Stop Cop City

Following Black Lives Matter protests in the US in 2014, funding for police training at all levels of government skyrocketed, and some cities proposed additional police training facilities. A similar facility was approved in New York City in 2015 following the police killing of Eric Garner, and also in Chicago following a string of police killings in that city between 2014 and 2016.{{Cite web |last=Mahoney |first=Madeline Thigpen, Adam |date=2023-03-06 |title=Violent Confrontations End Peaceful Stop Cop City Music Festival |url=https://capitalbnews.org/cop-city-explainer/ |access-date=2025-05-13 |website=Capital B News |language=en-US}}

In 2020, as part of the nationwide response to the murder of George Floyd, Atlanta witnessed a months-long series of protests against police brutality.{{Cite web |last=Maxouris |first=Christina |date=September 24, 2022 |title=Atlanta wants to build a massive police training facility in a forest. Neighbors are fighting to stop it |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/24/us/atlanta-public-safety-training-center-plans-community/index.html |access-date=December 10, 2022 |website=CNN |language=en |archive-date=March 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230306225415/https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/24/us/atlanta-public-safety-training-center-plans-community/index.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Lennard |first=Natasha |year=2022 |title=An Uncompromising Coalition Is Building Support to Nix Atlanta's "Cop City" |url=https://theintercept.com/2022/08/18/atlanta-cop-city-forest-abolition-environmentalism/ |access-date=December 10, 2022 |website=The Intercept |language=en |archive-date=December 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221210200224/https://theintercept.com/2022/08/18/atlanta-cop-city-forest-abolition-environmentalism/ |url-status=live }} Less than three weeks after Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin murdered Floyd on a public street, an Atlanta police (APD) officer shot and killed Atlanta resident Rayshard Brooks, which resulted in protests, arson,{{Cite web|last=Ellis|first=Ralph|date=June 24, 2020|title=Woman charged in Atlanta Wendy's arson given $10,000 bond in first court hearing|url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/23/us/natalie-white-wendys-arson/index.html|access-date=2020-07-04|website=CNN|archive-date=June 26, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200626174727/https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/23/us/natalie-white-wendys-arson/index.html|url-status=live}} and calls to defund the police.

Criticism of police and associated unrest reduced police morale. Authorities claim that Atlanta had struggled with rising crime, citing 149 homicides in 2021: the most in a single year since the 1990s. However, the city's crime compilation data showed a drop in overall crime rates and an inconclusive trend in homicides from 2009 to 2023.{{cite web |title=Weekly Crime Reports |url=https://www.atlantapd.org/i-want-to/crime-data-downloads |access-date=January 27, 2023 |archive-date=January 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230127035317/https://www.atlantapd.org/i-want-to/crime-data-downloads |url-status=live }} Advocates for the training facility said the facility would help address these problems.

The training center includes a shooting range and a mock village that led to the project being nicknamed "Cop City." The city was expected to pay one-third of the $90 million cost, with the Atlanta Police Foundation (APF) paying the rest. The eventual cost of the project was $118 million, with taxpayers contributing $67 million.{{Cite web |last=Edward |first=Roz |date=2025-04-30 |title=Atlantans Continue to Protest Cop City and Vow to Fight Police Militarization |url=https://atlantadailyworld.com/2025/04/30/atlantans-continue-to-protest-cop-city-and-vow-to-fight-police-militarization/ |access-date=2025-05-13 |website=Atlanta Daily World |language=en-US}} The APF first proposed the 85-acre (34 ha) facility in 2017.https://atlantapolicefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/VISION-SAFE-ATL-Infrastructure.pdf According to the APF, the project provides "the necessary facilities required to effectively train 21st-century law enforcement agencies responsible for public safety in a major urban city." Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced the facility in her 2021 State of the City address.https://www.atlantaga.gov/Home/Components/News/News/13655/1338

Residents who support the construction of the training facility have said that they want a properly trained police force and hope the project would improve the quality of the Atlanta police force to make their communities safer.

{{See also|Old Atlanta Prison Farm}}

File:At_the_Atlanta_Prison_Farm.jpg

The facility is located at the Old Atlanta Prison Farm (OPF), which some have recommend be preserved and placed on the National Register of Historic Places.{{citation needed|date=April 2025}} Opponents of the project have objected to placing the police facility on the site of alleged human rights violations.{{Cite web |last=Vicks |first=Akil |date=July 2022 |title=Atlanta Is Building a "Cop City" on the Site of a Former Prison Farm |url=https://jacobin.com/2022/07/atlana-cop-city-south-river-forest |access-date=July 30, 2022 |work=Jacobin |language=en-US |archive-date=July 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220730134421/https://jacobin.com/2022/07/atlana-cop-city-south-river-forest |url-status=live }} Environmental justice advocates and organizations have proposed that the OPF should remain a centerpiece in the {{cvt|3500|acre|km2|adj=on}} urban green space called the South River Forest, citing "massive disparities" in Atlanta’s access to green space: African-American residents{{Emdash}}including the area surrounding the OPF{{Emdash}}have fewer and smaller parks.

