It Could Happen Here - What’s Next for Stop Cop City

Episode Date: October 12, 2023

Garrison interviews Jamie Peck and Sam from the Block Cop City speaking tour to discuss the ‘nonviolent action’ planned for November 13th in Atlanta.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hey guys, I'm Kate Max. You might know me from my popular online series, The Running Interview Show, where I run with celebrities, athletes, entrepreneurs, and more. After those runs, the conversations keep going. That's what my podcast, Post Run High, is all about. It's a chance to sit down with my guests and dive even deeper into their stories, their journeys, and the thoughts that arise once we've hit the pavement together. Listen to Post Run High on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. You should probably keep your lights on for

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It's time to get rewarded for it. Submit your podcast today at iHeart.com slash podcast awards. That's iHeart.com slash podcast awards. Welcome to It Could Happen here. I'm Garrison Davis. This is the show where we talk about how everything kind of feels like it's falling apart and how we can perhaps sometimes put some of that back together. In about a month's time, there's going to be what's being labeled a quote-unquote mass non-violent direct action converging on the Cop City construction site in Atlanta, Georgia. Now, a few weeks ago, I interviewed the two people going around the country giving the

Block Cop City speaking tour in preparation for this upcoming action next month in Atlanta. Like always, the opinions of those interviewed on the show don't necessarily reflect the views of the show or myself. And with this action in particular, there has been quite the variety of opinions regarding its risk level and its ideological and tactical validity. But the action is going to happen. It is going to take place on November 13th, no matter, you know, some people disagreeing with aspects of it or having concerns about aspects of it, it is going to take place. So my interest in putting out this episode is to have a very open and clear discussion regarding some of the questions people have about this quote-unquote nonviolent action. And also provide enough information so that people can make their own informed decision regarding what's going to happen next November.

can make their own informed decision regarding what's going to happen next November. So with that, here is my conversation with Sam and Jamie from the Block Cop City speaking tour. Joining me today is Sam from Block Cop City and Jamie Peck. Both of you have been going around the country. I think it's around 70 cities right now doing a speaking tour to talk about this upcoming action in November to block Cop City. Thanks for coming on, guys. No problem. Thanks for having us. So I assume anyone who's listening to this is already familiar with Cop City, whether through their own keeping up with the news or even if they just listen to the show. We have covered Cop City quite extensively the past like two years. So let's talk about this,

this kind of upcoming action, because it's very different than kind of the previous mobilizations that we've seen, which have taken form as like weeks of action. We had one last June, we had one the previous March. So what's different about this new upcoming three-day kind of mobilization? So yeah, obviously it's taking place on one day instead of a whole week. And there's going to be two days of nonviolent direct action training leading up to the day of, which will be really important to make sure that everybody feels prepared for what we're about to do. It's different in a few different ways. I feel like this is Passover. I'm answering the four questions.

How is this action different from all other actions? actions? Well, it's going to be a real centralization of efforts, right? Because other weeks of action have been a little more diffuse, a little more spread out. And here, we're bringing to bear the full power of all the people coming from all over the country in the same place at the same time, because there's safety in numbers, and there's power in numbers. And I feel like the June week of action, people were going all over the place, not really sure what to do when. And I talked to a lot of people who were like, just tell us what to do. Tell us what the move is on this particular day, and we'll be there. And there was no one to do that, which is sometimes

a hazard of anarchistic movements. Nobody's in charge. And we're not in charge right now either, I should say. Everybody is going to have a chance to have input on the final plan in a thing called spokes councils that we're doing the weekend before the action. But yeah, I think we're picking a lane and we're doing a thing. And this particular lane has been chosen for a number of different reasons. The movement is in an interesting place right now where more people than ever know about Cop City. More people than ever are opposed to Cop City, as evidenced by the 120,000 petition signatures that the referendum campaign was able to collect to actually get a referendum on the ballot to let the people of Atlanta actually vote on whether or not they want this thing built. Of course, the city is throwing every trick in the book at them because they do not want to let the people vote. But on the other hand, lots of people know about it. Lots of people oppose it. But the number of people who are willing

