In just five minutes, we’ll tell you all about the Atlanta Police Foundation’s controversial plan to build the country’s largest cop training facility.
by Aditi Ramaswami, The Lever
Over the weekend, protesters gathered in Atlanta, Georgia, to mourn the police killing last Wednesday of Tortuguita, a 26-year-old environmental activist fighting the planned construction of so-called “Cop City,” the largest police and fire department training facility of its kind in the country.
Give us five minutes of your time in this new edition of Cheat Sheet, and we’ll explain how Atlanta arrived at this moment, and what the conflict reveals about the politics and finances of U.S. policing, land defense and environmental justice, and whose voices matter most in the discourse on resource allocation.
NUTS AND BOLTS
Activists in Atlanta, Georgia, have spent the last two years battling city officials and law enforcement over a city-approved plan to build a $90-million training center for police and firefighters, in an alleged attempt to reduce crime.
The training facility, dubbed “Cop City” by protesters, would be built on 85 acres of former plantation and prison farm land in unincorporated Dekalb County, land the Atlanta City Council voted to lease to the Atlanta Police Foundation (APF) for just $10 a year. The center is supposed to include a shooting range, a mock village complete with a fake night club and other amenities, and a park named after former first lady Michelle Obama.
Atlanta City Council greenlit the plan in 2021 on a 10-4 vote following 17 hours of public comment, the vast majority of which was in opposition to the proposal.
Recent Posts
U.S. Military Willing To Attack “Designated Terrorist Organizations” Within America, General Says
Take Action Now “If I had no concerns and I was confident in the lawful order, I would definitely execute that order.”By Nick Turse, The……
DOJ Won’t Meet Friday Deadline To Release All The Epstein Files
Take Action Now The delay means the White House is in apparent conflict with a law President Donald Trump signed in November.By Gregory…
Privatize USPS? Mail Carriers Have A Better Idea
Take Action Now After battling for a fair contract, USPS workers face the threat of privatization, which they warn will harm all Americans.By Mel…
Senate Passes Massive $901 Billion National Defense Authorization Act, Sending It To Trump’s Desk
Take Action Now When combined with a supplemental bill passed earlier this year, the NDAA will bring the US military budget to over $1 trillionBy…