Cop City has been opposed by a varied coalition that includes residents and neighborhood associations{{Cite news |last=Pratt |first=Timothy |date=February 9, 2023 |title='Cop City' opposition spreads beyond Georgia forest defenders |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/feb/09/cop-city-opposition-georgia |access-date=2023-02-28 |issn=0261-3077 |archive-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230228223911/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/feb/09/cop-city-opposition-georgia |url-status=live }} as well as groups organized around racial, housing, food, and environmental justice.{{Cite journal |last1=Gordon (she/her) |first1=Constance |first2=Cram (they/them),Emerson |last3=and Na’puti (she/her) |first3=Tiara R. |date=2024-10-01 |title=Powermapping "Stop Cop City": abolition ecology for possibilities beyond enclosure |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00335630.2024.2397099 |journal=Quarterly Journal of Speech |volume=110 |issue=4 |pages=576–602 |doi=10.1080/00335630.2024.2397099 |issn=0033-5630|url-access=subscription }}{{Cite web |date=June 24, 2022 |title=64 groups and businesses sign on to oppose public safety training center ahead of City Council resolution |url=https://saportareport.com/64-groups-and-businesses-sign-on-to-oppose-public-safety-training-center-ahead-of-city-council-resolution/sections/reports/johnruch/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230130181741/https://saportareport.com/64-groups-and-businesses-sign-on-to-oppose-public-safety-training-center-ahead-of-city-council-resolution/sections/reports/johnruch/ |archive-date=January 30, 2023 |access-date=2023-01-30 |website=SaportaReport |language=en-US}}{{Cite news |last=Capelouto |first=J. D. |title=SE Atlanta neighborhoods: Don't build police training facility on old prison farm site |url=https://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta-news/se-atlanta-neighborhoods-dont-build-police-training-facility-on-old-prison-farm-site/5WDFKBUGYREZ5PQU6XWNC4Z7V4/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230130180237/https://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta-news/se-atlanta-neighborhoods-dont-build-police-training-facility-on-old-prison-farm-site/5WDFKBUGYREZ5PQU6XWNC4Z7V4/ |archive-date=January 30, 2023 |access-date=2023-01-30 |work=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution |language=English |issn=1539-7459}}{{Cite web |date=January 26, 2023 |title=What is 'Cop City'? How opposition to an Atlanta police center prompted national demonstrations |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/what-is-cop-city-atlanta-police-protests-rcna67291 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230130180237/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/what-is-cop-city-atlanta-police-protests-rcna67291 |archive-date=January 30, 2023 |access-date=2023-01-30 |website=NBC News |language=en}} Plans were approved by the city in September 2021 after 17 hours of public comment from over 1,100 persons from Atlanta and elsewhere, 70% of whom opposed the project. Some expressed concern that the approval process was secretive with limited input from affected communities. The city appointed a community-advisory committee, and in 2022 Atlanta mayor Andre Dickens said that there was "a lot of room for input." The advisory committee did not include representatives from environmental groups, but does include representatives from the police and fire departments and the Dickens administration.

DTF supporters led divestment movements against corporate sponsors of the APF, and four "week of action" campaigns in 2021–22 that featured live music, supply drives, skill shares, and history lessons about the area.{{Cite news |date=September 2, 2022 |title=INSTITUTE INDEX: Defending Atlanta's last forest from 'Cop City' |language=en |website=Facing South |url=https://www.facingsouth.org/2022/09/atlanta-forest-defenders-abolitionists-protest-cop-city |access-date=December 10, 2022 |archive-date=December 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221210200233/https://www.facingsouth.org/2022/09/atlanta-forest-defenders-abolitionists-protest-cop-city |url-status=live }}

A portion of the South River Forest adjacent to the APF training center has also been threatened with development by Blackhall Studios—part of the Atlanta film industry. Two environmental organizations, the South River Forest Coalition and the South River Watershed Alliance, filed a lawsuit against the film studio development.

File:Prison farm tree sit.jpg to prevent cutting of trees at the Old Atlanta Prison Farm]]

Beginning in late 2021, the contested forest was occupied by self-described forest defenders who barricaded the area and constructed tree-sits to prevent trees from being cut. Forest defenders had several conflicts with police, resulting in some arrests. They have also destroyed equipment being used by developers in the forest, vandalized property belonging to corporations connected with the APF and Blackhall studios, and committed arson. In May 2022 the corporate offices of Brasfield & Gorrie in Birmingham, Alabama were vandalized, and the message "Drop Cop City Or Else" was spray-painted on the building.{{Cite web |date=August 25, 2022 |title=Diverse Coalition Unites Against Atlanta's Plan to Build "Cop City" |url=https://filtermag.org/atlanta-stop-cop-city/ |access-date=December 10, 2022 |website=Filter |language=en-US |archive-date=December 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221210200221/https://filtermag.org/atlanta-stop-cop-city/ |url-status=live }}