and able to show up and do direct action against it has dwindled. And that's for a few different reasons. There's been so much repression of the movement. 100 people at least are now facing charges. We've got people facing domestic terrorism charges. We've got people facing RICO charges, just like an absurd overreach of the state, even according to mainstream legal scholars. So we really need a way for people to feel empowered doing direct action again. And this is what we've settled upon as the solution. And maybe Sam can take it from there. Sure. Thanks. Yeah. To build upon that, I suppose, right. You were sort of asking, why is it that less people than ever are taking embodied

action in the forest? And one of those reasons also is people have been directing attention to other initiatives right so the the 120,000 petition signatures was you know gathered by something like 3,000 volunteers there's all sorts of different parties throughout the movement who have been trying you know just another diverse tactic right This movement has seen incredibly diverse tactics over the last two years, all sort of moving in unison with one another. And we sort of see Block Cop City as just another type of tactic in a larger repertoire of a toolkit. You know, we haven't actually had an instance of over a thousand people

doing embodied direct action in the forest. Like that's never occurred in this campaign. Um, we've had a lot of people during some weeks of action where we were distributed, we're very autonomously organized. And we're sort of treading a line between like the main sort of organizing style, you know, we're on tour right now, right. I'm calling in from Vancouver and you're over in Maine vast continental wide tour. One of the primary functions of this tour is like the activation of affinity groups to, to sort of catalyze and come down to Atlanta. So that crews can sort of have the confidence of flexibility,

the warmth and the revelry that comes with moving through space with your homies, with your comrades, while at the same time, there's a very large cohort of various logistical teams trying to figure out various programming events, the locations of these trainings, how to feed people, how to house people, how to keep people entertained, things like that. So I think the scope is larger, potentially hitting 80 cities if we can finalize a few final requests. And the action itself, right, so as Jamie was saying, is sort of confined to one day, right, but it's a four day convergence. So the action itself

is being our goal is to sort of carve out a space that day of on the morning of Monday, November 13, which thousands of people can take embodied action together in the forest again. When you say like embodied action, I know this thing has been advertised as using quote unquote strategic nonviolence, as opposed to like moralistic nonviolence, like where you like oppose violent direct action on principle. Instead, this has been trying to employ nonviolence as a strategic action. Do you want to talk a little bit about kind of how that's being envisioned? Because I know there's certainly, even in Atlanta, there's a lot

of people who are either skeptical or confused or fear that there's like other, you know, safety issues with an action as public as this, right? Because you're trying to get thousands of people to show up. So this is this very publicly announced thing, which also gives the police a big heads up. So I know there's been a lot of, you know, there's, there's a lot of questions and I feel like, you know,

the, this, this aspect of nonviolence is a very interesting one because the defend the Atlanta forest movement has been, I think very historically defined by, you know, very spontaneous fiery acts of sabotage. So I guess,

yeah, just let's, I want to kind of, I'm interested in this kind of strategic nonviolence aspect. Well, I don't know that it's been defined by the strategic acts of sabotage, which, by the way, I don't consider violence against private property to be violence. I tend to apply that to human beings only. But yeah, we certainly we don't disavow violence. We don't disavow any tactics in this fight. I mean, the highest level of violence that any activists have even been accused of is

probably about the same level that you'd find if you've ever had a Roman candle fight with your friends, right? You're shooting fireworks in each other's general direction. and candle fight with your friends, right? You're shooting fireworks in each other's general direction. Obviously, that wasn't happening for fun when folks did it in the activism world. But yeah. Why nonviolence? Why now? It's a great question. And I think a lot of it has to do with responding to the charges on the table. A lot of it has to do with wanting to create an easier on-ramp for people and something that can be openly promoted. Because for better or for worse, the media has at times portrayed certain corners of the movement as these scary eco-terrorists. And when people are doing a

higher risk action, it's inherently something that you can't really go around the country talking about and engaging groups of people that you don't know. So, you know, we wanted to strike this balance, right? And what are we doing? Well, yes, technically, it's a crime. So was what Martin Luther King did in the 1960s. And we wanted to draw on that legacy, right? Because the civil rights movement has a deep, deep legacy in Atlanta itself. So like we've had rallies at the MLK Center and now. So, OK, we're doing a thing. Right. There's a thousand people there. There's children there. There's clergy. It's in broad daylight.

