1 00:00:04,960 --> 00:00:08,639 Speaker 1: Welcome back to It could happen Here. I'm Garrison Davis 2 00:00:08,680 --> 00:00:11,200 Speaker 1: and this is part two of the two part mini 3 00:00:11,280 --> 00:00:14,600 Speaker 1: series on the Defend the Forest movement in Atlanta, Georgia. 4 00:00:15,520 --> 00:00:18,120 Speaker 1: Last month, I traveled to Atlanta to stay a week 5 00:00:18,160 --> 00:00:20,599 Speaker 1: in the woods and talk with some of the Forest Defenders. 6 00:00:21,079 --> 00:00:23,520 Speaker 1: In the previous episode, I covered the movement from its 7 00:00:23,520 --> 00:00:26,239 Speaker 1: inception to where the city council approved the Cops City 8 00:00:26,320 --> 00:00:29,360 Speaker 1: project near the end of last summer. I went over 9 00:00:29,440 --> 00:00:32,839 Speaker 1: a lot of historical background between the land itself and 10 00:00:32,880 --> 00:00:37,440 Speaker 1: the history there, the increasing gentrification of Atlanta, how the 11 00:00:37,520 --> 00:00:40,680 Speaker 1: movement pulled the veil off the secretive plans for Cops 12 00:00:40,680 --> 00:00:43,560 Speaker 1: City and pushed it into the public spotlight. We talked 13 00:00:43,560 --> 00:00:46,159 Speaker 1: about the early days of sabotage and the targeting of 14 00:00:46,159 --> 00:00:49,760 Speaker 1: individuals and positions of power. Basically, I did a lot 15 00:00:49,800 --> 00:00:52,800 Speaker 1: of a lot of talking, maybe maybe too much talking. 16 00:00:53,479 --> 00:00:56,320 Speaker 1: This episode will be more led by the discussions with 17 00:00:56,360 --> 00:00:59,560 Speaker 1: force defenders that I had during my week long excursion 18 00:00:59,680 --> 00:01:03,040 Speaker 1: to woods. We'll learn about how the movement evolved in 19 00:01:03,080 --> 00:01:05,560 Speaker 1: the wake of the city council vote up until the 20 00:01:05,600 --> 00:01:09,319 Speaker 1: current state of affairs. One thing that makes to defend 21 00:01:09,360 --> 00:01:13,199 Speaker 1: the Atlanta forest movement very different from previous eco defense 22 00:01:13,200 --> 00:01:15,840 Speaker 1: projects in recent memory is that it's right in the 23 00:01:15,840 --> 00:01:19,199 Speaker 1: middle of a sprawling metropolitan area. Right outside the forest 24 00:01:19,319 --> 00:01:22,560 Speaker 1: is an Amazon facility. Downtown Atlanta is just a ten 25 00:01:22,640 --> 00:01:25,880 Speaker 1: minute drive away. We'll be talking tactics a bit later 26 00:01:25,959 --> 00:01:28,440 Speaker 1: on in the episode, but just the simple nature of 27 00:01:28,480 --> 00:01:32,080 Speaker 1: doing a forest eco defense project while still inside the 28 00:01:32,120 --> 00:01:36,280 Speaker 1: city gives a lot of pretty interesting tactical opportunities. You 29 00:01:36,319 --> 00:01:39,119 Speaker 1: have to selectively use some of the older, more rule 30 00:01:39,240 --> 00:01:42,559 Speaker 1: eco defensive strategies while having the backing of a city 31 00:01:42,600 --> 00:01:46,600 Speaker 1: based mutual aid network. There's the option of rapid response 32 00:01:46,600 --> 00:01:50,120 Speaker 1: popular mobilization that city based protests can have but are 33 00:01:50,560 --> 00:01:53,960 Speaker 1: more challenging for EQO defense stuff that's like three hours 34 00:01:54,000 --> 00:01:57,000 Speaker 1: into the middle of nowhere. For the people camping in 35 00:01:57,000 --> 00:01:59,840 Speaker 1: the forest, they can easily get supplies or switch out 36 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:02,720 Speaker 1: who's staying in the woods and who's living in the city. 37 00:02:03,000 --> 00:02:07,280 Speaker 1: The combination of forest and urban prompts and necessitates the 38 00:02:07,440 --> 00:02:11,280 Speaker 1: crucial experimentation and innovation that's been badly needed in eco 39 00:02:11,280 --> 00:02:14,920 Speaker 1: defense projects and protests for the past decade. There's a 40 00:02:14,960 --> 00:02:17,440 Speaker 1: lot of trams to go by here. It's definitally pretty morvy. 41 00:02:17,560 --> 00:02:20,480 Speaker 1: So it's definitely the most urban forest defense I've ever 42 00:02:20,520 --> 00:02:23,639 Speaker 1: been a party of. But it's really beautiful and unique 43 00:02:23,800 --> 00:02:27,160 Speaker 1: to see a lot of urban folks people live in 44 00:02:27,200 --> 00:02:29,160 Speaker 1: the city be able to be involved in like urban 45 00:02:29,200 --> 00:02:32,519 Speaker 1: tactics kind of mixing with you more traditional what a 46 00:02:32,639 --> 00:02:35,480 Speaker 1: how that means any more earth firsty forest tactics. It's 47 00:02:35,520 --> 00:02:37,240 Speaker 1: kind of like the rule book and a lot of 48 00:02:37,240 --> 00:02:39,920 Speaker 1: people say this, but like it's all repeated. The quote 49 00:02:39,960 --> 00:02:43,959 Speaker 1: unquote rule book for how to engage with the multiple 50 00:02:44,120 --> 00:02:48,000 Speaker 1: enemies in this area has been like chewed up, spit out, shadow, 51 00:02:48,200 --> 00:02:50,880 Speaker 1: and burnt over because it we're kind of doing something 52 00:02:50,919 --> 00:02:54,200 Speaker 1: that doesn't really happen a lot. Something similar I can 53 00:02:54,240 --> 00:02:56,799 Speaker 1: think of is the Sacred Oak Groove that was being 54 00:02:56,880 --> 00:03:04,000 Speaker 1: protected in Minneapolis in the nineties, and that was another 55 00:03:04,560 --> 00:03:08,120 Speaker 1: kind of anarchist and genous alliance the first presence. But 56 00:03:08,240 --> 00:03:11,079 Speaker 1: that's kind of one of the more urban in this 57 00:03:11,280 --> 00:03:14,880 Speaker 1: part of Turtle Island struggles I can think of this. 58 00:03:14,600 --> 00:03:20,280 Speaker 1: But I think another interesting part is like a lot 59 00:03:20,280 --> 00:03:23,720 Speaker 1: of force defense stuff is focused on like old growth, 60 00:03:23,840 --> 00:03:27,440 Speaker 1: being like we should defend it because it's old growth. Yeah, 61 00:03:27,440 --> 00:03:30,160 Speaker 1: this is not an old growth. This is like a messy, 62 00:03:30,600 --> 00:03:36,720 Speaker 1: dirty um confusing. I've gotten lost so many times. It's yeah, 63 00:03:36,840 --> 00:03:39,160 Speaker 1: there's tires, there's barrels, or it was built on the 64 00:03:39,200 --> 00:03:41,320 Speaker 1: prison farm. You'll find like old portions of the prison 65 00:03:41,360 --> 00:03:43,600 Speaker 1: which is incredibly funked up and haunted. Right, Like in 66 00:03:43,680 --> 00:03:45,760 Speaker 1: terms of like haunting is like there's the specter of 67 00:03:45,800 --> 00:03:48,160 Speaker 1: what used to be there. Police are trying to build 68 00:03:48,200 --> 00:03:50,520 Speaker 1: over it with their more like a bomb range, right, 69 00:03:50,560 --> 00:03:53,120 Speaker 1: It's like that's very much like they're just building over 70 00:03:53,240 --> 00:03:57,040 Speaker 1: the thing. Um. But it doesn't need to be old 71 00:03:57,040 --> 00:03:59,640 Speaker 1: growth to be worth defending. And that's an idea that 72 00:03:59,680 --> 00:04:03,320 Speaker 1: I think people need to understand more. Is like it 73 00:04:03,400 --> 00:04:06,840 Speaker 1: has value even if it's not like five hundred years old, 74 00:04:06,880 --> 00:04:10,440 Speaker 1: Like it has value despite not despite being one hundred 75 00:04:10,480 --> 00:04:12,080 Speaker 1: year old old forest, and it's because it is in 76 00:04:12,160 --> 00:04:14,520 Speaker 1: one forest. Like it has value because it is a 77 00:04:14,560 --> 00:04:19,320 Speaker 1: forest in a city, and that's something that's worth like emphasizing. Yeah, 78 00:04:19,520 --> 00:04:21,640 Speaker 1: I also think that's cool. And like people talk a 79 00:04:21,720 --> 00:04:24,480 Speaker 1: lot about like invasive plants and there's like I think 80 00:04:24,480 --> 00:04:27,160 Speaker 1: the Branford pairs in this forest are a really interesting example. 81 00:04:27,240 --> 00:04:29,320 Speaker 1: There are these trees that are like feral they used 82 00:04:29,360 --> 00:04:31,640 Speaker 1: to be part like planted here when it was a 83 00:04:31,839 --> 00:04:36,680 Speaker 1: um the farm plantation or whatever. And um, those trees 84 00:04:36,720 --> 00:04:40,720 Speaker 1: are fucking spiky, fine trees. They're spiking and ship well 85 00:04:40,720 --> 00:04:42,440 Speaker 1: but you know, the good news is they're awful, and 86 00:04:42,440 --> 00:04:44,520 Speaker 1: the bad news is they're awful. Like I know where 87 00:04:44,520 --> 00:04:47,560 Speaker 1: there are when I haul ass in the forest, I 88 00:04:47,880 --> 00:04:51,320 Speaker 1: usually don't get Bradford pair in my eye, but um, 89 00:04:51,520 --> 00:04:54,680 Speaker 1: but someone chasing me, well yeah, and and so it's 90 00:04:54,720 --> 00:04:57,080 Speaker 1: just it's cool to kind of interact with all these 91 00:04:57,080 --> 00:04:59,039 Speaker 1: things and get to choose how you want to interact 92 00:04:59,080 --> 00:05:03,240 Speaker 1: and like, yeah, is a um, you know, I think 93 00:05:03,240 --> 00:05:07,159 Speaker 1: it's interesting. It's not yeah, like a traditional forest or 94 00:05:07,200 --> 00:05:10,960 Speaker 1: like whatever forest that people would value in that way. Um, 95 00:05:11,000 --> 00:05:14,799 Speaker 1: but for me, I connect to it, I think even 96 00:05:14,800 --> 00:05:17,200 Speaker 1: more than that, because it's not this like held up 97 00:05:17,279 --> 00:05:19,760 Speaker 1: is this thing of like purity, like they fucking buildoz 98 00:05:19,880 --> 00:05:22,600 Speaker 1: and like a month later that ship was overgrown you 99 00:05:22,640 --> 00:05:25,120 Speaker 1: couldn't see it again. And that was all quote unquote 100 00:05:25,160 --> 00:05:28,160 Speaker 1: invasive plants like whatever funk that means, which is often 101 00:05:28,200 --> 00:05:30,520 Speaker 1: that's the whole thing. They're often racialized plants. You know. 102 00:05:30,760 --> 00:05:35,800 Speaker 1: It's it's almost like a punk forest. It's like we're 103 00:05:35,839 --> 00:05:39,880 Speaker 1: surrounded by enemies and that is the problem is um 104 00:05:40,000 --> 00:05:42,360 Speaker 1: they see this as a cess pool. And something I 105 00:05:42,440 --> 00:05:44,440 Speaker 1: talked to a lot of liberals about, like when they're taught, 106 00:05:44,440 --> 00:05:46,240 Speaker 1: we're talking them about defend the forest, like, oh, is 107 00:05:46,240 --> 00:05:50,240 Speaker 1: it a pristine wilderness with large old growth trees, and like, 108 00:05:50,360 --> 00:05:53,120 Speaker 1: you know what, that would be cool. The problem is 109 00:05:53,279 --> 00:05:55,800 Speaker 1: this forest needs to be allowed to return to that 110 00:05:56,000 --> 00:05:58,960 Speaker 1: because there's been so much abuse and part of like 111 00:05:59,000 --> 00:06:01,839 Speaker 1: whether I don't know what it insta quote, but there's 112 00:06:01,839 --> 00:06:05,320 Speaker 1: a lot of little winds and a lot of winds. 113 00:06:05,600 --> 00:06:09,600 Speaker 1: There is some big they're legally supposed to leave all 114 00:06:09,600 --> 00:06:15,799 Speaker 1: the big trees by the creek from what historical um, president, 115 00:06:16,000 --> 00:06:19,120 Speaker 1: do we trust the cops to quote unquote be accountable 116 00:06:19,120 --> 00:06:21,640 Speaker 1: to anyone? I don't know where we're thinking that will happen. 117 00:06:21,640 --> 00:06:23,279 Speaker 1: I've had a lot of people be like, oh, some 118 00:06:23,320 --> 00:06:25,919 Speaker 1: of these tree houses are strategic in the spots they 119 00:06:25,960 --> 00:06:29,279 Speaker 1: can't get friends. I've looked at the map and it 120 00:06:29,279 --> 00:06:31,960 Speaker 1: looks like this whole motherfucking play is Society for clear Cutting. 121 00:06:32,600 --> 00:06:35,679 Speaker 1: Exactly one month after the city Council voted to approve 122 00:06:35,720 --> 00:06:38,680 Speaker 1: the land Ley's Ordinance for cops city that defend the 123 00:06:38,680 --> 00:06:44,760 Speaker 1: force slogan was put to the test. On October, contractors 124 00:06:44,839 --> 00:06:47,599 Speaker 1: and land survey workers showed up around the forest and 125 00:06:47,640 --> 00:06:50,599 Speaker 1: appeared to be clearing land to take reference photos and 126 00:06:50,720 --> 00:06:54,520 Speaker 1: collect soil samples. Two dozen Force defenders emerged from the 127 00:06:54,520 --> 00:06:58,120 Speaker 1: woods and confronted the workers people hired to destroy the forest, 128 00:06:58,200 --> 00:07:01,680 Speaker 1: fled the work site and act they left. Police surveillance 129 00:07:01,720 --> 00:07:04,719 Speaker 1: tower in the area was toppled and the force defenders 130 00:07:04,720 --> 00:07:08,719 Speaker 1: were able to disperse with no arrests. Ten days later, 131 00:07:08,839 --> 00:07:11,400 Speaker 1: a similar turn of events took place. A group of 132 00:07:11,440 --> 00:07:15,160 Speaker 1: survey workers and construction teams were on site. Again a 133 00:07:15,200 --> 00:07:18,000 Speaker 1: small group of rapid response Force defenders who disrupted the 134 00:07:18,080 --> 00:07:21,760 Speaker 1: surveying and ground clearing at the old Atlanta Prison Farm. 135 00:07:21,800 --> 00:07:25,000 Speaker 1: Simply the mere threat of an on site protest shut 136 00:07:25,000 --> 00:07:28,240 Speaker 1: down construction for the whole day. Key access points for 137 00:07:28,320 --> 00:07:32,320 Speaker 1: machinery were blocked using available materials like piles of nearby tires, 138 00:07:32,680 --> 00:07:37,040 Speaker 1: preventing vehicular machinery from moving freely through the destruction site. 139 00:07:37,480 --> 00:07:40,840 Speaker 1: No construction occurred, despite the attempts of the Decab County 140 00:07:40,880 --> 00:07:45,160 Speaker 1: Police and the Atlanta Police Department, who mobilized twenty vehicles 141 00:07:45,200 --> 00:07:47,560 Speaker 1: in the vicinity of the forest in an effort to 142 00:07:47,600 --> 00:07:51,400 Speaker 1: prevent the protest or punish the participants. By the end 143 00:07:51,400 --> 00:07:53,200 Speaker 1: of the day, no one was arrested, and yet again 144 00:07:53,400 --> 00:07:58,320 Speaker 1: select monitoring systems and police surveillance towers were toppled and dismantled. 145 00:07:59,000 --> 00:08:03,320 Speaker 1: A statement released online from anonymous force defenders read quote, 146 00:08:03,720 --> 00:08:06,280 Speaker 1: this war will be one, one battle at a time. 147 00:08:06,600 --> 00:08:09,679 Speaker 1: Pressure must continue in a variety of ways to halt 148 00:08:09,800 --> 00:08:13,760 Speaker 1: all construction. It became clear that for the next phase 149 00:08:13,840 --> 00:08:16,360 Speaker 1: of the struggle to defend the force, people would have 150 00:08:16,440 --> 00:08:20,280 Speaker 1: to directly target and oppose the contracting companies hired to 151 00:08:20,440 --> 00:08:24,280 Speaker 1: decimate the woods and build the facilities. Today we know 152 00:08:24,320 --> 00:08:26,640 Speaker 1: of at least three companies that have been contracted by 153 00:08:26,640 --> 00:08:29,320 Speaker 1: the Atlanta Police Foundation to do work on the old 154 00:08:29,400 --> 00:08:33,120 Speaker 1: prison farm land. Some of the surveying work appears to 155 00:08:33,120 --> 00:08:36,719 Speaker 1: be done by Long Engineering, and two companies, Reaves Young 156 00:08:36,760 --> 00:08:40,080 Speaker 1: Construction and Brass Fielding Gorri, were hired to do grounds 157 00:08:40,080 --> 00:08:43,480 Speaker 1: clearing and early construction. It is not yet clear who 158 00:08:43,520 --> 00:08:46,760 Speaker 1: will be contracted to clear the land in Entrenchment Creek Park, 159 00:08:47,080 --> 00:08:50,320 Speaker 1: where Black Hole Studios hopes to expand their sound stage. 160 00:08:50,760 --> 00:08:53,640 Speaker 1: Again quoting the Crime Think article, the City in the Forest, 161 00:08:53,720 --> 00:08:58,320 Speaker 1: reinventing resistance for an age of climate crisis and police militarization. Quote. 162 00:08:58,840 --> 00:09:01,360 Speaker 1: The information that is known to date was hard won 163 00:09:01,400 --> 00:09:04,840 Speaker 1: by diligent activists on the ground. Shortly after the city 164 00:09:04,840 --> 00:09:08,480 Speaker 1: council voted in September, surveyors and small work crews began 165 00:09:08,679 --> 00:09:12,760 Speaker 1: entering the site near two key roads. The trucks and 166 00:09:12,840 --> 00:09:16,120 Speaker 1: uniforms revealed the names of the contractors, which once again 167 00:09:16,240 --> 00:09:19,000 Speaker 1: gave opponents of the Cops City project a chance to 168 00:09:19,040 --> 00:09:22,720 Speaker 1: initiate a struggle on their own terms. Had the force 169 00:09:22,760 --> 00:09:26,720 Speaker 1: defenders utilized only virtual or bureaucratic channels to collect information, 170 00:09:27,280 --> 00:09:29,400 Speaker 1: they might not have learned that Reeves Young were being 171 00:09:29,440 --> 00:09:31,760 Speaker 1: called in to do the actual destruction until it was 172 00:09:31,800 --> 00:09:35,199 Speaker 1: publicly announced much later. The ability to break news to 173 00:09:35,240 --> 00:09:37,640 Speaker 1: the public before the city government has been a consistent 174 00:09:37,720 --> 00:09:41,600 Speaker 1: advantage in trying to keep the momentum of the movement going. 175 00:09:41,679 --> 00:09:44,360 Speaker 1: Post the city council vote, a second Week of Action 176 00:09:44,440 --> 00:09:48,719 Speaker 1: was planned for November, albeit with some new twists. From 177 00:09:48,760 --> 00:09:53,360 Speaker 1: November tenth through, various groups organized a wide range of 178 00:09:53,400 --> 00:09:58,000 Speaker 1: cultural events, info nites, bonfires, and meetings for this week 179 00:09:58,000 --> 00:10:00,520 Speaker 1: of action. Many of these events occurred in or near 180 00:10:00,559 --> 00:10:04,480 Speaker 1: a publicly advertised encampment on the Entrenchment Creek Park side 181 00:10:04,520 --> 00:10:07,560 Speaker 1: of the forest. Days after the second week of action, 182 00:10:07,720 --> 00:10:11,640 Speaker 1: thirty people converged on the Reeves Young Construction headquarters in 183 00:10:11,679 --> 00:10:16,720 Speaker 1: sugar Hill, Georgia, forty miles outside of Atlanta, holding banners 184 00:10:16,720 --> 00:10:19,200 Speaker 1: and demanding that the company severed their contract with the 185 00:10:19,200 --> 00:10:22,040 Speaker 1: Atlanta Police Foundation. The group was able to walk right 186 00:10:22,080 --> 00:10:25,600 Speaker 1: into the offices, disrupting a board meeting involving company president 187 00:10:25,679 --> 00:10:30,000 Speaker 1: Dean Reeves and CEO Eric Young. Initially, the executives tried 188 00:10:30,040 --> 00:10:33,160 Speaker 1: to keep their cool, but in short time the businessmen 189 00:10:33,280 --> 00:10:36,719 Speaker 1: started getting more annoyed and eventually violence towards the protest. 190 00:10:37,240 --> 00:10:40,400 Speaker 1: There was a protest that like plus at the Reeves 191 00:10:40,440 --> 00:10:45,000 Speaker 1: Young office, went into the office and disrupted a board 192 00:10:45,040 --> 00:10:48,040 Speaker 1: member meeting that happened to have a lot of the 193 00:10:48,200 --> 00:10:54,440 Speaker 1: people who were like seers and chairman there and um, 194 00:10:54,480 --> 00:10:58,080 Speaker 1: from what I gather as a brawl. Yeah, I know. 195 00:10:58,200 --> 00:11:03,400 Speaker 1: There's reports of the the Reeves CEO guy like punching 196 00:11:03,760 --> 00:11:08,040 Speaker 1: punching protesters. There's a joke that a worker puts someone 197 00:11:08,040 --> 00:11:10,840 Speaker 1: in the guillotine, and I love the version of these 198 00:11:10,840 --> 00:11:21,960 Speaker 1: workers doing like wwfer Love, We'll love for more cop 199 00:11:22,040 --> 00:11:24,400 Speaker 1: fights fights with cops to just be w w E 200 00:11:24,480 --> 00:11:38,319 Speaker 1: style match. Disrupting the board of meeting was another successful 201 00:11:38,360 --> 00:11:41,560 Speaker 1: step in the goal of applying direct confrontational pressure to 202 00:11:41,559 --> 00:11:46,640 Speaker 1: the Atlanta Police foundations contracted construction service providers. Days later, 203 00:11:46,920 --> 00:11:51,160 Speaker 1: two more bulldozers were lit on fire read entertaining aounts 204 00:11:51,160 --> 00:12:02,040 Speaker 1: of ulic road and we got to construct vehicles fall 205 00:12:02,160 --> 00:12:06,720 Speaker 1: involved in the quat and simpedia my location as well. 206 00:12:07,240 --> 00:12:12,040 Speaker 1: There this equipment was located on the land swap parcel 207 00:12:12,080 --> 00:12:15,640 Speaker 1: by Black Hall Studios, the planned future location of quote 208 00:12:15,720 --> 00:12:20,760 Speaker 1: Michelle Obama Park unquote. These were the eleventh and twelve 209 00:12:20,880 --> 00:12:24,320 Speaker 1: pieces of heavy machinery to be sabotaged, and I think 210 00:12:24,360 --> 00:12:28,679 Speaker 1: now we're at like around twenty five, which is a 211 00:12:28,720 --> 00:12:33,079 Speaker 1: lot um. The anonymous communicate this time was short and 212 00:12:33,240 --> 00:12:36,440 Speaker 1: to the point, quote we burnt to bulldozers in the 213 00:12:36,480 --> 00:12:40,240 Speaker 1: South Atlanta forest. No cops city, no Hollywood dystopia, defend 214 00:12:40,280 --> 00:12:44,880 Speaker 1: the Atlanta Forest. On top of the more publicly advertised 215 00:12:44,960 --> 00:12:48,480 Speaker 1: encampment at Entrenchman Creek Park. Around the second week of action, 216 00:12:48,600 --> 00:12:52,040 Speaker 1: a small cluster force defenders set up a secondary, more 217 00:12:52,080 --> 00:12:55,520 Speaker 1: secretive encampment on a stretch of woods in the old 218 00:12:55,559 --> 00:12:59,839 Speaker 1: Atlanta prison Farm. Again quoting the crimes article quote, a 219 00:13:00,040 --> 00:13:03,640 Speaker 1: few dozen people pitched tents, erected tarps and makeshift kitchens, 220 00:13:03,920 --> 00:13:08,160 Speaker 1: hung banners, and constructed a bonafid protest camp in the woods. 