There is wide variation in the political stance and approach of DTF forest defenders, and several sources describe the movement as leaderless and autonomous, with any participant able to act as they wish.{{Cite web |last=Herskind |first=Micah |date=February 8, 2022 |title=Cop City and the Prison Industrial Complex in Atlanta |url=https://www.mainlinezine.com/cop-city-and-the-prison-industrial-complex-in-atlanta/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221210200221/https://www.mainlinezine.com/cop-city-and-the-prison-industrial-complex-in-atlanta/ |archive-date=December 10, 2022 |access-date=December 10, 2022 |website=Mainline |language=en-US}}{{Cite news |last=Fassler |first=Ella |date=February 17, 2022 |title=Activists Are Occupying the Woods of Atlanta to Block a New Police Facility |language=en |work=Vice |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/activists-are-occupying-the-woods-of-atlanta-to-block-a-new-police-facility/ |access-date=July 30, 2022 |archive-date=July 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220730151027/https://www.vice.com/en/article/4aw7xn/activists-are-occupying-the-woods-of-atlanta-to-block-a-new-police-facility |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Bernd |first=Candice |date=February 23, 2022 |title=Activists Blockade Construction of Massive Cop Training Center in Atlanta Forest |url=https://truthout.org/articles/inside-forest-defenders-blockade-of-atlantas-cop-city-training-compound/ |access-date=December 10, 2022 |website=Truthout |language=en-US |archive-date=December 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221210200233/https://truthout.org/articles/inside-forest-defenders-blockade-of-atlantas-cop-city-training-compound/ |url-status=live }} Prison abolition was a strongly represented political philosophy among those camped in the forest.

In September 2022, the APF reported that it projected opening the first phase of the facility in late 2023. DTF estimated that it had delayed the project by at least a month and a half. (The project eventually opened in 2025).

On December 13, 2022, a task force of multiple police agencies conducted a joint raid at the training facility site.{{cite news |last1=Sayers |first1=Devon M. |last2=Watson |first2=Michelle |last3=Levenson |first3=Eric |title=Five people arrested on domestic terrorism charges in clash at Atlanta's 'Cop City' site |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2022/12/14/us/atlanta-police-cop-city-terrorism/index.html |work=CNN |date=December 14, 2022 |language=en |access-date=December 16, 2022 |archive-date=December 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221216004111/https://edition.cnn.com/2022/12/14/us/atlanta-police-cop-city-terrorism/index.html |url-status=live }} Five people, none of whom were Atlanta residents, were arrested and charged with domestic terrorism.{{cite news |last1=Wheatley |first1=Thomas |title=Atlanta's "Cop City" activists face domestic terrorism charges |url=https://www.axios.com/local/atlanta/2022/12/15/atlanta-cop-city-occupation-activists-charged-with-domestic-terrorism |work=Axios |date=December 15, 2022 |language=en |access-date=December 16, 2022 |archive-date=December 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221216004111/https://www.axios.com/local/atlanta/2022/12/15/atlanta-cop-city-occupation-activists-charged-with-domestic-terrorism |url-status=live }} The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) stated that road flares, gasoline, and explosive devices were found in the area; when reporters asked police whether the explosive devices were fireworks or something more dangerous, the police declined to answer.{{Cite web |date=January 29, 2023 |title=Protesters question circumstances surrounding 'Stop Cop City' activist's death |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/protesters-question-circumstances-surrounding-stop-cop-city-activists-death |access-date=2023-02-28 |website=PBS NewsHour |language=en-us |archive-date=February 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203154724/https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/protesters-question-circumstances-surrounding-stop-cop-city-activists-death |url-status=live }}

{{Main|Killing of Tortuguita}}

On January 18, 2023, Georgia State Troopers and other agencies launched another raid. During the raid a trooper was shot in the leg, and a Venezuelan protester, Manuel Esteban Paez Terán, aka "Tortuguita", was shot and killed by police.{{Cite web |title=Atlanta Police Kill Forest Defender at Protest Encampment Near Proposed "Cop City" Training Center |url=https://www.democracynow.org/2023/1/20/atlanta_cop_city_protester_killed |access-date=2023-01-23 |website=Democracy Now! |language=en |archive-date=January 31, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230131163810/https://www.democracynow.org/2023/1/20/atlanta_cop_city_protester_killed |url-status=live }} Police stated that Tortuguita fired on them after they fired pepper balls into Tortugita's tent.{{Cite web |last=Pratt |first=Timothy |date=January 21, 2023 |title='Assassinated in cold blood': activist killed protesting Georgia's 'Cop City' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jan/21/protester-killed-georgia-cop-city-police-shooting |access-date=2023-01-23 |website=The Guardian |language=en |archive-date=January 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230130130213/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jan/21/protester-killed-georgia-cop-city-police-shooting |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |last=Keenan |first=Sean |date=2023-10-06 |title=No Charges for Troopers Who Killed 'Cop City' Protester Near Atlanta |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/06/us/atlanta-cop-city-teran-shooting.html |access-date=2025-05-14 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} Multiple groups, including other protestors, two independent journalists who had previously interviewed Tortuguita, and Tortuguita's family, have questioned whether they fired first or fired at all, pointing to the lack of body camera footage of the shooting and calling for an independent investigation.{{Cite web |date=January 29, 2023 |title=Protesters: 'Cop City' activist's killing doesn't make sense |url=https://apnews.com/article/law-enforcement-george-floyd-vienna-climate-and-environment-forests-21a4ed944c898d316db5872d87cea440 |access-date=2023-02-02 |website=AP NEWS |language=en |archive-date=January 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230129185132/https://apnews.com/article/law-enforcement-george-floyd-vienna-climate-and-environment-forests-21a4ed944c898d316db5872d87cea440 |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Rico |first=R.J. |title=Man killed, trooper shot while 'Cop City' protesters cleared |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/georgia-state-trooper-shot-atlanta-96507278 |access-date=2023-02-02 |website=ABC News |language=en |archive-date=February 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230202201234/https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/georgia-state-trooper-shot-atlanta-96507278 |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Peisner |first=David |title=Little Turtle's War |url=https://bittersoutherner.com/feature/2023/little-turtles-war-cop-city-atlanta |access-date=2023-02-02 |website=THE BITTER SOUTHERNER |language=en-US |archive-date=February 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230202201235/https://bittersoutherner.com/feature/2023/little-turtles-war-cop-city-atlanta |url-status=live }} GBI conducted a forensic ballistic analysis that matched the projectile recovered from the officer's wound to the handgun found in Tortuguita's possession.{{cite news |last1=Donesha |first1=Aldridg |title=GBI: Ballistic analysis shows projectile recovered from trooper's wound matches gun in protester's possession |work=11 Alive |url=https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/ballistic-analysis-shows-projectile-recovered-from-troopers-wound-matches-gun-in-protesters-possession/85-fe50a6e7-3959-45d8-bcf9-0954cd1f653c |access-date=January 23, 2023 |archive-date=May 16, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240516132011/https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/ballistic-analysis-shows-projectile-recovered-from-troopers-wound-matches-gun-in-protesters-possession/85-fe50a6e7-3959-45d8-bcf9-0954cd1f653c |url-status=live }} The GBI said that there is no body camera footage of the shooting because Georgia State Patrol officers do not wear body-cameras.{{cite news |last1=Raymond |first1=Jonathan |date=January 23, 2023 |title=GBI says bodycam video exists of aftermath of deadly 'Cop City' clash |work=11 Alive |url=https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/gbi-update-cop-city-death-firearm-manuel-teran-tortuguita-protester/85-0eb1fc17-898a-4eef-8543-96c01b3ab075 |access-date=January 29, 2023 |archive-date=May 16, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240516132121/https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/gbi-update-cop-city-death-firearm-manuel-teran-tortuguita-protester/85-0eb1fc17-898a-4eef-8543-96c01b3ab075 |url-status=live }}