The state is sort of caught in a bind now because, OK, it could arrest a thousand people in broad daylight and charge them with domestic terrorism. That would create a political crisis and that would be an international outrage. And I think it would also be fairly unprecedented. It's possible that that would happen, although I don't think that's what's going to happen. There was recently a similar kind of direct action on the construction site that the Faith Coalition against Cop City did. Actually, five people chained themselves to the construction equipment and they were arrested. They're all out on misdemeanors now, which is what you usually get a thousand people and charge them with terrorism. That would be an international outrage. That would be a political crisis. On the other hand, the state could do, and there are signs that it's been pulling back, right? Because what I just said, if the state charges people with misdemeanors for doing the exact same thing that people were recently charged with terrorism or hit with RICO charges for doing, that will also serve to further delegitimize these charges for the people already facing them. know me from my popular online series, The Running Interview Show, where I run with celebrities,

athletes, entrepreneurs, and more. After those runs, the conversations keep going. That's what my podcast, Post Run High, is all about. It's a chance to sit down with my guests and dive even deeper into their stories, their journeys, and the thoughts that arise once we've hit the pavement together. You know that rush of endorphins you feel after a great workout? Well, that's when the real magic happens. So if you love hearing real, inspiring stories from the people you know, follow, and admire, join me every week for Post Run High. It's where we take the conversation beyond the run and get into the heart of it all. It's lighthearted, pretty crazy, and very fun. Listen to Post Run High on the iHeartRadio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome. I'm Danny Thrill. Won't you join me at the fire and dare enter? I'm Danny Trejo. Won't you join me at the fire and dare enter? Nocturnum, Tales from the Shadows, presented by iHeart and Sonora. An anthology of modern-day horror stories inspired by the legends of Latin America. From ghastly encounters with shapeshifters to bone-chilling brushes with supernatural creatures. I know you. Take a trip and experience the horrors that have haunted Latin America since the beginning of time.

Listen to Nocturnal tales from the shadows as part of my cultura podcast network available on the iheart radio app apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast hey i'm jack peace thomas the host of a brand new black effect original series black lit the podcast for diving deep into the rich world of Black literature. I'm Jack Peace Thomas, and I'm inviting you to join me in a vibrant community of literary enthusiasts dedicated to protecting and celebrating our stories. Black Lit is for the page turners,

for those who listen to audiobooks while commuting or running errands, for those who find themselves audiobooks while commuting or running errands, for those who find themselves seeking solace, wisdom, and refuge between the chapters. From thought-provoking novels to powerful poetry, we'll explore the stories that shape our culture. Together, we'll dissect classics and contemporary works while uncovering the stories of the brilliant writers behind them. Blacklit is here to amplify the voices of Black writers and to bring their words to life. Listen to Blacklit on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Mass arrests are certainly a pretty big concern for people when they're deciding if they want to

go to such an action and i mean because this action is happening and you know one of the one of the most i would say it's probably in like the the top five most policed areas of of the country right now is in the south river forest specifically the cop city construction site it's certainly a concern a lot of people have, especially when, you know, we're talking about possibly police arresting hundreds of people trying to kettle them in the site.

It's, it's, it's certainly a very, very valid concern to have. I'll also add a little bit to that. So for me, the, the question of like mass arrest is actually maybe not even in the top five

reasons why I'm interested in doing this campaign um i think it obviously is a possibility right i would say the goal of this action um for me at least is not to get arrested uh obviously like um you know many civil disobedience campaigns like that's an explicit part of their understanding yeah like a lot of change right yeah a lot of like the extinction rebellion kind of tactics even some of the more kind of earth first tactics kind of revolve around being arrested as a part of of of the tactic itself and there's certainly been a lot of pushback towards that type of like self sacrificial tactic here in atlanta the past few years, and kind of in the general kind of anarchist milieu that's kind of been like stewing that, you know, is this kind of

self-sacrifice of being arrested actually useful in any way? And I'm sure that is part of some people's thought process going into this is, you know, if there's a decent chance I am going to get arrested just for walking onto a site, is it worth it? But sorry, I realized I interrupted you and went on a short rant. No, that's okay. It's a very important issue to a lot of us, right? So, yeah, like sort of as I was saying, like the goal of this action is not to get arrested. Yeah, like sort of as I was saying, like the goal of this act is action is not to get arrested. But but obviously, as you were saying, like we're waltzing onto the fucking sorry, cop city construction site. It's a very good chance to say the least.