221 00:13:09,040 --> 00:13:11,760 Speaker 1: Establishing a semi permanent presence in the forest was a 222 00:13:11,760 --> 00:13:15,040 Speaker 1: way to gather information on an ongoing basis and to 223 00:13:15,080 --> 00:13:21,920 Speaker 1: provide an immediate deterrent to developers. So I was involved 224 00:13:21,960 --> 00:13:26,720 Speaker 1: in the original occupation of the forest. There was a 225 00:13:26,800 --> 00:13:31,400 Speaker 1: group of autnomous individuals who many of whom were housing 226 00:13:31,440 --> 00:13:35,480 Speaker 1: and secure, and we're like, we need fucking housing, and like, 227 00:13:35,920 --> 00:13:38,280 Speaker 1: there's this struggle and we believe in it and want 228 00:13:38,280 --> 00:13:40,680 Speaker 1: to fight in it. And so we moved to the 229 00:13:40,720 --> 00:13:44,040 Speaker 1: fucking woods. And we've lived in these woods. Believe the 230 00:13:44,120 --> 00:13:48,160 Speaker 1: six the official time is six weeks that we were 231 00:13:48,160 --> 00:13:51,679 Speaker 1: in the woods. And we had a higher quality of 232 00:13:51,760 --> 00:13:55,480 Speaker 1: life than like many people who like lived in houses 233 00:13:55,520 --> 00:14:01,560 Speaker 1: and apartments. We had the nicest kitchen of anyone we knew. Yeah, 234 00:14:01,880 --> 00:14:07,280 Speaker 1: we had armchairs and couches and fire pits, and we 235 00:14:07,559 --> 00:14:09,960 Speaker 1: you know, we had more food than we knew what 236 00:14:10,040 --> 00:14:13,000 Speaker 1: to do with. And so we just started feeding people, 237 00:14:13,720 --> 00:14:18,560 Speaker 1: and like we created a social space that allowed the 238 00:14:18,600 --> 00:14:22,400 Speaker 1: movement to drow simply because we're like, oh, we need 239 00:14:22,400 --> 00:14:25,720 Speaker 1: these needs man in our lives. Don't we go do that? 240 00:14:25,840 --> 00:14:29,800 Speaker 1: And like evolved over time. A little over a month 241 00:14:29,840 --> 00:14:34,000 Speaker 1: after the more secretive encampment was established, about a dozen protesters, 242 00:14:34,040 --> 00:14:37,000 Speaker 1: some bearing witch hats, marched to the gate of Black 243 00:14:37,040 --> 00:14:40,840 Speaker 1: Hole Studios on Constitution Road and blocked the main entrance. 244 00:14:41,560 --> 00:14:45,680 Speaker 1: A communicate posted online read quote iconic spells for destruction 245 00:14:45,680 --> 00:14:49,120 Speaker 1: were loudly chanted at black Halls general direction as the 246 00:14:49,160 --> 00:14:53,200 Speaker 1: witch block held hands, cackled and skipped in a sunwise direction, 247 00:14:53,560 --> 00:14:57,520 Speaker 1: blocking Black Hole Studios as main entrance. Smoke torches were 248 00:14:57,560 --> 00:15:02,480 Speaker 1: lit approximately one our post, which block antics the Cab 249 00:15:02,640 --> 00:15:05,280 Speaker 1: County Police responded to a call made by Black Hole 250 00:15:05,320 --> 00:15:09,160 Speaker 1: Studios saying that they quote followed the protesters into the 251 00:15:09,200 --> 00:15:13,480 Speaker 1: woods and deduced an encampment they came upon must belong 252 00:15:13,600 --> 00:15:18,520 Speaker 1: to the apparent witches unquote, which is quite the sentence. 253 00:15:19,960 --> 00:15:23,400 Speaker 1: Shortly after, a large contingent of police raided the forest, 254 00:15:23,640 --> 00:15:28,400 Speaker 1: evicting the protest camp established there. There was at one 255 00:15:28,440 --> 00:15:37,040 Speaker 1: point group and help a demonstration outside of Black Holes 256 00:15:37,960 --> 00:15:43,320 Speaker 1: UM outside of Black Holes site near the woods, and 257 00:15:43,640 --> 00:15:53,080 Speaker 1: they expressed their discontent at the yeah, peaceful, entirely peaceful 258 00:15:53,120 --> 00:15:56,280 Speaker 1: protests at Black Haws Studios that was like just kind 259 00:15:56,280 --> 00:15:59,680 Speaker 1: of standing in like the front gate where employees leaving 260 00:15:59,720 --> 00:16:04,040 Speaker 1: them or um and generally doing stuff like bringing American flags, 261 00:16:04,080 --> 00:16:07,600 Speaker 1: holding signs like um and just like taking up space 262 00:16:07,640 --> 00:16:10,560 Speaker 1: and making the like actual interns and leaving of the 263 00:16:10,680 --> 00:16:17,200 Speaker 1: facility like less doable. And their response was for a 264 00:16:17,280 --> 00:16:20,400 Speaker 1: Black Hall to lie and so like the camp and 265 00:16:20,480 --> 00:16:24,200 Speaker 1: camp and wasn't trespassing on their property which was actually 266 00:16:24,200 --> 00:16:27,040 Speaker 1: in place in of like a public park, um and 267 00:16:27,480 --> 00:16:34,560 Speaker 1: orchestrated with the police to evict um. And they orchestraed 268 00:16:34,600 --> 00:16:39,560 Speaker 1: with the police to do like a pretty like intense 269 00:16:39,800 --> 00:16:43,600 Speaker 1: eviction for like what it was. Essentially we were what 270 00:16:43,760 --> 00:16:48,800 Speaker 1: amounted to a homeless camp living there, and they had 271 00:16:48,920 --> 00:16:53,440 Speaker 1: two helicopters circling, more police than I could count. They 272 00:16:53,440 --> 00:16:58,600 Speaker 1: were throwing our ship into dump trucks and like actively 273 00:16:58,760 --> 00:17:02,800 Speaker 1: like pursuing people through the woods. It was like an 274 00:17:02,960 --> 00:17:08,160 Speaker 1: absolutely I mean, it was like like very like visible 275 00:17:08,320 --> 00:17:11,720 Speaker 1: show of force against us. Quoting the crime Thing article 276 00:17:11,760 --> 00:17:14,600 Speaker 1: again quote at the urging of Black Hall the Cab 277 00:17:14,640 --> 00:17:18,360 Speaker 1: County police entered the forest on mass mobilizing police cruisers 278 00:17:18,359 --> 00:17:22,000 Speaker 1: and the parking lot officers on foot, helicopters and drones overhead, 279 00:17:22,240 --> 00:17:25,760 Speaker 1: and unmarked vehicles in the streets. The officers were likely 280 00:17:25,800 --> 00:17:29,160 Speaker 1: intimidated by the low visibility to rain. In any event, 281 00:17:29,359 --> 00:17:32,240 Speaker 1: all of the force defenders based in the encampment escaped 282 00:17:32,280 --> 00:17:35,840 Speaker 1: without being detained. This was the first time a concerted 283 00:17:35,880 --> 00:17:39,080 Speaker 1: effort was made by law enforcement to engage protesters in 284 00:17:39,119 --> 00:17:42,919 Speaker 1: the South River Forest. And be honest, it was a 285 00:17:43,040 --> 00:17:45,560 Speaker 1: fucking pain in the ass and it was a traumatizing 286 00:17:45,560 --> 00:17:49,960 Speaker 1: and like that is all true, but it's also even 287 00:17:50,080 --> 00:17:54,240 Speaker 1: we learned from and like we got a pretty good 288 00:17:54,280 --> 00:17:58,959 Speaker 1: idea of like apd s and like the Cab Counties 289 00:17:59,800 --> 00:18:04,160 Speaker 1: the capabilities, and like how they are like surveilling thing 290 00:18:04,480 --> 00:18:07,800 Speaker 1: protests and how they're surveilling camps, and like how they 291 00:18:07,840 --> 00:18:11,000 Speaker 1: figured out where we were and like what triggered them 292 00:18:11,040 --> 00:18:13,800 Speaker 1: to act against us, and like that's allowed us to 293 00:18:13,920 --> 00:18:18,880 Speaker 1: move in far more confident ways that are also far 294 00:18:19,000 --> 00:18:24,880 Speaker 1: more subversive. It's really interesting that you know, just like 295 00:18:25,560 --> 00:18:28,960 Speaker 1: when they make it, you know, illegal to do n 296 00:18:29,040 --> 00:18:34,199 Speaker 1: v d A whenever they attack, like that and do 297 00:18:34,320 --> 00:18:38,199 Speaker 1: these really violent raids that put people in like awful 298 00:18:38,240 --> 00:18:41,320 Speaker 1: positions and like traumatize the ship out of people. They 299 00:18:41,359 --> 00:18:44,480 Speaker 1: are teaching us how to fight back. They are showing 300 00:18:44,600 --> 00:18:48,520 Speaker 1: us their weaknesses, and in a really ironic way, the 301 00:18:48,640 --> 00:18:50,640 Speaker 1: next time they come in and they funk it up, 302 00:18:50,680 --> 00:18:53,639 Speaker 1: because people know what to expect, it'll be a monster 303 00:18:53,720 --> 00:18:58,679 Speaker 1: of their own making. Because like for every one step 304 00:18:58,800 --> 00:19:01,240 Speaker 1: of aggression that they take, that's two steps further we 305 00:19:01,240 --> 00:19:04,399 Speaker 1: can take towards them with everything that we learned from 306 00:19:04,400 --> 00:19:08,280 Speaker 1: the struggle. And obviously this forest is really beautiful and 307 00:19:08,320 --> 00:19:10,520 Speaker 1: the more time I spend here, the more I feel 308 00:19:10,520 --> 00:19:13,600 Speaker 1: connected to it and driven to like protect it. But 309 00:19:13,720 --> 00:19:16,280 Speaker 1: also a big part of it for a lot of us, 310 00:19:16,520 --> 00:19:21,720 Speaker 1: is for me, is like, um, you know, they're doing 311 00:19:21,760 --> 00:19:25,720 Speaker 1: this for their own morale, and so my goal is 312 00:19:25,760 --> 00:19:30,119 Speaker 1: to make sure they are unhappy. And so yeah, even 313 00:19:30,160 --> 00:19:35,000 Speaker 1: if I uh yeah, even if they win, as long 314 00:19:35,040 --> 00:19:37,199 Speaker 1: as we come back and we learn from that and 315 00:19:37,200 --> 00:19:39,960 Speaker 1: we keep pushing back, you know, it is a lay 316 00:19:40,000 --> 00:19:44,560 Speaker 1: of attrition, and um, it is about their morale. And 317 00:19:44,680 --> 00:19:48,560 Speaker 1: like it doesn't matter if they build the police facility. 318 00:19:48,600 --> 00:19:51,840 Speaker 1: What matters is that every single time that the police 319 00:19:51,920 --> 00:19:56,360 Speaker 1: moved to recuperate that their losses, which they just took 320 00:19:56,400 --> 00:20:01,000 Speaker 1: a big one, they are faced with just unyielding hostility. 321 00:20:01,280 --> 00:20:04,240 Speaker 1: Um And I think that, like that's something that's really important, 322 00:20:04,359 --> 00:20:07,040 Speaker 1: is that we don't expect to not take a lot 323 00:20:07,080 --> 00:20:10,520 Speaker 1: of hells. Like in the forest occupation, we understand the 324 00:20:10,600 --> 00:20:14,080 Speaker 1: nature of this thing. We're in a static position, completely 325 00:20:14,160 --> 00:20:18,040 Speaker 1: moving around it. But like it's a it's about making 326 00:20:18,080 --> 00:20:21,159 Speaker 1: them fight for every inch the best we can. The 327 00:20:21,240 --> 00:20:24,320 Speaker 1: encampment was just one part of a large ongoing fight. 328 00:20:24,920 --> 00:20:27,560 Speaker 1: Over the course of those six weeks, hundreds of people 329 00:20:27,600 --> 00:20:31,720 Speaker 1: were able to circulate through this camp, enjoying meals and performances, 330 00:20:31,960 --> 00:20:36,080 Speaker 1: making arts together, and spending time around campfires, building and 331 00:20:36,119 --> 00:20:39,280 Speaker 1: sharing a life in the woods. After the camp was 332 00:20:39,320 --> 00:20:42,439 Speaker 1: attacked and structures were destroyed by the Cab County Police, 333 00:20:43,000 --> 00:20:46,560 Speaker 1: land offenders and Atlanta residents mobilized quickly to recover camp 334 00:20:46,600 --> 00:20:50,159 Speaker 1: supplies and belongings and continued on with efforts to defend 335 00:20:50,200 --> 00:20:53,720 Speaker 1: the forest. A great thing about these types of free 336 00:20:53,720 --> 00:20:57,399 Speaker 1: autonomous zones is that they can directly demonstrate to people 337 00:20:57,480 --> 00:21:00,200 Speaker 1: what a free life outside the confines of in a 338 00:21:00,280 --> 00:21:03,040 Speaker 1: society can look like and what it can feel like 339 00:21:03,600 --> 00:21:05,520 Speaker 1: it's not just like we want to save the words 340 00:21:05,520 --> 00:21:07,600 Speaker 1: and we want to go back to our regular asse lives. 341 00:21:07,680 --> 00:21:10,560 Speaker 1: A lot of us are realizing that we're living in 342 00:21:10,640 --> 00:21:12,600 Speaker 1: the apocalypse and we're just gonna we want to keep 343 00:21:12,760 --> 00:21:15,719 Speaker 1: living like this. It's not just this words, it's not 344 00:21:15,800 --> 00:21:19,360 Speaker 1: just this police facility, and we want them to not 345 00:21:19,480 --> 00:21:22,600 Speaker 1: have any more space or platform to organize this police. 346 00:21:22,640 --> 00:21:24,800 Speaker 1: But we want a lot of us want to be free. 347 00:21:24,880 --> 00:21:26,840 Speaker 1: We want other people that like during the idea of 348 00:21:26,960 --> 00:21:30,200 Speaker 1: like whatever the funk it is, hitchhiking train happening living 349 00:21:30,200 --> 00:21:33,399 Speaker 1: in the woods, the fact that it's a fucking crime 350 00:21:33,800 --> 00:21:36,760 Speaker 1: or considered crazy to be the people living in the 351 00:21:36,760 --> 00:21:39,320 Speaker 1: woods is insane. And that's kind of the vibe we 352 00:21:39,440 --> 00:21:41,560 Speaker 1: got from the muscoge for Access today. They're like our 353 00:21:41,560 --> 00:21:45,119 Speaker 1: whole world, like we're here trying to reclaim our culture 354 00:21:45,160 --> 00:21:47,080 Speaker 1: because there's a lot of hope for saving the land 355 00:21:48,359 --> 00:21:53,000 Speaker 1: from like an indigenous perspective, if people would respect them. 356 00:21:53,080 --> 00:21:56,800 Speaker 1: And the whole point is the US government doesn't actually 357 00:21:56,840 --> 00:22:00,400 Speaker 1: want them and doesn't actually respect them, and as a ations, 358 00:22:00,440 --> 00:22:03,080 Speaker 1: I literally have prisoner of war numbers because they're hoping 359 00:22:03,200 --> 00:22:05,159 Speaker 1: by blood quantum if they kill these people off, they 360 00:22:05,200 --> 00:22:07,520 Speaker 1: can take their land back, So the whole land back 361 00:22:07,600 --> 00:22:10,639 Speaker 1: idea of fucking freaks and not anyway. We want to 362 00:22:10,640 --> 00:22:12,320 Speaker 1: save this for us, but it's not just about this 363 00:22:12,359 --> 00:22:15,119 Speaker 1: forest for kind of endangered species. We've talked about ourselves 364 00:22:15,160 --> 00:22:17,840 Speaker 1: feeling like deer Like how deer like they'll be chilling. 365 00:22:17,840 --> 00:22:19,760 Speaker 1: They'll be like all around being a deer and mating food, 366 00:22:19,800 --> 00:22:22,440 Speaker 1: and we're like, I was on guard, you know, to 367 00:22:23,920 --> 00:22:25,840 Speaker 1: do something else if there's an enemy around. It kind 368 00:22:25,880 --> 00:22:27,800 Speaker 1: of feels that way, like it will be chilling. Nothing's 369 00:22:27,840 --> 00:22:30,560 Speaker 1: going on. Also, there's caps. But the whole point is 370 00:22:30,960 --> 00:22:33,359 Speaker 1: if it can happen here, ha ha, did it, it 371 00:22:33,480 --> 00:22:35,280 Speaker 1: can happen somewhere else. And we help to spread the 372 00:22:35,359 --> 00:22:38,360 Speaker 1: vibe that people not like Occupy would a varriable name 373 00:22:38,480 --> 00:22:40,479 Speaker 1: for a movement. But it's cool that that happened at 374 00:22:40,480 --> 00:22:41,879 Speaker 1: the time that we had made sense. We all have 375 00:22:41,920 --> 00:22:44,000 Speaker 1: nobody knew any better. We know better now, that's great, 376 00:22:44,520 --> 00:22:48,840 Speaker 1: but get the vibe. We're getting this vib to like 377 00:22:48,920 --> 00:22:51,000 Speaker 1: continue this kind of stuff. And obviously there's people in 378 00:22:51,040 --> 00:22:54,160 Speaker 1: all kinds of places, a squad buildings and do all 379 00:22:54,160 --> 00:22:57,240 Speaker 1: sorts of ship. But the more territory that we occupy 380 00:22:57,400 --> 00:23:01,879 Speaker 1: and control and can help remake treat to indigenous grassroots comrades, 381 00:23:01,960 --> 00:23:08,400 Speaker 1: not IRA and Reorganization Act, government sanctioned Indigenous groups right 382 00:23:08,440 --> 00:23:11,199 Speaker 1: if they can't. Not everyone's air. Ally, these have to 383 00:23:11,240 --> 00:23:14,600 Speaker 1: be ally. Ships that make sense. The Muscogee commrads that 384 00:23:14,640 --> 00:23:18,520 Speaker 1: we're close to, obviously not all of them, that some romanticized, 385 00:23:18,520 --> 00:23:21,480 Speaker 1: generalized bullshit. They said the same ship that when we 386 00:23:21,520 --> 00:23:23,320 Speaker 1: talk to them, they're like even our own people betray 387 00:23:23,320 --> 00:23:25,560 Speaker 1: it sometimes because we're not all the same. It's some 388 00:23:25,640 --> 00:23:28,720 Speaker 1: homogeneous bullshit. And I've seen that play out poorly in 389 00:23:28,720 --> 00:23:30,880 Speaker 1: other places. And like the garity of the land back 390 00:23:31,359 --> 00:23:35,520 Speaker 1: to the neightives and like which natives like people were 391 00:23:35,560 --> 00:23:38,439 Speaker 1: all on the spectrum of conversation and be conization. And 392 00:23:38,520 --> 00:23:41,080 Speaker 1: sadly some of us are further along the lines and others. 393 00:23:41,080 --> 00:23:45,800 Speaker 1: And it's very much on the colonizer's fault for doing that. 394 00:23:46,440 --> 00:23:51,560 Speaker 1: But where we're at is the people, the people that 395 00:23:51,640 --> 00:23:53,480 Speaker 1: feel the call the anarchy, the people that feel the 396 00:23:53,520 --> 00:23:57,080 Speaker 1: call to the some kind of radical left orientation. They 397 00:23:57,119 --> 00:23:59,000 Speaker 1: can find it in their hearts and in their patients 398 00:23:59,000 --> 00:24:02,000 Speaker 1: to tolerate each other, need to band together to come 399 00:24:02,080 --> 00:24:04,600 Speaker 1: up with better plans because we're all we got and 400 00:24:04,600 --> 00:24:08,480 Speaker 1: it doesn't get better, it's getting worse. So hopefully this 401 00:24:08,560 --> 00:24:10,440 Speaker 1: can be an inspiration for people to do other ship. 402 00:24:10,480 --> 00:24:13,000 Speaker 1: I'm inspired. I'm not from anyway freaking her here, but 403 00:24:13,040 --> 00:24:14,320 Speaker 1: I've been here for a year now and i don't 404 00:24:14,320 --> 00:24:18,040 Speaker 1: want to leave because I'm tired at the same old tactics. 405 00:24:18,720 --> 00:24:21,160 Speaker 1: And I have been a part of stuff that has 406 00:24:21,200 --> 00:24:23,119 Speaker 1: been successful before and I had nothing to do with 407 00:24:23,200 --> 00:24:25,720 Speaker 1: non valid direct action and I had to do time 408 00:24:25,760 --> 00:24:28,640 Speaker 1: for it, and I know people that have done time 409 00:24:28,680 --> 00:24:31,719 Speaker 1: for it also. And if there's any message I can 410 00:24:31,760 --> 00:24:34,439 Speaker 1: give to the young generation is there's no future and 411 00:24:34,520 --> 00:24:37,600 Speaker 1: it's worth it. And like if your future is just 412 00:24:37,720 --> 00:24:40,160 Speaker 1: like working at nine to five and like watching the earth, 413 00:24:40,280 --> 00:24:44,560 Speaker 1: so they're like shriveling and nothingness, I would argue it's 414 00:24:44,560 --> 00:24:47,000 Speaker 1: not really a life. Might as all well might as 415 00:24:47,000 --> 00:24:49,880 Speaker 1: well be dead. So I'm happy to live. I'm hope 416 00:24:49,880 --> 00:24:52,919 Speaker 1: you choose to live. I think it's a really like 417 00:24:53,640 --> 00:24:58,680 Speaker 1: interesting thing that psychological aspects of this, because the first 418 00:24:58,760 --> 00:25:03,160 Speaker 1: time you do the way we're surcialized in the society 419 00:25:03,480 --> 00:25:07,200 Speaker 1: is to be obedient and fearful, and the first time 420 00:25:07,480 --> 00:25:11,280 Speaker 1: you do something illegals, the first time you do something 421 00:25:11,920 --> 00:25:15,320 Speaker 1: that you know is against the world, the first time 422 00:25:15,480 --> 00:25:18,800 Speaker 1: you steal some food, the first time you smash the window, 423 00:25:18,880 --> 00:25:21,080 Speaker 1: the first time you do any of that, you're scared. 424 00:25:21,760 --> 00:25:25,720 Speaker 1: But then you get away with it. You realize that 425 00:25:25,920 --> 00:25:28,000 Speaker 1: this is a thing you can do, and I think 426 00:25:28,040 --> 00:25:32,679 Speaker 1: that the state can't stop you from doing and you realize, oh, 427 00:25:32,920 --> 00:25:36,720 Speaker 1: I can do so much more. And once you get 428 00:25:36,760 --> 00:25:40,520 Speaker 1: over that initial fear, once you've smashed that window and 429 00:25:40,640 --> 00:25:43,159 Speaker 1: you've gotten home and you're like, oh, I didn't go 430 00:25:43,240 --> 00:25:46,040 Speaker 1: to jail for this. But when when you like get 431 00:25:46,080 --> 00:25:48,399 Speaker 1: home and you're like, I have all this food now 432 00:25:48,840 --> 00:25:50,720 Speaker 1: that I didn't have to pay for it, you start 433 00:25:50,760 --> 00:25:53,840 Speaker 1: to realize maybe I don't need to work a job. 434 00:25:54,440 --> 00:25:57,960 Speaker 1: Maybe I don't need to work nine to five or 435 00:25:58,560 --> 00:26:04,720 Speaker 1: you know, five to midnight every day to get a 436 00:26:04,800 --> 00:26:08,280 Speaker 1: job and pay for You realize, wait, maybe I can 437 00:26:08,320 --> 00:26:11,560 Speaker 1: just steal the food. Yeah. I've been wanting to talk 438 00:26:11,600 --> 00:26:14,960 Speaker 1: about that for a while. For I want to make 439 00:26:15,000 --> 00:26:19,600 Speaker 1: another Hyper Objects episode UM and talk about the anarchist 440 00:26:19,600 --> 00:26:23,400 Speaker 1: properties of client bottles UM and I described this type 441 00:26:23,440 --> 00:26:25,720 Speaker 1: of freedom is like it's like how a client bottle 442 00:26:25,760 --> 00:26:27,679 Speaker 1: works or like a fourth dimensional object. It's like you 443 00:26:27,680 --> 00:26:30,720 Speaker 1: need in order for there's like this extra degree or 444 00:26:30,800 --> 00:26:33,600 Speaker 1: extra dimension of movement that we usually don't think it's possible, 445 00:26:33,960 --> 00:26:35,959 Speaker 1: but it is actually there if you know how to 446 00:26:36,040 --> 00:26:40,280 Speaker 1: interact with it. UM And Yeah, it's like we're domesticated 447 00:26:40,320 --> 00:26:43,040 Speaker 1: in so many ways to view here's what's possible, here's 448 00:26:43,040 --> 00:26:45,600 Speaker 1: what's impossible. I have to exist within this framework UM 449 00:26:45,640 --> 00:26:47,679 Speaker 1: and only doing these things which are seen as correct. 