âStop Cop Cityâ activists look to referendum to prevent construction of $90 million police facility
Protestors of Atlanta’s proposed “Cop City” are hoping to stop its construction by implementing a referendum that could appear on the ballot in November, advocates say.
To launch the initiative, organizers have had to overcome a slew of obstacles and technicalities imposed by the city, including obtaining 70,000 petition signatures, ensuring that paperwork is submitted in accordance with city guidelines and having an Atlanta resident witness each petition signature.
On Thursday, the city’s municipal clerk rejected the initial petition submitted by activists June 7, claiming that organizers missed lines in the paperwork. Activists say the city did not inform them of the error and only discovered it when they went to check on the status of the petition.
Though the paperwork was resubmitted, it kickstarted a delay that could make it difficult for activists to get the needed signatures, demonstrators said. The clerk now has seven extra days to validate the petition. Reckon reached out to the clerk’s office for comment.
Activists also plan to pair Atlanta residents from outside city limits with people residing within city limits to ensure compliance with petition regulations. Demonstrators said the resident witness rule “was a surprise for organizers.”
Organizers have asked those opposed to the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center to voice their concerns Friday at City Hall outside the clerk’s office at 3 p.m. EST.
The proposed facility, which is being built in Dekalb County’s South River Forest, roughly 10 miles from Downtown Atlanta, has attracted national and international scrutiny for its $90 million price tag as well as the death of 26-year-old activist Manuel Teran from gunshot wounds in January.
Teran had been inside their tent during a police raid on the morning of Jan. 18, during which officials attempted to clear the forest of protestors who’d been camping near the new facility’s grounds in opposition.
As a Georgia State Patrol trooper approached the tent, a shot was fired and hit an officer. That prompted police to shoot Teran, who was inside, 57 times.
It remains unclear where the initial shot came from. In body cam footage of the incident, an officer can be heard wondering, “Did they shoot their own man?” There is no body camera footage of the incident itself, however.
During a news conference in March, Teran’s father, Joel Paez, described Teran as an upstanding individual incapable of shooting an officer.
“My child is a hero,” he said.
In June, Atlanta City Council voted 11-4 to approve $31 million in public funds for the project, as well as $36 million to be paid over 30 years, The Associated Press reported. The approval came after a lengthy meeting that lasted until 5:30 a.m. in which countless community members voiced their disapproval of the project.