Brave masked forest protectors resist killer cops on the streets of Atlanta, Georgia
Hundreds of activists swarmed downtown Atlanta on Saturday in response to a call for a “night of rage,” after one person protesting a planned police training center was killed by police officers destroying a camp earlier this week.
A crowd of mourners marched through the streets in a “largely peaceful protest,” as described by a local FOX mis-informer. The event turned violent after masked resisters “began throwing rocks and shooting fireworks at the Atlanta Police Foundation headquarters”.
Hundreds marched in Minneapolis & Atlanta this evening in protest of the police killing of Manuel Leran (Tortuguita) last week during a police raid on the #AtlantaForest to evict #StopCopCity activists protesting the plan to build a police training facility. More on our timeline. pic.twitter.com/TeLEdPLBZp
— UNICORN RIOT 🦄 mastodon.social/@UnicornRiot 👈 (@UR_Ninja) January 22, 2023
The anti Police State heroes managed to smash some of the building’s windows with hammers, painted walls with anti-police graffiti, and later set at least one police cruiser on fire”, according to multiple photos and videos shared online.
Elsewhere dozens of vigils and demonstrations were held all over the US over the death of ‘Tortuguito’
“After 30 minutes, the crowd took off. About 3/4 of the crowd were in black bloc. Activists from the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) attempted to lead the group south, perhaps towards the state Capitol building or the CNN center, but bloc members turned the crowd around and led them north.
🎞️Atlanta Community Reacts to Police Killing of Forest Defender Manuel Teran
— UNICORN RIOT 🦄 mastodon.social/@UnicornRiot 👈 (@UR_Ninja) January 19, 2023
The sun was just starting to set as the bloc, about 300 strong, turned north up Peachtree street. The commercial downtown district, gutted out by years of neoliberal policy, is populated almost exclusively by business people, university students, and unhoused people.”
“The bloc traveled north, as road flares and fireworks marked their progress. Umbrellas blocked local news video cameras as graffiti sprung up on walls, with phrases like “RIP Little Turtle” and “Stop Cop City.”
The crowd chanted, “No justice! No Peace!,” and “Be Like Water,” as they moved along at a brisk pace, flanked by reporters. Bank windows were smashed and umbrellas blocked cameras, with a Wells Fargo branch, a funder of Cop City, receiving special attention.”
Two Polish officials said so, Condoleeza Rice in the Washington Post said so, and the mainstream/lamestream press began admitting it as well.
The wrong conclusion is that more weapons will ensure Ukrainian victory, but that did not stop the U.S. and NATO from pledging more weapons.
Ukraine’s government has come a bit unraveled this week with key advisor Oleksiy Arestovych resigning and then being arrested and put on the Mirotvorets kill list for (accidentally?) admitting that Ukraine caused a Russian missile to go off course and fall on an apartment building killing 44 civilians in Dnipro.
Then there was the mysterious crash of a helicopter carrying all the top officials of the Ministry of the Interior, an accident which killed all aboard plus some children from the kindergarten it fell on.
Next, the president of Ukraine addressed the World Economic Forum at Davos looking pale and strained and claiming to be uncertain whether the president of Russia is actually alive……
insert by thefreeonline.. The German government has resisted mounting US and NATO pressure to approve key deliveries of its Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. The special NATO summit on 20th Jan FAILED to agree as Germany wisely broke with obedience to the US and refused to send its tanks or let others send them, at least for now. Germany gave lame excuses but the signal is a split against pro-war hysteria since Merkel admitted Russia was deceived by the Minsk agreement scam. Other German deputies said the reason is an aversion to the image of a Repeat of Hitler 1941 when German Panzer tanks rolled on Russia through Ukraine, leading to defeat and 27 million Russian and Soviet deaths.
… But some things remain unchanged. Western cheerleaders of the war effort are falling all over themselves to pledge their support for “democracy” in a country that banned opposition parties and “free speech” in a country that banned the use of Russian, the first language spoken by many of its citizens. …..
So, as part of a week of anti-imperialist and anti-war actions organized by members of UNAC for Martin Luther King, Jr. week (see the full list here) a hardy band of the unconfused stood in Portland, Maine yesterday at the evening commute.
We were on the second shift after a mid-day vigil in nearby Brunswick that occurs weekly.
At that event a surprising number of passersby had expressed agreement with our anti-NATO stance remarking “Ukraine is the most corrupt country in Europe” or “Ukraine is full of Nazis” before the light changed and they drove away.
“The weaponry is the pathway to peace – Stoltenberg said in
all seriousness. For matters to get even more absurdly cynical, at the very moment while he was being recommended for the Nobel Peace Prize candidacy, Stoltenberg called upon his friends and enemies to brace themselves for yet another war.
This felt like a shift in public opinion, barely discernible but distinct from our past experiences with the public around this issue…………….
I’m not sure when we’ll be back in Portland, but the hour-long vigil at 11:30am in front of the Tontine Mall in Brunswick will continue weekly for now.
…….. Our comrade Alfredo has been on a hunger strike for almost three months since October 20. He is fighting, with the only thing he has left, to put an end to the most cruel prison regime in Italy, called 41bis.
A regime that we know well, that exists in all countries and that involves degradation, humiliation and isolation; that accompanies you to suicide and madness passing through many other previous stops.
Alfredo has stated that he would rather die than have to throw away the rest of his days subjected to that situation, rather than stop being a person with all that that implies.
