Atlanta police said Monday that about three dozen people were detained after bottles and rocks were thrown at officers during a protest at “Cop City,” a new police training center that was the site of prior demonstrations. And one protester has died.
Atlanta Police Chief Darrin Schierbaum said in a midnight news conference that several pieces of construction equipment were set on fire Sunday at the site for the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center in DeKalb County, in what he called “a coordinated attack.”
It was the latest flare-up in a cause that has attracted Georgia to both anti-police protesters and environmentalists who call themselves defenders of the wilderness.
Surveillance video released by police showed a piece of heavy equipment going up in flames at the under-construction facility that opponents called “Cop City”. Police said it was one of several pieces of construction equipment destroyed.
Protesters dressed in all black threw large rocks, bricks, Molotov cocktails and fireworks at police officers at the construction site on Sunday, police said.
Shirbaum said police from nearby communities stepped in to assist city officials and that no officers were injured, adding that the Federal Bureau of Investigation has joined police in the matter. Officers used non-lethal enforcement methods to disperse the crowd and detain those involved, he said. Asked if any protesters were injured, the chief said “some minor inconveniences” were reported and were being treated by medical personnel.
“It was a very violent attack, a very violent attack,” Shirbaum said. “This was not about a public safety training center. It was about lawlessness … and we are addressing it quickly.”
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said those involved “chose destruction and vandalism over legitimate protest, yet demonstrated the radical intent behind their actions.”
“As I’ve said before, domestic terrorism will not be tolerated in this state,” Kemp said in a statement Monday.
“We will not rest until the perpetrators of violence and intimidation by extremists are fully brought to justice,” he said.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that the names of those detained and the criminal charges against them were not immediately available early Monday. But Shirbaum said many were not from the Atlanta area.
“I can tell you that judging by the initial reports, we see a number of individuals not from Atlanta, Georgia who are conducting criminal activities tonight to destabilize the fire and police training center building,” Shirbaum said. Said.
In January, a 26-year-old environmental activist was shot dead by law officers in the forest where the training center was being built.
Demonstrations spread to downtown Atlanta on January 21, when a police cruiser was set on fire, rocks were thrown, and fireworks were launched at a skyscraper that houses the Atlanta Police Foundation. Windows were broken in that building and others.
The Atlanta City Council approved a $90 million Atlanta Public Safety Training Center in 2021, saying a state-of-the-art campus would replace substandard offerings and boost police morale, which has been hit by hiring and retention struggles in the wake of violent protests against it. surrounded by The racial injustice that shook the nation in 2020 following the death of George Floyd.
In addition to classrooms and administrative buildings, the training center would include a shooting range, a driving course to practice pursuit, and a “burn building” for firefighters to put out fires. A “mock village” featuring mock houses, convenience stores and nightclubs would also be built for officers to rehearse raids.
Opponents have said the site will be used for practicing “urban warfare”. Self-described “forest protectors” say the construction of the 85-acre (34-hectare) training center would require cutting so many trees that it would be harmful to the environment.
The protests are leading to proposals for tougher criminal penalties.
As part of a broader crackdown on crime, state lawmakers have proposed making rioting a misdemeanor in Georgia instead, and are considering making burning a police vehicle a separate offense.
Several of those accused of violence in connection with the training site protests are being charged with domestic terrorism, a felony that carries a sentence of up to 35 years in prison. Those allegations have prompted criticism from some that the state is being overburdened.
However, lawmakers are considering strengthening penalties by classifying domestic terrorism as a serious violent felony. This means that anyone convicted of a crime must serve the entire sentence ordered by a judge, cannot be sentenced to probation as a first offender, and has not served at least 30 years in prison until the offender Till then he cannot be given parole.
Meanwhile, more protests are planned in the coming days, police said on Monday.
“With protests planned for the coming days, the Atlanta Police Department, in collaboration with law enforcement partners, is pursuing a multi-pronged strategy that includes response and arrests,” police said in a statement.