450 00:26:48,119 --> 00:26:51,080 Speaker 1: And there's actually more degrees of freedom than that. We 451 00:26:51,160 --> 00:26:55,960 Speaker 1: just don't often like acknowledge them. But you can totally 452 00:26:56,040 --> 00:26:58,320 Speaker 1: phase through things and you can totally find that extra 453 00:26:58,320 --> 00:27:00,920 Speaker 1: degree of freedom, and once you do, that's a super 454 00:27:01,080 --> 00:27:05,320 Speaker 1: interesting feeling. UM. As opposed to like waiting for gay 455 00:27:05,359 --> 00:27:08,520 Speaker 1: luxury space communism, you can instead do like fourth dimensional 456 00:27:08,600 --> 00:27:11,920 Speaker 1: like hyper anarchism, which gives you so much more freedom 457 00:27:12,000 --> 00:27:14,720 Speaker 1: right now instead of just waiting for the communism that 458 00:27:14,760 --> 00:27:20,800 Speaker 1: will never come and the relationship you build. The relationships 459 00:27:20,840 --> 00:27:24,200 Speaker 1: you build that are based on a trust that is, 460 00:27:25,080 --> 00:27:27,760 Speaker 1: I trust you to have my back, I trust you 461 00:27:28,160 --> 00:27:31,680 Speaker 1: to work with me and do this thing is so 462 00:27:31,800 --> 00:27:35,240 Speaker 1: much deeper than the trust of I guess I trust 463 00:27:35,320 --> 00:27:38,359 Speaker 1: my coworker, but like I really trust them not to 464 00:27:38,440 --> 00:27:42,200 Speaker 1: sttion my boss. Like the trust that comes from a 465 00:27:42,280 --> 00:27:46,080 Speaker 1: relationship where you're like, yeah, let's like we need food, 466 00:27:46,080 --> 00:27:48,639 Speaker 1: that's going to steal it together. That kind of trust 467 00:27:49,440 --> 00:27:53,640 Speaker 1: is not something that can be recuperated. And that kind 468 00:27:53,680 --> 00:27:58,399 Speaker 1: of like relationship where it's like our relationship is built 469 00:27:58,440 --> 00:28:01,040 Speaker 1: on the fundamental we will do it we have to 470 00:28:01,160 --> 00:28:05,840 Speaker 1: to survive. It creates an intimacy that you can't find 471 00:28:05,920 --> 00:28:15,159 Speaker 1: anywhere else, and a criminal INTERNNA say, you might say, um, yeah, 472 00:28:15,600 --> 00:28:21,320 Speaker 1: and that that was the point as somebody else think, yeah, yeah, 473 00:28:21,520 --> 00:28:25,320 Speaker 1: just to double down't know too, Like I think it's um, 474 00:28:25,359 --> 00:28:31,080 Speaker 1: it's cool too because uh, when you also come through 475 00:28:31,080 --> 00:28:32,719 Speaker 1: a space like this, Like you can live like that 476 00:28:32,760 --> 00:28:35,639 Speaker 1: on your on your own or with your friends, but 477 00:28:35,720 --> 00:28:40,000 Speaker 1: then there's something wild when you come to this space. Um, 478 00:28:40,040 --> 00:28:43,200 Speaker 1: and then all of a sudden, it's like when you 479 00:28:43,480 --> 00:28:46,160 Speaker 1: start attacking something that a lot of other people want 480 00:28:46,160 --> 00:28:49,120 Speaker 1: to see attacked, All of a sudden, all you have 481 00:28:49,160 --> 00:28:51,800 Speaker 1: to do is attack that thing and foods there, yeah, 482 00:28:51,920 --> 00:28:55,240 Speaker 1: and like you know like that and and like yeah, 483 00:28:55,280 --> 00:28:57,640 Speaker 1: I'm like you have all these resources and you can 484 00:28:57,680 --> 00:29:00,840 Speaker 1: focus on that and so like it's like yes, I'm 485 00:29:00,840 --> 00:29:03,760 Speaker 1: like it's like a joke to some degree, but like 486 00:29:04,640 --> 00:29:06,760 Speaker 1: if you want to be a lifestyle and because like 487 00:29:06,760 --> 00:29:09,800 Speaker 1: if you want to actually be an anarchist right now 488 00:29:10,240 --> 00:29:14,200 Speaker 1: and do anarchist ship, you can come to Atlanta and 489 00:29:14,480 --> 00:29:18,480 Speaker 1: do and like it's not easy. It's fucking scary, it's sketchy, 490 00:29:18,840 --> 00:29:24,400 Speaker 1: it's hard, there's freaky as bugs, but like, yeah, you 491 00:29:24,440 --> 00:29:28,520 Speaker 1: don't have to wait, and like, yeah, it I think 492 00:29:28,520 --> 00:29:30,840 Speaker 1: that that's something that like, for me, is really magic. 493 00:29:31,080 --> 00:29:35,000 Speaker 1: Is that like actually the more you attack and the 494 00:29:35,040 --> 00:29:38,720 Speaker 1: more you like position yourself to be antagonistic towards the world, 495 00:29:39,120 --> 00:29:43,880 Speaker 1: the more of it's like fourth dimensional like winn shoot, 496 00:29:43,920 --> 00:29:48,080 Speaker 1: don't you know, like which imediately understand like starts to 497 00:29:48,600 --> 00:29:52,280 Speaker 1: kind of like self actualize. And yeah, I think it's cool. 498 00:29:52,320 --> 00:29:54,720 Speaker 1: And like it freaks me out to think that there's 499 00:29:54,720 --> 00:29:57,640 Speaker 1: not people who are probably probably pretty cool like waiting 500 00:29:57,680 --> 00:30:01,200 Speaker 1: for some opportunity like waiting, just teachers waiting, and we 501 00:30:01,240 --> 00:30:03,800 Speaker 1: don't have that much time. Yeah, you can live anarchy now. 502 00:30:03,840 --> 00:30:06,840 Speaker 1: You don't need to wait for the collapse TM because 503 00:30:06,880 --> 00:30:10,800 Speaker 1: turns out that party it's already happening and that already happened. 504 00:30:10,800 --> 00:30:13,480 Speaker 1: We're just waiting in the liminal space until the climate 505 00:30:13,560 --> 00:30:16,520 Speaker 1: change catches up with the admissions are already there. We're 506 00:30:16,560 --> 00:30:18,560 Speaker 1: already living in it. We just don't realize it yet, 507 00:30:18,640 --> 00:30:20,200 Speaker 1: or some of us are in denial of it yet. 508 00:30:20,400 --> 00:30:23,640 Speaker 1: But the collapses like now, we it's already the thing. 509 00:30:24,000 --> 00:30:26,080 Speaker 1: We don't need to wait for the one big collapse, 510 00:30:26,080 --> 00:30:29,040 Speaker 1: because that's a myth. But you can live anarchy and 511 00:30:29,080 --> 00:30:32,000 Speaker 1: do stuff. You don't need to wait for the next 512 00:30:32,280 --> 00:30:36,920 Speaker 1: communist president who's going to run and fail. There's no 513 00:30:37,000 --> 00:30:41,480 Speaker 1: coming social there's no coming collapse. There's nothing to wait 514 00:30:41,520 --> 00:30:46,920 Speaker 1: for to keep on waiting madness aside. I think a 515 00:30:46,960 --> 00:30:51,240 Speaker 1: really interesting aspect of this movement about like we are 516 00:30:51,280 --> 00:30:55,160 Speaker 1: attacking a popular target, and how in attacking the popular 517 00:30:55,200 --> 00:31:02,000 Speaker 1: target we've built this thing is we are ye, We're 518 00:31:02,040 --> 00:31:06,760 Speaker 1: not just here and attacking this thing that doesn't exist 519 00:31:06,920 --> 00:31:11,880 Speaker 1: in isolation. We're here and we've built a movement and 520 00:31:11,960 --> 00:31:20,440 Speaker 1: we've built u We've through attack, we've built a built 521 00:31:20,520 --> 00:31:27,800 Speaker 1: this like popular idea that like actually, you know, like 522 00:31:28,760 --> 00:31:31,720 Speaker 1: if you want something to not be there, instead of 523 00:31:31,920 --> 00:31:35,120 Speaker 1: like talk to a politician, you can send it on 524 00:31:35,560 --> 00:31:38,600 Speaker 1: vote harder, vote harder, just just just just one more vote, 525 00:31:38,640 --> 00:31:59,960 Speaker 1: I swear I'm different. Sorry, Now I like to talk 526 00:32:00,160 --> 00:32:03,480 Speaker 1: more about tactics. Since the City Council about on the 527 00:32:03,520 --> 00:32:06,760 Speaker 1: ground tactics have gained a much more integral role and 528 00:32:06,960 --> 00:32:11,040 Speaker 1: grown past the basic sabotage and house visits, although both 529 00:32:11,040 --> 00:32:14,400 Speaker 1: of those still are crucial aspects in keeping the movement going. 530 00:32:15,280 --> 00:32:18,600 Speaker 1: Different ways of preventing physical construction, surveying of land and 531 00:32:18,640 --> 00:32:20,880 Speaker 1: destruction of the forest made up most of the on 532 00:32:20,960 --> 00:32:24,920 Speaker 1: the ground direct action efforts inside the forest. I think 533 00:32:24,920 --> 00:32:28,240 Speaker 1: a really interesting aspect of the way that the struggle 534 00:32:28,280 --> 00:32:34,160 Speaker 1: has happened here is that because it's so decentralized, there 535 00:32:34,200 --> 00:32:38,800 Speaker 1: are people and no one really knows who, there are 536 00:32:38,840 --> 00:32:44,800 Speaker 1: people who will just to show up and like, you know, 537 00:32:44,960 --> 00:32:47,920 Speaker 1: it's like there were people who are like getting the 538 00:32:47,960 --> 00:32:50,920 Speaker 1: crops called on them in the woods and ships, and 539 00:32:51,000 --> 00:32:54,520 Speaker 1: then like a bunch of anonymous people have showed up 540 00:32:54,560 --> 00:32:57,920 Speaker 1: and like toppled all the camera powers and people stopped 541 00:32:57,920 --> 00:32:59,840 Speaker 1: getting the crops called on them in the woods for 542 00:33:00,080 --> 00:33:05,600 Speaker 1: really a long time. And like that kind of decentralized thing, 543 00:33:06,000 --> 00:33:11,640 Speaker 1: especially where it's like, you know, regardless of even like 544 00:33:11,760 --> 00:33:15,520 Speaker 1: if the people in the Woods were like, you know, 545 00:33:15,680 --> 00:33:22,360 Speaker 1: like into doing ship. It's like, it's really useful when 546 00:33:22,400 --> 00:33:26,720 Speaker 1: people who have more skills and people have more knowledge 547 00:33:26,800 --> 00:33:29,600 Speaker 1: and more ability to do things and more ability to 548 00:33:29,640 --> 00:33:33,080 Speaker 1: take risks. It's really awesome when those kinds of people 549 00:33:33,480 --> 00:33:37,080 Speaker 1: can come and make things safe for a larger massive people. 550 00:33:37,480 --> 00:33:40,360 Speaker 1: And I feel like that is like a strategy and 551 00:33:40,520 --> 00:33:44,000 Speaker 1: like the interactionary space that can be truly like expanded 552 00:33:44,040 --> 00:33:47,840 Speaker 1: on where people who know their ship can make things 553 00:33:47,920 --> 00:33:53,000 Speaker 1: safe for large groups of people. To generalize revolt, yeah, 554 00:33:53,120 --> 00:33:55,760 Speaker 1: I regret like a lot of hard a struggle and 555 00:33:55,800 --> 00:34:00,080 Speaker 1: struggle has been framed from the very beginning as it 556 00:34:01,240 --> 00:34:04,719 Speaker 1: like there was no call to action do x y Z. 557 00:34:05,200 --> 00:34:08,160 Speaker 1: There was a bunch of people pursuing their own individual 558 00:34:08,200 --> 00:34:10,759 Speaker 1: desires and what they saw as a forward facing like 559 00:34:10,840 --> 00:34:15,040 Speaker 1: a reprojection of their own ideas into the future and 560 00:34:15,160 --> 00:34:18,399 Speaker 1: made that happen. And it was underneath this framework where 561 00:34:18,440 --> 00:34:22,120 Speaker 1: there was no limit, there were no boundaries um, and 562 00:34:22,200 --> 00:34:25,600 Speaker 1: there was no idea of like us all having to 563 00:34:25,640 --> 00:34:28,960 Speaker 1: be on the same page about that. Yeah, you don't 564 00:34:28,960 --> 00:34:33,160 Speaker 1: need to like attend a march to be to do 565 00:34:33,320 --> 00:34:36,360 Speaker 1: effective things. In fact, it turns out doing things that 566 00:34:36,400 --> 00:34:38,480 Speaker 1: are not attending a march can often be way more 567 00:34:38,480 --> 00:34:42,000 Speaker 1: materially effective, and to double down on that, like, um, 568 00:34:42,080 --> 00:34:45,320 Speaker 1: so many times there's just like a script other people follow, 569 00:34:45,560 --> 00:34:48,319 Speaker 1: this is how we do it. And then there's there's 570 00:34:48,360 --> 00:34:51,919 Speaker 1: like this action that's applied to everything that people don't 571 00:34:51,960 --> 00:34:56,640 Speaker 1: like and holy ship, that's a crazy book. That was 572 00:34:56,680 --> 00:35:03,719 Speaker 1: a wild fire u um, things like that. But yeah, 573 00:35:03,719 --> 00:35:06,000 Speaker 1: but there's these like things that applied to everything, and 574 00:35:06,040 --> 00:35:10,440 Speaker 1: this struggle very much has no script, which is really exciting. 575 00:35:10,560 --> 00:35:13,799 Speaker 1: And but but what's even cooler about that is that 576 00:35:14,400 --> 00:35:17,640 Speaker 1: it's not it's awesome not reinventing the wheel. And so 577 00:35:17,840 --> 00:35:20,640 Speaker 1: there's people who are taking from you know, like kind 578 00:35:20,640 --> 00:35:26,440 Speaker 1: of like classic insurrectionary anarchists like approaches. There's people looking 579 00:35:26,560 --> 00:35:31,000 Speaker 1: at ego defense stuff from all over the world thinking 580 00:35:31,040 --> 00:35:35,719 Speaker 1: about um, there's people looking at some successful like non 581 00:35:35,800 --> 00:35:40,279 Speaker 1: violent direct action. There's people looking at alf struggles and 582 00:35:40,360 --> 00:35:44,600 Speaker 1: like how like those campaigns, target campaigns, secondary targeting, how 583 00:35:44,680 --> 00:35:49,080 Speaker 1: things like that worth The contracting and subcontracting companies hired 584 00:35:49,080 --> 00:35:51,920 Speaker 1: by the Atlanta Police Foundation made up the new targets 585 00:35:51,960 --> 00:35:55,840 Speaker 1: of the pressure campaigns and direct confrontation methods that threatened 586 00:35:55,840 --> 00:35:59,960 Speaker 1: physical and Social Capital bringing back the house visits mentioned 587 00:36:00,040 --> 00:36:03,800 Speaker 1: in the previous episode. In late December, banners that read 588 00:36:04,080 --> 00:36:07,400 Speaker 1: Reeves Young out of the Atlanta Forest were hung in 589 00:36:07,480 --> 00:36:12,040 Speaker 1: the backyard of the private residence of Dean Reeves in Suani, Georgia. 590 00:36:12,719 --> 00:36:15,560 Speaker 1: Dean Raeves serves as the chairman of Reeves Young Construction 591 00:36:15,840 --> 00:36:18,520 Speaker 1: and was among the board members present at the November action, 592 00:36:18,680 --> 00:36:25,600 Speaker 1: and he personally allegedly shoved and assaulted protesters inside the brawl. 593 00:36:26,640 --> 00:36:31,120 Speaker 1: After the backyard banners were hung, an anonymous online statement 594 00:36:31,160 --> 00:36:34,480 Speaker 1: read quote, we hope this action gives but a miniscule 595 00:36:34,600 --> 00:36:36,880 Speaker 1: dose of what the creatures in the South Atlanta forest 596 00:36:36,960 --> 00:36:40,240 Speaker 1: you want to bulldoz might feel unsafe in the place 597 00:36:40,320 --> 00:36:45,359 Speaker 1: they call home. A month later, on January, Reeves Young 598 00:36:45,400 --> 00:36:49,920 Speaker 1: Construction and representatives of the Atlanta Police Foundation entered the 599 00:36:50,040 --> 00:36:53,960 Speaker 1: forest with a bulldozer. They started knocking down trees to 600 00:36:54,080 --> 00:36:57,840 Speaker 1: complete more surveying work and determine the construction supplies needed 601 00:36:57,880 --> 00:37:01,840 Speaker 1: for a laying of building foundation force. Destruction was halted 602 00:37:01,840 --> 00:37:05,480 Speaker 1: when approximately a dozen protesters approached the workers in Atlanta 603 00:37:05,480 --> 00:37:09,800 Speaker 1: Police Foundation representative Alan Williams and demanded that they leave. 604 00:37:10,520 --> 00:37:13,440 Speaker 1: Workers were safely escorted out of the woods, and the 605 00:37:13,480 --> 00:37:16,560 Speaker 1: bulldozer was left at the scene and was subsequently taken 606 00:37:16,560 --> 00:37:20,600 Speaker 1: out of commission. In my interviews with some force defenders, 607 00:37:20,680 --> 00:37:23,360 Speaker 1: I believe one of them referred to this as the 608 00:37:23,680 --> 00:37:28,160 Speaker 1: bulldozer tripping and falling, so that's fun. The day after 609 00:37:28,320 --> 00:37:31,880 Speaker 1: autonomous groups of people finished construction of multiple well built 610 00:37:31,920 --> 00:37:34,480 Speaker 1: treehouses up in the canopy near the site of the 611 00:37:34,520 --> 00:37:39,480 Speaker 1: previous day's confrontation, people climbed up into treehouses and announced 612 00:37:39,480 --> 00:37:43,480 Speaker 1: their intention to remain there in order to delay further construction, 613 00:37:43,840 --> 00:37:47,719 Speaker 1: ripping off the old tree sit and bipod tactics. From 614 00:37:47,760 --> 00:37:51,080 Speaker 1: October twenty one to this point in the struggle, just 615 00:37:51,160 --> 00:37:55,520 Speaker 1: like mid January, work was consistently able to be stopped 616 00:37:55,560 --> 00:37:59,360 Speaker 1: by small, dedicated groups of people without resorting to force. 617 00:38:00,120 --> 00:38:02,920 Speaker 1: Throughout the next week, attempts at land surveying in the 618 00:38:03,000 --> 00:38:06,799 Speaker 1: area of the old Atlanta Prison Farm continued, but now 619 00:38:06,840 --> 00:38:09,880 Speaker 1: with workers being accompanied by the Atlanta Police Foundation, Atlanta 620 00:38:09,920 --> 00:38:13,880 Speaker 1: Police officers, and a cab County police. With the backing 621 00:38:13,880 --> 00:38:16,920 Speaker 1: of cops, workers were able to accomplish more of their tasks, 622 00:38:17,000 --> 00:38:21,280 Speaker 1: including tree felling and soil boring per Crime Thing quote. 623 00:38:21,600 --> 00:38:24,799 Speaker 1: In some instances, only handful of activists were on the 624 00:38:24,840 --> 00:38:30,520 Speaker 1: scene behind makeshift barricades. Reinforcements cannot arrive rapidly enough to 625 00:38:30,560 --> 00:38:35,840 Speaker 1: assist those on the ground. Unquote Reportedly, undercover cops surrounded 626 00:38:35,880 --> 00:38:40,279 Speaker 1: the forest, intimidating those who would park nearby. As such, 627 00:38:40,560 --> 00:38:45,520 Speaker 1: some outside support did show up, but not in mass. Meanwhile, 628 00:38:45,640 --> 00:38:47,959 Speaker 1: in the forest, it was a game of cat mouse 629 00:38:48,080 --> 00:38:52,160 Speaker 1: between the workers, forest offenders, and cops. Police went so 630 00:38:52,239 --> 00:38:56,160 Speaker 1: far as to start chasing people on forest trails while 631 00:38:56,200 --> 00:38:59,640 Speaker 1: writing on a t V. S. Barricades and the tactical 632 00:38:59,680 --> 00:39:03,439 Speaker 1: remove of land survey markers did slow down work on 633 00:39:03,520 --> 00:39:07,360 Speaker 1: some days, but ultimately efforts were unsuccessful in halting the 634 00:39:07,400 --> 00:39:12,080 Speaker 1: destruction process entirely. This week of land destruction and caton 635 00:39:12,160 --> 00:39:17,240 Speaker 1: mouse culminated on January. Around sixty people, the largest crowd 636 00:39:17,280 --> 00:39:19,960 Speaker 1: in months, gathered to march into the south of a 637 00:39:20,080 --> 00:39:22,239 Speaker 1: forest and on to the old Atlanta Prison farm to 638 00:39:22,280 --> 00:39:25,680 Speaker 1: directly confront construction workers who were boring holes in the 639 00:39:25,719 --> 00:39:30,360 Speaker 1: ground doing soil sample collection. The cab County police attacked 640 00:39:30,360 --> 00:39:34,520 Speaker 1: the protesters, tackling multiple people and arresting four, the first 641 00:39:34,640 --> 00:39:38,200 Speaker 1: arrests inside the forest. Within the context of the movement 642 00:39:38,800 --> 00:39:42,520 Speaker 1: quoting crime thing again quote. Police attacked the march, tackling 643 00:39:42,600 --> 00:39:46,400 Speaker 1: several people. The other demonstrators did not mount a proportional 644 00:39:46,440 --> 00:39:51,000 Speaker 1: response to this aggression, despite outnumbering the police. Perhaps some 645 00:39:51,040 --> 00:39:53,960 Speaker 1: of the tactics popular during the rebellion, such as the 646 00:39:54,000 --> 00:39:57,040 Speaker 1: mass use of umbrellas or makeshift shields, could have equipped 647 00:39:57,040 --> 00:40:00,960 Speaker 1: the participants to feel more capable of decisive action. Allen 648 00:40:01,040 --> 00:40:04,520 Speaker 1: Williams of the Atlanta Police Foundation was filling protesters, looking 649 00:40:04,560 --> 00:40:08,160 Speaker 1: a little anxious as he did so. A statement on 650 00:40:08,239 --> 00:40:11,399 Speaker 1: the Defend the Forest scenes dot no blogs dot org 651 00:40:11,480 --> 00:40:16,200 Speaker 1: site concluded their report back with this sentiment quote, at 652 00:40:16,200 --> 00:40:18,880 Speaker 1: this point, we are in need of two main things. 653 00:40:19,440 --> 00:40:21,600 Speaker 1: More people to help support tree sets and defend the 654 00:40:21,640 --> 00:40:26,960 Speaker 1: force from destruction, and legal attempts to delay construction. Yeah. Always, 655 00:40:27,040 --> 00:40:28,799 Speaker 1: you want more people to be on the ground in 656 00:40:28,840 --> 00:40:34,520 Speaker 1: the woods, in the city. Cass wed cass like the 657 00:40:35,080 --> 00:40:40,240 Speaker 1: cast like um. You want to wear out the enemy 658 00:40:40,280 --> 00:40:41,839 Speaker 1: and a lot of different ways, and the enemy has 659 00:40:41,840 --> 00:40:44,719 Speaker 1: a lot of different people. Of the enemies. Enemies are 660 00:40:44,760 --> 00:40:47,759 Speaker 1: subcontractors and enemy as a police enemies. George a power 661 00:40:48,480 --> 00:40:53,840 Speaker 1: powers quote unquote the power that divides both in Trenchman 662 00:40:53,880 --> 00:40:56,840 Speaker 1: Creek and said, there's a lot of different people. So 663 00:40:56,880 --> 00:40:58,600 Speaker 1: if there's a lot of and we also have a 664 00:40:58,640 --> 00:41:00,719 Speaker 1: lot of different people involve in a lot of different ways, 665 00:41:00,880 --> 00:41:03,359 Speaker 1: people living in the worlds, people living in town, so 666 00:41:04,760 --> 00:41:07,120 Speaker 1: people already know anything that it's already happening. We should 667 00:41:07,120 --> 00:41:10,879 Speaker 1: be visiting the offices, we should be visiting at home, 668 00:41:11,080 --> 00:41:13,920 Speaker 1: at the goddamn church, we should be visiting there. In 669 00:41:13,960 --> 00:41:16,120 Speaker 1: the forest, there should be there should be no peace. 