Mayor Dickens and the Atlanta City Council continue to plow forward with plans for cop training facility in the Weelaunee forest despite massive community backlash; hundreds of activists flood City Council demanding the end of the project and the resignation of the Mayor.
Protests continued in Atlanta this week over the proposed cop city project. The plan aims to construct an Atlanta police training facility in one of the last forested areas inside the Atlanta perimeter. This initiative has faced strong opposition from within the community, as well as from activists who argue that it will perpetuate the kind of militarized policing Atlanta PD is known for. The plans include military-grade training facilities, a mock city to practice urban warfare, dozens of shooting ranges, and a Black Hawk helicopter landing pad. Funding for the project is a mix of taxpayer funds and donations to the Atlanta Police Foundation from prominent Atlanta-based corporations such as UPS, Chick-fil-a, Home Depot, and JP Morgan Chase, among others.
On Monday, May 15, nearly 300 citizens showed up to a City Council meeting at Atlanta City Hall to make public comment against the cop city project. This isn’t the first time the public’s view of the proposal has been so one sided. At virtually every phase of planning, Atlanta’s attitude towards cop city has been overwhelmingly negative. The mayor and city council seem completely indifferent towards the public’s demands and unwilling to listen to criticism of the project or accept that it is not wanted by a majority of ATLiens. Certainly not by those closest to the project site who stand to lose the only green space left in their community.
We will keep providing updates to this story as they develop. In the mean time, here are some valuable links where you can learn more about this invasive project and get involved:
https://stopcop.city/
https://news.littlesis.org/2022/11/15/meet-the-major-corporations-and-cultural-institutions-helping-build-cop-city-in-atlanta/
https://www.stopcopcitysolidarity.org/
https://communitymovementbuilders.org/stop-cop-city/