Exclusive: New podcast chronicles "Stop Cop City" movement
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Illustration: Courtesy of Wondery
A new podcast by award-winning investigative journalists explores what drew activists into dense DeKalb County woods to block the construction of Atlanta's public safety training center.
Why it matters: "We Came to the Forest" builds on the complicated story of the "Stop Cop City" movement. The series shares details from newly unearthed audio, photos and videos from sources and public records requests, including audio of a GBI informant and photos of the camp environmental protesters built near the construction site.
- The six-episode series debuts on Jan. 27.
What they're saying: The complexity of the movement and web of themes running throughout — environmental concerns, police militarization, the power of governments and civic organizations, and more — drew the team to the project, series host Matthew Shaer told Axios in an exclusive interview.
Catch up quick: Produced by Wondery ("How I Built This"), Tenderfoot ("Atlanta Monster") and Campside Media ("Noble"), "We Came to the Forest" weaves together the stories of three people from different worlds and their roles in opposing the $115 million police and fire training academy.
- The group includes Matthew Johnson, an Atlanta preacher and movement spokesperson, Vienna Forrest, a trans activist from Nebraska, and protester Manuel "Tortuguita" Esteban Paez Terán, who was shot and killed by law enforcement during the raid two years ago.
Zoom in: Georgia Bureau of Investigation officials say Paez Terán first opened fire on Georgia State Patrol officers approaching his tent.
- But GSP officers are not required to capture bodycam footage, making independent confirmation of the event difficult if not impossible.
State of play: The death of Paez Terán marked an inflection point in the "Stop Cop City" efforts, which moved out of the woods and into courtrooms.
- In September, state and Fulton County prosecutors dropped money laundering charges against three people who operated a bail fund. 61 opponents to the project face charges including domestic terrorism.
- Paez Terán's father Joel Paez and mother, Belkis Terán, who is interviewed in the series, is suing three officers involved in the Jan. 2023 raid for alleged civil rights violations.
- A lawsuit against the city to allow Atlanta voters to decide whether the center should be constructed is still in federal appeals court.
- Meanwhile, the center could open in the coming months, city officials say.
Editor's note: The charitable foundation of Cox Enterprises and its leadership have financially supported the project. Cox owns Axios.