) from being built there. THIS post will get you up to speed and THIS post provided an update on the Georgia Attorney General filing Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) and “domestic terrorism” charges against 61 people involved in the efforts to Stop Cop City. Reminder: RICO was implemented in the 70s to go after organized crime.

Okay, so why am I writing about Cop City today? Because after the people of Atlanta testified over and over again in opposition to Cop City but were ignored by the mayor and city council, they took the “civic” route and gathered 116,000 signatures to put a referendum on the ballot so that people could vote YES or NO to Cop City. Well, the powers-that-be threw up legal challenges and successfully kept the referendum off the ballot last week. There’s a chance it’ll be on the March 2024 ballot, but in the meanwhile, people gathered this morning at Weelaunee Forest today to defend the forest. And who was there to greet them? Heavily militarized police with armored vehicles, riot gear, projectiles, and tear gas.

Yes, that dog is wearing goggles. Why? Because . . . tear gas.

Note: images from X/Twitter

So, here are some dots in need of connecting:

DOT: We’ve got local citizens who followed the process and showed up by the hundreds to testify against a militarized police training center, only to be ignored. Those citizens then went the referendum route, gathering 116,000 signatures in a very short time, only to be sabotaged in those efforts. Now, they show up in person to defend the largest green space in the city from being clear-cut, and they’re gassed by the police.

DOT: Those same police want the training center built so that they can learn from the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). Yes, the very same IDF currently maiming and killing Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank (with a dose of harassment/imprisonment for any Jewish person who dares to speak out against them). As stated by the American Friends Service Committee: Cop City will allow police not just from Atlanta, but globally, to learn repressive tactics, so that protests and rebellions can be easily crushed. According to the original proposal, 43% of the training at Cop City will be for officers outside of Atlanta, including military training with the infamous Israeli Defense Forces.  

DOT: All around the globe, we’re watching our climate in collapse. Wildfires, floods, polluted air and water, droughts, hurricanes, etc. While we’re facing an existential threat, those in power are busy squeezing out the last dollars they can get from fossil fuel extraction despite climate scientists saying NO NEW FOSSIL FUEL PROJECTS.

DOT: As the climate worsens and our very survival is threatened, more and more people will take to the streets in order to force action from the powerful elite. After the murder of George Floyd, MANY people protested and marched, which gave the elites a glimpse of what’s to come. So how are they reacting? Putting more and more money into police budgets. Biden’s “American Rescue Plan” (also known as the “Covid-19 Stimulus Package”) put $10 billion into police departments.

DOT: There’s a growing push to criminalize protest here in the U.S. and around the world. Fossil fuel companies in the U.S. have contributed more than $5 million to state anti-protest bill sponsors (Dollars vs Democracy 2023, p 5). For example: “North Carolina’s enacted law (S 58) is particularly extreme. It carries felony penalties with up to 19 years imprisonment and $250,000 in fines for attempting to “obstruct, impede, or impair the services of transmissions of an energy facility.” Under the new law, trespassing on energy facilities is also classified as a felony with up to two years in prison. The bill was primarily sponsored by Sen. Paul Newton, who worked at Duke Energy for 25 years and was the company’s state president.” (Dollars vs Democracy 2023, p 54)

Fossil fuel companies also use strategic lawsuits against public participation (otherwise known as SLAPP) to intimidate and prevent protest (Dollars vs Democracy 2023, p 6). “As a result of criminalization and judicial harassment (such as SLAPPs), individuals can be saddled with legal fees, prevented from earning a stable living, socially stigmatized, and displaced. Organizations can be bankrupted, ruptured, or forcibly dissolved. Criminalization and judicial harassment also threaten to chill free speech and dissent.” (Dollars vs Democracy, p 55)

There are more dots to connect (notably white supremacy and imperialism), but I hope this basic overview helps point out what we’re facing. The powerful are systematically trying to separate we-the-people from the issues in desperate need of sustainable solutions, and the police will play a huge role in the ensuing struggle. Which is why after my run today, I put on my STOP COP CITY shirt in solidarity with the Atlanta Forest Defenders and wrote this post.

If you’ve read this far, I thank you very much and welcome any and all thoughts on this. In the meanwhile, even though I said I wouldn’t ask for an action, I do want to include the Stop Cop City Solidarity site that includes actions we can take plus links to where we can donate to the legal fund for those facing RICO and terrorism charges AND a fund for the family of Tortuguita (who was murdered by police while they defended the forest).

Please take good care of yourself in these hard, hard days. Solidarity! ✊🏽