670 00:41:17,640 --> 00:41:19,960 Speaker 1: And I believe that's how we can win, because we 671 00:41:20,000 --> 00:41:23,759 Speaker 1: need to make it unpopular and savory and hopefully next 672 00:41:23,800 --> 00:41:26,759 Speaker 1: to impossible for them to make these choices, because even 673 00:41:26,960 --> 00:41:28,600 Speaker 1: this as a small part of the forest, they're just 674 00:41:28,640 --> 00:41:31,480 Speaker 1: going to continue on the next thing. I want to 675 00:41:31,520 --> 00:41:34,800 Speaker 1: briefly go into some details about a method of protests 676 00:41:34,880 --> 00:41:38,000 Speaker 1: that combines pressure to both physical and social capital in 677 00:41:38,040 --> 00:41:42,200 Speaker 1: hopes of resulting material changes from businesses, corporations, or people 678 00:41:42,239 --> 00:41:45,840 Speaker 1: in power. It features many of the actual tactics we've 679 00:41:45,880 --> 00:41:48,920 Speaker 1: in fact already discussed. Will refer to it as the 680 00:41:49,000 --> 00:41:53,720 Speaker 1: Shack method. For reasons that will be shortly explained. House visits, 681 00:41:53,960 --> 00:41:58,879 Speaker 1: targeted vandalism, phone calls, and hanging banners and backyards all 682 00:41:58,920 --> 00:42:01,840 Speaker 1: have a place in this method adology, it's a focused 683 00:42:01,960 --> 00:42:06,080 Speaker 1: drive to dissolve that safe political or corporate astral space 684 00:42:06,400 --> 00:42:09,960 Speaker 1: that I talked about in the last episode. The cred 685 00:42:10,000 --> 00:42:12,680 Speaker 1: of the article contains a really good summary of the 686 00:42:12,719 --> 00:42:16,240 Speaker 1: Shack method. So instead of just like regurgitating their explainer, 687 00:42:16,320 --> 00:42:18,680 Speaker 1: I'm gonna I'm just gonna narrate certain sections of it 688 00:42:19,719 --> 00:42:22,480 Speaker 1: because that will make my job easier and I'm I'm 689 00:42:22,480 --> 00:42:25,040 Speaker 1: a hacking of fraud blah blah blah blah blah quote. 690 00:42:25,840 --> 00:42:29,120 Speaker 1: The goal is to hold those responsible for these projects 691 00:42:29,160 --> 00:42:32,080 Speaker 1: personally liable for their decisions and the decisions of the 692 00:42:32,080 --> 00:42:35,360 Speaker 1: companies they own. Because the entire system of rules and 693 00:42:35,360 --> 00:42:39,600 Speaker 1: norms we live under dictates that exploiters, warlords, math murderers, 694 00:42:39,600 --> 00:42:42,759 Speaker 1: and those that destroy ecosystems must not face pressure at 695 00:42:42,760 --> 00:42:44,799 Speaker 1: home as a consequence of the decisions that they make 696 00:42:44,840 --> 00:42:49,000 Speaker 1: at work. This strategy is bound to be controversial. It 697 00:42:49,040 --> 00:42:52,200 Speaker 1: rejects the entire logic of limited liability that forms the 698 00:42:52,200 --> 00:42:56,320 Speaker 1: basis of corporate rule in our society. At the beginning 699 00:42:56,320 --> 00:42:59,279 Speaker 1: of the twenty first century, animal rights activists in the 700 00:42:59,400 --> 00:43:02,080 Speaker 1: UK and the US set out to take down the 701 00:43:02,080 --> 00:43:06,920 Speaker 1: biggest animal testing corporation on the planet Huntington's Life Sciences. 702 00:43:07,520 --> 00:43:11,040 Speaker 1: The campaign to stop Huntington's Life Sciences was called Stop 703 00:43:11,200 --> 00:43:16,520 Speaker 1: Huntington's Animal Cruelty or SHACK. It formally disbanded, and it's 704 00:43:16,560 --> 00:43:19,880 Speaker 1: best known for its period of ambitious international participation in 705 00:43:19,920 --> 00:43:23,759 Speaker 1: the early two thousands. The methodology of this movement, which 706 00:43:23,840 --> 00:43:29,680 Speaker 1: encompassed direct actions, symbolic protests, cultural events, sabotage, pranks, and more, 707 00:43:30,200 --> 00:43:33,080 Speaker 1: included many features that have been since used in a 708 00:43:33,160 --> 00:43:37,600 Speaker 1: wide range of campaigns. The overall strategy of SHACK involved 709 00:43:37,640 --> 00:43:41,480 Speaker 1: mobilizing a few hundred people to maximize their effectiveness against 710 00:43:41,480 --> 00:43:44,920 Speaker 1: a major enterprise by focusing only on their ability to 711 00:43:45,040 --> 00:43:50,080 Speaker 1: function economically. The SHACK model is centered around tertiary targeting 712 00:43:50,480 --> 00:43:54,520 Speaker 1: I isolating service providers from third party contracts in order 713 00:43:54,560 --> 00:43:57,520 Speaker 1: to limit their ability to provide services to the client, 714 00:43:57,920 --> 00:44:01,200 Speaker 1: which is the actual target. Okay, now I'm just gonna 715 00:44:01,200 --> 00:44:04,359 Speaker 1: pause here because if that sounds confusing, let me let 716 00:44:04,400 --> 00:44:08,359 Speaker 1: me briefly provide an example. So the actual target here 717 00:44:08,440 --> 00:44:11,120 Speaker 1: would be the Atlanta Police Foundation, since they're the ones 718 00:44:11,280 --> 00:44:14,680 Speaker 1: with plans to build a cops city. The Police Foundation 719 00:44:14,760 --> 00:44:18,920 Speaker 1: has contracted a few companies of Brassfield and Gory for 720 00:44:19,000 --> 00:44:23,480 Speaker 1: one and Reeves Young, So these companies are the service provider. 721 00:44:24,200 --> 00:44:27,279 Speaker 1: The shack model attempts to isolate the service provider, so 722 00:44:27,480 --> 00:44:32,160 Speaker 1: Reeves Young from all of their third party clients and contracts, 723 00:44:32,800 --> 00:44:34,799 Speaker 1: which will in the end go back to hurt the 724 00:44:34,840 --> 00:44:37,719 Speaker 1: actual target, which is the Atlanta Police Foundation back to 725 00:44:37,800 --> 00:44:41,040 Speaker 1: crime think the service provider. So in this case Heves 726 00:44:41,080 --> 00:44:45,120 Speaker 1: Young Uh. The service provider depends on many third parties. 727 00:44:45,600 --> 00:44:54,560 Speaker 1: Third parties provide the service provider with insurance, materials, equipment, security, catering, cleaning, mail, service, data, maintenance, 728 00:44:54,680 --> 00:44:58,120 Speaker 1: and more. All of those third parties can be pressured 729 00:44:58,200 --> 00:45:01,719 Speaker 1: to drop the service provider. Furthermore, the service provider is 730 00:45:01,800 --> 00:45:04,919 Speaker 1: likely a company with more than one client, and those 731 00:45:05,000 --> 00:45:07,920 Speaker 1: other clients can also be pressured to drop the provider. 732 00:45:08,520 --> 00:45:12,120 Speaker 1: Any company or contractor that is able to move their 733 00:45:12,120 --> 00:45:15,040 Speaker 1: money away from the service provider because they have other 734 00:45:15,080 --> 00:45:19,560 Speaker 1: economic opportunities can be pressured to do so. Essentially, this 735 00:45:19,640 --> 00:45:22,239 Speaker 1: strategy does not directly challenge the bottom line of any 736 00:45:22,360 --> 00:45:26,360 Speaker 1: of the third party companies. It only isolates and demoralizes 737 00:45:26,480 --> 00:45:30,800 Speaker 1: the service provider and therefore the end target. Today, it 738 00:45:30,920 --> 00:45:33,600 Speaker 1: still remains unclear who is the service provider for the 739 00:45:33,640 --> 00:45:36,600 Speaker 1: Black Hall Studios development, although that information will come out 740 00:45:36,719 --> 00:45:40,120 Speaker 1: sooner than later. In considering the limits of the shack 741 00:45:40,200 --> 00:45:43,719 Speaker 1: strategy in actions outside of the forest, it might be 742 00:45:43,760 --> 00:45:47,239 Speaker 1: more difficult for activists to maintain a sense of urgency. 743 00:45:47,800 --> 00:45:51,319 Speaker 1: Targeting individuals at their offices and homes will chiefly bring 744 00:45:51,320 --> 00:45:54,960 Speaker 1: out those who are excited about such confrontational methods, rather 745 00:45:55,040 --> 00:45:58,040 Speaker 1: than those who prefer to maintain welcoming spaces of encounter, 746 00:45:58,480 --> 00:46:01,839 Speaker 1: to build treehouses, to or to clean campsites, to cook 747 00:46:01,880 --> 00:46:05,560 Speaker 1: for others, to cultivate the kind of collective imagining that 748 00:46:05,680 --> 00:46:09,799 Speaker 1: is needed to transform society. Also, if people fail to 749 00:46:09,800 --> 00:46:13,759 Speaker 1: do proper research or mapping, activists could waste their time 750 00:46:13,880 --> 00:46:18,279 Speaker 1: targeting minor institutions and companies that are unwilling or unable 751 00:46:18,320 --> 00:46:21,480 Speaker 1: to drop their contracts. They could spend months facing down 752 00:46:21,480 --> 00:46:27,840 Speaker 1: insignificant companies with many possible replacement subcontractors. Oh sorry, that 753 00:46:27,960 --> 00:46:30,360 Speaker 1: was a lot. That was a big info dump, but 754 00:46:30,400 --> 00:46:33,200 Speaker 1: I think it is useful information. So the goal isn't 755 00:46:33,280 --> 00:46:37,920 Speaker 1: to sway companies with moralizing arguments, but to frame their 756 00:46:37,920 --> 00:46:42,560 Speaker 1: association with militarized policing or ecological destruction as a bad 757 00:46:42,600 --> 00:46:45,560 Speaker 1: look that could hurt their reputation and ability to secure 758 00:46:45,640 --> 00:46:50,680 Speaker 1: future clients. Combined with economic consentives inflicted on the service 759 00:46:50,680 --> 00:46:55,160 Speaker 1: provider like access sabotage, the resulting targeted campaign attacking physical 760 00:46:55,200 --> 00:46:58,560 Speaker 1: and social capital can lead to pressure on third parties 761 00:46:58,560 --> 00:47:01,279 Speaker 1: to influence the decision of the service provider on whether 762 00:47:01,400 --> 00:47:04,640 Speaker 1: or not to stay on the project. Methodologies can put 763 00:47:04,680 --> 00:47:07,680 Speaker 1: to the test through practice and be judged by the outcome. 764 00:47:08,320 --> 00:47:11,279 Speaker 1: The proposal to employ the shock strategy to defend the 765 00:47:11,320 --> 00:47:14,080 Speaker 1: Forest is just built on the simple hypothesis that if 766 00:47:14,120 --> 00:47:16,560 Speaker 1: Reeves Young is forced to drop the contract with Atlanta 767 00:47:16,560 --> 00:47:19,959 Speaker 1: Police Foundation, the Atlanta Police Foundation investors will then lose 768 00:47:19,960 --> 00:47:23,440 Speaker 1: the confidence that's required to find an adequate replacement and 769 00:47:23,480 --> 00:47:27,200 Speaker 1: the project could stumble or fail. The same goes for 770 00:47:27,280 --> 00:47:31,200 Speaker 1: the Black Hall project. If activists defeat Reeves Young by 771 00:47:31,239 --> 00:47:34,279 Speaker 1: means of direct action and self organization, even if the 772 00:47:34,280 --> 00:47:38,160 Speaker 1: project of finds a new contractor, sophistication and confidence in 773 00:47:38,200 --> 00:47:40,919 Speaker 1: the movement will have developed in the process will likely 774 00:47:41,000 --> 00:47:46,040 Speaker 1: help it evolve once again. Also that people have figured 775 00:47:46,040 --> 00:47:49,040 Speaker 1: out because like for the first to after the first 776 00:47:49,120 --> 00:47:52,640 Speaker 1: to arsons, you could literally just walk up to during 777 00:47:52,719 --> 00:47:57,640 Speaker 1: daylight up to the area of Michelle Opa Park and 778 00:47:58,280 --> 00:48:03,160 Speaker 1: touch take pictures of like uh have sex around, like 779 00:48:03,280 --> 00:48:06,880 Speaker 1: make out with the construction equipment I've been burned, and 780 00:48:06,920 --> 00:48:10,120 Speaker 1: you could see the stickers of where they had rented 781 00:48:10,160 --> 00:48:17,160 Speaker 1: these like construction equipment, UM destruction equipment, and like after 782 00:48:17,200 --> 00:48:20,000 Speaker 1: the first one it changed, there was no longer rented 783 00:48:20,000 --> 00:48:22,200 Speaker 1: from the same company, and after the second one it 784 00:48:22,360 --> 00:48:26,880 Speaker 1: changed again. And there is reason to believe that with 785 00:48:27,120 --> 00:48:32,200 Speaker 1: every arson or attack that they are changing construction equipment 786 00:48:32,280 --> 00:48:36,480 Speaker 1: companies because rental companies tend to not like it whenever 787 00:48:36,520 --> 00:48:39,480 Speaker 1: their equipment is destroyed to cost them a lot of money, 788 00:48:39,880 --> 00:48:44,760 Speaker 1: and oftentimes they cannot afford hundreds of thousands of dollars 789 00:48:44,800 --> 00:48:47,920 Speaker 1: going down the drain be to support a pot project 790 00:48:47,960 --> 00:48:51,879 Speaker 1: that is highly unpopular. And the other thing what we're 791 00:48:51,880 --> 00:48:54,680 Speaker 1: talking about with the modified like a police and modifying 792 00:48:54,719 --> 00:48:58,000 Speaker 1: itself as it's interesting because where at this point where 793 00:48:58,000 --> 00:49:01,520 Speaker 1: policing is highly unpopular, and so it's kind of padging 794 00:49:01,560 --> 00:49:04,319 Speaker 1: its bets and it's doing two things. First, it's calling 795 00:49:04,360 --> 00:49:08,400 Speaker 1: itself like the Social Peace and Justice cute Bunny Rabbits 796 00:49:08,400 --> 00:49:11,960 Speaker 1: Center for your racist if you don't like us or whatever. 797 00:49:12,360 --> 00:49:15,400 Speaker 1: And then it's also just like mask off, doubling down 798 00:49:15,560 --> 00:49:20,920 Speaker 1: buying mad guns like like yet just becoming increasingly more militarized, 799 00:49:21,000 --> 00:49:24,920 Speaker 1: increasingly more violent and like moving mask off like an 800 00:49:24,920 --> 00:49:30,040 Speaker 1: occupying force. So there's this split where there's no and 801 00:49:30,080 --> 00:49:32,640 Speaker 1: people are well aware of this. There's there's no like 802 00:49:32,960 --> 00:49:41,160 Speaker 1: public chance of convincing um a lot of companies that 803 00:49:41,280 --> 00:49:45,359 Speaker 1: this is wrong. Right, there's it's it's it's well, it's 804 00:49:45,440 --> 00:49:48,760 Speaker 1: very divided. So the people who are committed are very committed. 805 00:49:49,000 --> 00:49:52,520 Speaker 1: There are fucking enemies and where their enemies and that's it. 806 00:49:53,440 --> 00:49:55,480 Speaker 1: But then there's other people who are doing this for 807 00:49:55,520 --> 00:50:00,839 Speaker 1: economic reasons and kind of understand that policing is not cute, right, 808 00:50:00,920 --> 00:50:03,840 Speaker 1: and then it's at least unpopular, going out of fashion 809 00:50:04,680 --> 00:50:08,160 Speaker 1: to some degree, and can make money in other ways. 810 00:50:08,800 --> 00:50:13,160 Speaker 1: So yeah, it's this interesting thing where like being able 811 00:50:13,200 --> 00:50:18,000 Speaker 1: to like fight battles for public opinion maybe doesn't super work, 812 00:50:18,080 --> 00:50:20,880 Speaker 1: and all you have to do is um kind of 813 00:50:20,880 --> 00:50:24,440 Speaker 1: trying to cut away the people who are supporting people 814 00:50:24,480 --> 00:50:29,960 Speaker 1: who are ideologically committed to our destruction, and we are, 815 00:50:30,000 --> 00:50:34,840 Speaker 1: you know, field reciprocal. If you look at the photos 816 00:50:35,280 --> 00:50:38,640 Speaker 1: of what was happening with Michelle Obama park, the land 817 00:50:38,680 --> 00:50:41,399 Speaker 1: swap site they were trying to build on. You can 818 00:50:41,440 --> 00:50:45,680 Speaker 1: tell that heavy yellow equipment. LLC of Marietta, Georgia stopped 819 00:50:45,760 --> 00:50:49,200 Speaker 1: providing them equipment after like the first or the second 820 00:50:49,200 --> 00:50:51,600 Speaker 1: time that their machines got lit on fire. And now 821 00:50:51,640 --> 00:50:55,400 Speaker 1: it's alf A l I f of I don't know 822 00:50:55,400 --> 00:50:59,400 Speaker 1: where Georgia. So you know, these are photos that you 823 00:50:59,440 --> 00:51:03,440 Speaker 1: can see, like you can look at these communities and 824 00:51:03,520 --> 00:51:07,440 Speaker 1: just tell like like if there's a photo attached, like 825 00:51:07,560 --> 00:51:11,520 Speaker 1: there is a traceable like trend of companies are dropping 826 00:51:11,520 --> 00:51:14,840 Speaker 1: the funk out because they, for whatever reason, just cannot 827 00:51:15,040 --> 00:51:20,640 Speaker 1: take the heat. On June twelve, while fully in the 828 00:51:20,680 --> 00:51:23,640 Speaker 1: throes of nationwide revolt against police after the murder of 829 00:51:23,680 --> 00:51:27,839 Speaker 1: George Floyd, two Atlanta police officers killed Ray Schard Brooks, 830 00:51:27,880 --> 00:51:29,839 Speaker 1: a black man who had been sleeping in his car 831 00:51:29,960 --> 00:51:32,840 Speaker 1: in the parking lot of a Wendy's. Not long after, 832 00:51:32,960 --> 00:51:36,000 Speaker 1: the restaurant was burnt to the ground by determined crowds. 833 00:51:36,960 --> 00:51:39,960 Speaker 1: In the time period between June to the end of 834 00:51:39,960 --> 00:51:43,160 Speaker 1: the year, more than two hundred Atlanta police officers left 835 00:51:43,160 --> 00:51:47,040 Speaker 1: their jobs, including the a chief of police, local sheriff's deputies, 836 00:51:47,360 --> 00:51:50,879 Speaker 1: state patrolmen, and transit cops also resigned during the year 837 00:51:50,880 --> 00:51:55,279 Speaker 1: of the uprising at a higher than average rate, as 838 00:51:55,320 --> 00:51:59,000 Speaker 1: the entire system of policing and capitalism faced a crisis 839 00:51:59,000 --> 00:52:04,680 Speaker 1: of legitimacy. Corporations, business owners, landlords, business associations, and international 840 00:52:04,719 --> 00:52:09,439 Speaker 1: real estate companies demand a public pacification and a reassurance 841 00:52:09,520 --> 00:52:14,400 Speaker 1: of a future with stable consumerism. Profit incentive and police 842 00:52:14,560 --> 00:52:18,640 Speaker 1: need each other in a symbia like relationship. I'll do 843 00:52:18,719 --> 00:52:21,880 Speaker 1: one of my last crime thing quotes here. Quote. Forces 844 00:52:22,000 --> 00:52:26,120 Speaker 1: in local and federal government, business associations, police departments, and 845 00:52:26,160 --> 00:52:29,680 Speaker 1: our militias have continuously worked to make sure a popular 846 00:52:29,760 --> 00:52:34,359 Speaker 1: uprising does not reoccur. A large part of the institutional 847 00:52:34,400 --> 00:52:39,320 Speaker 1: reaction to the popular uprising has focused on managing public perception. 848 00:52:39,920 --> 00:52:44,520 Speaker 1: Industrial interests and private investment companies have conducted influence campaigns 849 00:52:44,640 --> 00:52:48,799 Speaker 1: using local news outlets which are owned by Sinclair Broadcasting 850 00:52:48,840 --> 00:52:53,279 Speaker 1: Group of a right wing news organization between Sinclair, Next Star, 851 00:52:53,880 --> 00:52:59,080 Speaker 1: Gray Tega, and Tribune. This coordinated reframing of events has 852 00:52:59,200 --> 00:53:02,440 Speaker 1: damaged the way many sectors of the television viewing public 853 00:53:02,760 --> 00:53:07,799 Speaker 1: perceive the revolt and its consequences. In the wake of 854 00:53:07,800 --> 00:53:11,600 Speaker 1: the uprising, a false narrative circulated to the effect that police, 855 00:53:12,120 --> 00:53:16,600 Speaker 1: while demoralized and underfunded, cannot control the crime waves currently 856 00:53:16,680 --> 00:53:21,160 Speaker 1: sweeping the country. This orchestrated narrative has shaped the imaginations 857 00:53:21,200 --> 00:53:25,200 Speaker 1: of suburban whites, small business owners, and many urban progressives. 858 00:53:25,800 --> 00:53:28,759 Speaker 1: The crime wave framework implied that police departments around the 859 00:53:28,840 --> 00:53:32,680 Speaker 1: country had in fact been defunded or had their powers curtailed, 860 00:53:32,960 --> 00:53:36,800 Speaker 1: and were consequently unable to assure social peace or free enterprise. 861 00:53:37,440 --> 00:53:40,520 Speaker 1: In reality, the vast majority of police departments received an 862 00:53:40,560 --> 00:53:44,400 Speaker 1: annual increase in their budgets as they normally do. If anything, 863 00:53:44,480 --> 00:53:49,279 Speaker 1: they accrued more power following the events of So it's 864 00:53:49,440 --> 00:53:52,720 Speaker 1: no coincidence that the Atlanta Police Foundation and the Atlanta 865 00:53:52,719 --> 00:53:56,560 Speaker 1: Police Department are pushing to build a militarized urban warfare 866 00:53:56,600 --> 00:53:59,840 Speaker 1: training center in the wake of the uprisings by le 867 00:54:00,080 --> 00:54:03,640 Speaker 1: virging that crime wave narrative and the fears of future 868 00:54:03,880 --> 00:54:07,120 Speaker 1: social unrest, they want to have the tools to bring 869 00:54:07,200 --> 00:54:12,000 Speaker 1: down the inevitable upcoming revolts for racial, environmental and economic justice, 870 00:54:12,280 --> 00:54:17,000 Speaker 1: and now more than ever, including reproductive justice. Cops cities 871 00:54:17,120 --> 00:54:19,120 Speaker 1: leading the charge is a part of a new effort 872 00:54:19,160 --> 00:54:22,600 Speaker 1: to adapt American policing strategies to our new era of 873 00:54:22,640 --> 00:54:26,960 Speaker 1: societal decay and the ever crumbling that will define this 874 00:54:27,080 --> 00:54:31,719 Speaker 1: century as we face the escalating consequences of industrialization and 875 00:54:31,840 --> 00:54:37,839 Speaker 1: climate change. I think another really important thing to look 876 00:54:37,880 --> 00:54:41,880 Speaker 1: at this is like when you look at the Greg 877 00:54:41,960 --> 00:54:45,600 Speaker 1: Floyd uprising in the crisis of private policing and they 878 00:54:45,640 --> 00:54:50,040 Speaker 1: realize that, oh, holy sh it, people are so angry 879 00:54:50,040 --> 00:54:52,440 Speaker 1: about this that they will pose a threat to the 880 00:54:52,480 --> 00:54:55,160 Speaker 1: sovereg the state, which is the first time that has 881 00:54:55,239 --> 00:54:59,840 Speaker 1: happened in an extremely long time. When that finally happened 882 00:55:00,520 --> 00:55:05,840 Speaker 1: the state, the morale of police departments around the country 883 00:55:06,200 --> 00:55:13,000 Speaker 1: was broken. Cops everywhere, We're like, it was a demoralizing thing. 