Fires and protests broke out at construction site of police center in Atlanta
2023.03.06 04:39
Fires and protests broke out at construction site of police center in Atlanta
By Ray Johnson
Budrigannews.com – After a demonstration at the property resulted in clashes between police and protesters, which led to the arrest of 35 people, on Sunday, fires broke out at the construction site of an Atlanta police training center.
Demonstrators oppose both the growing militarization of the police and the expansion of the forest that its supporters refer to as the “lungs of Atlanta,” and the location of the proposed Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, which has been mockingly dubbed “Cop City” by opponents, has been the scene of escalating conflict.
According to the facility’s website, the police and fire training center will be constructed on 85 acres (34.4 hectares) of a 400-acre city-owned property in unincorporated DeKalb County.
It is a part of the South River Forest, which is also called the Weelaunee Forest.
A music festival that was part of a week of protests against the construction marked the beginning of the events on Sunday. However, according to the police, the situation turned violent when “agitators” entered the area in black clothing, broke through, and hurled bricks, rocks, Molotov cocktails, fireworks, and other objects at officers.
“The agitators’ illegal actions may have caused bodily harm. “The police stated that officers used restraint and non-lethal enforcement to make arrests.”
WSB television reported that miles’ worth of thick smoke could be seen. On social media, flames and smoke could be seen coming from a variety of locations on the property. Heavy machinery was engulfed in flames in one image.
Witnesses told WSB that a group left the concert to start a protest after hundreds of people attended the events on Sunday.
A SWAT team had been dispatched to the scene and the area was under lockdown. WAGA television reported, citing reporters at the scene, that the fire was put out later.
The location’s opponents claim that they want to preserve an important green space close to the 6 million people who live in the greater Atlanta metropolitan area.
A statement on the website Defend The Atlanta Forest reads, “We call on all people of good conscience to stand in solidarity with the movement to stop Cop City and defend the Weelaunee Forest.”
The website advertised a series of activities from March 4 to March 11, describing it as the fifth such activity week, which included forest tours and live music.
Atlanta police said they and other law enforcement agencies had a “multi-layered strategy that includes reaction and arrest” for upcoming events.
In January, there was a protest at the location that briefly turned violent. Demonstrators broke windows of buildings and set fire to a police car. At the time, protesters gathered to oppose the killing of an activist by law enforcement during a construction site clearance raid.
