Statement: Stand.earth condemns recent violence in Weelaunee Forest

The violence and loss of life in Weelaunee Forest is appalling. Death should not be the price of speaking out in defense of the places we love and the people who live there.

Equally unacceptable is the blatant environmental racism, and disregard for the surrounding, largely Black community whose wishes have been disregarded, including thousands of public comments in opposition over 17 hours, on the record. Certainly, in the middle of a climate crisis, there has got to be a better use of 85 acres of forest land, one of the largest tree canopies in any major U.S. city.

And there is a history of racial injustice, starting from the forced removal of the Muscogee (Creek), followed by the installation of a plantation, and then a prison. Atlanta has an opportunity to reverse this history of environmental and racial injustice. There are graves in this forest; the last thing it should become is an exalted shooting range.

Resources and more reading:

• Atlanta community members warn of environmental damage from ‘Cop City’
• “The birds stopped singing”: Inside the battle for Atlanta’s South River Forest

Media contact:

Cari Barcas, Communications Director, cari.barcas@stand.earth