884 00:55:13,080 --> 00:55:16,880 Speaker 1: And when you think about cops as an occupying force, 885 00:55:16,960 --> 00:55:21,720 Speaker 1: as an occupying military force, it thinking about the fact 886 00:55:21,719 --> 00:55:26,000 Speaker 1: that we broke their morale is really important. And then 887 00:55:26,160 --> 00:55:31,840 Speaker 1: thinking about this place as they intend to build a 888 00:55:31,840 --> 00:55:36,560 Speaker 1: training facility to increase morale, which is a classic military 889 00:55:36,640 --> 00:55:41,680 Speaker 1: tactic of create cool and interesting ways to train your 890 00:55:41,719 --> 00:55:45,920 Speaker 1: soldiers to do a murder. Is like, that is a 891 00:55:45,960 --> 00:55:49,279 Speaker 1: classic military tactic. And when you think begin to think 892 00:55:49,320 --> 00:55:52,600 Speaker 1: about this as social or when you begin to think 893 00:55:52,600 --> 00:55:56,440 Speaker 1: about this as not just a struggle against cops city 894 00:55:56,640 --> 00:56:03,960 Speaker 1: that like as a struggle for like disabling and destroying 895 00:56:04,080 --> 00:56:06,920 Speaker 1: the police. When you think about this as a material 896 00:56:07,040 --> 00:56:12,360 Speaker 1: struggle against the occupying forces that are the police, this 897 00:56:12,600 --> 00:56:17,239 Speaker 1: becomes like way more contextual. In fact, I feel like 898 00:56:17,280 --> 00:56:22,080 Speaker 1: that is the best way to contextualize this movement. So 899 00:56:23,840 --> 00:56:26,319 Speaker 1: one interesting thing is that after Ray Schard Brooks is 900 00:56:26,400 --> 00:56:30,960 Speaker 1: murdered and the UM two cops involved were UM, they 901 00:56:31,160 --> 00:56:35,880 Speaker 1: substitquently charged UM what was it, six hundred props went 902 00:56:35,920 --> 00:56:41,680 Speaker 1: on second hundreds of hundreds UM, and their morale is broken. 903 00:56:41,760 --> 00:56:46,799 Speaker 1: A land police has always been understaffed for like as 904 00:56:46,800 --> 00:56:50,759 Speaker 1: long as I've known, UM and not understaffed by any 905 00:56:50,800 --> 00:56:54,400 Speaker 1: media propaganda spend standard there standards. But like every single 906 00:56:54,520 --> 00:56:58,640 Speaker 1: day they're facing backlogs in every zone where they cannot 907 00:56:58,680 --> 00:57:01,879 Speaker 1: answer calls. And that's a good thing. This is a 908 00:57:01,880 --> 00:57:07,200 Speaker 1: war patriction where their current training facilities have broken. Tottchney 909 00:57:07,320 --> 00:57:16,880 Speaker 1: pipes have have have undeniably miserable conditions. Their cars are out, 910 00:57:17,160 --> 00:57:21,960 Speaker 1: their cars are like continually on their last legs, and 911 00:57:22,000 --> 00:57:25,880 Speaker 1: we that's that is a path through abolition is making 912 00:57:25,920 --> 00:57:28,360 Speaker 1: it so it is so undesirable to be a cop 913 00:57:28,480 --> 00:57:31,680 Speaker 1: in this city or any city that no one would 914 00:57:31,760 --> 00:57:34,880 Speaker 1: dare do it. It is crucial that police are not 915 00:57:34,960 --> 00:57:37,680 Speaker 1: the only ones that seek to evolve their tactics for 916 00:57:37,720 --> 00:57:41,120 Speaker 1: a new era and moving beyond the kind of non 917 00:57:41,240 --> 00:57:44,360 Speaker 1: violent action that's become so common during protests during the 918 00:57:44,360 --> 00:57:47,240 Speaker 1: Trump era and the post Green Scare, and even like 919 00:57:47,360 --> 00:57:50,960 Speaker 1: post occupy, there is this looking for a new form 920 00:57:51,040 --> 00:57:56,760 Speaker 1: of anarchist or radical resistance. Really emphasized the learning things 921 00:57:56,800 --> 00:58:01,520 Speaker 1: here is that this struggle took all the different rulebooks, 922 00:58:01,600 --> 00:58:03,600 Speaker 1: tore them up, set them on fire, and use the 923 00:58:03,640 --> 00:58:08,640 Speaker 1: ashes for their shutter. Like everyone here is learning things. 924 00:58:08,680 --> 00:58:11,560 Speaker 1: People who have been who have been doing things along 925 00:58:11,760 --> 00:58:17,240 Speaker 1: fucking time are here and learning new things. We're we're 926 00:58:17,240 --> 00:58:21,480 Speaker 1: not just like tearing up and like destroying the rule books. 927 00:58:21,960 --> 00:58:33,800 Speaker 1: We're like we're like largest were weird. Yeah, yeah, like 928 00:58:34,160 --> 00:58:37,280 Speaker 1: put them like it, like tore all of them up 929 00:58:37,280 --> 00:58:40,680 Speaker 1: and make collogious out of them, and like is trying 930 00:58:40,680 --> 00:58:43,320 Speaker 1: to create this like weird paper mache mesh of a 931 00:58:43,720 --> 00:58:48,720 Speaker 1: experimental path into the future, And and like we wouldn't 932 00:58:49,240 --> 00:58:54,080 Speaker 1: when we say we are experimenting with new forms of revolt, 933 00:58:54,200 --> 00:58:58,760 Speaker 1: new new tactics, new strategies, We truly mean, there aren't 934 00:58:58,880 --> 00:59:03,200 Speaker 1: existing model to do what we're doing. We are writing 935 00:59:03,400 --> 00:59:06,360 Speaker 1: the book as we could do it, and yeah, we 936 00:59:06,520 --> 00:59:09,680 Speaker 1: sunk up sometimes, but we've also got some really cool 937 00:59:09,800 --> 00:59:13,840 Speaker 1: ship happening. Ship that hasn't happened in twenty years is happening, 938 00:59:14,000 --> 00:59:18,200 Speaker 1: and ship that hasn't happened ever is happening here. And 939 00:59:18,240 --> 00:59:24,160 Speaker 1: I think that's like a really it's a really important 940 00:59:24,240 --> 00:59:31,439 Speaker 1: thing to touch on. Is that, like much of the yeah, 941 00:59:31,760 --> 00:59:34,760 Speaker 1: much of the like eco defense ship that's happened in 942 00:59:34,840 --> 00:59:40,320 Speaker 1: North America that for quite a while has like not done, 943 00:59:40,680 --> 00:59:44,520 Speaker 1: you know, or at least not released, communicates about like 944 00:59:45,240 --> 00:59:50,520 Speaker 1: ship that happens here seemingly every couple of weeks. Now, 945 00:59:51,840 --> 00:59:59,560 Speaker 1: like the ship here is crazy and wild under dreams 946 00:59:59,840 --> 01:00:04,960 Speaker 1: is also scary and hard and traumatizing, and it's beautiful 947 01:00:05,120 --> 01:00:13,720 Speaker 1: and terrifying and like, yeah, that sounds great, you should come. Yeah, 948 01:00:13,760 --> 01:00:16,840 Speaker 1: this is a such a way from us actually evolving 949 01:00:16,920 --> 01:00:19,280 Speaker 1: out of a I look at this as like a 950 01:00:19,360 --> 01:00:25,160 Speaker 1: huge step in what land offense looks like after we 951 01:00:25,240 --> 01:00:31,280 Speaker 1: have after we have faced green Scare repression, and now 952 01:00:31,320 --> 01:00:35,240 Speaker 1: we are moving past the post green Scare repression movements 953 01:00:35,400 --> 01:00:39,480 Speaker 1: and figuring out how to move forward and regardless of 954 01:00:39,480 --> 01:00:43,440 Speaker 1: it for this like uh lands and are really repressive 955 01:00:43,880 --> 01:00:48,960 Speaker 1: like bootstounded throats like situation. I don't think anyone should 956 01:00:48,960 --> 01:00:51,760 Speaker 1: ever stop experimenting. I don't think people should go back 957 01:00:51,800 --> 01:00:54,120 Speaker 1: to the old ways. I don't think that we should 958 01:00:54,120 --> 01:00:57,640 Speaker 1: be resigned to not experiment. I think that everyone, like 959 01:00:57,680 --> 01:01:01,640 Speaker 1: we are in a situation where there is nor future. 960 01:01:01,680 --> 01:01:06,080 Speaker 1: They're like the collapses now, We're probably not going to 961 01:01:06,120 --> 01:01:09,160 Speaker 1: avoid one point five degrees warming. Our police are only 962 01:01:09,240 --> 01:01:14,160 Speaker 1: further mails rising. And the like reality of resistance is 963 01:01:14,280 --> 01:01:19,720 Speaker 1: that we that we guess what we need experimentation. Yeah, 964 01:01:19,920 --> 01:01:21,920 Speaker 1: if there was a winning strategy that was proven to 965 01:01:21,920 --> 01:01:25,360 Speaker 1: be effective, then it would have it would have been 966 01:01:25,360 --> 01:01:29,320 Speaker 1: effective in therapy, we would have a winning strategy. There's 967 01:01:29,360 --> 01:01:31,560 Speaker 1: a popular name in the forest, which is the are 968 01:01:31,600 --> 01:01:36,840 Speaker 1: your name instead of are you? Are you experiencing the 969 01:01:36,960 --> 01:01:41,560 Speaker 1: joy of attacks on UM? And I think that is 970 01:01:41,560 --> 01:01:44,800 Speaker 1: an important line the same way Cops City is a 971 01:01:44,880 --> 01:01:48,560 Speaker 1: part of the new evolution of American policing. Defend the 972 01:01:48,560 --> 01:01:51,800 Speaker 1: Atlanta Forest can be seen as kind of trailblazing for 973 01:01:51,880 --> 01:01:55,600 Speaker 1: future movements, a look at how they might develop post 974 01:01:55,640 --> 01:02:00,439 Speaker 1: the George Floyd protests for my last final I think 975 01:02:00,560 --> 01:02:05,400 Speaker 1: quote quote. This campaign represents a crucial effort to chart 976 01:02:05,480 --> 01:02:08,440 Speaker 1: new paths forward in the wake of the George Floyd rebellion, 977 01:02:09,040 --> 01:02:11,480 Speaker 1: linking the defense of the land that sustains us with 978 01:02:11,600 --> 01:02:15,960 Speaker 1: the struggle against police. The movement opposed these developments, mobilizing 979 01:02:15,960 --> 01:02:19,320 Speaker 1: around the watchwords defend the Forest and stop Coops City, 980 01:02:19,440 --> 01:02:22,720 Speaker 1: have passed through several phases of experimentation, using a wide 981 01:02:22,800 --> 01:02:25,640 Speaker 1: array of tactics and strategies to keep pace with the 982 01:02:25,680 --> 01:02:29,840 Speaker 1: current course of events. It represents an important effort to 983 01:02:29,920 --> 01:02:34,160 Speaker 1: revitalize eco defense and police abolition strategies in the wake 984 01:02:34,240 --> 01:02:38,680 Speaker 1: of the George Floyd rebellion. So, considering the possible wide 985 01:02:38,760 --> 01:02:41,840 Speaker 1: ranging impacts of both the evolution of policing and the 986 01:02:41,880 --> 01:02:45,680 Speaker 1: evolution of resistance tactics that defend the Atlanta Force movement 987 01:02:45,680 --> 01:02:48,080 Speaker 1: is extremely relevant to all people who want to improve 988 01:02:48,120 --> 01:02:52,040 Speaker 1: the world, whether or not they live in Atlanta. Atlanta 989 01:02:52,600 --> 01:03:01,720 Speaker 1: as a testing ground for new surveillance and like in 990 01:03:02,000 --> 01:03:05,640 Speaker 1: like experimenting with new forms of struggle. Here in Atlanta, 991 01:03:06,240 --> 01:03:12,080 Speaker 1: there are things that not only are we in many 992 01:03:12,080 --> 01:03:15,320 Speaker 1: ways on the front lines of experimenting with new tactics, 993 01:03:15,400 --> 01:03:19,080 Speaker 1: and integrating new strategies and how they work. That we're 994 01:03:19,160 --> 01:03:23,000 Speaker 1: also on the front lines of like different kinds of 995 01:03:23,040 --> 01:03:29,800 Speaker 1: both like like in person and digital forms of oppression 996 01:03:29,920 --> 01:03:32,960 Speaker 1: that don't have to be worried about other places, and 997 01:03:33,320 --> 01:03:38,320 Speaker 1: like it also provides approving ground for ways to struggle 998 01:03:38,480 --> 01:03:43,200 Speaker 1: specifically against those forms of surveillance and understanding the different 999 01:03:43,200 --> 01:03:51,400 Speaker 1: ways that sometimes the most effective thing in protecting yourself 1000 01:03:51,400 --> 01:03:56,920 Speaker 1: from repression isn't some super high tech ship. It's a 1001 01:03:57,000 --> 01:04:00,320 Speaker 1: ski mask of paragloves and not bringing your phone, and 1002 01:04:00,520 --> 01:04:05,040 Speaker 1: like people don't seem to like think about that that 1003 01:04:05,280 --> 01:04:06,760 Speaker 1: I don't need to go to that part. But yet, 1004 01:04:08,080 --> 01:04:12,760 Speaker 1: so speaking of surveillance, we actually have like not we 1005 01:04:13,080 --> 01:04:16,160 Speaker 1: I don't claim that, UM. The police here and the 1006 01:04:16,200 --> 01:04:18,840 Speaker 1: state here has like the video Video re Integration System, 1007 01:04:18,840 --> 01:04:20,760 Speaker 1: which I believe is like one of our re integration 1008 01:04:21,400 --> 01:04:26,520 Speaker 1: video integration center where they take where businesses and homeowners 1009 01:04:26,520 --> 01:04:28,560 Speaker 1: are like rain cameras can call into here their video 1010 01:04:28,720 --> 01:04:32,960 Speaker 1: surveillance equipment to be plugged into a network UM that 1011 01:04:33,040 --> 01:04:35,240 Speaker 1: can be monitored and pulled up at any time by 1012 01:04:35,280 --> 01:04:44,400 Speaker 1: the police UM in a downtown location and they and 1013 01:04:44,560 --> 01:04:48,080 Speaker 1: that is like one of the largest surveillance network systems 1014 01:04:48,120 --> 01:04:51,760 Speaker 1: in the world, I believe, um and it was actually 1015 01:04:51,800 --> 01:04:54,160 Speaker 1: leading the charge in like new forms of surveillance, and 1016 01:04:54,200 --> 01:04:58,080 Speaker 1: other cities are looking at this as a model of 1017 01:04:58,120 --> 01:05:00,880 Speaker 1: how to how to better survey all their own cities, 1018 01:05:01,760 --> 01:05:05,280 Speaker 1: which obviously makes lend police defindation trying to create their 1019 01:05:05,320 --> 01:05:08,480 Speaker 1: own little mini city a very interesting prospect in terms 1020 01:05:08,520 --> 01:05:10,560 Speaker 1: of like establishing new you know, this means this is 1021 01:05:10,600 --> 01:05:12,680 Speaker 1: mentioned before, which was like establishing new ideas and how 1022 01:05:12,680 --> 01:05:17,600 Speaker 1: to take policing forward into thirties after we've had these 1023 01:05:17,600 --> 01:05:20,360 Speaker 1: wave of social justice like uprising and uprisings for Black 1024 01:05:20,400 --> 01:05:24,480 Speaker 1: liss Matter, um with you know. I mean not many 1025 01:05:24,480 --> 01:05:27,800 Speaker 1: places actually got defunded, but the propaganda has to be different, 1026 01:05:28,200 --> 01:05:30,640 Speaker 1: and like the way the police optics work definitely could 1027 01:05:30,680 --> 01:05:33,480 Speaker 1: need to be changed from their perspective, or they're trying 1028 01:05:33,520 --> 01:05:36,479 Speaker 1: to have them be changed. One of the strongest things 1029 01:05:36,560 --> 01:05:39,480 Speaker 1: I feel like came out of this movement really pass 1030 01:05:39,520 --> 01:05:42,840 Speaker 1: ahead was our ability to don't have the game on, 1031 01:05:42,960 --> 01:05:45,920 Speaker 1: like the narrative and then never being able to recuperate 1032 01:05:45,960 --> 01:05:50,000 Speaker 1: that narrative is their plan was this answertude for sexual justice. 1033 01:05:50,000 --> 01:05:52,600 Speaker 1: There is a new way of training police to quote 1034 01:05:52,640 --> 01:05:57,560 Speaker 1: be better or like not murder people as much and 1035 01:05:58,760 --> 01:06:04,240 Speaker 1: like more refined. Um, And I don't want more refined 1036 01:06:04,640 --> 01:06:09,600 Speaker 1: like police that like murder quote the right people or 1037 01:06:09,960 --> 01:06:13,840 Speaker 1: be the right people or cage the right people. That's 1038 01:06:13,840 --> 01:06:18,640 Speaker 1: not my desire I went into policing. Yeah, I think 1039 01:06:18,640 --> 01:06:20,920 Speaker 1: that there's a lot of projects happening in the forest, 1040 01:06:21,080 --> 01:06:23,400 Speaker 1: and you know, I also just want to emphasize, like 1041 01:06:23,480 --> 01:06:26,400 Speaker 1: I'm not from Atlanta, but I feel like it's really 1042 01:06:26,400 --> 01:06:28,920 Speaker 1: important for me to be here. You know. I think 1043 01:06:28,920 --> 01:06:31,160 Speaker 1: a lot of people who felt inspired by the George 1044 01:06:31,160 --> 01:06:35,240 Speaker 1: Fluid uprising, like, um, this is an attempt to recuperate. 1045 01:06:35,280 --> 01:06:36,760 Speaker 1: Like I've said this a million times, it's a time 1046 01:06:36,800 --> 01:06:38,600 Speaker 1: for the police to recuperate from that, and I'm trying 1047 01:06:38,600 --> 01:06:41,160 Speaker 1: to finish what we started. I also think that we 1048 01:06:41,200 --> 01:06:43,960 Speaker 1: need to understand that this isn't just about Atlanta. Like 1049 01:06:44,040 --> 01:06:46,800 Speaker 1: one of the buildings that they're trying to build, and 1050 01:06:46,920 --> 01:06:49,280 Speaker 1: like one of the points of this training facility is 1051 01:06:49,320 --> 01:06:51,240 Speaker 1: that it is like a hub in the same way 1052 01:06:51,280 --> 01:06:54,040 Speaker 1: Atlanta with a with a movie theater, the same way 1053 01:06:54,040 --> 01:06:57,040 Speaker 1: they're trying to make Atlanta this hub. Right, It's there's 1054 01:06:57,080 --> 01:06:59,560 Speaker 1: an infrastructure for being a hub from shipping and stuff 1055 01:06:59,600 --> 01:07:01,320 Speaker 1: like that. And so now they're trying to make it 1056 01:07:01,360 --> 01:07:04,640 Speaker 1: this this economic habit on my white collar way. And 1057 01:07:04,800 --> 01:07:06,960 Speaker 1: so they're trying to make it a hub for police 1058 01:07:07,040 --> 01:07:10,080 Speaker 1: in Atlanta, but also to train police to do fucked 1059 01:07:10,080 --> 01:07:14,160 Speaker 1: ship and to mutate like nationally. And I know that 1060 01:07:14,200 --> 01:07:17,000 Speaker 1: the police from the you know, whatever city I live 1061 01:07:17,040 --> 01:07:20,000 Speaker 1: in are probably going to come here and go back 1062 01:07:20,160 --> 01:07:22,400 Speaker 1: and funk that up. So I'm trying to make sure 1063 01:07:22,440 --> 01:07:25,200 Speaker 1: that they can't come here, and that you know, police 1064 01:07:25,200 --> 01:07:28,720 Speaker 1: are demoralized in every city and they're having trouble on 1065 01:07:28,800 --> 01:07:31,040 Speaker 1: every city. And this isn't just about the ap D. 1066 01:07:31,440 --> 01:07:33,640 Speaker 1: If you live pretty much anywhere on the East Coast, 1067 01:07:33,800 --> 01:07:36,280 Speaker 1: there's a high chance that your police are going to 1068 01:07:36,400 --> 01:07:38,360 Speaker 1: come here and then go back to your house and 1069 01:07:38,480 --> 01:07:41,680 Speaker 1: fuck you up. So come here and make sure they can't. 1070 01:07:42,200 --> 01:07:45,680 Speaker 1: And the other thing I want to say is like, um, yeah, 1071 01:07:45,680 --> 01:07:48,000 Speaker 1: they want to make this a training facility for police. 1072 01:07:48,840 --> 01:07:52,320 Speaker 1: Right now, it is a training facility for anarchists. If 1073 01:07:52,360 --> 01:07:55,760 Speaker 1: you come here, I promise you you will leave with 1074 01:07:55,880 --> 01:07:59,479 Speaker 1: more courage and with more skills and knowing a lot 1075 01:07:59,520 --> 01:08:03,280 Speaker 1: of fun people who are really fucking down all over 1076 01:08:03,360 --> 01:08:08,760 Speaker 1: the country. Um, and I think it's worth it. I 1077 01:08:08,760 --> 01:08:13,800 Speaker 1: wanted to jump in and say, like, this is about you. Um. 1078 01:08:13,880 --> 01:08:16,360 Speaker 1: An hour or two hours south of here is the 1079 01:08:16,400 --> 01:08:18,479 Speaker 1: School of the America's you might have heard of it. 1080 01:08:18,479 --> 01:08:22,799 Speaker 1: It's here in Georgia. It's where a lot of awful 1081 01:08:23,040 --> 01:08:26,280 Speaker 1: fucking dictators and their henchmen learned how to do really 1082 01:08:26,360 --> 01:08:29,479 Speaker 1: awful ship a bunch of war crimes. And here in 1083 01:08:29,520 --> 01:08:34,280 Speaker 1: the city of Atlanta, a local school, the largest, the 1084 01:08:34,360 --> 01:08:37,760 Speaker 1: largest university in the state, Georgia State University, hears something 1085 01:08:37,800 --> 01:08:41,920 Speaker 1: called the Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange or GILLY, which 1086 01:08:41,960 --> 01:08:45,320 Speaker 1: is where they and the i DF get together to 1087 01:08:45,479 --> 01:08:49,200 Speaker 1: train local police forces here in Atlanta and around the country. 1088 01:08:49,240 --> 01:08:52,400 Speaker 1: And if you don't think that Cops City is going 1089 01:08:52,439 --> 01:08:55,960 Speaker 1: to play a huge role in your police department learning 1090 01:08:55,960 --> 01:08:58,080 Speaker 1: from the i d F how to beat you up, 1091 01:08:59,080 --> 01:09:02,000 Speaker 1: you have another thing. You should come here to Atlanta. 1092 01:09:02,800 --> 01:09:05,800 Speaker 1: What's going on? Because this is about everyone here, like 1093 01:09:06,000 --> 01:09:10,040 Speaker 1: it's about the whole country. They're coming to Atlanta to 1094 01:09:10,320 --> 01:09:13,280 Speaker 1: learn how to brutalize people, and it's going to take 1095 01:09:13,320 --> 01:09:16,120 Speaker 1: all of us to stop it. A funny thing about 1096 01:09:16,120 --> 01:09:20,080 Speaker 1: this project is that there's these sort of dual intersections 1097 01:09:20,120 --> 01:09:24,080 Speaker 1: and dual microcosms. On one side, there is the intersection 1098 01:09:24,160 --> 01:09:29,920 Speaker 1: of policing, gentrification, racism, ecological destruction, and climate change. And 1099 01:09:29,960 --> 01:09:32,720 Speaker 1: on the other side there's the intersection between the tactics 1100 01:09:32,840 --> 01:09:37,040 Speaker 1: of urban city protest and rule eco defense. But there's 1101 01:09:37,040 --> 01:09:40,280 Speaker 1: also this dual microcosm. On the side of the state, 1102 01:09:40,439 --> 01:09:43,080 Speaker 1: they're trying to construct this police facility with a mock 1103 01:09:43,160 --> 01:09:47,960 Speaker 1: city to train in microcosm for protest suppression and practice 1104 01:09:48,120 --> 01:09:51,840 Speaker 1: urban combat against people who live in American cities. And 1105 01:09:51,880 --> 01:09:54,960 Speaker 1: on the people's side, there's this microcosm not only for 1106 01:09:55,040 --> 01:09:59,320 Speaker 1: how resistance movements can evolve post but more importantly for 1107 01:09:59,360 --> 01:10:02,639 Speaker 1: the people in up in the struggle, a microcosm for 1108 01:10:02,760 --> 01:10:05,120 Speaker 1: how you can live a life free of the oppressive 1109 01:10:05,160 --> 01:10:09,320 Speaker 1: societal mechanisms that we claim to oppose. I think another 1110 01:10:09,800 --> 01:10:13,680 Speaker 1: really interesting thing about this being like such an ungovernable 1111 01:10:13,680 --> 01:10:18,960 Speaker 1: space is that because it's ungeferable, because it's impossible to control, 1112 01:10:19,680 --> 01:10:23,320 Speaker 1: it allows us to create these new ways of relating 1113 01:10:23,360 --> 01:10:26,440 Speaker 1: to be traveled there that can't happen to other places. 