On the 9th of February, the fight against Atlanta’s “Cop City” police training range proposed for the Weelaunee Forest again came to DC. Protesters marched on Cox Enterprises (owner of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper), and on Wells Fargo(a major funder of the project) with just one demand: Drop Cop City!

We cannot forget the sacrifice of forest defender Tortuguita (“Tort”) who gave their life in defense of the Weelaunee Forest on Jan 18, 2023. They were murdered by Atlanta Police in a blizzard of gunfire that day. Bodycamera footage shows four spaced shots followed by a blitz of rapid fire, then a cops saying “you fucked up your own officer” referring to the cop wounded in the guts by another cop’s bullet.

Even with the National Guard backing up heavy militarized police, activists are still holding out in the forest, vowing to defend the woods whatever the price may be. From March 4 to 11, another national week of action in the forest has been called for. Reinforcements are always needed.

On the 7th of February, Biden gave his annual State of the Union address, with barely a mention of abortion or trans rights. On the motorcade route outside, Our Rights DC held down, demanding that the ongoing state of emergency (which allows for Federal assistance) for covid not be lifted. Also there was talk after Dobbs of declaring a public health emergency over restrictions on abortion killing women, so abortions could be performed on military bases etc in abortion ban states.

On the 6th of February, Ga cops launched yet another raid on the Weelaunee Forest, which is defended by Atlanta Forest Defense/Stop Cop City To this date no raid has succeeded in clearing and holding the site in spite of bullshit “domestic terrorism” charges and the murder of forest defender Tortuguita on Jan 18.

All these attacks have done is earn the cop city contractors and bankers a storm of fires, smashfests, and a powerful stink bomb attack that may have permanently put an Atlas Technical Consultants office out of service.

There is now now way the police and military can win this without triggering open-ended vertical and horizontal escalation affecting every other dispute the Left is fighting over in the US. If the violence and brutality of armed police and troops in the Weelaunee Forest, continue, this fight could even be the flash point that detonates everything else.

On the 5th of February, the American Indian Movement (AIM) backed by local activists protested at the Federal courthouse in Tampa, FL demanding that Leonard Peltier be freed from prison.

Several key points were made at this rally:

1: All evidence says Leonard Peltier cannot have been the shooter that took out those two FBI invaders on Pine Ridge, though much of this evidence has been deliberatly destroyed

2:Whoever DID shoot those FBI agents is protected under international law same as any other soldier of any other sovereign nation firing on armed invaders.

3: No way the US and the oil industry would have dared to push something like DAPL through Standing Rock in 1976 or so due to the strength of AIM (American Indian Movement)

On the 4th of February, several members of the same extreme-right Christian cult that harassed the Dec 29 Clearwater drag show turned up at Pasco County FL’s Pride event. They harassed Pride attendees and screamed that people were going to die, going to burn, and going to Hell. Eventually one of them lunged at a child attending Pride with their parents, drawing instant counterattack. One of them was tackled and all of them were driven back. Event security surrounded them, assisted by activists and other community members. Due to the extreme nature of their offense the Pasco County Sheriff’s Dept escorted them out but they were not arrested.

Had they been LGBTQ folks or anarchists disrupting a Fundamentalist church’s service they would have been arrested and quite likely subject to physical brutality at police hands. The same cult also attacks Jewish events and has been responsible for cancellations of miltiple events, which is grounds to consider them Nazis as well as dangerous religious extremists.

The 4th of February was a national day of action against police brutality. In Tampa, FL protesters gathered near near Joe Chullia courthouse in Tampa, FL. SDS and Community Action Coalition were there, speakers covered subjects from the infamous Memphis “SCORPION” unit to “Biking while Black” harassment stops in Tampa.

