Forest Defenders is a term that refers to a loose movement of radical-left environmental activists who oppose the construction of a police training facility in the Weelaunee Forest in Atlanta, Georgia which the movement calls “Cop City.” 1 Several nonprofits and other organizations have supported, endorsed, or declared themselves members of the Forest Defenders movement. 2
The original Forest Defenders group has violently protested the training facility’s construction, including occupying the construction site for several months in 2023. During a police raid to clear the occupied zone, a Forest Defender activist shot and injured a Georgia state policeman. Georgia State Police returned fire, killing the protester. 3
Background
The Forest Defenders in Atlanta, Georgia take inspiration from environmental protesters in other parts of the world, where deadly clashes between protesters and law enforcement have taken place. The Atlanta-based Forest Defenders–the leading group of forest protesters in the United States–formed in 2021 in response to the release of construction plans for a police training facility in the Weelaunee Forest in the Atlanta metropolitan area. Protesters and critics call the facility “Cop City” as a derogatory term. 4
The Forest Defenders originally began a series of opposition initiatives, including the circulation of petitions in the Atlanta area and throughout the network of left-of-center environmentalist nonprofits. The group publishes blogs in opposition to the police facility and has also organized several protests, culminating in protesters occupying the construction site for several months in 2023. 2 5 6
In January 2023, Georgia State Police officers attempted to clear the area occupied by the Forest Defender protesters. According to a Georgia special prosecutor’s report, during their attempted raid of the area, Forest Defender Manuel “Tortuguita” Paez Teran refused to leave his tent. Officers fired non-lethal irritants into his tent at which point Paez Teran fired shots at the officers, striking one officer under his bulletproof vest in the hip and groin area. Police returned fire, killing Paez Teran. 7
In response to Paez Terán’s death, the National Lawyers Guild, Defend the Atlanta Forest, and several other groups denounced the shooting as state-sanctioned murder and called for an end to the construction project. Although Paez Teran’s family has sued the Georgia State Police department, all six officers involved in the incident were cleared of criminal wrongdoing by a special prosecutor. 7
Paez Teran’s family had an independent autopsy performed which they claim showed that Paez Teran had his hands up when he was shot. They claim he was a nonviolent protester, despite a ballistics report which matched the bullet that struck the Georgia police officer with a weapon registered to Paez Teran which he had with him at the time of the shooting. 3
The shooting sparked several protests. During the week following the shooting, several protesters were arrested and charged with domestic terrorism for their participation in the protests and occupation of “Cop City.” 8 9 Also, in March 2023, more than 150 masked activists left a nearby music festival and stormed the proposed site of the training center, setting fire to construction equipment and throwing rocks at retreating law enforcement officers. Some 35 individuals were arrested and charged with domestic terrorism for the event. 3 5
Affiliated Institutions and Endorsements
Several organizations and individuals have expressed support for the Forest Defenders and the broader movement to oppose commercial and state construction in forests. 2
Defend the Atlanta Forest, an activist group formed in response to “Cop City,” organized a petition that has been signed by more than 600 left-of-center groups, including CODEPINK, Rising Tide North America, Rainforest Action Network, Grassroots Global Justice Alliance, and Climate Justice Alliance (CJA). 2 CJA, a major left-wing fundraising and climate organizing coalition, has funded the Forest Defenders and their protests. 10 The National Lawyers Guild (NLG) endorsed the Forest Defenders movement and called for an end to the construction of “Cop City.” 8
Stop Cop City is another activist group that has supported the Forest Defenders throughout the controversy surrounding the construction site. The Atlanta Solidarity Fund (ASF) is a bail fund used to support arrested Stop Cop City protesters and other Forest Defenders prosecuted for their protests. 10 In May 2023, ASF affiliates were arrested for money laundering and charity fraud for their support of other criminal acts committed at the police training center’s construction site and other metro Atlanta locations. 5
Another environmentalist bail fund, the Forest Justice Defense Fund, reimbursed Forest Defenders for the purchase of protest equipment, including tents, camping supplies, surveillance equipment, shortwave radios, drones, and ammunition. A RICO indictment was filed in May 2023 that alleged that the Forest Justice Defense Fund was a fraudulent charity paying for ammunition purchases in furtherance of a criminal conspiracy. 10
More than 3,500 individuals have signed the petition in support of the Forest Defenders, including influential radical-left linguistics professor Noam Chomsky. 2
References
- Tabachnick, Cara. “What we know about Atlanta’s “Cop City” and the standoff between police and protesters.” CBS News. March 6, 2023. Accessed January 5, 2025. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/atlanta-protests-cop-city-georgia-state-of-emergency-forest-defenders/
- “Solidarity.” Defend the Atlanta Forest. Accessed January 5, 2025. https://defendtheatlantaforest.org/solidarity/
- “The family of a ‘Cop City’ protester who was killed releases more autopsy findings.” NPR. March 13, 2023. Accessed January 5, 2025. https://www.npr.org/2023/03/13/1163272958/cop-city-protester-autopsy-manuel-paez-teran
- Alfonseca, Kiara. “What is Atlanta’s ‘Cop City’ and why are people protesting it?” ABC News. March 6, 2023. Accessed January 5, 2025. https://abcnews.go.com/US/atlantas-cop-city-people-protesting/story?id=96716095
- Alcorn, Chauncey. “Key Dates and Moments in Atlanta’s ‘Cop City’ Controversy.” Capital B News. June 5, 2023. Accessed January 5, 2025. https://atlanta.capitalbnews.org/cop-city-timeline/
- “Blog.” Defend the Atlanta Forest. Accessed January 5, 2025. https://defendtheatlantaforest.org/blog/
- Proctor, Angelique. “No charges for Georgia State troopers who killed activist at Atlanta Public Safety Training Center site.” FOX 5 Atlanta. October 6, 2023. Accessed January 5, 2025. https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/no-charges-troopers-manuel-esteban-teran-tortuguita-death-cop-city-atlanta
- “NLG Statement in Solidarity with Atlanta Forest Defenders.” National Lawyers Guild. January 25, 2023. Accessed January 5, 2025. https://www.nlg.org/nlg-statement-in-solidarity-with-atlanta-forest-defenders/
- Brown, Alleen. “Documents show how 19 ‘Cop City’ activists got charged with terrorism.” Grist. January 27, 2023. Accessed January 5, 2025. https://grist.org/protest/atlanta-cop-city-terrorism/
- MacDougald, Park. “The People Setting America on Fire.” Tablet Magazine. May 6, 2024. Accessed January 5, 2025. https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/people-setting-america-on-fire-soros-tides-wespac