The sign in the forest reads “You are now leaving The U.S.A.” Then, high up among the branches of a white oak tree, there is a treehouse the size of a closet. It is draped on all sides with white sheets bearing painted messages like “No police”, “No pipelines” and “No prisons”.
On the ground below it, woodland paths have been blocked with makeshift barricades of branches and used tires. There is a burned-out white pickup truck with “Defend the forest” spray-painted in black on its tailgate.
The city of Atlanta wants to build a $90m training center for police and firefighters in this suburban patch of green. In response activists have taken to the trees to protest what they dismiss as a “Cop City”, a plan that was approved amid local opposition.