Documents released in 2025 appeared to confirm that Paez Terán shot at police, but also indicated that police may have precipitated a violent confrontation by casting forest defenders as domestic terrorists when previous conflicts had only involved fireworks and slingshots, and by escalating the encounter with pepperballs only three minutes after contacting Paez Terán.{{Cite news |last=Pratt |first=Timothy |date=2025-01-28 |title=New documents shed light on police killing of Georgia 'Cop City' activist |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/28/georgia-cop-city-killing |access-date=2025-05-14 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}

In March, Terán's family released the results of an independent autopsy revealing that Terán was shot fourteen times while sitting cross-legged on the ground with their hands raised in the air.{{cite news |last=Owen |first=Tess |date=March 13, 2023 |title=Police Shot 'Stop Cop City' Activist 14 Times With Their Hands Up, Independent Autopsy Shows |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/cop-city-activist-shot-hands-up-tortuguita-death/ |work=Vice News |access-date=March 14, 2023 |archive-date=March 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230313224451/https://www.vice.com/en/article/pkae48/cop-city-activist-shot-hands-up-tortuguita-death |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last=Rico |first=R.J. |date=March 13, 2023 |title=Autopsy report says 'Cop City' protester had hands raised when killed |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/autopsy-report-says-cop-city-protester-had-hands-raised-when-killed |work=PBS News |access-date=March 14, 2023 |archive-date=March 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230313200349/https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/autopsy-report-says-cop-city-protester-had-hands-raised-when-killed |url-status=live }}

The killing of Tortuguita brought national and international attention to the project and its opposition, strengthened existing anti-police sentiment in the US, and significantly escalated the conflict. A vigil for Tortuguita a few days after the shooting erupted in riots, and Governor Kemp called the National Guard to subdue the protests.{{Cite book |last=Maxwell |first=Alannah |url=https://trinityspr.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2024-spr-vol.-xxxiv.pdf#page=12 |title=Social & Political Review |date=2024 |publisher=Trinity College Dublin |chapter=“Stop Cop City!”: How collective framing transformed a local environmental protest into a national social justice movement.}}File:Stop_Cop_City_Jan_2023.jpg

On January 21, 2023, protesters marched from Underground Atlanta down Peachtree Street. At the intersection with Ellis St, some protesters damaged institutions who support the facility and burned an Atlanta Police Department vehicle. Six arrests were made. Responding to condemnation of these acts, Stop Cop City issued a statement asserting that "Destruction of material is fundamentally different from violence. All reported acts appear to be explicitly targeted against the financial backers".{{cite news |title=6 arrested after violent protesters cause mayhem, set APD car on fire in downtown Atlanta |url=https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/atlanta/6-arrested-after-violent-protesters-cause-mayhem-set-apd-car-fire-downtown-atlanta/BR5LU4XBTBFFRGTPLXC4FTLL5U/ |access-date=January 22, 2023 |work=WSBTV |archive-date=January 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230127151815/https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/atlanta/6-arrested-after-violent-protesters-cause-mayhem-set-apd-car-fire-downtown-atlanta/BR5LU4XBTBFFRGTPLXC4FTLL5U/ |url-status=live }}

Vigils and protests were also held in other cities, such as Bridgeport, Minneapolis, Nashville, Philadelphia, and Tucson, from January 20 to 22, 2023.{{Cite web |last=Fur |first=Lucy |date=January 23, 2023 |title=Marches and Vigils Across the US Respond to the Police Killing of Forest Defender Tort |url=https://unicornriot.ninja/2023/marches-and-vigils-across-the-us-respond-to-the-police-killing-of-forest-defender-tort/ |access-date=2023-01-24 |website=Unicorn Riot |language=en-US |archive-date=January 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230128100728/https://unicornriot.ninja/2023/marches-and-vigils-across-the-us-respond-to-the-police-killing-of-forest-defender-tort/ |url-status=live }} Some demonstrators spray painted graffiti on Bank of America buildings to protest the company's involvement in financing the facility's construction.