Our response from the outside has to live up to, if not his proposal, at least our real possibilities and not those that keep us in the comfort of our homes.
Fire To The Prisons
Any moment is a good time to rebel, to say enough is enough and, to begin with, to break with insubstantiality, creating community ties, of communities that fight, that live and interact against the regime of domination and exploitation.
Any time is good for the will-o’-the-wisp to guide us back to a larger bonfire, in which small flashes of past flames hit each other to try to ignite the fallen leaves.
The time has come to reject the things that separate us, to understand what those old slogans mean, without letting ourselves be carried away by naivety, or seduced by parties, unions or little characters.
The time has come to take action with humility and clear-sightedness, to attend to the responsibilities we have with our companions and, above all, those who need it most, those who are inside, those who have their own names and those who don`t, but who also suffer the miseries of the regime of domination and exploitation.
SUPPORT FOR ALFREDO AND ALL THOSE WHO SUFFER REGIMES OF MAXIMUM CRUELTY.
Been following John Campbell for the better part of two years. What I like about him is he is doggedly data driven. He’s produced scores of YouTube videos focusing on COVID vaccine efficacy, vaccine immunity versus natural immunity and vaccine injuries. He’s one of many VACCINATED medical practitioners who have come out as vocal opponents […]
Last week, Andrew Bridgen MP gave an impassioned speech in parliament calling for an immediate cessation of the MRNA vaccination programme. It is the most important contribution to this debate in parliament.
The hypocrisy of this guy is gargantuan. I imagine you would be jailed for posting this on Facebook, his own creation. 🚨BREAKING — Leaked Video Of Mark Zuckerberg Warning His Staff Not To Take A COVID Vaccine pic.twitter.com/vB6Ra52aZ0 — James Cintolo, RN FN CPT (@healthbyjames) January 21, 2023
Law enforcement officers — including a SWAT team — were violently evicting protesters who had occupied a wooded area outside the center when they shot and killed longtime activist Manuel Teran, who went by the name “Tortuguita (Little turtle)
” Police claim they were fired on, though protesters dispute this account. We hear a statement from an Atlanta forest defender about what happened, and speak with Kamau Franklin, an anti-“Cop City” activist and the founder of the Atlanta organization Community Movement Builders.
🔥Urgent call to Action. There is currently a violent police raid happening at the forest.
Don’t believe the narrative of the news or the cops. Both lie!
AMY GOODMAN: I’m Amy Goodman. This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The War and Peace Report.
In Atlanta, Georgia, calls are growing for an independent investigation into the police killing of an activist Wednesday during a violent raid on an encampment of protesters opposed to the proposed $90 million “Cop City” training facility in a public forest.
Law enforcement officers, including a SWAT team, were clearing protesters who had occupied a wooded area outside the center, when police claim they were fired on and fired back. Police say a Georgia state trooper was wounded by gunfire.
Activists have now released the name of the victim of the police shooting: longtime activist Manuel Teran, who went by the name “Tortuguita.”
In an audio statement sent to Democracy Now! Thursday, an Atlanta forest defender describes what happened and who Tortuguita was. They asked to remain anonymous and for their voice to be distorted for security reasons.
FOREST DEFENDER: On Wednesday, January 18th, multiple police departments descended upon Weelaunee People’s Park in unprecedented numbers and force. They blocked access to the park on both roads and bike trails. Some people were arrested for attempting to document police actions that day at the park.
Gunfire was heard at 9:04 a.m., about a dozen shots fired in rapid succession, followed by a loud boom about a minute later. For hours after the murder of Tortuguita, police continued to hunt, assault and arrest our brave forest defenders.
Those defenders in trees were targeted with pepper bullets. One tree sitter had their treehouse, which stored food and water, cut from beneath them. They were left without food and water for over 12 hours up in the tree as police waited at the base of the tree to capture them. This same tree sitter continued to stay in their tree until the next morning, when they were arrested.
Other forest defenders were chased by police dogs. These defenders had to hide and flee for their lives, all the while with the nauseating knowing that their dear comrade had been murdered in the sacred land that we call home.
Tortuguita was a radiant, joyful, beloved community member. They fought tirelessly to honor and protect the sacred land of the Weelaunee Forest. They took great joy in caring for each and every person that they came across. Tortuguita brought an indescribable jubilance to each and every moment of their life. Their passing is a preventable tragedy. The murder of Tortuguita is a gross violation of both humanity and of this precious Earth, which they loved so fiercely.
Do not turn away from this violence. Do not allow the callousness of the police state to numb your heart. Honor Tortuguita by bravely witnessing the ongoing injustices the police and corporations are enacting upon the Weelaunee Forest. Honor Tortuguita’s legacy by embodying their joyous bravery. Tortuguita’s presence on this Earth is a gift that will keep on giving for generations to come. It is time for people to join this movement and to say no to this pointless escalation by the police.
AMY GOODMAN: That was an anonymous statement by an Atlanta forest defender sent to Democracy Now!, his voice disguised.
Vigils for the slain forest defender Tortuguita have taken place from Los Angeles to Minneapolis to Charlotte to Chicago. In Atlanta, activists held a vigil the night of the shooting and are planning a march on Saturday.
For more, we go to Atlanta to speak with Kamau Franklin, founder of the organization Community Movement Builders.
Kamau, welcome back to Democracy Now! Can you please tell us what you understood happened?
The Free 