May 1, 2024
ATLANTA (AP) — Authorities arrested five activists, including two wearing clerical attire, who chained themselves to a bulldozer Thursday to halt construction of an Atlanta-area police and firefighter training center that opponents call “Cop City.”
The protest occurred as a larger group gathered behind a chain-link fence to deliver a mock “stop work order” against the project.
In a statement, Atlanta police accused the five activists of trespassing and said the department is working with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to determine charges. Authorities did not release their names.
The demonstration at the DeKalb County site, where construction has been happening off and on for months, occurred two days after Georgia officials announced that 61 people were recently indicted on racketeering charges in connection with the “Stop Cop City” movement.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens says the facility would replace inadequate training facilities and help address difficulties in hiring and retaining police officers.
In the indictment, Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr said the movement is spearheaded by “militant anarchists” who have committed multiple acts of violence and vandalism, including setting a police car aflame during a downtown Atlanta protest in January and torching construction equipment in March.
