Latest news with #AtlantaPublicSafetyTrainingCenter
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
2 advocacy groups sue feds over Atlanta training center records
Two civil liberties groups have teamed up in a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI over records related to the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center. Defending Rights & Dissent and Project South said in their lawsuit that the government failed to provide records on surveillance and investigations of protesters in connection with the site. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] The organizations said they have sought these records since February 2023. 'More than two years later, DHS has failed to respond entirely, while the FBI has repeatedly stonewalled and slow-walked the release of these documents in the public interest,' the lawsuit stated. The groups said that people protesting the facility 'have been branded as terrorists or extremists for opposing 'Cop City.' All too often we know federal agencies like the FBI or DHS play a role in facilitating these crackdowns.' The DHS and FBI have 60 days to respond to the Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed on May 9, the lawsuit said. RELATED STORIES: Defense attorneys say they were blindsided by new evidence in 'Stop Cop City' RICO case Defendants in Georgia 'Cop City' case say they are in limbo as trial delays continue Leaders behind building Atlanta Public Safety Training Center 'surprised' by community pushback Sixty-one defendants were indicted on state racketeering charges in 2023 in connection with the protests and the violence surrounding them. Fulton County Judge Kevin Farmer has severed the cases and will try them five at a time, with trials expected to start as soon as this month. Protests escalated at the site after the 2023 shooting death of Manuel Esteban Paez Terán, known as Tortuguita. Paez Terán was camping near the site when authorities launched a clearing operation. Officials said they killed the 26-year-old after the activist shot and wounded a trooper from inside a tent. A family-commissioned autopsy concluded they were killed with their hands in the air, but a prosecutor found the officers' use of force was 'objectively reasonable.' [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Dozens of protesters against Atlanta training center to appear in court
More than 60 protesters who opposed the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center are set to appear in court on Wednesday morning. The training center, which opened last month, was the target of many protests, both peaceful and violent, over several years. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] During that time, dozens of people were arrested and charged, many with domestic terrorism and violation of the Georgia RICO Act. On Wednesday, 61 of those protesters named in a 2023 RICO indictment are scheduled for a status hearing in a Fulton County courtroom. It's unclear what exactly will be discussed or if all of those defendants will appear in person. Get the latest details on the hearing on Channel 2 Action News at Noon and on RELATED STORIES: Hundreds gather outside of DeKalb County Jail to protest Atlanta public safety training center Diary of dead Atlanta Public Safety Center protester now core of new legal filings from Georgia AG Activists against new training center say city is blocking people's right to vote on project DeKalb DA withdraws her office from Atlanta Public Safety Training Center cases Activists face off with city leaders over plans for public safety training center More than 60 protesters named in RICO indictment connected to Atlanta public safety training center Many of those protests began after began in January 2023 when protester Manuel Teran was shot and killed by a Georgia State Patrol trooper while they were clearing the forest of those occupying it. Teran fired a gun at troopers from inside a tent and a trooper was hit in the torso. Troopers fired back and killed Teran. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Defendants in Georgia ‘Cop City' case say they are in limbo as trial delays continue
Single mother Priscilla Grim lost her job. Aspiring writer Julia Dupuis frequently stares at the bedroom ceiling, numb. Geography and environmental studies researcher Hannah Kass is worried about her career prospects after she graduates from her Ph.D. program. The three are among 61 defendants accused by Republican Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr of participating in a yearslong racketeering conspiracy to halt the construction of a police and firefighter training facility just outside Atlanta that critics pejoratively call 'Cop City.' [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Their cases are at a standstill, 20 months after being indicted under Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations law, or RICO, which is likely the largest criminal racketeering case ever filed against protesters in U.S. history, experts say. Trial for five of the defendants was supposed to start last year but got bogged down in procedural issues. The judge overseeing the case then moved to another court. A new judge has set a status hearing for Wednesday. The delays have left people in limbo, facing charges carrying up to 20 years behind bars for what they maintain was legitimate protest, not domestic terrorism. The case also has suppressed a movement that brought together hundreds of activists to protect a wooded patch of land that ultimately was razed for the recently completed $118 million, 85-acre (34-hectare) project. RELATED STORIES: Atlanta Public Safety Training Center officially opens after years of opposition Hundreds gather outside of DeKalb County Jail to protest Atlanta public safety training center Diary of dead Atlanta Public Safety Center protester now core of new legal filings from Georgia AG Activists against new training center say city is blocking people's right to vote on project DeKalb DA withdraws her office from Atlanta Public Safety Training Center cases Activists face off with city leaders over plans for public safety training center More than 60 protesters named in RICO indictment connected to Atlanta public safety training center Officials say the project is sorely needed to replace outdated facilities and boost officers' morale. Opponents say it will be a training ground for a militarized police force and its construction has worsened environmental damage in a poor, majority-Black area. Protests escalated after the fatal 2023 shooting of Manuel Esteban Paez Terán, known as Tortuguita, who was camping near the site when authorities launched a clearing operation. Officials said they killed Tortuguita, 26, after the activist shot and wounded a trooper from inside a tent. A family-commissioned autopsy concluded Tortuguita was killed with their hands in the air, but a prosecutor found the officers' use of force was 'objectively reasonable.' Chris Timmons, a former Georgia prosecutor who has handled numerous RICO cases, said it's understandable such a large case would take a long time to be scheduled. But Timmons said he is surprised prosecutors don't seem to be aggressively pushing for a trial date. 