On March 5, 2023, dozens of people attacked the Cop City construction site with rocks and firebombs, destroying construction equipment. Hours later, police raided the South River Music Festival about 0.75 miles away and detained 35 people, of which 12 were released and the remaining 23 were charged with domestic terrorism.{{Cite news |last=Spender |first=Tom |date=March 6, 2023 |title=Atlanta 'Cop City': Arrests as protesters clash with police |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64842272 |access-date=2023-03-06 |archive-date=March 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230306220440/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64842272 |url-status=live }} Festival attendees have accused police of selectively charging protestors from out of state, while releasing Georgia residents, in order to further the narrative that "outside agitators" coordinated and controlled the protests.{{citation needed| date=August 2023}}

The arrest warrant for the festival attendees stated that domestic terrorism charges were brought against those based on probable cause, such as having had mud on their feet, and that those with legal aid phone numbers written on their bodies were considered suspicious. According to The Intercept, there is no information contained in the warrants that directly connects any of the defendants to illegal actions.{{Cite web |date=March 8, 2023 |title=The Show Must Go On: On Sunday's arrests at the South River Music Festival |url=https://atlpresscollective.com/2023/03/08/the-show-must-go-on-on-sundays-arrests-at-the-south-river-music-festival/ |access-date=2023-03-11 |website=Atlanta Community Press Collective |language=en-US |archive-date=March 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230311011335/https://atlpresscollective.com/2023/03/08/the-show-must-go-on-on-sundays-arrests-at-the-south-river-music-festival/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last1=Lennard |first1=Natasha |title=Atlanta Cop City Protesters Charged With Domestic Terror for Having Mud on Their Shoes |url=https://theintercept.com/2023/03/08/atlanta-cop-city-protesters/ |website=The Intercept |access-date=20 May 2023 |date=8 March 2023 |archive-date=March 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230312040742/https://theintercept.com/2023/03/08/atlanta-cop-city-protesters/ |url-status=live }} Atlanta police chief Darin Schierbaum refused to comment when confronted by journalists about this allegation.{{Cite web |title=Unicorn Riot Coverage of the Movement to Protect the Atlanta Forest |url=https://unicornriot.ninja/unicorn-riot-coverage-of-the-movement-to-protect-the-atlanta-forest/ |access-date=2023-03-11 |website=UNICORN RIOT |language=en-US |archive-date=March 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230311011335/https://unicornriot.ninja/unicorn-riot-coverage-of-the-movement-to-protect-the-atlanta-forest/ |url-status=live }}

In May 2023, three activists were arrested and charged with felony intimidation of a police officer and misdemeanor stalking, with penalties up to 20 years in prison, for posting fliers and identifying an officer that shot Tortuguita.{{cite web |last1=Lennard |first1=Natasha |last2=Lacy |first2=Akela |title=Activists Face Felonies for Distributing Flyers on "Cop City" Protester Killing |url=https://theintercept.com/2023/05/02/cop-city-activists-arrest-flyers/ |website=The Intercept |access-date=20 May 2023 |date=2 May 2023 |quote=A forensics report from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation about guns fired during Tortuguita’s killing named six state patrol officers: Bryland Myers, Jerry Parrish, Jonathan Salcedo, Mark Jonathan Lamb, Ronaldo Kegel, and Royce Zah. According to public records, one of the officers named lives in the area where the activists posted flyers. The report was obtained by the Atlanta Community Press Collective, an abolitionist nonprofit media group, through an open records request. |archive-date=May 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230504221106/https://theintercept.com/2023/05/02/cop-city-activists-arrest-flyers/ |url-status=live }}

That same month, the GBI and APD conducted a SWAT style raid on the Atlanta Solidarity Fund (ASF), a legal bail fund.{{Cite news |url=https://theintercept.com/2023/05/31/cop-city-bail-fund-protest-raid-atlanta/ |work=The Intercept |title=ATLANTA POLICE ARREST ORGANIZERS OF BAIL FUND FOR COP CITY PROTESTERS |date=May 31, 2023 |access-date=June 1, 2023 |archive-date=June 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230601031106/https://theintercept.com/2023/05/31/cop-city-bail-fund-protest-raid-atlanta/ |url-status=live }} Three of the fund’s organizers were arrested and charged with charity fraud and money laundering. Regarding the arrests, Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr pledged to “not rest until we have held accountable every person who has funded, organized, or participated in this violence and intimidation” regarding the protests.{{Cite news |url= https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/atlanta-police-arrest-3-organizers-behind-bail-fund-supporting-protests-against-cop-city |title= Atlanta police arrest 3 organizers behind bail fund supporting protests against 'cop city' |work= PBS |access-date= June 1, 2023 |archive-date= June 1, 2023 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230601031108/https://www.pbs.org/newshour/amp/politics/atlanta-police-arrest-3-organizers-behind-bail-fund-supporting-protests-against-cop-city |url-status= live }} All fifteen charges of money laundering against three ASF organizers were eventually dropped in September.{{Cite web |date=September 17, 2023 |title=Georgia prosecutors drop all 15 counts of money laundering against 3 'Cop City' activists - AP News |url=https://apnews.com/article/atlanta-cop-city-charges-dropped-solidarity-fund-360fad48beddfb970b145fc6577cc113 |access-date=2024-09-20 |website=apnews.com}}