And but for me, the other interesting parts about this is right is embodied action in the forest has just not felt possible for months and months and months. There hasn't been an occupation of the forest since the cops killed tort in January of this year, except for a couple of days during the March week of action. But largely speaking, the forest has been held by big, scary men with big, scary guns for many months now. And the horizons feel incredibly obscured. You know, it's very unclear what the movement could do right now that could jumpstart our energies, that could serve as a container for the thousands and thousands and thousands of disillusioned and disenfranchised folks who have been working tirelessly at other methods of change as well, right our sort of theory is the the the most powerful action

that we can do is one that's sort of defined by our power in numbers by our power in our unity by our power in sticking together in order so for me the interesting question isn't even necessarily what happens on november 13th of this year the day of the action. For me, the interesting question is like, what new horizons does this open up in the movement? How we can reactivate and recatalyze our energy and understand and prove to ourselves in a collective fashion that embodied action in the forest is indeed possible at a mass level. And this actually sort of seeks to advance the energy in the movement to a new height that hasn't actually occurred, right? What's going to happen is more people than ever will be in the forest together at the same time. And that right now is precisely what's needed in this moment. And the only way to do that as we're doing this publicly and above ground, one, to help aid in that sort of facilitation of

just a numbers game, right? And then two is like, we want people to be able to make an informed and consensual decision on how they want to engage. And the only way that they can do that is for them to actually know what the heck is going to happen. Right. and how the finalized version of the plan will be, as Jamie sort of opened with, discussed democratically and horizontally at these in-person outdoor COVID safe spokes council meetings on Saturday, November 11th and Sunday, November 12th down there in Atlanta, where all of these affinity groups from around the country, around the state and around the city of Atlanta will sort of elect one of their homies to go to this larger general assembly type thing that will then sort of democratically and horizontally determine what the actual specifics of Monday's plan will be. Are there any sort of community agreements that we want to uplift and highlight so that we can all sort of know and be on the same page and move in a similar way together? And those could be,

I don't want to speak for what they're, because those will be determined in the spokes council yeah but the sort of like there's been questions i guess lastly there's been questions about well what does that actually look like to maintain a level of non-violence whatever that might actually mean in a space right so like i'm sure a lot of folks listening and myself included probably all of us here, have witnessed, for lack of a better word, peace policing or something to that effect, right? Our wager with this, our goal with this, is the activation of affinity groups, of crews that roll up together, who enter into this sort of like consensual horizontal decision-making space where community agreements are explicitly laid out in the days leading up to the action. horizontal decision-making space where community agreements are explicitly laid out in the days leading up to the action, those specific affinity groups can hold each other accountable to those norms in whatever way that they want, right? You and your homies holding it down for one another in like what we're calling for, right, is nonviolence, right? That we can debate,

we can have a heady political debate about the meaning of violence and the meaning of nonviolence, but the language of nonviolence has a rich history in American social justice movements. That term has meaning to a lot of people, and that's actually what's being advocated for on this day, but only on that day. Right. Like, so what we're talking about is like in this specific space that we're going to like create together. This is what we're doing, what we're calling for in this moment in time, in this specific geography. If people have other ways to engage in other spaces or at other times, one of the hallmarks of the movement is that by all means they should. Right. That's what's kept this movement strong. And this is no different. Yeah. I'd like to add that there's definitely a precedent for this within the movement. There were probably a number of events like this, but this was the one that I was there for. There was a march, a rally and a march at you know, attention, comrades, this particular event is going to be a low risk event. We've decided that is what we need today.

We've done a lot of work in the community, getting community members to come out to this who maybe haven't been that involved in the past. A lot of older working class Black people are going to be there. Please don't do anything that's going to attract extra attention from the cops. Don't do anything spicy. Don't break windows. If they tell attract extra attention from the cops. Don't do anything spicy. Don't break windows. If they tell you to stay on the sidewalk, stay on the sidewalk. Not that there's anything wrong with those tactics, right? In general.

