Anonymous transmission
On Wednesday, January 18th the police shot and killed a protestor in the Weelaunee Forest in Southeast Atlanta. Theywere protesting the construction of “Cop City”, a proposed police militarization facility that, if built, would be the largest in the nation.
As 2022 came to a close, the Austin Police officers who murdered Alex Gonzalez in front of his infant child were acquitted of all charges. Meanwhile, police murders peaked in 2022: U.S. cops killed 100 people every month.
As people who are deeply concerned with police violence in our communities we are holding a vigil to raise awareness of the recent violence in Atlanta, and to connect it to the struggle against police violence here in Austin, and across the country. Ever-increasing police militarization, indiscriminate police killings, and rising police budgets affects us all. For two years, activists have called for the Cop City project to be cancelled immediately because they have recognized that it will be a training ground to intensify this crisis. Plans for Cop City come in the wake of the nationwide response to the police murders of George Floyd and Rayshard Brooks and aim to entice new recruits. The struggle against Cop City affects us all.
The police and local news are working together to control the flow of information, leaving us with vague news reports that suggest the officer fired at the civilian in self-defense. We know that whether it’s Austin, Atlanta, or Minneapolis, the police will say and do anything to cover up their violence, including witholding, distorting, or deleting evidence.
The loss of our lives remains meaningless to the police. Police killed a forest defender for loving this earth, for taking a stand against the ongoing destruction of the planet and its people.
We invite all those in Austin who stand against police brutality and violence to join us in mourning at Givens Park at 5PM. Please bring food, candles, flowers, art supplies, photographs, and anything else to contribute to a memorial for all those taken from us by police.
We are all forest defenders.
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