On June 6, 2023, the Atlanta City Council approved the $31 million funding after more than 16 hours of in-person public comment from over 300 speakers, the vast majority of whom were opposed to the project.{{Cite news |last1=Keenan |first1=Sean |last2=Rojas |first2=Rick |date=2023-06-06 |title=Atlanta City Council Approves 'Cop City' Funding Despite Protests |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/06/us/atlanta-cop-city-funding-vote.html |access-date=2023-09-14 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite magazine |last=Bethea |first=Charles |date=2023-08-12 |title=Can "Cop City" Be Stopped at the Ballot Box? |url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-the-south/can-cop-city-be-stopped-at-the-ballot-box |access-date=2023-09-01 |magazine=The New Yorker |language=en-US |issn=0028-792X}}{{Cite news |last=Wendling |first=Mike |date=2023-06-06 |title=Atlanta 'Cop City': Money approved for controversial training centre |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-65772507 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230614154203/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-65772507 |archive-date=June 14, 2023 |access-date=2023-06-07 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}} More than 1,000 people signed up to speak,{{Cite web |date=June 5, 2023 |title=1,000+ turn out, sign up for Atlanta City Council comment period on public safety training center issue |url=https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/atlanta-city-council-meeting-public-safety-training-center-cop-city/85-328551d8-c3d6-41ed-87ef-4e36a2d7b599 |access-date=2023-09-14 |website=11Alive.com |language=en-US}} but hundreds of people were not admitted to the building.{{Cite web |last=Andrews |first=Amanda |date=2023-06-05 |title=Hundreds speak against Atlanta police training facility during City Council public comment |url=https://www.gpb.org/news/2023/06/05/hundreds-speak-against-atlanta-police-training-facility-during-city-council-public |access-date=2023-09-14 |website=Georgia Public Broadcasting |language=en}} A minority of speakers supported the project, stating that opponents do not represent the people of Atlanta.{{cite web | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/06/us/atlanta-cop-city-funding-vote.html | title=Atlanta City Council Approves 'Cop City' Funding Despite Protests | work=The New York Times | date=June 6, 2023 | last1=Keenan | first1=Sean | last2=Rojas | first2=Rick }}

In June 2023, a coalition of activist groups opposed to the construction project announced their plans to force a referendum that would cancel the city’s lease to the APF for Cop City.{{Cite web |date=2023-06-07 |title=Atlanta organizers unveil plan to stop 'Cop City' at the ballot box |url=https://apnews.com/article/atlanta-police-training-cop-city-referendum-d605bfb043f2e24c5749f441458acf5a |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230621204914/http://apnews.com/article/atlanta-police-training-cop-city-referendum-d605bfb043f2e24c5749f441458acf5a |archive-date=June 21, 2023 |access-date=2023-06-13 |website=AP NEWS |language=en}} The Georgia constitution allows residents to force a referendum on decisions by local governments if they can get 15% of registered voters to sign petition; in Atlanta, 60,000 to 70,000{{Cite web |title='Cop City' protesters collect enough signatures to put referendum on ballot |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/cop-city-protesters-collect-signatures-put-referendum-ballot/story?id=102259729 |access-date=2023-09-14 |website=ABC News |language=en}} signatures would be required. The city said cancellation of the lease would not be legal.{{Cite news |date=2023-09-13 |title=Judge blames Atlanta officials for confusion over 'Stop Cop City' referendum campaign |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/2023/09/13/atlanta-cop-city-referendum-signatures/ac98f6d6-5264-11ee-accf-88c266213aac_story.html |access-date=2023-09-14 |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}}

In September 2023, organizers submitted 116,000 signatures for the referendum, but the City Council refused to count them, and said the activists had missed the deadline to turn in the signatures. That deadline had been extended by US District Judge Mark Cohen, but the city's appeal of that decision got held up for over a year{{Cite web |last=Kelley |first=Collin |date=2025-04-29 |title=Ribbon cutting held for controversial public safety training center |url=https://roughdraftatlanta.com/2025/04/29/atlanta-public-safety-training/ |access-date=2025-05-13 |website=Rough Draft Atlanta |language=en-US}} in the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, and had not resolved as of April, 2025.{{Cite web |last=King |first=Christopher |date=2025-04-29 |title=Protesters vow to fight on as Atlanta Public Safety Training Center opens |url=https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/cop-city-atlanta-public-safety-training-center-opens-protesters |access-date=2025-05-13 |website=FOX 5 Atlanta |language=en-US}}

In September 2023, sixty-one people who had been arrested in the forest or at stop cop city protests were charged with racketeering  under Georgia’s RICO law.{{Cite news |date=2023-09-06 |title=Atlanta 'Cop City': Dozens face racketeering charges for protests |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-66732274 |access-date=2023-09-06 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}} This indictment is likely the largest criminal conspiracy case ever filed against protestors in the US.{{Cite web |last=Saunders |first=Patrick |date=2025-05-12 |title=Defendants in Georgia 'Cop City' case say they are in limbo as trial delays continue |url=https://www.wabe.org/defendants-in-georgia-cop-city-case-say-they-are-in-limbo-as-trial-delays-continue/ |access-date=2025-05-13 |website=WABE |language=en-US}}