Note that Porsche sells extremely expensive performance cars. The slashed tires and spray paint will no doubt be repaired, but Porsche fans may object to paying new car prices for these salvage cars. If they have to be sold as used cars, this dealer pays a HUGE price for Porsche’s Cop City Funding! No more bullshit, people are sick of half measures on this issue after the Jan 18 murder of Tortuguita at the hands of Atlanta’s jackbooted thugs in police uniforms

https://scenes.noblogs.org/post/2023/02/02/tortiguita-mourned-in-ann-arbor-cars-painted-and-tires-slashed/

last saturday, a crowd of 100 people gathered in front of the merrill lynch office building to share memories, tears, and vengence for tortuguita. the crowd was a militant throng, mostly in black from head to toe. the march took state street and then paraded behind a porsche dealership, which funds the atlanta police foundation. the crowd riotously engaged in expressions of grief, including spray painting fancy cars and slashing the tires of 40+ cars waiting to be sold. signs were left behind at porsche and merrill lynch stating “cop city will never be built” and “you fund police murder”. no arrests were made.

On the 1st of February, community activists held a vigil in Orlando at the police department’s headquarters. The vigil was to remember not only Tyre Nichols (murdered by Memphis Police Department) but also those brutalized and killed by the Orlando Police Department (ODP)as well. APD has a long record of abuse-and brutal cops get a “vacation” posting at a nearby airport.

During the vigil, a cluster of bike cops stayed literally in the shadows across the street, like a menacing predator staying just out of sight.

Word is closure of the office might be PERMANENT. That place must stink like a whaling ship after a date with Sea Shepherd by now.

Credit claimed by “Tort’s Revenge”

Well, replacing a forest with a training range to teach cops to fight against popular uprisings is an absolutely DEPLORABLE thing to do. Thus the deplorable stench to mask the stink of what they are doing!

From scenes.noblogs.org: https://scenes.noblogs.org/post/2023/02/01/atlas-office-attacked-with-powerful-stench-agent/

LAST WEEKEND WE SMASHED ALL WINDOWS AND THE GLASS DOORS OF THE ATLAS OFFICE IN HIGHLAND, IN, AND ATTACKED THE INTERIOR WITH A POWERFUL STINK BOMB, LEAVING THE OFFICE PERMANENTLY INOPERABLE. SIX ATLAS VEHICLES PARKING OUTSIDE OF THE OFFICE WERE ALSO VANDALIZED.

UNTIL THE MURDER OF TORTUGUITA, NO COP OR CONTRACTOR WAS INJURED AS A RESULT OF ACTIONS IN DEFENSE OF THE WEELAUNEE FOREST. NOW, THE RULES OF ENGAGEMENT MAY HAVE TO CHANGE. ATLAS TECHNICAL CONSULTANTS, AS WELL AS ITS SUBSIDIARY LONG ENGINEERING, HAS PHYSICALLY ATTACKED THE WEELAUNEE FOREST AND IS STILL COMMITTED TO BUILDING COP CITY. UNTIL ATLAS PUBLICLY ANNOUNCES THAT IT WILL NO LONGER WORK ON THE PROJECT, THE COMPANY, ITS EXECUTIVES. AND ALL OF ITS PROPERTY ARE LEGITIMATE TARGETS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST COP CITY AND THE HOLLYWOOD DYSTOPIA.

THERE ARE THREE ADDITIONAL ATLAS OFFICES WITHIN AN HOUR DRIVE OF THIS ONE. THERE ARE ATLAS OFFICES IN EVERY STATE. THE NAMES AND ADDRESSES OF ATLAS EXECUTIVES, AS WELL AS OTHER COMPANIES IMPLICATED IN COP CITY AND THE MURDER OF TORTUGITA, ARE LISTED ON STOPREEVESYOUNG.COM.

THE ENEMIES OF THE WEELAUNEE FOREST ARE TERRORISTS WHO DO NOT DISTINGUISH BETWEEN PEACEFUL AND MILITANT PROTESTORS, NON-HUMAN AND HUMAN LIFE. WE WILL NOT CEDE A SINGLE INCH OF THE FOREST AND WILL NOT NEGOTIATE WITH TERRORISTS, BUT THEY HAVE THE POWER TO STOP THIS TRAGIC AND UNNECESSARY ESCALATION OF FORCE BY SIMPLY DROPPING THE PROJECT.

WE WILL NOT STOP UNTIL YOU DROP COP CITY. EXPECT US.

-TORT’S REVENGE

Submitted anonymously over email