1114 01:10:26,439 --> 01:10:30,839 Speaker 1: Like where else are like people in their everyday lives 1115 01:10:31,479 --> 01:10:33,639 Speaker 1: just gonna be able to walk around as gender funded 1116 01:10:33,680 --> 01:10:39,479 Speaker 1: as they want, and like just it's fine, like you 1117 01:10:39,520 --> 01:10:41,840 Speaker 1: know if they're if a clear basher comes into these 1118 01:10:41,840 --> 01:10:45,120 Speaker 1: fucking woods, like it's gonna be a bad time because 1119 01:10:45,240 --> 01:10:51,200 Speaker 1: literally everyone here is queer, like we don't. That's the 1120 01:10:51,280 --> 01:10:55,519 Speaker 1: thing is like when we exist in these spaces in 1121 01:10:55,560 --> 01:11:01,120 Speaker 1: this ungovernable way, we like are like eating many versions 1122 01:11:01,200 --> 01:11:04,800 Speaker 1: of Yeah, this thing I want to talk to, something 1123 01:11:04,800 --> 01:11:06,080 Speaker 1: I wanted to talk about in terms of like the 1124 01:11:06,160 --> 01:11:11,400 Speaker 1: microcos of macrocosm idea of after uprising looking for new 1125 01:11:11,439 --> 01:11:15,080 Speaker 1: paths forward, the depending on a forest thing can be 1126 01:11:15,240 --> 01:11:19,320 Speaker 1: viewed as this microcost, like this micro causum of how 1127 01:11:19,680 --> 01:11:23,360 Speaker 1: we can approach different struggles going into going into twentyties 1128 01:11:23,360 --> 01:11:26,320 Speaker 1: and stuff um, because yeah, like it is like this 1129 01:11:26,720 --> 01:11:29,160 Speaker 1: small version of what we want. There's also the whole 1130 01:11:29,200 --> 01:11:32,919 Speaker 1: idea of like what I've seen here in the forest 1131 01:11:33,560 --> 01:11:36,599 Speaker 1: more closely resembles like an actual temporary autonomous zone than 1132 01:11:36,640 --> 01:11:39,000 Speaker 1: like the chads ever did in terms of like people 1133 01:11:39,040 --> 01:11:43,360 Speaker 1: actually like actually living free, actually living like not relying 1134 01:11:43,400 --> 01:11:46,640 Speaker 1: on like city water, like not like not living in 1135 01:11:46,680 --> 01:11:49,479 Speaker 1: like the in a downtown metro area. It's like it's 1136 01:11:49,520 --> 01:11:53,760 Speaker 1: an actual free space where people can be queer and 1137 01:11:53,840 --> 01:11:57,400 Speaker 1: be all of the things and climb trees and talk 1138 01:11:57,479 --> 01:12:01,040 Speaker 1: with the deer and like that's people are actually allowed 1139 01:12:01,040 --> 01:12:02,640 Speaker 1: to do that, Like there's there's not all of the 1140 01:12:02,680 --> 01:12:06,200 Speaker 1: stigma that even I think, like Chazz had like so 1141 01:12:06,240 --> 01:12:11,800 Speaker 1: many problems, right, like extremely extremely hashtag problematic in terms 1142 01:12:11,840 --> 01:12:15,040 Speaker 1: of how that resulted. Um, And yeah, this is such 1143 01:12:15,080 --> 01:12:18,479 Speaker 1: a microcosm of like like an autonomous area where people 1144 01:12:18,479 --> 01:12:21,800 Speaker 1: are able to do those things. I also kind of 1145 01:12:21,840 --> 01:12:24,439 Speaker 1: want to talk about like the like idea, our ideas 1146 01:12:24,439 --> 01:12:29,120 Speaker 1: of safety and security don't reside and like the ideas 1147 01:12:29,280 --> 01:12:33,200 Speaker 1: of say a safety or security for us, it doesn't 1148 01:12:33,280 --> 01:12:35,639 Speaker 1: really resides in our trust in ourselves and each other. 1149 01:12:35,840 --> 01:12:39,400 Speaker 1: It resides and like we actually keep each other safe. 1150 01:12:39,520 --> 01:12:44,040 Speaker 1: We have each other's backs, we will fight for each other, 1151 01:12:44,720 --> 01:12:47,880 Speaker 1: and any threat to any one of us is like 1152 01:12:48,240 --> 01:12:54,880 Speaker 1: taken seriously. We have this like intimacy, criminal intimacy like 1153 01:12:55,280 --> 01:13:01,800 Speaker 1: allows us to build more check nuan relationships with high 1154 01:13:01,840 --> 01:13:05,720 Speaker 1: highs and low lows than anything ever could. And like 1155 01:13:05,840 --> 01:13:11,200 Speaker 1: the deafening that society puts on us, this like chemically 1156 01:13:11,360 --> 01:13:19,000 Speaker 1: induced regulated median of gray and terrible is that's not 1157 01:13:19,120 --> 01:13:22,680 Speaker 1: what we live. Yes, some days here it sucks to 1158 01:13:22,880 --> 01:13:26,479 Speaker 1: wake up and everything you ownly wet and you gotta 1159 01:13:26,560 --> 01:13:29,960 Speaker 1: go ship in a hole that it's fled. But also 1160 01:13:30,240 --> 01:13:34,760 Speaker 1: some days things here are fucking awesome, and I get 1161 01:13:34,800 --> 01:13:37,880 Speaker 1: to wake up to the birds calling and go like, 1162 01:13:38,120 --> 01:13:41,719 Speaker 1: have a party with my friends. I don't like exist 1163 01:13:41,840 --> 01:13:46,600 Speaker 1: here in a way it is like comprehensible or legible 1164 01:13:46,720 --> 01:13:50,840 Speaker 1: to like a wider like society. I don't exist in 1165 01:13:50,880 --> 01:13:54,280 Speaker 1: a way that people look at this and be like, ah, 1166 01:13:54,320 --> 01:13:58,000 Speaker 1: that's what you need. But I have never been happier 1167 01:13:58,080 --> 01:14:00,559 Speaker 1: than when I've been in the woods with people I 1168 01:14:00,640 --> 01:14:04,559 Speaker 1: trust and care about and don't have my back. People 1169 01:14:06,520 --> 01:14:08,920 Speaker 1: people don't have to worry about working to pay their 1170 01:14:08,920 --> 01:14:12,120 Speaker 1: water bill because you can go just get the things 1171 01:14:12,160 --> 01:14:14,720 Speaker 1: you need from places you don't have to pay for it, 1172 01:14:15,160 --> 01:14:18,080 Speaker 1: And like, you don't have to worry about all of 1173 01:14:18,120 --> 01:14:21,120 Speaker 1: these things, all of these societal pressures. There's not this 1174 01:14:21,280 --> 01:14:25,360 Speaker 1: constant threat of oh I lose my job. Oh all 1175 01:14:25,360 --> 01:14:28,600 Speaker 1: those things, all those things, all these mental constructs that 1176 01:14:28,680 --> 01:14:33,599 Speaker 1: control us aren't there anymore. Because we've built a world 1177 01:14:34,040 --> 01:14:38,280 Speaker 1: it doesn't it doesn't rely on that in the slightest 1178 01:14:38,720 --> 01:14:42,720 Speaker 1: And I think that's like a really powerful thing that like, 1179 01:14:44,400 --> 01:14:47,920 Speaker 1: we've already met our own needs and so we can 1180 01:14:48,040 --> 01:14:54,280 Speaker 1: fight back in these beautiful and fiery ways. Pun intended 1181 01:14:54,680 --> 01:14:59,720 Speaker 1: that like allow us to just experience things that like 1182 01:15:00,000 --> 01:15:05,599 Speaker 1: I've been stolen from us generations. Yeah, I was gonna say, 1183 01:15:05,600 --> 01:15:07,840 Speaker 1: we're not safe, but we're free. And I think that 1184 01:15:07,920 --> 01:15:10,960 Speaker 1: anyone who makes that decision as an active decision to 1185 01:15:11,080 --> 01:15:13,519 Speaker 1: not be safe but to be free, I may not like, 1186 01:15:13,800 --> 01:15:16,479 Speaker 1: but by definition I'll ride for them, because I can't say. 1187 01:15:28,080 --> 01:15:30,800 Speaker 1: We're now nearing the end of the episode, but before 1188 01:15:30,800 --> 01:15:32,960 Speaker 1: I finish, I need to go back to talking about 1189 01:15:33,000 --> 01:15:36,920 Speaker 1: tactics for a bit and end with some actual good news. 1190 01:15:37,560 --> 01:15:41,680 Speaker 1: From January to present time of recording, there's been an 1191 01:15:41,720 --> 01:15:45,439 Speaker 1: increase in solidarity attacks in cities across the country, some 1192 01:15:45,560 --> 01:15:49,280 Speaker 1: targeting Reeves Young and Long engineering equipment. In other states, 1193 01:15:49,760 --> 01:15:53,800 Speaker 1: a third party service providers of contracted construction companies or 1194 01:15:54,000 --> 01:15:57,679 Speaker 1: locations and offices of corporate sponsors of the Atlanta Police Foundation. 1195 01:15:58,479 --> 01:16:02,519 Speaker 1: This past March, X machines owned by Reeves Young, including 1196 01:16:02,560 --> 01:16:07,640 Speaker 1: two large excavators and a bulldozer, were destroyed in Flowery Branch, Georgia. 1197 01:16:07,840 --> 01:16:11,759 Speaker 1: The online communicate reads quote, so long as you continue 1198 01:16:11,800 --> 01:16:14,640 Speaker 1: to contract with the Atlanta Police Foundation for the destruction 1199 01:16:14,760 --> 01:16:17,800 Speaker 1: of the South Atlanta forest and the construction of a 1200 01:16:17,840 --> 01:16:21,040 Speaker 1: Cops City in its place. Know that your equipment is 1201 01:16:21,080 --> 01:16:24,559 Speaker 1: not safe, your offices are not safe, Your homes are 1202 01:16:24,600 --> 01:16:27,560 Speaker 1: not safe. Unless your company chooses to pull out of 1203 01:16:27,600 --> 01:16:30,679 Speaker 1: the Atlanta Police Foundation's Cops City project of its own volition, 1204 01:16:31,200 --> 01:16:34,439 Speaker 1: we will undermine your profits so severely that you'll have 1205 01:16:34,479 --> 01:16:39,320 Speaker 1: no choice but to drop the contract unquote. Subsequent solidarity 1206 01:16:39,320 --> 01:16:44,720 Speaker 1: attacks have happened in Portland, San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Minneapolis, 1207 01:16:44,840 --> 01:16:48,040 Speaker 1: and Highland, Michigan, to name a few. Many of these 1208 01:16:48,080 --> 01:16:52,200 Speaker 1: attacks were targeted at Atlas Technical consultants, who own many 1209 01:16:52,240 --> 01:16:55,280 Speaker 1: smaller companies such as Long Engineering, which has done work 1210 01:16:55,320 --> 01:16:57,920 Speaker 1: with Reeves Young and brass Field and Gorri for the 1211 01:16:57,960 --> 01:17:02,160 Speaker 1: Cops City project. The vein of shack style methods. This 1212 01:17:02,280 --> 01:17:06,679 Speaker 1: past April, on the ninth website called stop Reeves Young 1213 01:17:06,800 --> 01:17:11,439 Speaker 1: dot Com launched onto the interwebs. The site listed some 1214 01:17:11,520 --> 01:17:15,519 Speaker 1: of the various third party clients and subcontractors under Reeves 1215 01:17:15,600 --> 01:17:19,280 Speaker 1: Young Construction and ways to contact them to voice concern 1216 01:17:19,360 --> 01:17:23,600 Speaker 1: about their relation to the deforestation and this urban warfare 1217 01:17:23,640 --> 01:17:27,160 Speaker 1: construction project. As well as including the names and addresses 1218 01:17:27,280 --> 01:17:31,760 Speaker 1: of executives within Reeves Young and some of their affiliates. 1219 01:17:31,800 --> 01:17:33,680 Speaker 1: On the day I was set to leave Atlanta and 1220 01:17:33,680 --> 01:17:36,800 Speaker 1: say goodbye to the forest for the time being, activists 1221 01:17:36,800 --> 01:17:39,920 Speaker 1: got word that Reeves Young Construction might be dropping out 1222 01:17:39,960 --> 01:17:43,720 Speaker 1: of the project. This would obviously be a big, big 1223 01:17:43,760 --> 01:17:47,320 Speaker 1: win and an indication of the possible effectiveness of the 1224 01:17:47,360 --> 01:17:51,800 Speaker 1: shack method combined with sabotage and the forest encampment tactics. 1225 01:17:53,000 --> 01:17:56,000 Speaker 1: At a stakeholders meeting for the copsity of project the 1226 01:17:56,080 --> 01:17:59,519 Speaker 1: next day, it was publicly confirmed that Reeves Young will 1227 01:17:59,600 --> 01:18:02,519 Speaker 1: not get tinue work on the new police training center. 1228 01:18:03,479 --> 01:18:07,680 Speaker 1: In the public statement addressing Reeves Young's lack of future involvement, 1229 01:18:08,120 --> 01:18:11,000 Speaker 1: the Atlanta Police Foundation tried to frame the situation as 1230 01:18:11,120 --> 01:18:15,120 Speaker 1: Reeves Young simply have quote finished their role in the project. 1231 01:18:15,880 --> 01:18:18,880 Speaker 1: This is a laughable deception, as Reeves Young is one 1232 01:18:18,920 --> 01:18:22,080 Speaker 1: of Atlanta's major construction firms and has even built massive 1233 01:18:22,160 --> 01:18:26,120 Speaker 1: quote unquote public safety facilities in the past. They do 1234 01:18:26,200 --> 01:18:30,080 Speaker 1: not merely do preliminary sub contracting survey work. They work 1235 01:18:30,080 --> 01:18:33,320 Speaker 1: on projects from start to finish, taking lead contracting roles. 1236 01:18:34,040 --> 01:18:37,080 Speaker 1: It was speculated that Reeves Young itself may have been 1237 01:18:37,160 --> 01:18:40,400 Speaker 1: the main subcontractor hired to do complete construction of Cops 1238 01:18:40,400 --> 01:18:43,760 Speaker 1: City by brass Field and Gory, who have more established 1239 01:18:43,760 --> 01:18:47,679 Speaker 1: ties to the Atlanta Police Foundation. Quoting from the Stop 1240 01:18:47,720 --> 01:18:51,439 Speaker 1: for Reeves Young website quote, the Atlanta Police Foundation would 1241 01:18:51,439 --> 01:18:54,000 Speaker 1: have us believe that Reeves Young was contracted to do 1242 01:18:54,080 --> 01:18:58,360 Speaker 1: nothing more than hire a bulldozer and walk alongside long 1243 01:18:58,439 --> 01:19:01,799 Speaker 1: engineering work crews as they planted a few surveying stakes 1244 01:19:01,800 --> 01:19:05,559 Speaker 1: and did some soil testing. Police and their corporate backers 1245 01:19:05,720 --> 01:19:07,959 Speaker 1: don't want to let it be known that a focused 1246 01:19:07,960 --> 01:19:11,200 Speaker 1: group of activists have delivered a devastating blow to the 1247 01:19:11,280 --> 01:19:15,120 Speaker 1: Cops City construction, while the Atlanta Police Foundation tries to 1248 01:19:15,160 --> 01:19:18,640 Speaker 1: say face, we are celebrating a major victory pressuring a 1249 01:19:18,720 --> 01:19:22,200 Speaker 1: main contractor out of the project. We are pleased that 1250 01:19:22,280 --> 01:19:24,720 Speaker 1: the movement has built up so much momentum and that 1251 01:19:24,760 --> 01:19:28,040 Speaker 1: the Cops City development continues to face setbacks because of 1252 01:19:28,080 --> 01:19:32,320 Speaker 1: the intelligent actions of regular people. However, the struggle continues. 1253 01:19:32,720 --> 01:19:36,360 Speaker 1: Brass Field and Gory, another large general contractor, remains with 1254 01:19:36,560 --> 01:19:41,400 Speaker 1: the project. A Georgia Open records request from April confirmed 1255 01:19:41,479 --> 01:19:44,160 Speaker 1: via Paper Trail that the Atlanta Police Foundation has been 1256 01:19:44,160 --> 01:19:47,480 Speaker 1: working on the Cop City project with brass Field and Gory, 1257 01:19:47,520 --> 01:19:50,519 Speaker 1: another major general contractor in the Southeast region of the 1258 01:19:50,600 --> 01:19:54,120 Speaker 1: United States. Brass Field and Gory is an LLC and 1259 01:19:54,160 --> 01:19:58,440 Speaker 1: a multibillion dollar general contractor, ranked as a top contractor 1260 01:19:58,479 --> 01:20:02,840 Speaker 1: in the Southeast by Engineer News Record. Based on recent 1261 01:20:02,920 --> 01:20:06,120 Speaker 1: Atlanta Police Foundation emails required through public records, we can 1262 01:20:06,160 --> 01:20:08,800 Speaker 1: now assume that brass Field and Gory act as the 1263 01:20:08,880 --> 01:20:13,320 Speaker 1: sole contractor for Cops City. Quoting again from the Stop 1264 01:20:13,360 --> 01:20:16,839 Speaker 1: Reeves Young website quote, brass Field and Gory are dependent 1265 01:20:16,920 --> 01:20:20,960 Speaker 1: on subcontractors to complete their projects. Now they must hire 1266 01:20:21,080 --> 01:20:24,040 Speaker 1: a new entire set of subcontractors in order to build 1267 01:20:24,040 --> 01:20:26,679 Speaker 1: a Cops City. We believe it is in their best 1268 01:20:26,720 --> 01:20:29,120 Speaker 1: interests for brass Field and Gory to follow the lead 1269 01:20:29,200 --> 01:20:32,839 Speaker 1: of Reeves Young and drop Atlanta Police Foundation as a client, 1270 01:20:33,439 --> 01:20:36,439 Speaker 1: rather than remaining complicit in the destruction of the forest. 1271 01:20:37,160 --> 01:20:39,160 Speaker 1: It is up to all of us to make that 1272 01:20:39,200 --> 01:20:42,439 Speaker 1: clear to them. We can pressure brass Field and Gory 1273 01:20:42,520 --> 01:20:45,840 Speaker 1: out of Cops City by complicating their ability to do business. 1274 01:20:46,439 --> 01:20:48,280 Speaker 1: This does not have to be limited to the Cops 1275 01:20:48,320 --> 01:20:52,000 Speaker 1: City project. Their various construction projects and third party service 1276 01:20:52,000 --> 01:20:55,640 Speaker 1: providers are numerous. If brass Field and Gore begin to 1277 01:20:55,680 --> 01:20:58,480 Speaker 1: feel like they must choose between all of their contracts 1278 01:20:58,880 --> 01:21:01,680 Speaker 1: and their Cops City con tract, we are confident that 1279 01:21:01,720 --> 01:21:04,719 Speaker 1: they will choose the former, but we working to convince 1280 01:21:04,720 --> 01:21:10,240 Speaker 1: the subcontractors, consulting firms, surveyors, architects, etcetera around the country 1281 01:21:10,280 --> 01:21:12,879 Speaker 1: that brass Field and Gory are not a good business investment. 1282 01:21:13,240 --> 01:21:15,320 Speaker 1: We can make it easier for the construction company to 1283 01:21:15,320 --> 01:21:17,879 Speaker 1: do the right thing and dump the Atlanta Police Foundation 1284 01:21:17,960 --> 01:21:22,120 Speaker 1: for good. This has been an incredible period of momentum 1285 01:21:22,200 --> 01:21:25,360 Speaker 1: and research, but nothing is over yet. Now that we 1286 01:21:25,439 --> 01:21:28,160 Speaker 1: have made a decisive victory, it is important to remain 1287 01:21:28,240 --> 01:21:31,040 Speaker 1: more focused than ever. In the coming weeks and months, 1288 01:21:31,040 --> 01:21:33,520 Speaker 1: we will need to continue pressuring all of the contractors 1289 01:21:33,520 --> 01:21:36,880 Speaker 1: associated with the project to create economic consentives for them 1290 01:21:36,880 --> 01:21:40,240 Speaker 1: to simply move their time and resources to other endeavors. 1291 01:21:41,120 --> 01:21:43,599 Speaker 1: The Stop Reeves Young website will continue to serve as 1292 01:21:43,600 --> 01:21:48,240 Speaker 1: an educational hub for this ongoing campaign. End quote. On 1293 01:21:48,360 --> 01:21:50,840 Speaker 1: top of confirming that Reeves Young was dropping out of 1294 01:21:50,840 --> 01:21:54,439 Speaker 1: the project, a few other interesting pieces of information came 1295 01:21:54,439 --> 01:22:00,000 Speaker 1: out at the recent stakeholders meeting held on April. Allegedly, 1296 01:22:00,160 --> 01:22:03,479 Speaker 1: there will be a bid for the next contractors or 1297 01:22:03,600 --> 01:22:07,160 Speaker 1: subcontractors UH in the coming weeks and that will be 1298 01:22:07,200 --> 01:22:10,479 Speaker 1: publicly announced. It was also announced during the meeting that 1299 01:22:10,640 --> 01:22:15,679 Speaker 1: the cops city planners will keep construction timelines secret and 1300 01:22:15,760 --> 01:22:19,040 Speaker 1: may surround the construction site and future facility with an 1301 01:22:19,160 --> 01:22:23,600 Speaker 1: unwanted fence. In response to the quote law breaking protesters, 1302 01:22:24,280 --> 01:22:28,240 Speaker 1: Atlanta Assistant Police Chief and Site Security Chief Darren sheer 1303 01:22:28,240 --> 01:22:31,240 Speaker 1: Bomb said quote, we are working with decav County to 1304 01:22:31,240 --> 01:22:35,280 Speaker 1: address any criminal acts related to trespassing and vandalism unquote. 1305 01:22:35,720 --> 01:22:38,920 Speaker 1: He also stated that police were also concerned with protesters 1306 01:22:39,000 --> 01:22:42,480 Speaker 1: targeting those who work on the project at other locations. 1307 01:22:43,000 --> 01:22:45,760 Speaker 1: Here's an interesting note from our force defender pals on 1308 01:22:45,840 --> 01:22:48,880 Speaker 1: how the Atlanta Police Department function and are allowed to 1309 01:22:48,920 --> 01:22:52,960 Speaker 1: operate while inside the old Atlanta Prison Farm and Entrenchment 1310 01:22:53,000 --> 01:22:57,200 Speaker 1: Creek Park. This is something that's true police departments in Channel. 1311 01:22:57,920 --> 01:23:03,400 Speaker 1: But as soon as a cop is you know, out 1312 01:23:03,439 --> 01:23:06,640 Speaker 1: of like streets and things like that, that cop is 1313 01:23:06,760 --> 01:23:12,760 Speaker 1: uncomfortable and like cops here are carrying twenty pounds of 1314 01:23:12,800 --> 01:23:15,840 Speaker 1: gear on them at all times. And not only are 1315 01:23:15,880 --> 01:23:20,280 Speaker 1: they carrying that much gear, but they spend most all 1316 01:23:20,400 --> 01:23:23,720 Speaker 1: day sit running around and sitting in a car, and 1317 01:23:23,880 --> 01:23:28,880 Speaker 1: like you know, that cop not only doesn't want to 1318 01:23:29,000 --> 01:23:32,559 Speaker 1: chase you through the woods, but they also probably aren't 1319 01:23:32,640 --> 01:23:38,280 Speaker 1: capable of it. And aside from the obvious, like you know, 1320 01:23:38,560 --> 01:23:41,680 Speaker 1: their infrastructure issues, them being away from their cars, not 1321 01:23:41,760 --> 01:23:44,280 Speaker 1: being on the streets having all of their gear. We're 1322 01:23:44,320 --> 01:23:47,320 Speaker 1: also not in the City of Atlanta in this forest. 