On Monday, hundreds of people marched to stop the construction of a police and firefighter training center in Atlanta. The site, which has been infamously dubbed as Cop City, is located outside Atlanta city limits in DeKalb County.
In typical cop fashion, officers used tear gas and flash-bang grenades to deal with the large crowd. Some protesters anticipated the police response and wore masks, goggles and chemical suits to protect themselves.
The crowd reportedly pushed officers in riot gear outside the training center site. Officers responded with tear gas after pushing back, with one protester allegedly throwing a canister back at them.
Both the DeKalb County police department and Georgia state troopers were protecting the site with armored vehicles. The protest, which was called “Block Cop City,” was part of ongoing attempts to completely hault construction of the site.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens has said that the 85-acre facility—which will cost $90 million to build—would serve as a suitable replacement to insufficient training facilities for officers.
However, what detractors are worried about is the further police militarization and how it will hurt the poor and majority-Black area. Activists occupied the construction site for months in the woods until authorities pushed them out in January.
That incident resulted in 26-year-old protester Manuel Esteban Paez Terán, who was called Tortuguita, being shot to death by police officers. Last month, a prosecutor shared the no charges would be pursued against the state troopers who killed Paez Terán.
He also said their use of deadly force was “objectively reasonable.” Paez Terán’s parents appeared at Monday’s protest. In another gross abuse of power, prosecutors have called the protest movement against Cop City a conspiracy.
They stated that crimes committed include possessing fire accelerants and tossing Molotov cocktails at law enforcement officers. More than three dozen folks have been charged.