And he went out of his way to say, we do not denounce these tactics in general. It is just not the right thing to do today at this particular thing. And everybody pretty much listened and everybody bathed themselves. And I thought it was a really cool example of the respect, the mutual respect across different corners of this movement. Yeah. I've definitely been thinking about that action in relation to this upcoming kind of event. Yeah, I think it was on the Thursday of the fifth week of action. A few days after there was like the mass arrests

at the music festival. Because I mean, in the lead up to that community Movement Builders March, there were very similar questions around like, yeah, like who's going to enforce nonviolence, which is kind of a silly question. And there is precedent, absolutely, of people like peace policing and even turning over people to the cops. That is a precedent. But in this case, like, you know, these specific people and community

movement builders have been pretty down with the more militant aspects of this movement for years. And, you know, in the hours before that action, you know, people sought and gained more clarification on like, no, like, we're not going to like fuck you over. But like, hey, we're trying to like bring our grandmas and our kids to this. And not that the police need any excuse to, you know, attack people. But this is, you know, this is the thing that we're planning. This is what we're trying to do. You don't have to come if you don't want to. And, you know, and it is that type of like mutual understanding and agreement that actions like this kind of rest on. to do, you know, spicy stuff on the site. Because that's a, you know, from their perspective, that's a very attractive proposal,

which, you know, also has precedence in these types of big mass mobilizations. There's certainly aspects of that that kind of intersect with this, especially, you know, one concern people may have is that this is being pushed as like, hey, we're, you know, we're going to all these cities. We're trying to mobilize all these people,

get a thousand people. We're all planning this thing together. There's a certain risk that that type of language could be turned against any of the possibly hundreds of people arrested on March 13th and have that roll in to the RICO charges that people are facing in Georgia. Now, I also kind of, from my understanding, part of this action is to kind of showcase the kind of absurdity of these RICO charges by demonstrating that this is like very typical civil rights kind of, you know, social movement organizing. But I think those two things, I think, can actually coexist. Where, yes, this is very typical civil rights organizing.

And also the state, specifically the state in Atlanta, have not cared at all and is very willing to use charges like this as a chilling tactic to suppress any future, you know, like protest or mobilization against cop city. So this is like, I think one, one other dynamic that people are certainly thinking about in terms of, you know, deciding if they want to participate in something like this. Sure. Yeah. Above all, one of the primary functions of repression, right, is to, to scare us into inaction. Right? And in the face of that, the worst thing that we can do is cower away and shrink. And precisely this type of mass mobilization is the ultimate show of solidarity with all people who have been swept up into

various trumped up legal charges related to this movement and um and also there's you know in throughout the history of american social movements there's there's there's precedent after precedent after precedent of people organizing their communities and their friends that they care about to travel to a place of you know of injustice and stand in solidarity together right this is like this this is a classic organizing tactic. It's nothing particularly new. It's the first time that I've been involved in sort of this scale of organizing and this sort of specific flavor. I think with any action, right, just because we call it nonviolence doesn't mean that violence won't occur on the site,

specifically maybe at the hands of the police or other law enforcement agencies, right? Just because we call it nonviolence doesn't mean that there isn't risk involved, right? With any action that we go to, there's risk involved. But our understanding is that the risk of inaction far outweighs the risk of action in this moment. Yeah, because they're going to build that thing

if nobody does anything. They're going to build that thing. If nobody does anything, they're trying to build it right now. And what's going to happen after that? Well, there's going to be hundreds and hundreds more cops on the streets, trained in all the latest militarized technological ways to, you know, oppress and terrorize civilian populations and put down the next big popular uprising, which they've connected it with very explicitly. So we should be thinking about it in that way too. And we're a generation without victories, right? It just sort of feels like we...

I don't want to minimize real tangible wins that do indeed happen, but largely speaking, it feels like we're a generation without victories. We need to win social struggles and tens of thousands of people from around the world are watching the defend the Atlanta forest movement, hoping that it wins. Right. So I sort of asked myself what would have happened if, if standing rock would have won, right?

Like standing rock raised the bar for what it means to resist a pipeline encampment in unceded indigenous territory in this country. It raised the bar for that, right? So the next time that invariably rolls around, hopefully we can begin from that point. But the pipeline is built, right? Oil is flowing through it. Oil is leaking through it.