1323 01:23:47,360 --> 01:23:50,719 Speaker 1: We're an unincorporated the Cab County, which means Atlanta Police 1324 01:23:50,760 --> 01:23:55,240 Speaker 1: Department doesn't have legal jurisdiction as police here. They only 1325 01:23:55,280 --> 01:23:59,040 Speaker 1: have legal jurisdiction as agents of the City of Atlanta 1326 01:23:59,360 --> 01:24:02,120 Speaker 1: because the City of Atlanta owns this property which is 1327 01:24:02,160 --> 01:24:04,720 Speaker 1: outside of the city. So at any time when they're 1328 01:24:04,760 --> 01:24:08,000 Speaker 1: conducting and arrest they have to have the Cab County 1329 01:24:08,000 --> 01:24:11,880 Speaker 1: Police Department officers present with them. There. There can be 1330 01:24:11,920 --> 01:24:14,920 Speaker 1: an Atlanta Police Department and has been major like one 1331 01:24:14,960 --> 01:24:18,519 Speaker 1: of their huge like high ranks, who has no legal 1332 01:24:18,560 --> 01:24:23,160 Speaker 1: authority here except to represent the city. And that relationship 1333 01:24:23,880 --> 01:24:28,040 Speaker 1: is kind of like tenuous at best. They hate each pals. 1334 01:24:28,080 --> 01:24:31,200 Speaker 1: They hate each other, and you know, so if you're 1335 01:24:31,240 --> 01:24:34,440 Speaker 1: if you're headed in the town, like bear in minds 1336 01:24:34,640 --> 01:24:37,559 Speaker 1: that is a huge place to drive a wedge because 1337 01:24:37,560 --> 01:24:40,439 Speaker 1: they fucking hate each other. Yeah, I know there's like 1338 01:24:40,760 --> 01:24:44,320 Speaker 1: um and there is like one thing one time where 1339 01:24:44,360 --> 01:24:48,439 Speaker 1: like Atlant Police officers were inside the forest um with 1340 01:24:48,680 --> 01:24:51,000 Speaker 1: like a specific goal in mind in the Cab County 1341 01:24:51,000 --> 01:24:54,599 Speaker 1: Police cruisers. Not only good, the Cab police not want 1342 01:24:54,640 --> 01:24:56,719 Speaker 1: to gather the cruisers and go into the forest because 1343 01:24:56,720 --> 01:25:00,080 Speaker 1: they have they didn't care, they didn't want to do this. 1344 01:25:01,120 --> 01:25:07,400 Speaker 1: So the Atlant Police, uh, We're screaming into their radio saying, 1345 01:25:07,720 --> 01:25:09,720 Speaker 1: get this person. They're walking out of the forest, get 1346 01:25:09,720 --> 01:25:11,400 Speaker 1: this person. They're walking out of the forest, and it 1347 01:25:11,439 --> 01:25:13,800 Speaker 1: would just be like fib er ten minutes before the 1348 01:25:13,840 --> 01:25:17,360 Speaker 1: Cab police like preserves to just roll down the road 1349 01:25:18,040 --> 01:25:20,920 Speaker 1: and like you know, they're like people who like ran 1350 01:25:20,960 --> 01:25:24,719 Speaker 1: into the woods and like ran from the age Cat police. 1351 01:25:24,800 --> 01:25:27,439 Speaker 1: Like we're like, I'm not going in this world these words. 1352 01:25:27,439 --> 01:25:30,839 Speaker 1: And I'm also not calling to let the Atlant Police 1353 01:25:31,760 --> 01:25:34,040 Speaker 1: to let them know that this person just ran from 1354 01:25:34,040 --> 01:25:37,479 Speaker 1: me into the woods, because then they'll have to actually 1355 01:25:37,520 --> 01:25:42,439 Speaker 1: go in after them. Also, during the April stakeholder meeting, 1356 01:25:42,760 --> 01:25:45,840 Speaker 1: Security Chief shear Bomb announced that the FBI and the 1357 01:25:45,880 --> 01:25:49,280 Speaker 1: Georgia Bureau of Investigation agreed to an assistance request in 1358 01:25:49,320 --> 01:25:53,240 Speaker 1: mid April from Atlanta Police Chief Rodney Bryant, and we'll 1359 01:25:53,280 --> 01:25:56,400 Speaker 1: be assigned to the site. While attempting to work with 1360 01:25:56,479 --> 01:26:00,240 Speaker 1: neighborhood watch groups, he noted that quote, we look word 1361 01:26:00,280 --> 01:26:02,400 Speaker 1: to working with those agencies to ensure that this is 1362 01:26:02,400 --> 01:26:05,400 Speaker 1: a safe project that is occurring here and addressing any 1363 01:26:05,400 --> 01:26:08,000 Speaker 1: criminal acts that may be occurring on site to try 1364 01:26:08,040 --> 01:26:12,280 Speaker 1: to stop the project from proceeding unquote. The co chair 1365 01:26:12,320 --> 01:26:16,519 Speaker 1: of the Stakeholder Advisory Committee, Sharon Williams, invoked the term 1366 01:26:16,920 --> 01:26:21,840 Speaker 1: eco terrorism as relating to the forced defense, marking the 1367 01:26:21,920 --> 01:26:24,080 Speaker 1: first time that word has been used by the government 1368 01:26:24,120 --> 01:26:28,160 Speaker 1: officials to refer to this batch of protests. She also 1369 01:26:28,200 --> 01:26:32,800 Speaker 1: thanked the cop City planners for quote transparency in explaining 1370 01:26:32,800 --> 01:26:37,080 Speaker 1: why they cannot be transparent on the construction timeline. Emails 1371 01:26:37,120 --> 01:26:39,400 Speaker 1: between the Atlanta Police Foundation and the City of Atlanta, 1372 01:26:39,760 --> 01:26:43,840 Speaker 1: obtained via public records requests do give a possible look 1373 01:26:43,880 --> 01:26:48,400 Speaker 1: into the future of the development. In a January two email, 1374 01:26:48,439 --> 01:26:52,160 Speaker 1: Police Foundation representative Allen Williams said that we quote plan 1375 01:26:52,320 --> 01:26:57,360 Speaker 1: on enabling work possibly in the Mayo and June time frame. 1376 01:26:57,760 --> 01:27:01,840 Speaker 1: Our project will last until the last order, and our 1377 01:27:01,880 --> 01:27:05,519 Speaker 1: contractors are currently working on an overall site logistics and 1378 01:27:05,600 --> 01:27:10,800 Speaker 1: safety plan unquote, although at the time their contractors still 1379 01:27:10,840 --> 01:27:14,080 Speaker 1: included Reeves Young, so there's no telling how accurate that 1380 01:27:14,160 --> 01:27:19,400 Speaker 1: timeline is now. Other emails detailed plans for Homeland Security 1381 01:27:19,439 --> 01:27:24,040 Speaker 1: to obtain ring camera subscriptions to monitor quote criminal activity 1382 01:27:24,040 --> 01:27:28,080 Speaker 1: at the new Academy footprint unquote. In general, when involved 1383 01:27:28,080 --> 01:27:31,320 Speaker 1: in any level of protest, no matter of the alleged legality, 1384 01:27:31,880 --> 01:27:36,360 Speaker 1: security culture considerations should always be among people's top priorities, 1385 01:27:36,760 --> 01:27:39,400 Speaker 1: especially with more eyes being directed to the defend the 1386 01:27:39,400 --> 01:27:44,120 Speaker 1: Atlanta Forced project. Each person should be responsible for themselves 1387 01:27:44,160 --> 01:27:46,599 Speaker 1: and might I think that that type of action you're 1388 01:27:46,960 --> 01:27:51,639 Speaker 1: interested in taking should severely inform the type of personal 1389 01:27:51,640 --> 01:27:57,559 Speaker 1: security precautions that you're taking. Um. I think that's that's 1390 01:27:57,560 --> 01:28:02,519 Speaker 1: been a recurring theme as the movement builds. There are 1391 01:28:02,520 --> 01:28:06,360 Speaker 1: folks that come in to not having heard the term 1392 01:28:06,400 --> 01:28:09,160 Speaker 1: security culture up set or whatever you want to call it, 1393 01:28:09,920 --> 01:28:12,519 Speaker 1: and so that can be really jarring for folks that 1394 01:28:12,560 --> 01:28:16,120 Speaker 1: are just first trying to get involved, but people pick 1395 01:28:16,160 --> 01:28:19,519 Speaker 1: it up surprisingly quick once you have built as a 1396 01:28:19,600 --> 01:28:25,160 Speaker 1: community like norms and customs around is this a phone's on, 1397 01:28:25,200 --> 01:28:28,879 Speaker 1: our phones off meeting. Are we talking about this on signal? 1398 01:28:29,600 --> 01:28:32,120 Speaker 1: Is the call for this action going out on social media? 1399 01:28:32,200 --> 01:28:35,360 Speaker 1: Are we just sharing this amongst friends where that hadn't 1400 01:28:35,720 --> 01:28:38,439 Speaker 1: really been a thing and where frankly, a lot of 1401 01:28:38,520 --> 01:28:42,720 Speaker 1: people face significant repression here in Atlanta during the uprisings 1402 01:28:43,120 --> 01:28:47,280 Speaker 1: because of security culture decisions that were made. I think 1403 01:28:47,280 --> 01:28:53,040 Speaker 1: that a security culture is being built here that where 1404 01:28:53,080 --> 01:28:57,439 Speaker 1: it didn't really exist before, or at least wasn't widespread before, 1405 01:28:58,040 --> 01:29:03,120 Speaker 1: is going to survive long past this movement. I think 1406 01:29:04,160 --> 01:29:07,640 Speaker 1: like one of the biggest aspects of these things is 1407 01:29:07,760 --> 01:29:12,400 Speaker 1: like the social aspects of it, and like like the 1408 01:29:12,479 --> 01:29:17,759 Speaker 1: generalizing of the norm of if someone answers you vaguely 1409 01:29:18,760 --> 01:29:23,160 Speaker 1: and seems uninterested in to meet, in continuing the conversation, 1410 01:29:24,160 --> 01:29:27,719 Speaker 1: just understanding that they have your best interests in heart 1411 01:29:27,800 --> 01:29:32,559 Speaker 1: when they don't want you to know, and like, quite frankly, 1412 01:29:32,600 --> 01:29:36,760 Speaker 1: you just can't accidentally share information you don't have. And 1413 01:29:36,840 --> 01:29:41,760 Speaker 1: so like, you know, when we sit here in these 1414 01:29:41,760 --> 01:29:45,800 Speaker 1: woods and people say, you know, like you say, like, 1415 01:29:46,240 --> 01:29:49,719 Speaker 1: so you know you're where have you been? Blah blah blah, 1416 01:29:49,720 --> 01:29:52,320 Speaker 1: and I'm just like, oh, you know, hey, our places 1417 01:29:52,439 --> 01:29:55,880 Speaker 1: or something like that, I just don't ask questions, and 1418 01:29:55,920 --> 01:29:59,240 Speaker 1: I understand that I don't just not only do I 1419 01:29:59,320 --> 01:30:01,840 Speaker 1: not need to, but I probably don't want to know. 1420 01:30:02,640 --> 01:30:06,040 Speaker 1: And like, you know, when it comes to like more 1421 01:30:06,080 --> 01:30:12,800 Speaker 1: like material technical things, those are important, but like the 1422 01:30:13,000 --> 01:30:18,799 Speaker 1: social aspects of security culture are so so much more 1423 01:30:18,840 --> 01:30:25,960 Speaker 1: important than the technical aspects. It's like I don't know 1424 01:30:26,200 --> 01:30:30,200 Speaker 1: as everybody talks about security culture as like take your 1425 01:30:30,200 --> 01:30:35,240 Speaker 1: phone out of the room, but like you know, if 1426 01:30:35,240 --> 01:30:37,719 Speaker 1: you take the phone out of the room and talk 1427 01:30:37,760 --> 01:30:42,200 Speaker 1: about doing crazy ship with complete strangers, you don't you 1428 01:30:42,280 --> 01:30:45,120 Speaker 1: know and have a reason to trust them, And like 1429 01:30:46,600 --> 01:30:50,240 Speaker 1: coming here to Atlanta, like if you want to do 1430 01:30:50,400 --> 01:30:56,640 Speaker 1: crazy ship, don't you know if you want to do 1431 01:30:56,840 --> 01:31:00,280 Speaker 1: if you're coming to Atlanta, let me reef is that 1432 01:31:00,720 --> 01:31:02,519 Speaker 1: you're If you're coming to Atlanta and you want to 1433 01:31:02,520 --> 01:31:06,880 Speaker 1: do crazy ship, like you to think about like how 1434 01:31:06,960 --> 01:31:10,639 Speaker 1: to do that in a safe way or as safely 1435 01:31:10,680 --> 01:31:16,160 Speaker 1: as possible. You know, don't don't come to us and 1436 01:31:16,240 --> 01:31:21,080 Speaker 1: be like, hey, I haven't met you before, but like 1437 01:31:21,439 --> 01:31:23,720 Speaker 1: do you want to go do some federal felonies? Because no, 1438 01:31:24,840 --> 01:31:26,800 Speaker 1: I don't and I don't want to know that you're 1439 01:31:26,840 --> 01:31:33,160 Speaker 1: doing that either like we have do you want to 1440 01:31:33,200 --> 01:31:37,120 Speaker 1: do crazy ship? That's cool, just like I don't want 1441 01:31:37,120 --> 01:31:40,000 Speaker 1: to know you did it. And like if you're like 1442 01:31:40,160 --> 01:31:45,040 Speaker 1: coming here with the intention of creating, like with the 1443 01:31:45,040 --> 01:31:49,559 Speaker 1: intention of like doing ship because it's like cool and fun. 1444 01:31:49,680 --> 01:31:53,360 Speaker 1: If you're coming here with the intention of, like I 1445 01:31:53,479 --> 01:31:56,880 Speaker 1: want to gain social capital because I did crazy things, 1446 01:31:56,920 --> 01:32:02,720 Speaker 1: like maybe you rethink that like if you if you 1447 01:32:03,800 --> 01:32:10,320 Speaker 1: want and find your closest friends, plan a road trip, 1448 01:32:10,360 --> 01:32:15,080 Speaker 1: and don't help anyone. In a recent interview, Atlanta Police 1449 01:32:15,120 --> 01:32:19,200 Speaker 1: Foundation President and CEO Dave Wilkinson estimates that defend the 1450 01:32:19,240 --> 01:32:23,080 Speaker 1: forest quote unquote group members have done hundreds of thousands 1451 01:32:23,120 --> 01:32:26,720 Speaker 1: of dollars of damage to utility equipment and has brought 1452 01:32:26,760 --> 01:32:28,880 Speaker 1: up plans to add defense around the entirety of the 1453 01:32:28,920 --> 01:32:32,960 Speaker 1: site as construction begins, saying, and anyone on the site 1454 01:32:32,960 --> 01:32:35,639 Speaker 1: will be arrested and as we move forward, the enforcement 1455 01:32:35,640 --> 01:32:39,840 Speaker 1: will become stricter and stricter unquote. Also stated in an 1456 01:32:39,840 --> 01:32:43,439 Speaker 1: interview is that quote. The Police Foundation also hopes to 1457 01:32:43,560 --> 01:32:47,840 Speaker 1: build separate museums on site dedicated to police officers and 1458 01:32:47,880 --> 01:32:53,200 Speaker 1: the labor prison that was once located there. So that's 1459 01:32:53,200 --> 01:32:57,120 Speaker 1: that's what the kids call maskoff moment of building a 1460 01:32:57,240 --> 01:33:02,640 Speaker 1: dedicated museum two cops and labor prison a k A. 1461 01:33:02,680 --> 01:33:07,040 Speaker 1: Slave labor prison. Anyway, the first phase of the project 1462 01:33:07,640 --> 01:33:11,240 Speaker 1: had the initial ninety million price take attached, with taxpayers 1463 01:33:11,280 --> 01:33:13,760 Speaker 1: being forced to pay thirty million dollars of that, and 1464 01:33:13,800 --> 01:33:16,400 Speaker 1: it's still unclear what the final cost of the facility 1465 01:33:16,479 --> 01:33:19,400 Speaker 1: is slated to be, or what the estimated operating costs are, 1466 01:33:19,840 --> 01:33:23,200 Speaker 1: or really how many phases of construction they really plan 1467 01:33:23,280 --> 01:33:26,439 Speaker 1: on doing. The past few weeks, the site of Cops 1468 01:33:26,479 --> 01:33:30,320 Speaker 1: in the Woods has become a more and more common occurrence, 1469 01:33:31,080 --> 01:33:35,800 Speaker 1: whether to do scouting or just apparently detonating explosives for 1470 01:33:35,880 --> 01:33:38,840 Speaker 1: funzies at their current makeshift shooting range, like they did 1471 01:33:38,840 --> 01:33:41,840 Speaker 1: a few days ago. One morning when I was there, 1472 01:33:41,880 --> 01:33:44,960 Speaker 1: I woke up to people yelling Cops in the Woods, which, 1473 01:33:45,000 --> 01:33:47,920 Speaker 1: by the way, is a very effective substitute for caffeine 1474 01:33:48,200 --> 01:33:51,080 Speaker 1: in terms of making you very awake and alert quite 1475 01:33:51,080 --> 01:33:53,840 Speaker 1: early in the morning. Um. And then while running through 1476 01:33:53,840 --> 01:33:56,839 Speaker 1: the forest, I saw a beautiful deer and a hopping rabbit. 1477 01:33:56,960 --> 01:34:03,160 Speaker 1: So nice clash of of feelings and sensations there. In 1478 01:34:03,240 --> 01:34:07,479 Speaker 1: terms of closing sentiments based on conversations and observations I 1479 01:34:07,520 --> 01:34:10,320 Speaker 1: had from my brief time in the woods. It's this 1480 01:34:11,240 --> 01:34:14,839 Speaker 1: play to your strengths, don't play by the enemy's rules, 1481 01:34:15,520 --> 01:34:19,680 Speaker 1: utilize the intersection of urban city based tactics and resources 1482 01:34:19,880 --> 01:34:24,839 Speaker 1: while taking inspiration from classic forest based eco defense. Attacking 1483 01:34:24,880 --> 01:34:26,800 Speaker 1: from the cover of the woods and ensuring that the 1484 01:34:26,920 --> 01:34:30,639 Speaker 1: terrain is as unwelcoming as possible to vehicular machinery can 1485 01:34:30,680 --> 01:34:34,719 Speaker 1: help by time for rapid response popular mobilization from people 1486 01:34:34,760 --> 01:34:40,800 Speaker 1: living in the city. If and when that time comes, 1487 01:34:41,600 --> 01:34:44,000 Speaker 1: I'll be careful coming down a key road. They throwing 1488 01:34:44,080 --> 01:34:47,080 Speaker 1: bottles at the police, and the bottles a smoke ball, 1489 01:34:47,680 --> 01:34:51,280 Speaker 1: so be careful. They in the woods um throwing at 1490 01:34:51,280 --> 01:34:57,559 Speaker 1: the police cars and stuff like. Appreciate it. Yeah, And 1491 01:34:57,560 --> 01:35:01,639 Speaker 1: despite the defensive nature of the ending the forest, there 1492 01:35:01,760 --> 01:35:04,280 Speaker 1: still is a large amount of making sure that as 1493 01:35:04,320 --> 01:35:07,400 Speaker 1: often as possible you can do the prep work to 1494 01:35:07,439 --> 01:35:10,880 Speaker 1: set the terms of engagement so that they're fighting on 1495 01:35:11,040 --> 01:35:14,920 Speaker 1: your terms. You're not always complying to theirs, which is 1496 01:35:15,120 --> 01:35:18,080 Speaker 1: can be useful for defensive stuff. Obviously, the whole aspect 1497 01:35:18,600 --> 01:35:22,639 Speaker 1: of defending a forest like this that you I think 1498 01:35:25,000 --> 01:35:28,559 Speaker 1: the defenders can have this almost like spectral quality of 1499 01:35:28,640 --> 01:35:34,559 Speaker 1: like cops don't know where people are, what they've built, 1500 01:35:34,680 --> 01:35:37,599 Speaker 1: what's in the forest, what's in the woods, and that's 1501 01:35:37,640 --> 01:35:41,000 Speaker 1: like spooky, like you like you don't know who's who's 1502 01:35:41,080 --> 01:35:43,559 Speaker 1: up in a treehouse, you don't know who's behind what tree, 1503 01:35:43,840 --> 01:35:46,240 Speaker 1: you don't know what things are in the woods, and 1504 01:35:46,320 --> 01:35:49,320 Speaker 1: that spectral quality of the forest offense is a really 1505 01:35:49,720 --> 01:35:53,280 Speaker 1: interesting aspect of it that you don't see. And you 1506 01:35:53,280 --> 01:35:55,160 Speaker 1: don't see that. And then like pipeline protests as much, 1507 01:35:55,200 --> 01:35:57,080 Speaker 1: you don't really see that for like protests in a city, 1508 01:35:57,479 --> 01:35:59,200 Speaker 1: um because the city very much as like a more 1509 01:35:59,240 --> 01:36:01,760 Speaker 1: of like a cop story. Um So I really do 1510 01:36:01,920 --> 01:36:04,960 Speaker 1: like that aspect of like cops are kind of scared 1511 01:36:05,000 --> 01:36:10,240 Speaker 1: to go in the woods because they're spooky. They have 1512 01:36:10,400 --> 01:36:15,120 Speaker 1: openly testified, like in court testimony that said that when 1513 01:36:15,120 --> 01:36:19,040 Speaker 1: this forest defender was arrested, the police officer that gave 1514 01:36:19,160 --> 01:36:25,479 Speaker 1: his statement to the judge was shaking, physically shaking because 1515 01:36:25,479 --> 01:36:27,640 Speaker 1: he was so afraid from being yelled at, Like that 1516 01:36:27,720 --> 01:36:29,640 Speaker 1: was all that had happened, is a bunch of protesters 1517 01:36:29,680 --> 01:36:32,240 Speaker 1: were yelling at them and he was shaking. The police 1518 01:36:32,240 --> 01:36:35,559 Speaker 1: are really dependent on their infrastructure. They are dependent on 1519 01:36:35,680 --> 01:36:37,880 Speaker 1: all of that kid that they carry around. They are 1520 01:36:37,920 --> 01:36:40,720 Speaker 1: not mobile. They are meant to be attached to that 1521 01:36:40,840 --> 01:36:44,360 Speaker 1: squad car, and every further step they take away from that, 1522 01:36:45,000 --> 01:36:48,240 Speaker 1: they are more and more uncomfortable. And when they look 1523 01:36:48,280 --> 01:36:49,840 Speaker 1: around they realized they were in the middle of the 1524 01:36:49,880 --> 01:36:54,360 Speaker 1: fucking woods. That's terrifying for them and that needs to 1525 01:36:54,400 --> 01:36:58,080 Speaker 1: be like taking advantage of. And it is. What's that like? 1526 01:36:58,280 --> 01:37:01,840 Speaker 1: They their drones in their these helicopters have problem even 1527 01:37:01,880 --> 01:37:05,559 Speaker 1: with their thermal tracking of seeing through the canopy. What's 1528 01:37:05,600 --> 01:37:08,519 Speaker 1: that like? And I want to say, like, it was 1529 01:37:08,560 --> 01:37:11,120 Speaker 1: really funny to me that in that like it was 1530 01:37:11,160 --> 01:37:14,519 Speaker 1: said that the purposes were screaming, we know where you live, 1531 01:37:14,800 --> 01:37:18,840 Speaker 1: we know where you live. We're coming, We're coming, which 1532 01:37:18,880 --> 01:37:21,360 Speaker 1: is the whole, the whole ghost thing, um, because I mean, 1533 01:37:21,680 --> 01:37:23,639 Speaker 1: I mean in terms of in terms of thermal stuff. 1534 01:37:23,680 --> 01:37:25,840 Speaker 1: I brought a thermal camera of mine here and the 1535 01:37:25,840 --> 01:37:28,040 Speaker 1: woods are very hard to see through. With my thermal camera. 1536 01:37:28,040 --> 01:37:30,000 Speaker 1: I cannot see more than twenty ft away. I've I've 1537 01:37:30,000 --> 01:37:33,160 Speaker 1: tested it on people. It's that's the super interesting aspect. 