In the depths of an Atlanta forest, a clash between activists and authorities ended in tragedy,

but the official narrative doesn't add up. We came to the forest. A new investigative podcast from

Wondery, campsite media, and tenderfoot TV peels back the layers of secrecy surrounding a deadly

confrontation that shook a community to its core. Through exclusive recordings

and never-before-released eyewitness accounts, host Matthew Cher exposes the hidden truths behind a

nighttime shootout that left one activist dead and countless lives forever changed. As we dig deeper,

we uncover a web of conflicting testimonies, missing evidence,

and allegations of a cover-up reaching the highest levels of law enforcement. From the idealistic

dreams of young environmentalists to the complex motivations of local officials, this story

challenges our understanding of justice, activism, and the lengths

people will go to protect what they believe in. What actually happened in the forest? I'm about to

play a clip from We Came to the Forest. Follow We Came to the Forest on the Wondery app or wherever you

get your podcast.

On a chilly evening in January, an activist named Vienna goes on a date with her partner in Atlanta.

It's been a long, rough month for Vienna, the longest in some ways she can remember,

and she spent much of it lying low, crashing on the floor at a friend's house.

Her partner, who goes by Tortugita, that's little turtle in Spanish, has decided that it's

time for her to get out of the house.

And we went to get Vietnamese and Mexican food, just got a whole buffet.

And Tortugito was like at their peak. They were just so happy.

They quit cigarettes.

They were just really doing good.

...