Foreign Chaos [COP’s CITY/COP CITY]
Few moments are too big for my eyes but I was there the night Rayshard Brooks’ sleeping, spooky anger awakened and burned a southwest Atlanta Wendy’s to nothing. June 13, 2020. I didn’t light the fire but I wish I did. Despite the fact that three (Natalie Hanna White, John Wesley Wade, and Chisom Kingston) were arrested in the weeks following the demonstration, I’d argue every protester was innocent of arson. The reality is that when Officer Garrett Rofe murdered Rayshard Brooks (27, married father of three) for being drunk and asleep in a drive-thru, less than three weeks after the murder of George Floyd, he made further destruction our responsibility. The flames swelled with my back to them, I ran from the fire and tear gas and bullets and the police and the fear and the night and I hardly stopped to look back. The destruction had just begun. More black people would die at the hands of law enforcement all across the country, more poor people would be stolen from, more loss would be felt by many at the hands of the few.
On June 5, 2023 in Atlanta; the city that murdered Rayshard Brooks nearly three years earlier, the Atlanta City Council approved a transfer of upwards of 30 million dollars to the Atlanta Police Foundation for the construction of “Cop City” despite overwhelming public disapproval and consistent cries for local governments to “defund the police.” Cop City is a 381-acre police militarization facility currently being built in the Weelaunee Forest, a sacred indigenous land on the outskirts of Atlanta. Over 60 million dollars of secret corporate funding has been contributed to its development as well as an additional 30 million taxpayer dollars. The current plans include a mock city to practice urban warfare, explosive testing, a plethora of shooting ranges, and a BlackHawk helicopter landing pad. All military-grade.
We are sold an idea of so-called police officers, that they are genial and selfless guardians who have taken a pledge to protect and serve their communities. The police have instead worked tirelessly and with unbridled conviction to execute and maintain the values of the ruling class. Hell, many cops don’t even work in their own communities. The further militarization of Atlanta’s police force demonstrates a few truths:
The police want the many to fear them.
The wealthy elite will do anything to secure their placement.
The wealthy elite fear the many’s striving towards prosperity.
The many’s desire for change will never be met with action as long as the wealthy elite maintain control.
The police fear us, on behalf of the wealthy elite.
Their fear begets violence on the many.
In the summer of 2020, there was civil unrest. Racism, police brutality, patriarchy, low wages, COVID-19 pandemic, gentrification, homophobia, shrinking employment and housing opportunities, disappearing small businesses. People were fucking pissed. The pressure blew up and almost tore the city apart and the wealthy elite felt naked and unprepared for what the world had to offer, for what the world was prepared to take. They felt how the many feel all the time.
At first, Cop City seemed to be a knee-jerk reaction on account of their fear of nakedness. As time marched on and public outrage at the plans intensified, I believe it grew more sinister. Many grassroots activists and organizations were calling for a reallocation of funds from the Atlanta Police Foundation to community outreach organizations. Aside from lip service from many around the whole country and “thoughts and prayers” to those who lost anything, nothing changed. “Defund the Police? Fuck no!” They had the adequate fear to do everything in their power to never be naked again.
Fear is the currency we trade in. They fear us, they perform violence and hope we fear them more. They fear the destruction of property and loss of capital, the many fear the loss of life and freedom and happiness. We stand to lose so much more and we’ve been paying for it so much longer. Rather than address or even explore the problems that catalyzed Atlanta’s insurrection, the city council decided it would be better to suppress the way the problems made us act. Shoot me in the head and tell me I’m crazy for bleeding…hell, then tell me I’m not bleeding at all!
The demonstrations against the construction of cop city were among the largest mass mobilizations ever. My heart goes out to the activists and the boots on the ground trying to make a difference and halt one of the biggest misallocations of justice and resources our community has ever suffered. My heart goes out to all the protesters that were arrested and their aching bodies. My heart, my heart, my heart. I’m not sure what else to say or what the next course of action is following the Atlanta City Council’s cowardly decision to help fund this mess rather than push those dollars into upholding and improving community life. No help for the hungry, the tired, the weary, or the homeless. Only more for the wicked.
Fuck Michael Julian Bond. Fuck Byron Amos. Fuck Mary Norwood. Fuck Matt Westmoreland. Fuck Dustin Hillis. Fuck Andrea Boone. Fuck Jason Winston. Fuck Alex Wan. Fuck Marci Collier Overstreet. Fuck Amir Farokhi. Fuck Howard Shook.
Fuck them for feeding the wrong fear, a fear based on loss and loss alone.
I wanted to sleep anywhere but jail the night Wendy’s went to ashes. My phone’s battery was nearly dead. The highways were locked, no friends or family could come get me. I was alone. As I hurried away from the fire, I noticed a lone couch sitting at one of those country-looking MARTA stops (just a metal pole, red clay, and crabgrass). Even with everything going on, I only wondered about the couch. I stared at it for minutes and just tried to breathe. Everything disappeared. The fire, the protest, the sirens, the anger, the police. Just fear.
I evacuated the area and flagged down a bus driver a few minutes later. She let me in despite the bus being out of service and took me to a train station. I made my way back to the east side.
Atlanta is beauty. A lot of the beauty comes from an appropriate fear of wasting what we have and things we may never become. Our beauty and fear becomes chaos and with enough of it, the fire may not stop at Wendy’s or a few police cars. My biggest worry is what will happen to all that beauty at the hands of fear given to those exposed to a chaos they couldn’t begin to understand.
God did give Noah the rainbow sign, no more water.
God Did.
God.
published June 13, 2023
