The Atlanta City Council passed a measure approving partial funding for a new police and firefighter training center early Tuesday morning in an 11-4 vote after hundreds of anti-police protesters filled the building, according to the Associated Press.
The new $90 million police and firefighter training facility is planned to be built in Dekalb County, Georgia, and has been the subject of anti-police protesters who have dubbed the facility “Cop City,” AP reported. Democratic Mayor Andre Dickens made the construction of the training facility a priority for his administration during his first term in office.
The City Council voted to approve $31 million to construct the facility and voted to approve a proposal that requires the city spend $36 million over 30 years for facility use, according to AP. The rest of the funding will reportedly come from private donations.
The protesters gathered at Atlanta’s City Hall to have their chance to speak about the project to the City Council, according to AP. The podium was occupied for more than 13 hours as residents sought to speak against the project.
Protestors outside Atlanta City Hall are chanting “If you build it, we will burn it.”#StopCopCitypic.twitter.com/5SKNI1syvQ
— Atlanta Community Press Collective (@atlanta_press) June 5, 2023
The protesters are a part of “Stop Cop City,” a group that criticizes the project by alleging that “the Atlanta Police Foundation is building a police militarization facility for police to train in urban warfare,” according to the movement’s website. The group alleges that the project includes plans to create “military-grade training facilities, a mock city to practice urban warfare, explosives testing areas, dozens of shooting ranges, and a Black Hawk helicopter landing pad.”
The vote comes after protesters occupied the still-wooded site, sparking confrontations with police. In January, one protester died and a Georgia State Trooper was wounded in a shootout during an attempt by State Troopers to clear the area, with the protestor allegedly firing the first shot.
In March, 23 people were charged with domestic terrorism after an alleged attack where police footage showed masked individuals throwing incendiary objects and machinery burning.
The Atlanta City Council and Stop Cop City did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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