STOP COP CITY on Instagram: "It has been confirmed that major Cop City contractors Atlas Technical Consultants/Long Engineering have dropped out of the project. On July 2nd, an anonymous online report after a protest in Minnesota stated that two separate executives claimed that Atlas dropped out of the project because protestors were "f####ng nightmares." Over the last two years according to anonymous online reports, Atlas Technical Consultants Offices across the country have been repeatedly targeted by direct action(s) with alleged vandalism, ranging from broken windows, stinkbombs, graffiti, etc. Atlas Technical Consulting and its subsidiary Long Engineering have played major roles in the pre-construction work so far. Some claim that the company was to be involved with the structural engineering of the planned buildings for Cop City. This could indicate that Atlas had planned to remain on the project for far longer, and only dropped out because of significant public pressure. The company claims that it had only committed to a smaller portion of the project than expected, but this argument was also used by former Cop City contractor Reeves Young, who dropped out of the project in April 2022. Later investigation by @atlpresscollective confirmed that Reeves Young dropped out of the project due to the many protests, call-in campaigns, and direct actions that occurred against the company.While Atlas will never admit that public pressure caused them to drop their contract, this is very likely what a movement win would look like in the context of public pressure campaigns. So far, the corporations that have dropped out of the project have been heavily targeted by direct action that enacts unexpected economic costs, even if temporary. It remains to be seen how this recent development will affect the planned Cop City construction timeline, with initial construction currently expected to begin in August after mass land grading.There are still many Cop City contractors left. Check out stopcopcitysolidarity.org to find local Cop City enablers in your area and begin planning your protests and actions today. Follow @stopreeves.young for more info on contractors.#stopcopcity #defendatlantaforest" | Zootzle