It didn't win that element of the work. And that's why it's important that we have victories. And that's why, you know, there's so much, so many people pouring so much energy into the Defend the Atlanta Forest, Stop Cop City, No Hollywood Dystopia campaign, because we know it's winnable, but we need to ratchet it up. And this is precisely the sort of level of accessible, but also drastically heightened level of ratcheting up of our intensity of our collective power together that's possible in this moment. Hey guys, I'm Kate Max. You might know me from my popular online series, The Running Interview Show, where I run with celebrities,

athletes, entrepreneurs, and more. After those runs, the conversations keep going. That's what my podcast, Post Run High, is all about. It's a chance to sit down with my guests and dive even deeper into their stories, their journeys, and the thoughts that arise once we've hit the pavement together. You know that rush of endorphins you feel after a great workout? Well, that's when the real magic happens. So if you love hearing real, inspiring stories from the people you know, follow, and admire, join me every week for Post Run High. It's where we take the conversation beyond the run and get into the heart of it all. It's lighthearted, pretty crazy, and very fun.

Listen to Post Run High on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome. I'm Danny Thrill. Won't you join me at the fire and dare enter? Nocturnal Tales from the Shadows, presented by iHeart and Sonora. An anthology of modern-day horror stories inspired by the legends of Latin America. From ghastly encounters with shapeshifters to bone-chilling brushes with supernatural creatures. I know you. Take a trip and experience the horrors that have haunted Latin America

since the beginning of time. Listen to Nocturnal Tales from the Shadows as part of My Cultura podcast network, available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Jack Peace Thomas, the host of a brand new Black Effect original series, Black Lit, the podcast for diving deep into the rich world of Black literature. I'm Jack Peace Thomas, and I'm inviting you to join me and a vibrant community of literary enthusiasts dedicated to protecting and celebrating our stories. Blacklit is for the page turners, for those who listen to audio books while commuting or running errands, for those who find themselves seeking solace, wisdom, and refuge between the chapters. From thought-provoking novels to powerful poetry, we'll explore the stories that shape our culture. Together, we'll dissect classics and contemporary works while uncovering the stories of the brilliant writers behind them. Blacklit is here to amplify the voices of Black writers and to bring their words to life. Listen to Blacklit on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

earlier in this conversation is that this plan is really just one spear in the many that's trying to put cracks in the facade of the Cop City project. And this action is really just being put in relation to a whole bunch of other things that could happen that would eventually lead to Cop City being stopped. I think that's a really important aspect to kind of clarify because, you know, there are some detractors who are, are you know framing this action as being like the only you know path forward that organizers are wanting to do and i don't know this this movement's been very very based on people taking their own spontaneous action and there being not just one strategy not just one plan there's always a big a big you know litany of things that could be going on, which all kind of starts to put pressure on this house of cards, so to speak. There's a political crisis, a ruin in

Atlanta, and it has been for a very long time, right? Andre Dickens, for some reason, has put all of his chips into this thing, and he is hated for it. The Atlanta Police Foundation has taken out millions and millions and millions of dollars of loans to build this thing. If they fail to build Cop City, which they will, then they will default on those loans and they might go bankrupt. So this entire project is essentially a house of cards. And it doesn't really feel that way because it's being buttressed on all sides by corporations, by crony politicians, by big men with big guns, you know.

But they're doing so precisely because it's fragile, precisely because it's a house of cards and there's zero buy-in from the community and from people and standing in solidarity around the world for this project. What could be a fatal death blow to this movement is a mass quantitative uptick in the number of people taking action in the forest. And that would be a new and novel blow to this thing that it hasn't really seen. that it hasn't really seen? There really is a battle happening over the like who gets to use this language of social justice and who gets to draw on the legacy of the civil rights movement.

Right. And there are two really competing narratives right now. You have the stop cop city movement, which has a pretty complete analysis, I would say, of the ways that racial oppression and class exploitation power American capitalism, right? And the ways that cop city feed into and enable those things with the help of the bourgeois state. And then you have the cynical take from the city of Atlanta and from the political class. I'm looking at a post that just, I think just was posted by the city of Atlanta Twitter account. It says, Mayor Andre for Atlanta welcomed guests to the March on Washington 60th Dream Youth Panel at North Atlanta High School. Mayor Dickens highlighted the significance of MLK's nonviolence movement and shared his hopes that our youth will work together to fulfill MLK's dream.

