Donors to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee are underwriting a thin blue line between Israel and Cop City.
By Derek Seidman, Truthout
Over the past few years, the battle against the proposed 85-acre Atlanta Public Safety Training Center — commonly known as “Cop City” — has emerged as a national flashpoint of resistance to militarized, corporate-backed police power. As it turns out, Cop City is also backed by some of the top donors to the powerful pro-Israel lobbying group, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).
Initially approved in 2021 by the Atlanta City Council despite major community opposition, Cop City has faced criticism for being many things, including a grave misuse of resources and an attack on Indigenous rights and critical green space. But organizers also see another disturbing aspect to Cop City: It will deepen a policing ecosphere in Atlanta with close ties to Israeli forces that oppress Palestinians.
Israel’s genocidal siege of Gaza has intensified longtime organizing around training exchanges between police forces in Georgia and Israel overseen by the Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange (GILEE), housed at Georgia State University in Atlanta. GILEE and the Atlanta Police Foundation behind Cop City have an overlapping network of wealthy and corporate backers, some of whom are outspoken in defending Israel.
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