Atlanta City Council Approves ‘Cop City’ Funding Despite Protests
The vote to approve $31 million for the construction of a sprawling police and fire training complex came after nearly two years of protests
The Atlanta City Council voted overwhelmingly early Tuesday to approve $31 million in funding for the construction of a sprawling $90 million police and fire training complex, backing a project that has provoked nearly two years of sustained protests and further inflamed tensions over law enforcement in the city.
The atmosphere inside City Hall leading up to the vote reflected how emotionally charged the debate over the planned complex had become. City employees were instructed to work remotely on Monday, as officials warned of security threats. The building was packed deep into the night and into Tuesday morning, as hundreds of people jammed inside for the council meeting.
It lasted more than 16 hours, with well over 300 people addressing the council before the vote. One after another, the speakers expressed opinions that illuminated the complex tangle of racial, political and environmental considerations that have shaped the city’s conversation over the project, which has become known to many by the nickname conceived by its critics, “Cop City.”
The vast majority of those who stepped up to speak were critical, echoing arguments that had been repeated through months of demonstrations: The facility was costing money that could better be directed elsewhere; it would train the city’s police force to become more militarized; and it would disturb a precious expanse of green space in a rapidly developing metropolis.
“Cop City has already proven to be a source of violence, oppression, militarized approaches to civilians, unconstitutional activity and economic and environmental disaster,” said Susi Durán, a leader in the Atlanta chapter of the National Lawyers Guild.
Approval of the $31 million in spending had been widely expected, yet the vote was still a test of whether opposition to the project, officially known as the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, had led to any wavering by the city’s leaders. The 15-member council voted 11 to 4 in favor.
The council is nonpartisan, but most of its members identify as Democrats, some more progressive than others; a few members lean conservative. In 2021, under a different makeup, the council had approved the ground lease agreement for the site of the facility.
The cost of the training center is supposed to be divided between taxpayers and funds raised by the Atlanta Police Foundation, a nonprofit group supporting the force. But there has been growing concern over just how much taxpayers would ultimately have to shoulder, prompting some council members to re-examine their votes.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/06/u...ding-vote.html
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