'Cases age like milk, not like wine,' Timmons said. 'The longer we go, memories fade, witnesses become unavailable. If I were in the prosecutors' shoes, I'd want this case tried as soon as possible.' The attorney general's office did not respond to requests for comment. Michael Mears, a professor at Atlanta's John Marshall Law School who studies RICO cases, said prosecutors 'boxed themselves in by charging so many people at one time instead of going after the leadership.' Prosecutors' decision last year to drop money laundering charges against three of the movement's alleged leaders was a sign of the case's weakness. And with the movement having faded from the public consciousness, there is less political appetite for cracking down on the protesters, he said. 'Prosecutors can't just walk away from it, but I think you'll probably see it die a slow death,' Mears said, predicting charges would slowly be dismissed. That is cold comfort for those who say their lives are on hold. 'I think most of our lives are just completely frozen in one way or another,' said Dupuis, 26, who lives in Massachusetts. Dupuis was charged with felony intimidation of an officer in 2023 for distributing anti-police flyers near the home of one of the troopers who killed Tortuguita, Dupuis' friend. The trooper called authorities after learning the flyers, which called him a 'murderer,' were placed on his neighbors' mailboxes. Now banned from Georgia, Dupuis struggles to find the motivation to complete freelance copywriting projects that pay for their $650 rent. 'There's a lot I want to do, a lot of hopes and dreams that I feel like are just kind of stuck,' said Dupuis, who dreams of joining New York City's creative writing scene. But most of all, Dupuis misses the activist community that once thrived in the South River Forest. 'The charges have ripped me away from my community and the people that I love so much. That's what I've been longing for every single day: to be back with my people,' Dupuis said. Grim, 51, is tired of waiting and recently filed for a speedy trial. It's unclear whether her motion will be granted, since the speedy trial deadline passed long ago. 'Let's get this over with,' Grim said. 'If you think you have something on me, let's do it — which you don't.' Grim, who lives in New York City, is one of many 'Stop Cop City' defendants who post on social media for financial support to help pay for food and rent. Health insurance is out of the question, despite chronic pain in her knee from a prior accident. Besides the couple hundred dollars she gets each month from donors she doesn't know, Grim cobbles together funds through freelance work for activist-oriented causes and is focused on helping her daughter get through college. 'I've never had such a hard time finding employment,' said Grim, who previously held marketing jobs. 'I do really well until the final interview and then everybody goes ghost on me. I think it's because that's when they look my name up.' Prosecutors say Grim was among a throng of black-clad activists in March 2023 who left a music festival, walked through the woods and overtook the construction site, torching equipment and throwing rocks at retreating officers before returning to blend in with festivalgoers. Grim said she was in her tent, having woken up from a nap, when officers arrived at the festival and began making arrests. Grim said she began to run before falling due to her knee injury. 'I heard men screaming at me,' Grim said, describing what prompted her to run. 'That's scary as a woman. They didn't say they were police or anything.' Authorities, however, said Grim ran upon spotting the officers and tried to hide. After her arrest, Grim lost an email marketing contract with Fordham University, which had been about to give her a full-time position. 'People know me, and when they hear I'm a 'domestic terrorist' they're like, 'What? No! What?!' Grim said. 'I'm not just talking about activist friends saying this — these are friends from parent circles.' On May 12, 2022, a group of protesters gathered in suburban Atlanta outside the offices of Brasfield & Gorrie, the training center's primary contractor. Some set off fireworks as others broke windows and spray-painted 'Trees not cops,' causing an estimated $30,000 in damage, authorities said. Kass, 32, attended the protest but said she never vandalized anything and was engaging in a research method called 'participant observation,' which involves immersing oneself in the community being studied. 'I was there as both a scholar and an activist,' said Kass, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who studies land struggles and teaches environmental social sciences to undergraduates. Authorities arrested her on charges of felony criminal property damage and felony terroristic threats, saying surveillance video shows she helped set off Roman candles. Kass underwent a university disciplinary hearing but said the school has supported her. She worries potential employers might not be as understanding. Like many of her codefendants, Kass rejected prosecutors' plea deal at her RICO arraignment that would have included serving three years in prison. 'I have absolutely nothing to plead guilty for,' she said. 'I should have every right to protest and believe what I want to believe and associate with whatever political tendencies I wish to associate with.' [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Inside ‘Cop City': What Atlanta's Controversial Training Center Looks Like
