This Is America #144: Willamette Action Collective on Mutual Aid During Heat Wave; Campaign to Defend the Atlanta Forest

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Welcome, to This Is America, July 13th, 2021.

On this episode, first we speak someone from the Willamette Action Collective, a grassroots autonomous anti-capitalist group organizing in the Portland, Oregon area. We speak about the realities on the ground in the Pacific Northwest as a recent heat wave has left hundreds dead and mutual aid groups have begun to organize in the face of a terrifying new normal brought on by climate change.

Fire season has begun in Oregon. Willamette Action Collective is running emergency supplies to the Warms Springs reservation this week. Support our mutual aid efforts in response to this fire & our preparations for the rest of this fire season. pic.twitter.com/FqG00lnkq1

— Willamette Action Collective (@WillametteAC) June 24, 2021

We then speak with two folks involved in the growing autonomous campaign to Defend the Atlanta Forest in Atlanta, GA. They discuss the history of the area, the importance of the forest to the local ecology, and how recent development proposals from both the Atlanta police and a movie studio threaten to bulldoze hundreds of acres of woodland to make way for a massive sound-stage and a huge police training facility which locals have dubbed, “Cop City.” We also talk about the recent week of action, which saw everything from cultural and educational events, live music, and militant demonstrations.

defend the atlanta forest! #nocopcity pic.twitter.com/lcuYrvHNbg

— Defend the Atlanta Forest (@defendATLforest) July 12, 2021

We then switch to our discussion, where we cover the current realities of climate change, the possibilities of economic collapse, and much more.

Upcoming Events

• July 15th: Keep Your Cell Phone and Our Movements Safe. 6 PM, EST. Online event.
• July 17th: Day of Action Against ICE, Portland, OR. More info here.
• July 17th: Rally against far-Right transphobes in Los Angeles. More info here.
• August 21st – September 9th: Call for abolitionist actions in support of prisoner struggles. More info here.
• September 12th: Running Down the Walls, Philadelphia, PA, FDR Park. Benefit for political prisoners. 11 AM. More info here.
• November 12th – 14th: Protest against white nationalist ‘American Renaissance’ conference in Burns, Tennessee. More info here.

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photo: Bjørn Nielsen via Unsplash