Hashtag M.O.W. 60. So there we have a cynical attempt to harness the legacy of the civil rights movement. Right. Because what what the fuck is he even talking about? Like, how are you going to work together to fulfill MLK's dream of, you know, freedom, equality, not just in terms of who gets to buy things at a particular store, but like true economic power and equality for everyone, especially black proletarians who have served a very specific and important role in American capitalism, right? What is he talking about? If not, like we're doing exactly what MLK used to do. This is a nonviolent act of civil disobedience. So what could he, what else could he mean by that? Does he mean voting for Democrats? Does he mean working for NGOs? Does he mean joining this political class? That's been coming out from from the state and from the, you know, the bourgeois media and the mainstream press that just kind of uncritically reports the things that the mayor says, the things that the cops say. The propaganda isn't working. One hundred and twenty thousand people signed this petition in a city of five hundred thousand. I mean, I think they can clearly see who's really carrying on this project of social justice and equality.

Great. I always love checking up on the City of Atlanta Twitter account because at least once a day they post some absolutely absurd thing. I guess the last thing I think it's probably worth mentioning is that like a big part of this plan is trying to catalyze affinity groups to come to the city, you know, with, you know, specifically with the idea of them participating in this in this action on November 13th. But, you know, nothing is stopping affinity groups from pursuing other forms of direct action during the four or so days they might be in town. I think a large part of this movement's been very based on self-determination and radical autonomy, whether that includes your ability to participate in big collective mass actions or just having fun with your friends around the city, like what happened near the end of the last week of action where eight

motorcycles mysteriously vanished from the material plane. So, we're about a month away from this. If people are interested and want to learn more information about this proposal, where can people find said information?

Yeah, thanks for that. We're currently in the middle of our WeLani Worldwide Mass Action Speaking Tour. 80 cities from Portland, Maine to Portland, Oregon, Vancouver to Tijuana, and everywhere in between. Jamie and I will also be co-hosting a Zoom tour stop on Saturday, October 14th at 3 p.m. Eastern time. Check out blockcopcity.org for information on those tour stops, including the ones on Zoom. There's also going to be a schedule for the weekend's festivities that is coming up quite soon, which could include several cultural events, welcoming ceremonies, two in-person spokes council meetings, general direct action, nonviolent direct action trainings, as well as other ways to

spend time, quality time together down in the forest leading up to the mass action on the morning of Monday, November 13th. If people have resources they would like to donate to the movement, whether that be in the form of in-person housing, help with transportation, help with collective cooking processes, help with social media outreach, journalistic outreach, help with just thinking through this thing, right? And how we can make it as empowering and successful as possible and help sort of allow this to once again raise the bar for what it means to fight against deforestation,

to fight against over-policing in black and brown communities around the country, to fight against economic injustice, and the attack on dignified forms of life across social movements and, and, and, and, and regions, you can contact us via our contact form on the web page which you can find on blockcopcity.org contact and there's a contact form to fill out there's also a gmail blockcopcity at gmail.com so if any of those things or if you want to figure out how to plug in feel free to direct your correspondence to one of those channels yeah blockcopcity.org. You can watch our hype video. You can read our invitation to

action. You can... Well, the tour might be mostly over by then, but you can look at where the tour has been. Lots of good information on that website. And there's also lots of ways to get in touch. So yeah, hope to see you all in November. You're cordially invited to activate an affinity group. Come down to November between Friday, Veterans Day, November 10th to Monday, November 13th. And then also it's important to note that probably on the 14th and the 15th, there'll be collective days of healing and anti-repression work that will be happening citywide as well. That does it for us today on the show. Once again, thanks to Sam and Jamie for talking with me about this action. Hopefully you have a little bit more information about this than you had going into it.

You can certainly find more information about this action and, you know, a variety of other opinions on the scenes.noblogs website and other kind of anarchist news websites if you want to go seeking out those other opinions. See you on the other side. It Could Happen Here is a production of Cool Zone Media. For more podcasts from Cool Zone Media, visit our website, coolzonemedia.com or check us out on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

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