1538 01:37:33,600 --> 01:37:36,519 Speaker 1: And yeah, like it's the whole like Fern Gully, Princes, 1539 01:37:36,600 --> 01:37:40,040 Speaker 1: Princess mononoke thing of like when people come out of 1540 01:37:40,080 --> 01:37:44,160 Speaker 1: the woods wearing ski basks, like that's freaking Like it's 1541 01:37:44,200 --> 01:37:46,840 Speaker 1: like we are you, Like you can be the thing 1542 01:37:46,960 --> 01:37:49,040 Speaker 1: that goes boo in the night like that, Actually that 1543 01:37:49,200 --> 01:37:52,280 Speaker 1: is you, um, and that's something that should be taken 1544 01:37:52,320 --> 01:37:55,719 Speaker 1: advantage of when there's people invading the forest and trying 1545 01:37:55,760 --> 01:37:59,040 Speaker 1: to destroy it. I think this is a really important 1546 01:37:59,240 --> 01:38:02,120 Speaker 1: to touch on. Is that for a lot of us, 1547 01:38:02,439 --> 01:38:07,640 Speaker 1: even though like may us have been like socialized to 1548 01:38:07,680 --> 01:38:09,960 Speaker 1: think of the dark and the night and the woods 1549 01:38:10,120 --> 01:38:14,800 Speaker 1: as this scary thing, this is where I feel the 1550 01:38:14,880 --> 01:38:19,840 Speaker 1: most safe. This is if you give me a bunch 1551 01:38:19,880 --> 01:38:22,439 Speaker 1: of camel and like send me off into the woods, 1552 01:38:24,000 --> 01:38:27,639 Speaker 1: there's nowhere I'm going to feel more safe and more 1553 01:38:27,720 --> 01:38:32,840 Speaker 1: capable both of safety and attack. When I'm out here, 1554 01:38:33,640 --> 01:38:36,240 Speaker 1: I feel like I can do anything. You give me 1555 01:38:36,880 --> 01:38:41,799 Speaker 1: a bunch of woods, a bunch of hills, Like, there's 1556 01:38:41,920 --> 01:38:45,479 Speaker 1: so much we can do because we're not in this 1557 01:38:45,520 --> 01:38:51,519 Speaker 1: position of you know, entering hostile territory to you know, 1558 01:38:52,320 --> 01:38:57,000 Speaker 1: do things. This is territory that we control, and this 1559 01:38:57,200 --> 01:39:00,320 Speaker 1: is territory that we are using to fight that and 1560 01:39:00,400 --> 01:39:04,519 Speaker 1: we're weaponizing not just you know the cops fear, but 1561 01:39:04,560 --> 01:39:10,080 Speaker 1: we're recognizing the terrain itself. We're weaponizing the trees, were 1562 01:39:10,120 --> 01:39:14,520 Speaker 1: recognizing the hills, were recognizing the ruins, and we're recognizing 1563 01:39:14,640 --> 01:39:22,120 Speaker 1: everything here as like literally a thing to use to 1564 01:39:22,320 --> 01:39:26,240 Speaker 1: attack the state. If you give me a ridgeline, I 1565 01:39:26,280 --> 01:39:29,720 Speaker 1: can hide from the cops better than any fucking you know, 1566 01:39:30,200 --> 01:39:33,640 Speaker 1: high tech thermal scattering delly suit is ever gonna give me. 1567 01:39:33,840 --> 01:39:37,240 Speaker 1: You know, out here, you don't need a bunch of 1568 01:39:37,280 --> 01:39:41,200 Speaker 1: fancy ship to like engage in conflict with the state. 1569 01:39:41,320 --> 01:39:46,519 Speaker 1: You don't need thermal cameras and all that. You can 1570 01:39:46,560 --> 01:39:50,080 Speaker 1: walk into a military surplus store and buy, you know, 1571 01:39:51,160 --> 01:39:54,040 Speaker 1: for fifty bucks. You can buy everything you need to 1572 01:39:54,280 --> 01:39:58,800 Speaker 1: like do just about whatever you want out here. And 1573 01:39:58,920 --> 01:40:04,320 Speaker 1: that's like, that's like a really important and beautiful thing. 1574 01:40:04,439 --> 01:40:09,080 Speaker 1: Is It's not it's not hard to do what we're doing. 1575 01:40:10,200 --> 01:40:12,479 Speaker 1: You just have to break down the mental barriers and 1576 01:40:12,560 --> 01:40:17,840 Speaker 1: do it. Um. Yeah, we we do our best to 1577 01:40:17,880 --> 01:40:21,720 Speaker 1: protect the trees, and the trees protected us too. It's 1578 01:40:22,960 --> 01:40:26,200 Speaker 1: it's cool living here, and it's like obviously something ever 1579 01:40:26,320 --> 01:40:29,000 Speaker 1: on most people probably like think about is yet how 1580 01:40:29,040 --> 01:40:32,519 Speaker 1: important wild spaces are. But it's cool to really fucking 1581 01:40:32,520 --> 01:40:35,639 Speaker 1: feel it. And it's like like, yeah, this this place 1582 01:40:35,720 --> 01:40:38,200 Speaker 1: is super important because of how it interacts with the 1583 01:40:38,240 --> 01:40:40,680 Speaker 1: ecosystem and how it filters the water and that it's 1584 01:40:40,720 --> 01:40:43,160 Speaker 1: a safe haven for a lot of really beautiful animals 1585 01:40:43,160 --> 01:40:46,280 Speaker 1: and plants. But also this place is important because wild 1586 01:40:46,280 --> 01:40:49,720 Speaker 1: spaces are sucking uncontrollable and I want to live in 1587 01:40:49,760 --> 01:40:54,760 Speaker 1: an uncontrollable way and like you need those things, and um, 1588 01:40:54,800 --> 01:40:59,080 Speaker 1: it is it's really cool, like this is a wild space. 1589 01:40:59,160 --> 01:41:03,080 Speaker 1: It's also for in a city, which is cool. It's 1590 01:41:03,160 --> 01:41:07,200 Speaker 1: fucking weird, Like there's there's city people who come here 1591 01:41:07,280 --> 01:41:11,280 Speaker 1: who are fucking weird and do weird ship and it's sick. Um, 1592 01:41:11,320 --> 01:41:15,439 Speaker 1: and like it is an uncontrolled space and like sometimes 1593 01:41:15,520 --> 01:41:18,479 Speaker 1: that means that there's like fucking ship chemicals that are 1594 01:41:18,520 --> 01:41:22,240 Speaker 1: like fucking plants up. But also sometimes that means there's 1595 01:41:22,280 --> 01:41:25,680 Speaker 1: people who like are doing things that are free and 1596 01:41:25,720 --> 01:41:29,600 Speaker 1: doing things they couldn't do in the city. And um, 1597 01:41:29,640 --> 01:41:31,920 Speaker 1: and it doesn't matter if I like it or not. 1598 01:41:32,120 --> 01:41:34,920 Speaker 1: It makes me, Yeah, it makes me happy. They just 1599 01:41:35,000 --> 01:41:38,240 Speaker 1: know that those people can act on their desires. Um. 1600 01:41:38,320 --> 01:41:40,960 Speaker 1: And yeah, it's not always fucking convenient or good. And 1601 01:41:41,040 --> 01:41:44,120 Speaker 1: sometimes I intend to antagonistic relationships or that because it 1602 01:41:44,120 --> 01:41:47,360 Speaker 1: conflicts with my desire. But there's no mediation and there's 1603 01:41:47,520 --> 01:41:51,800 Speaker 1: there's there's no one getting in between. And yeah, it's 1604 01:41:51,800 --> 01:41:56,360 Speaker 1: just it's really important. And I think like the the 1605 01:41:56,479 --> 01:41:59,519 Speaker 1: slogan that people say of not what is there, not 1606 01:41:59,600 --> 01:42:02,040 Speaker 1: one tree, not one blade of grass, like is like 1607 01:42:02,080 --> 01:42:05,960 Speaker 1: an inspirational thing, but it's also like a strategy, Like 1608 01:42:06,000 --> 01:42:10,679 Speaker 1: it's like a tactical assertion that is important for us. Like, yeah, 1609 01:42:10,720 --> 01:42:15,400 Speaker 1: if like this forest and these wild spaces are essential, 1610 01:42:15,520 --> 01:42:18,800 Speaker 1: not just for us to physically stop the police, but 1611 01:42:18,840 --> 01:42:22,120 Speaker 1: like essential to be an anarchist. Like if there are 1612 01:42:22,200 --> 01:42:27,040 Speaker 1: not wild spaces, spaces that they can't put security cameras 1613 01:42:27,120 --> 01:42:31,439 Speaker 1: up here because they there's no electricity and the trees 1614 01:42:31,439 --> 01:42:34,840 Speaker 1: are two dens for solar panels and they get smashed anyway, 1615 01:42:35,600 --> 01:42:38,360 Speaker 1: you know, like it's important to have those things. If 1616 01:42:38,400 --> 01:42:41,559 Speaker 1: there's not places like that, there's not places where you 1617 01:42:41,560 --> 01:42:45,280 Speaker 1: you know, like and and so that for itself is cool. 1618 01:42:45,360 --> 01:42:47,200 Speaker 1: And the other thing is just living here with the 1619 01:42:47,320 --> 01:42:52,080 Speaker 1: fucking animals, Like, um, it's cool. The deer. If you 1620 01:42:52,080 --> 01:42:54,160 Speaker 1: want to find a get a hiding spot in the forest, 1621 01:42:54,439 --> 01:42:57,000 Speaker 1: pay attention to where the fucking deer sleep. They sleep 1622 01:42:57,040 --> 01:42:59,479 Speaker 1: in different places most nice. You won't suck them up 1623 01:42:59,520 --> 01:43:01,439 Speaker 1: as long as don't get the exact same one day're 1624 01:43:01,479 --> 01:43:04,120 Speaker 1: sleeping and they're really freaking hard to find. Something with 1625 01:43:04,160 --> 01:43:07,360 Speaker 1: the coylds, like sathing with the snakes, and like it's 1626 01:43:07,400 --> 01:43:09,960 Speaker 1: just very cool to get to observe and live with 1627 01:43:10,000 --> 01:43:14,920 Speaker 1: all these animals. And um, you know there's an owl 1628 01:43:16,520 --> 01:43:20,280 Speaker 1: such screaming five o'clock every day. It's like a nice 1629 01:43:20,320 --> 01:43:23,120 Speaker 1: little marker. And that's for me. That's better than you know, 1630 01:43:23,200 --> 01:43:26,400 Speaker 1: looking at my watch. It's pretty cool. This leads us 1631 01:43:26,560 --> 01:43:29,360 Speaker 1: up to our present day and the upcoming week of 1632 01:43:29,400 --> 01:43:33,519 Speaker 1: Action in Atlanta, Georgia, happening from Sunday May eight to 1633 01:43:33,760 --> 01:43:38,200 Speaker 1: Sunday May If you are anywhere near the Atlanta area, 1634 01:43:38,280 --> 01:43:40,559 Speaker 1: you have no reason to not check it out. It's 1635 01:43:40,600 --> 01:43:43,120 Speaker 1: a week's worth of events spanning from early in the 1636 01:43:43,160 --> 01:43:46,519 Speaker 1: morning till late into the evening every day for seven days. 1637 01:43:46,800 --> 01:43:49,559 Speaker 1: You can find the calendar of events on defend the 1638 01:43:49,560 --> 01:43:53,040 Speaker 1: Atlanta Forest dot com. And if you are not near Atlanta, 1639 01:43:53,160 --> 01:43:55,559 Speaker 1: I would still recommend you make your way there post 1640 01:43:55,560 --> 01:43:58,880 Speaker 1: taste if you are able to. Whether that's during the 1641 01:43:58,960 --> 01:44:02,240 Speaker 1: Week of Action or later on down the line. More 1642 01:44:02,240 --> 01:44:05,400 Speaker 1: boots on the ground is almost always a plus. Here's 1643 01:44:05,439 --> 01:44:07,639 Speaker 1: the more info on the upcoming Week of Action from 1644 01:44:07,720 --> 01:44:11,679 Speaker 1: May eight through May fifteen. So generally in the past, 1645 01:44:11,720 --> 01:44:13,840 Speaker 1: the past few week of actions have been like really 1646 01:44:13,880 --> 01:44:17,800 Speaker 1: above ground, really like giving people comfortable forest, getting people 1647 01:44:17,840 --> 01:44:22,280 Speaker 1: into a forest, like the immunity events are like UM 1648 01:44:22,360 --> 01:44:27,840 Speaker 1: and just like public gatherings, inform nights, skill shares, other 1649 01:44:28,200 --> 01:44:31,320 Speaker 1: stuff like that. And I believe that this one, like well, 1650 01:44:31,479 --> 01:44:33,240 Speaker 1: like we had a lot of those events. But I 1651 01:44:33,280 --> 01:44:35,519 Speaker 1: also believe that like due to the nature of what's 1652 01:44:35,560 --> 01:44:39,120 Speaker 1: going on UM, that it's much more urgent than people, 1653 01:44:40,160 --> 01:44:44,639 Speaker 1: uh come and creator bring their own ideas being known 1654 01:44:44,680 --> 01:44:48,599 Speaker 1: in science, their own desires, and yeah, we get action. 1655 01:44:48,720 --> 01:44:51,639 Speaker 1: It's odd, it's gonna be d it's gonna be crazy, 1656 01:44:52,320 --> 01:44:54,160 Speaker 1: it's gonna be add the things. I think there's gonna 1657 01:44:54,200 --> 01:44:57,280 Speaker 1: be a family family were lack hug and trees kind 1658 01:44:57,280 --> 01:44:58,880 Speaker 1: of ship, and I'm excited for that. And I think 1659 01:44:58,920 --> 01:45:01,160 Speaker 1: there's gonna be something like the funk is going on 1660 01:45:02,200 --> 01:45:04,680 Speaker 1: in the woods kind of shore is a bunch of 1661 01:45:04,680 --> 01:45:07,160 Speaker 1: cops kind of ship. Obviously, we don't know what's really 1662 01:45:07,160 --> 01:45:10,200 Speaker 1: going to happen. But anyone that has been reading stuff 1663 01:45:10,320 --> 01:45:11,720 Speaker 1: like oh man, I want to go throw down with 1664 01:45:11,760 --> 01:45:14,240 Speaker 1: the crazies, you should come and do that. And we 1665 01:45:14,320 --> 01:45:18,280 Speaker 1: have some stuff to share and hopefully there'll be so 1666 01:45:18,320 --> 01:45:19,960 Speaker 1: many people here that don't know how to deal with it. 1667 01:45:20,000 --> 01:45:23,559 Speaker 1: The problem going here is the Atlanta Police Force. Um, 1668 01:45:24,000 --> 01:45:26,040 Speaker 1: they there is a lot of them, but honestly they're 1669 01:45:26,080 --> 01:45:30,439 Speaker 1: also they're stressed out and they are run um what's 1670 01:45:30,439 --> 01:45:35,559 Speaker 1: it can run dry? Respect then they really they don't 1671 01:45:35,560 --> 01:45:37,840 Speaker 1: know how to deal with all this wood ship from 1672 01:45:37,840 --> 01:45:40,200 Speaker 1: ship that we've heard them talking about. They don't know 1673 01:45:40,200 --> 01:45:43,080 Speaker 1: what to do. They're not totally prepared. I think it's 1674 01:45:43,120 --> 01:45:45,680 Speaker 1: gonna be a really fun and crazy ship show and 1675 01:45:45,800 --> 01:45:48,240 Speaker 1: we want you all the Condor Chip show in a 1676 01:45:48,280 --> 01:45:50,400 Speaker 1: good way. And now they're like, oh, you shouldn't use 1677 01:45:50,400 --> 01:45:52,960 Speaker 1: those words, but in reality, nobody actually knows what's going 1678 01:45:53,000 --> 01:45:55,920 Speaker 1: to happen. We know what we're gonna do. We have 1679 01:45:56,080 --> 01:45:58,720 Speaker 1: plans that people can plug into, some stuff you can 1680 01:45:58,720 --> 01:46:01,080 Speaker 1: bring your kids to, and some stuf of you should 1681 01:46:01,080 --> 01:46:03,120 Speaker 1: not bring kids to, and there will be more. To 1682 01:46:03,200 --> 01:46:04,760 Speaker 1: be honest with, you really got to just be there 1683 01:46:04,760 --> 01:46:06,720 Speaker 1: in person, because there's something you can't put everything on 1684 01:46:06,720 --> 01:46:10,200 Speaker 1: Instagram and doing our best to communicate to folks what's 1685 01:46:10,200 --> 01:46:13,200 Speaker 1: going on down here, but there's just some things you 1686 01:46:13,360 --> 01:46:19,759 Speaker 1: gotta come two. Whatever the Week of Action, it's always 1687 01:46:19,760 --> 01:46:21,439 Speaker 1: a week of action, but this is like we're helping 1688 01:46:21,479 --> 01:46:24,360 Speaker 1: people get really turned up for this week of action 1689 01:46:24,400 --> 01:46:27,479 Speaker 1: and maybe we all just become a roving nomadic war 1690 01:46:27,560 --> 01:46:30,840 Speaker 1: machine together. That would be the dream. So you have 1691 01:46:30,920 --> 01:46:34,680 Speaker 1: a thing in your hometown, is going on in your territory, 1692 01:46:34,880 --> 01:46:38,000 Speaker 1: and we nomadic war machine over to your spot and 1693 01:46:38,120 --> 01:46:42,680 Speaker 1: we just keep doing that. A few resources that some 1694 01:46:42,840 --> 01:46:46,679 Speaker 1: of the force defenders wanted people to know about is first, obviously, 1695 01:46:46,800 --> 01:46:49,840 Speaker 1: Defend the Atlanta Forest dot com, which has the Week 1696 01:46:49,880 --> 01:46:53,240 Speaker 1: of Action calendar. To keep up on news regarding the movement. 1697 01:46:53,280 --> 01:46:56,479 Speaker 1: You can follow them on Twitter and Instagram at Defend 1698 01:46:56,520 --> 01:47:00,639 Speaker 1: the Atlanta Forest or Defend a t L Forest. There 1699 01:47:00,720 --> 01:47:04,880 Speaker 1: is the Forest Justice Defense Fund at Open Collective dot 1700 01:47:04,920 --> 01:47:11,200 Speaker 1: com slash Forest Hyphen Justice Hyphened Defense hyphen Fund, where 1701 01:47:11,320 --> 01:47:14,320 Speaker 1: people can donate to support the work of the Broad 1702 01:47:14,360 --> 01:47:18,040 Speaker 1: Coalition dedicated to saving the forest. There's of course stop 1703 01:47:18,120 --> 01:47:21,640 Speaker 1: Reeves Young dot com, which has information on subcontractors and 1704 01:47:21,720 --> 01:47:25,600 Speaker 1: third party service providers relating to the cops city construction. 1705 01:47:26,439 --> 01:47:30,360 Speaker 1: Very useful even just for simple calling campaigns. The website 1706 01:47:30,520 --> 01:47:34,280 Speaker 1: scenes dot no blogs dot org hosts other news relating 1707 01:47:34,280 --> 01:47:37,799 Speaker 1: to the movement, anonymous community, case and stuff like maps 1708 01:47:37,800 --> 01:47:42,640 Speaker 1: of the area and random other useful information resources for 1709 01:47:42,760 --> 01:47:46,479 Speaker 1: info and guides relating to direct action. There's a website 1710 01:47:46,520 --> 01:47:50,040 Speaker 1: titled Warrior Up dot no blogs dot org and people 1711 01:47:50,080 --> 01:47:51,960 Speaker 1: can go there or to a warrior up dot no 1712 01:47:52,040 --> 01:47:58,120 Speaker 1: blogs dot org slash guides for various interesting information. I'll say, um, 1713 01:47:58,200 --> 01:48:01,360 Speaker 1: and that last one is really best viewed on tour 1714 01:48:02,120 --> 01:48:04,559 Speaker 1: with via the tour browser just as a heads up. 1715 01:48:04,880 --> 01:48:08,120 Speaker 1: Also probably with like a VPN. And I don't know anyway, 1716 01:48:08,240 --> 01:48:11,439 Speaker 1: be careful with that last one. But all of these, 1717 01:48:11,520 --> 01:48:14,240 Speaker 1: all of these sites will be linked in the show notes. 1718 01:48:14,920 --> 01:48:18,559 Speaker 1: The future lies in your hands. You have more freedom 1719 01:48:18,560 --> 01:48:22,120 Speaker 1: than you know if you can find the unconventional ways 1720 01:48:22,200 --> 01:48:25,519 Speaker 1: of expressing it. See you on the other side. And 1721 01:48:25,840 --> 01:48:33,760 Speaker 1: I'll end with a word from our forced defender friend. 1722 01:48:29,760 --> 01:48:38,720 Speaker 1: There's yeah, hopefully we're gonna stop the police training facility. 1723 01:48:38,960 --> 01:48:41,920 Speaker 1: I think we really are looking forward to people, hopefully 1724 01:48:42,040 --> 01:48:45,080 Speaker 1: some people sticking around for the Week of Action because 1725 01:48:45,120 --> 01:48:49,960 Speaker 1: we're hoping that it doesn't die down too much to 1726 01:48:49,960 --> 01:48:54,680 Speaker 1: the point where smaller and to achieve them that was 1727 01:48:54,760 --> 01:48:59,080 Speaker 1: here for a reko action gets attacked and stay away 1728 01:49:00,080 --> 01:49:02,880 Speaker 1: exactly that if they can get happen here. I wasn't 1729 01:49:02,880 --> 01:49:05,439 Speaker 1: thinking about that. This funny enough it its It could 1730 01:49:05,439 --> 01:49:07,639 Speaker 1: happen where you live, and maybe we can just keep 1731 01:49:08,479 --> 01:49:10,759 Speaker 1: the idea. As we share enough skills, we make ourselves. 1732 01:49:10,760 --> 01:49:13,120 Speaker 1: Absolutely no one should be integral enough to the movement 1733 01:49:13,200 --> 01:49:16,040 Speaker 1: that you can't go off or leave and it can't continue. 1734 01:49:16,560 --> 01:49:21,160 Speaker 1: People should be reading manual, sharing skills, telling stories, having 1735 01:49:21,200 --> 01:49:24,840 Speaker 1: at the moons. We're doing all this stuff to make 1736 01:49:24,880 --> 01:49:28,240 Speaker 1: each other just a weird of the different things that 1737 01:49:28,240 --> 01:49:30,639 Speaker 1: are possible for us to run because maybe we don't 1738 01:49:32,280 --> 01:49:34,679 Speaker 1: have all the you know, the guns and the steel 1739 01:49:34,720 --> 01:49:37,320 Speaker 1: and the gold. But if we have enough people like 1740 01:49:37,400 --> 01:49:39,840 Speaker 1: being creative and doing some grilla ship, we can get 1741 01:49:39,840 --> 01:49:42,880 Speaker 1: a lot done. And at the end of the day, 1742 01:49:42,960 --> 01:49:45,720 Speaker 1: if you can do you have to be careful about 1743 01:49:45,720 --> 01:49:47,559 Speaker 1: how many hats to ring. If you don't know about 1744 01:49:47,600 --> 01:49:49,639 Speaker 1: the r n c AD, that's a long time ago. 1745 01:49:49,680 --> 01:49:51,479 Speaker 1: Now look that up. They were wearing. They are really 1746 01:49:51,520 --> 01:49:54,200 Speaker 1: great community organizers, but they were wearing too many hats. 1747 01:49:54,760 --> 01:49:57,439 Speaker 1: It was the first time that Patriot Act kind of 1748 01:49:58,280 --> 01:50:01,000 Speaker 1: new laws after not eleven was you lie down people, 1749 01:50:01,000 --> 01:50:03,880 Speaker 1: and a lot of it didn't stick. But if you 1750 01:50:04,680 --> 01:50:07,799 Speaker 1: what we really need is more faceless saboteuries because honestly, 1751 01:50:07,920 --> 01:50:11,040 Speaker 1: I'm saying that's what we need. We need people to 1752 01:50:11,080 --> 01:50:15,400 Speaker 1: be there's just in reality, there's not enough people willing 1753 01:50:15,439 --> 01:50:17,439 Speaker 1: to do nightwork. It looks like there's an uptick in 1754 01:50:17,479 --> 01:50:22,320 Speaker 1: the behavior, which is great, but be safe, be smart, 1755 01:50:23,439 --> 01:50:27,200 Speaker 1: act to interact with a little and that's that's what 1756 01:50:27,280 --> 01:50:28,720 Speaker 1: we need more than any saying. There's a lot of 1757 01:50:28,720 --> 01:50:32,599 Speaker 1: people that um are willing to do above ground stuff. 1758 01:50:32,600 --> 01:50:35,400 Speaker 1: There's a lot of people that want to be known, 1759 01:50:36,280 --> 01:50:38,800 Speaker 1: and that's great, but we have enough for that. We 1760 01:50:38,880 --> 01:50:45,879 Speaker 1: need something else. It Could Happen Here is a production 1761 01:50:45,920 --> 01:50:48,920 Speaker 1: of cool Zone Media. For more podcasts from cool Zone Media, 1762 01:50:49,040 --> 01:50:51,479 Speaker 1: visit our website cool zone media dot com, or check 1763 01:50:51,560 --> 01:50:53,800 Speaker 1: us out on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 1764 01:50:53,920 --> 01:50:56,960 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can find sources 1765 01:50:56,960 --> 01:50:59,519 Speaker 1: for It Could Happen Here, updated monthly at cool zone 1766 01:50:59,520 --> 01:51:02,320 Speaker 1: media dot com slash sources. Thanks for listening.