As scores of attackers wearing black masks attacked the site of a police training facility that was being built in a forested region outside of Atlanta where one demonstrator was killed in January, more than 20 individuals from across the nation were charged with domestic terrorism on Monday.
The location has developed into a hotspot of ongoing tension between the government and left-leaning demonstrators who have banded together to voice their support for a range of issues. These include those opposed to the militarization of law enforcement, those working to conserve the environment, and those opposed to businesses they believe are contributing to the project’s funding by making donations to a police foundation.
At “Cop City,” where environmental activist Manuel Esteban Paez Terán, also known as “Tortuguita,” was shot and killed by police in January during a raid on a protest camp, protesters threw rocks and flaming bottles at police on Sunday. Several activists have disputed the police’s claim that Tortuguita attacked them.
One is from Canada and two are from France, but the majority of the 23 persons detained are Americans, according to police on Monday.
Friends and family stated Tortuguita was committed to protecting the environment, which contrasted with Atlanta’s plans to construct a $90 million Atlanta Public Safety Training Center intended to increase readiness and morale following George Floyd’s passing in 2020.
Authorities and youth are currently involved in a confrontation that doesn’t seem to be connected to previous well-publicized crises.
Young, self-described anarchists seeking confrontations with what they perceive to be an unfair society are among the protesters who oppose what critics refer to as a “Police City,” as do more traditional environmentalists.
Members of the movement’s social media network, Defend the Atlanta Forest, stated on Twitter on Monday that those arrested were “peaceful concert-goers who were nowhere near the demonstration,” not violent agitators. A public relations company involved in the group’s activities responded through a representative that it was unable to respond right away.
Following the death of “Tortuguita” in January, protests expanded to Atlanta’s downtown. In a skyscraper that houses the Atlanta Police Foundation, pyrotechnics, rocks, and a police cruiser were all fired. Windows had been broken. A state of emergency was announced by the governor.
The Atlanta Public Safety Training Center site in DeKalb County was the target of what Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum described as “a concerted attack” on Sunday when pieces of construction equipment were set ablaze.
Police have released surveillance footage that shows a piece of large machinery on fire. Many other items of construction equipment were also destroyed, according to authorities.
According to officials, protesters also hurled pyrotechnics, Molotov cocktails, rocks, and stones at the police. The Georgia Department of Public Safety reported Monday that protesters also tried to dazzle police by shining green lasers into their eyes and blocking a road with tires and other objects.
According to Schierbaum, officers employed nonlethal tactics to break up the throng and make arrests, causing “some mild discomfort.”
The training facility would have classrooms and office buildings in addition to a shooting range, a driving course for chasing scenarios, and a “burn building” where firemen could practice putting out fires. For practicing raids, a “mock hamlet” with a phony residence, convenience store, and nightclub would also be constructed.
The 85-acre (34-hectare) training complex would need to have a significant number of trees cut down, according to opponents, who claim that it would have a negative environmental impact.
In a city with one of the greatest levels of inequality in the country, many activists also reject spending millions on a police facility that would be bordered by impoverished communities.
The leaders of Color of Change, a civil rights organization that has been collaborating with Atlanta activists, claim that the facility will only have negative effects on Black communities as a result of what they call the rising militarization of local enforcement.
Rashad Robinson, president of Color of Change, told reporters over the phone on Monday that “this simply takes up a lot of space in a Black community” and gives an institution greater access, resources, and skills while also requiring more accountability.
According to Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, the area was cleared for a former state prison farm decades ago. He claims that instead of hardwood trees, it is overgrown with alien species and covered in rubble. The complex will be erected on 85 acres, while the remaining 300 will be conserved as public green space, according to the mayor.
Several people who have previously been charged with violent crimes in connection with the protests at the training site are now facing domestic terrorism charges, a crime carrying a maximum sentence of 35 years in jail. Several people have criticized the state for being overbearing in response to these accusations.
Domestic terrorism may be labeled as a significant violent felony by legislators. This means that anyone found guilty must complete their sentence, cannot receive probation as a first-time offender, and cannot be released from prison until they have served at least 30 years.
Police announced Monday that additional protests are scheduled over the upcoming days.