As of April 2025, the racketeering case was stalled. Defendants in the case maintained their innocence and reported difficulty getting work and other hardships while they awaited trial for more than 20 months. Some of the 61 were required to leave the state while the case was ongoing, though obliged to return to Atlanta for trial.{{cite magazine | url=https://www.thenation.com/article/activism/cop-city-defendants-rico-indictment/ | title=The Cop City Defendants Are Done Being Silent | date=April 18, 2024 | last1=Haug | first1=Oliver }}

In April 2024, protesters organized a disturbance in front of Emory's Commencement stage against Cop City and the university's ties to Israel amid the war in Gaza. The university stated that the protesters were not members of the Emory University community.{{cite web | url=https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/protest-underway-at-emory-university-in-support-of-palestine-stop-cop-city | title=Pro-Palestine protesters forcibly removed from Emory University campus, 28 arrested | date=April 25, 2024 }}{{cite web | url=https://president.emory.edu/communications/2024/04/april-26-yesterdays-protests.html | title=Yesterday's Protests | Emory University | Atlanta GA | date=April 26, 2024 }}{{Cite web |last=Stieb |first=Matt |date=2024-04-25 |title=Cops Tase Students in Violent Arrests at Emory |url=https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/cops-tase-students-in-violent-arrests-at-emory.html |access-date=2024-04-26 |website=Intelligencer |language=en |archive-date=April 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240425210109/https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/cops-tase-students-in-violent-arrests-at-emory.html |url-status=live }} A statement from protest organizers accused the university of being “complicit in genocide and police militarization” and called for "total institutional divestment from Israeli apartheid and Cop City at all Atlanta colleges and universities."{{Cite news |last1=Pratt |first1=Timothy |last2=Yang |first2=Maya |last3=Salam |first3=Erum |date=2024-04-26 |title=Police allegedly use rubber bullets and teargas at university protest in Georgia |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/25/emory-university-protest-arrests |access-date=2024-04-26 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077 |archive-date=May 16, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240516132246/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/25/emory-university-protest-arrests |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |last=Yen |first=Amanda |date=2024-04-25 |title=Arrests Get Violent as Cops Deploy Tasers and Tear Gas on Campus Protesters |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/arrests-get-violent-as-cops-deploy-tasers-and-tear-gas-on-campus-protesters |access-date=2024-04-26 |work=The Daily Beast |language=en |archive-date=April 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240425190420/https://www.thedailybeast.com/arrests-get-violent-as-cops-deploy-tasers-and-tear-gas-on-campus-protesters |url-status=live }} Georgia State Patrol, Atlanta Police and University Police forcefully dispersed the interlopers,{{Cite web |date=2024-04-25 |title=Pro-Palestinian, 'Cop City' protesters arrested on Emory University campus |url=https://www.wabe.org/pro-palestinian-cop-city-protesters-arrested-on-emory-university-campus/ |access-date=2024-04-26 |website=WABE |language=en-US |archive-date=April 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240426140040/https://www.wabe.org/pro-palestinian-cop-city-protesters-arrested-on-emory-university-campus/ |url-status=live }} allegedly using tear gas, rubber bullets, and tasers.{{Cite web |last=Lenthang |first=Marlene |date=2024-04-26 |title=Reports of pepper bullets, tear gas and stun guns used at Emory protest |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/live-blog/columbia-protests-live-update-encampment-continue-college-negotiates-p-rcna149111 |access-date=2024-04-26 |website=NBC News |language=en |archive-date=April 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240425135205/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/live-blog/columbia-protests-live-update-encampment-continue-college-negotiates-p-rcna149111 |url-status=live }} 28 people were arrested, many with ties to Emory University.{{cite web | url=https://www.campusreform.org/article/meet-emory-university-students-faculty-arrested-hamas-endorsed-protest/25764 | title=Meet the Emory University students and faculty arrested at Hamas-endorsed protest | date=June 27, 2024 }}

Legal scholars, protesters, and state and local governments were interested in the precedent the domestic terrorism charges would set for similar cases. Supporters said it would deter criminal behavior, while critics called it overreach that would stifle legitimate protest.{{Cite news |last=McWhirter |first=Mariah Timms and Cameron |title=Atlanta 'Cop City' Cases Test Use of Domestic-Terrorism Charges Against Protesters |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/atlanta-cop-city-cases-test-use-of-domestic-terrorism-charges-against-protesters-80c88152 |access-date=2023-02-28 |newspaper=Wall Street Journal |date=February 24, 2023 |language=en-US |archive-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230228222255/https://www.wsj.com/articles/atlanta-cop-city-cases-test-use-of-domestic-terrorism-charges-against-protesters-80c88152 |url-status=live }}

In March 2023, several human rights groups co-signed a letter which said that "application of the domestic terrorism statute" against 19 of the 35 arrested March 2023 protestors "is an escalatory intimidation tactic and a draconian step that seems intended to chill First Amendment protected activity". The groups that signed the letter included Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the National Lawyers Guild, and the Center for Constitutional Rights.{{cite web |title=66 Organizations Urge that Domestic Terrorism Charges Against Defend the Atlanta Forest Protesters Be Dropped |publisher=Defending Rights & Dissent |date=March 6, 2023 |url=https://www.rightsanddissent.org/news/66-organizations-urge-that-domestic-terrorism-charges-against-defend-the-atlanta-forest-protesters-be-dropped/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230308011102/https://www.rightsanddissent.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Georgia-Protester-Domestic-Terrorism-Charges.pdf |archive-date=March 8, 2023}}

