Activists file lawsuit over referendum on Atlanta Public Safety Training Center
'Stop Cop City' activists want public to vote
"Stop Cop City" activists want to take their fight to the ballot box. They're pushing for a ballot referendum that would allow Atlanta residents to vote on whether they want the public safety training facility. Organizers filed the paperwork at Atlanta City Hall Wednesday morning.
ATLANTA - Activists against the construction of the controversial construction of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center are filing a lawsuit against the city to try and force a referendum that would allow voters to decide on the future of the project that they have nicknamed "Cop City."
A day after the City Council rejected protesters’ pleas to refuse to fund the training facility, the activists returned to City Hall to file a referendum petition, hoping to take the fight to the ballot box. Under the proposed referendum, voters would choose whether they want to repeal the ordinance that authorized the lease of the city-owned land upon which the project is set to be built.
"We are interested in having an actual vote on this," Cop City Coalition spokesperson Paul Glaze told FOX 5. "We don't think that 12 people is enough to make a decision for the people of Atlanta. We think there are a lot of nuances to this conversation that gets lost when it becomes just a shouting match, and so I think we are going to call for a public referendum."
Hundreds of protesters opposing the planned Atlanta Public Safety Training Center march in front of Atlanta City Hall on June 5, 2023. (FOX 5)
Activists with the Coalition now say they've filed a writ of mandamus Monday to require the municipal clerk to approve the petition and allow the city to move forward with the referendum plan.
The action comes after activists say Mayor Andre Dickens and his office have "illegally stonewalled" the approval forms in order to prevent it from being on the ballot in November.
"Mayor Andre Dickens told the public that he would respect the process for the referendum, but he took the first opportunity he could to suppress our right to vote. They say you can judge a man by the company he keeps - I guess staying buddies with Brian Kemp means more to him than democratic values," said Rev. Keyanna Jones, a neighbor to the proposed site and Stop Cop City Faith Coalition leader.
But the Mayor's Office denies the group's claims against Mayor Dickens.
In a statement to FOX 5, Mayor Dickens' Press Secretary Michael Smith writes, "It is important to clarify that the Office of the Municipal Clerk is not part of the Executive branch of government. Contrary to claims, the Mayor's Office has no involvement in the approval process for a petition."
City council approves training center funding
It was a big win for supporters of Atlanta's planned public safety training facility. The Atlanta City Council approved funding for the controversial project early Tuesday morning, following a marathon session. Hundreds turned out in protest. What's next for them?
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The activists say that around 3,000 Atlantans have already signed up to be notified when the referendum petition is available.
Construction crews have already begun clearing wide swaths of the overgrown, urban forest in unincorporated DeKalb County ahead of the planned construction of the 85-acre (34-hectare) campus. Project opponents said they plan to seek a court order to halt the work pending the outcome of their proposed referendum.
A rendering of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center campus. (Supplied)
City officials say the $90 million facility would replace inadequate training facilities and would help address difficulties in hiring and retaining police officers that worsened after nationwide protests against police brutality and racial injustice three years ago.
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But opponents, who have been joined by activists from around the country, say they fear it will lead to greater militarization of the police and that its construction will exacerbate environmental damage in a poor, majority-Black area.
The "Stop Cop City" effort has gone on for more than two years, with authorities accusing protesters of throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails at law enforcement officers during clashes at and near the site.
Crews continue to clear the future site of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center. (FOX 5)
More than 350 people signed up at the meeting to deliver impassioned speeches against the facility, with testimony inside the City Council chamber lasting so long — more than 14 hours — that the 11-4 vote in favor of funding the facility did not take place until around 5:30 a.m. the next morning.
Having been unable to convince the council to halt the project, activists said it’s time for activists to make the case to the larger public.
"The exciting thing about the referendum is that it’s a silver bullet," said Alex Joseph, a local attorney who is helping to lead the legal effort. "If we win, it shuts down the project."
As approved by the City Council in September 2021, the land is being leased to the private Atlanta Police Foundation for $10 a year. The proposed referendum would seek to cancel that agreement.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.