Amanda Seales Instagram – via @saveweelaunee Last friday morning, around 20 Black women and femmes protested outside the Collier Heights home of Mayor Andre Dickens. Wearing all white despite the rain, the group demanded that Mayor Dickens drop the City of Atlanta’s court appeal against the referendum that would put the ‘Cop City’ project up for a city-wide vote. The group said they found Mayor Dickens’ address through publicly accessible paperwork. They confirmed he lives there, at least some of the time, through neighbors and an Instagram story showing the mayor passing out candy from that address on Halloween. Sitting in a circle before the action, Mary Hooks, tactical lead for the Cop City Vote campaign, which was responsible for the referendum effort, asked each person in the group to share the reason they got out of bed before 6 a.m. to protest at the mayor’s house. Several women invoked the names of their children. Another spoke about her brother who is currently incarcerated. Others voiced their hope and anger, speaking more broadly about the need to fight for a world where Black people can be safe from state violence. Danielle Rodriguez is Program Coordinator for SisterSong, an advocacy organization for indigenous women and women of color. She said she woke up excited at 4 a.m. “What got me up this morning was you all,” Rodriguez said as she scanned the circle and made eye contact with each person. Local organizer and Spelman graduate Eva shared that they got out of bed because they respected the protest’s strategy. “I think this is a really beautiful, culturally responsive strategy. I think it’s a strategy that tells the truth about who is impacted and who cares about this fight,” they said. “The other thing that got me out of bed this morning was Palestine,” they added. Read the full article at atlpresscollective.com See @atlpresscollective for full video