The Fight to Stop ‘Cop City’

Atlanta is a unicorn. A predominantly Black city with among the highest percentage of tree canopy of any major U.S. metropolis, the Georgia capital earns its nickname: the City in a Forest. But some of that greenery is now being threatened after the Atlanta City Council approved a $90 million complex for police and fire officials to be built on 85 acres of Atlanta forest land.

For those fighting on the front lines, the message is simple: The millions of taxpayer dollars and private investments being thrown at this facility should be used to secure the safety and future of Atlanta’s land and its people. Here, two forest defenders, who go by the names Whirly Bird and F12, discuss what brought them to the woods, the loss of their comrade, and how others can support their efforts. They both asked to remain anonymous due to continued police surveillance at the camp and the threat of arrest; the interviews were conducted via Signal, the encrypted messaging app.