The Atlanta Public Safety Training Center — the southern DeKalb County facility colloquially known as 'Cop City' — officially opened its doors Tuesday after four contentious years of development. The 85-acre campus will serve as the training grounds for the city's police and firefighters, yet it has received strong pushback due to its environmental impact, $67 million taxpayer price tag, and prospect of police militarization being used against Black citizens. 'We need this training center so that we can better service you,' Roderick Smith, chief of Atlanta Fire and Rescue, said during a December media tour of Cop City. 'No matter what stories you've heard about what's going on or what's transpiring here, we've been very transparent about what this facility means to each department and what services we intend to provide.' Cop City was first announced in April 2021 by then-Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms as a means of increasing morale and improving retention among Atlanta police officers following a wave of protests during summer 2020. Activists began organizing to oppose the facility almost immediately, but Stop Cop City — a movement of racial and environmental justice activists — received national and international attention after Georgia Bureau of Investigation SWAT shot and killed 26-year-old Manuel 'Tortuguita' Paez Terán there on the morning of Jan. 18, 2023. The unit was raiding South River Forest to clear out activists known as 'forest defenders' who were camping in the woods adjacent to where the facility is now located. The shooting spurred protests in downtown Atlanta that led Gov. Brian Kemp to declare a state of emergency. Local elected officials who sought to delegitimize the movement labeled people affiliated with Stop Cop City as 'domestic terrorists' and 'outside agitators.' Despite Stop Cop City gaining momentum, particularly on local college campuses, the political will to move forward with the facility never faltered. In June 2023, Stop Cop City launched the Cop City Vote campaign with the support of organizations like Working Families Power, Community Movement Builders, and the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund. The campaign collected more than 100,000 signatures with the goal of putting the controversial training center on the ballot. Despite support for the referendum from U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, former state Rep. Stacey Abrams, and Bernice King, the city refused to count the signatures to determine if enough had been gathered to force a vote. Mayor Andre Dickens has been a staunch supporter of the facility, asserting that more training is necessary to reduce instances of police brutality. Now that the training center is open, activists say they remain committed to fighting against the trend of increased spending on policing and decreased spending on public services. 'Our fight isn't over until Cop City falls and Atlanta reallocates funding towards services that actually keep our communities safe,' reads a press release from The People's Campaign to Stop Cop City, which held a press conference at Jackson Street Bridge on Tuesday. 'Cop City may be built, but Atlantans' resistance remains as strong and determined as ever.' Capital B Atlanta toured Cop City in December for an inside look at the training center. This is what we saw. Lt. Greg Lyon, commander of the mounted patrol, talks with the media. The horse stables that were previously located in Grant Park have been moved to the new training center. The name 'Cop City' nods to the mock city that includes a fake gas station/convenience store, school/apartment building, and two-story home where police and SWAT officers will practice conducting raids and responding to hostage situations and active shooter threats. Atlanta Police Chief Administrative Officer Marshall Freeman stands in front of the greenspace that will become a 0.9-mile walking trail that is open to the public. Police and fire recruits will take public safety courses in the main classroom building, which also has a community space designated for local groups like neighborhood watch to hold meetings. Recruits, officers, and firefighters will practice driving squad cars, fire trucks, or motorcycles. ABOVE: Atlanta Fire and Rescue Chief Roderick Smith stands in front of the mock fire station at the training center. BELOW: In the six-story burn tower, firefighters will practice rescues in full gear and conditions that simulate a house fire. The post Inside 'Cop City': What Atlanta's Controversial Training Center Looks Like appeared first on Capital B News - Atlanta.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Leaders behind building Atlanta Public Safety Training Center ‘surprised' by community pushback
The leader of the Atlanta Police Foundation says the newly opened Atlanta Public Safety Training Center will be good for the community, so he's surprised at the pushback it received. Of the $118 million price tag on the training center, $31 million came from the city. The rest came from Atlanta Police Foundation donors. Channel 2 investigative reporter Mark Winne sat down with President and CEO of the Atlanta Police Foundation Dave Wilkinson. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] 'The mission of the police foundation is to build a safer city to work closely with the citizens, the neighborhoods, the mayor, the city of Atlanta Police Department, all to create a safe city,' Wilkinson said. He says Atlanta has always prioritized making sure officers perform well and are trained well. 'If you combine better talent with better training, you get better outcomes on the streets of Atlanta,' he said. 'In most incidents of police brutality that you've seen around this country, it always comes down to, typically, a lack of talent or a lack of training by the police officers.' Keyana Jones-Moore says she was active in the movement protesting the construction of the training center. 'The police foundation was essentially pushing for something that the public did not want,' Jones-Moore said. 'I'm absolutely still opposed to Cop City.' RELATED STORIES: Atlanta Public Safety Training Center officially opens after years of opposition Diary of dead Atlanta Public Safety Center protester now core of new legal filings from Georgia AG Activists against new training center say city is blocking people's right to vote on project DeKalb DA withdraws her office from Atlanta Public Safety Training Center cases Activists face off with city leaders over plans for public safety training center More than 60 protesters named in RICO indictment connected to Atlanta public safety training center Wilkinson says the donation-funded, non-profit foundation often prefers a low profile, but became a target as the opposition ramped up. Jones-Moore says she didn't commit any acts of destruction, but hesitates to condemn those who did. 'There's no such thing as peaceful protest because protest in and of itself disturbs the peace of the status quo,' she said. Wilkinson says the community did want the center, which is proven by the more than $10 million spent meeting specific requests suggested by neighborhood leaders. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
