The Bay Area Anti-Repression Committee stands in solidarity with the forest defenders in Atlanta who have lost a friend to police violence this week. We are with you in mourning for this brave person whose life was stolen by the cops while they defended the trees, the gardens, the animals, the earth and the land. We stand in collective rage against the Georgia State Troopers, the Atlanta Police Department, and all law enforcement, individuals, and corporations who use violent force to accelerate racial capitalism so they may profit from turning the forest into a so-called “safety training center” and film location.

We condemn local and national media for positioning this murder as a self defense response – it’s reprehensible to remove accountability from the police officer who is responsible for this loss of life. We echo the call from those in Atlanta: to encourage independent media to cover what is actually happening on the ground, to immediately stop the Cop City development project, and to hold police accountable for the use of deadly force and violent repression against forest defenders.

We are in solidarity with those in Atlanta who have been mobilizing for the last several years against the destruction of the Weelaunee Forrest, with comrades on the ground in Atlanta who are demanding police and city accountability for this murder, and with all facing state repression for defending the forest.

We encourage people in the Atlanta Area to attend the candle light vigil on 1/20 in Atlanta, Georgia. Calls have been made across the US, and we encourage those not in Atlanta to continue to support these comrades however we can.

There’s been a call for a vigil to mourn Tort at Lake Merritt Amphitheater in Oakland 1/19 at 8PM. As always we are available to support with the bail fund if needed. Remember to never snitch – this means not posting pictures of each other online where people are identifiable, and staying silent if questioned by law enforcement.

For more information on upcoming gatherings and the ongoing struggle to defend the forest, defendtheatlantaforest.org, @defendatlantaforest on IG, @defendATLforest on Twitter

In solidarity, Love and Rage – Bay Area ARC