Nearly half of the trainees at Cop City will come from outside of Georgia, and Stop Cop City participants have been drawn from all over the country. Proponents of the facility have argued that these participants are "outside agitators" that don't represent Atlanta.{{Cite web |last=James |first=Jocelyn |date=2023-11-14 |title=Stop Cop City activists link GILEE program to Palestinian genocide |url=https://prismreports.org/2023/11/14/stop-cop-city-gilee-palestinian-genocide/ |access-date=2025-05-14 |website=Prism |language=en-US}}

Organizers have also pointed to the decades-long partnership between Atlanta Police and Israeli Police forces that is facilitated by the Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange program, and made connections between the struggle against Cop City, the war in Gaza, and allegations of Palestinian genocide. The movement has received significant international solidarity, especially after the killing of Tortuguita.

Organizers have also connected the struggle against Cop City with the role of the US in driving militarization of police in Latin America.{{Cite news |last=Shahshahani |first=Azadeh |date=2023-09-15 |title=Cop Cities in a Militarized World |url=https://www.bostonreview.net/articles/cop-cities-in-a-militarized-world/ |access-date=2025-05-14 |work=Boston Review |language=en-US}}

In Spring 2023, students and faculty from Georgia State University, Emory University, Agnes Scott College, Morehouse College, and Spelman College petitioned their institutions to officially denounce the training center.{{cite web | url=https://atlantadailyworld.com/2023/04/24/auc-gsu-tech-agnes-scott-and-emory-students-hold-coordinated-protests-against-cop-city/ | title=AUC, GSU, Tech, Agnes Scott, and Emory Students Hold Coordinated Protests Against Cop City | date=April 24, 2023 | access-date=October 24, 2023 | archive-date=January 12, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240112000541/https://atlantadailyworld.com/2023/04/24/auc-gsu-tech-agnes-scott-and-emory-students-hold-coordinated-protests-against-cop-city/ | url-status=live }} None had as of April 2025.

On April 25, 2023, 20 protesters pitched tents in front of Emory University's Commencement stage to urge university leadership to denounce the training center. Those 20 also asked that Emory University President Greg Fenves step down as a member of the Atlanta Committee for Progress (ACP), which played a role in building the project;{{cite web | url=http://atlprogress.org/about.php | title=Atlanta Committee for Progress | access-date=January 27, 2024 | archive-date=January 27, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240127212423/http://atlprogress.org/about.php | url-status=live }} Fenves maintained his participation.{{cite web | url=https://atlprogress.org/about.php | title=Atlanta Committee for Progress }} The protest ended when Emory Police ordered students to leave or be arrested.{{Cite web |url=https://emorywheel.com/epd-removes-stop-cop-city-student-protestors-from-quad/ |title=EPD Removes Stop Cop City Student Protestors from Quad |date=April 25, 2023 |access-date=January 27, 2024 |archive-date=January 27, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240127212423/https://emorywheel.com/epd-removes-stop-cop-city-student-protestors-from-quad/ |url-status=live }}

In 2023, Chris Carr, the Georgia Attorney General, defended bringing charges of domestic terrorism against protestors.{{Cite web |date=February 14, 2023 |title=Georgia AG defends domestic terrorism charges for Atlanta 'Cop City' protesters – 1010 WCSI |url=https://1010wcsi.com/fox-news/georgia-ag-defends-domestic-terrorism-charges-for-atlanta-cop-city-protesters/ |access-date=2023-02-28 |website=1010wcsi.com |language=en-US |archive-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230228223918/https://1010wcsi.com/fox-news/georgia-ag-defends-domestic-terrorism-charges-for-atlanta-cop-city-protesters/ |url-status=dead }}

• Atlanta tree canopy
• Crime in Atlanta
• Zone to Defend (ZAD)

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category}}

• [https://atltrainingcenter.com/ Atlanta Public Safety Training Center]
• [https://defendtheatlantaforest.org/ Defend the Atlanta Forest]
• [https://stopcop.city/ Stop Cop City]
• Police footage from raid and subsequent events leading to the killing of Terán:
• [https://vimeo.com/797179326 Atlanta PD Bodycam – 1/18/23 Forest Raid (89-2.mp4)]
• [https://vimeo.com/797177430 Atlanta PD Bodycam – 1/18/23 Forest Raid (39-3.mp4)]
• [https://vimeo.com/797180069 Atlanta PD Bodycam – 1/18/23 Forest Raid Axon Body 3 Video (0901_X6039B6NY.mp4)]
• [https://vimeo.com/797181482 Atlanta PD Bodycam – 1/18/23 Forest Raid Axon Body 3 Video (0845_X6039B6NY.mp4)]

{{Atlanta history}}

{{Atlanta Police Department}}

{{Black Lives Matter}}

{{Riots in the United States (1980–present)}}

Category:2020s controversies in the United States

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Category:Environmental protests in the United States

Category:Nonviolent occupation

Category:Police abolition movement

Category:Protests in Georgia (U.S. state)

Category:Cop City

Category:Anti-anarchism in the United States