Topline
Atlanta police arrested 35 people Sunday after protesters allegedly entered the construction site of a police training center on the city’s outskirts and set fire to construction amid ongoing tensions related to the facility, dubbed “Cop City.”
A makeshift memorial for environmental activist Manuel Teran, who was deadly assaulted by law … [+]
Key Facts
Atlanta Police Department said the center was attacked by “a group of violent agitators” using “the cover of a peaceful protest” against the proposed site.
Officers said protestors were dressed in black clothing and attacked police officers at the site with “large rocks, bricks, Molotov cocktails, and fireworks.”
Atlanta Chief of Police Darin Schierbaum told reporters protesters who entered the upcoming facility and caused the damage had been attending a nearby event.
Schierbaum called the incident “a very violent attack” that was addressed quickly by officers at the site who used “non-lethal” methods to disperse the crowd and detain the people involved and no officers were injured in the incident, the police chief added.
Atlanta Solitary Fund, which covers bail for arrested protesters, accused police of indiscriminate violence and “arbitrarily” arresting attendees of the “Stop Cop City” music festival.
Environmental activists Defend the Atlanta Forest also alleged the 35 people arrested were “nowhere near the demonstration” and were simply attending the festival.
Crucial Quote
Schierbaum told the press: “This was not a protest. This is criminal activity and the criminal charges will show that.”
Key Background
The upcoming police training site has emerged as a flashpoint between the city’s police and environmental and civil rights activists. Tensions escalated sharply after a police officer shot dead 26-year-old protestor and environmental activist Manuel Esteban Paez Terán in January while he was participating in a protest at the site. Environmental groups say construction of the facility will have a negative impact on the more than 1,000 acres of woodland habitat near the city. Activists are also concerned that the center could lead to further militarization of the police. To tackle some of these concerns, the city’s mayor Andre Dickens announced the formation of a new task force last week. Sunday was day two of a planned week-long protest against the proposed Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, which is being built in the woodlands on the city’s outskirts.
Further Reading
Police: 35 detained after officers attacked, fires set at Atlanta training center site (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Protesters Damage Property at Site of Planned Police Center in Atlanta (New York Times)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2023/03/06/35-arrested-after-protests-at-atlantas-cop-city/