'Stop Cop City' pushes for non-Atlanta residents to be included in signature petition

ATLANTA - New developments in the planned Atlanta Public Safety Training Center saga.

Multiple organizations have now filed court briefings in support of non-residents who want to collect petition signatures to get the issue on the ballot.

While the current status of the petition is in limbo due to legal challenges, several groups this week have taken legal steps and provided arguments as to why the ruling on non-Atlanta residents helping out with the signature-gathering process should stand.

On September 11, organizers with the Stop Cop City Coalition turned in around 116,000 signatures in support of putting the controversial training center on the ballot.

The City Clerk’s Office then told the group that it could not start the verification process of the signatures because the petition should have been submitted by the deadline on August 21 .

This after the 11th Circuit put a stay on a district court judge’s order for an extension which also allowed non-Atlanta residents to collect signatures until September 25.

Attorney Jeff Filipovits represents plaintiffs in litigation against the city for the right to collect signatures. He says it is frightening to see the lengths the city has gone to in order to keep the project going.

"They are going to approve a referendum, have its residents expend thousands of hours of collecting a signature and then when they get close to success, the city is going to say, "We’re just kidding, that was never a valid referendum?" exclaimed Filipovits. "That’s what people are starting to react to now."

This week, three separate groups including the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the UGA School of Law’s First Amendment Clinic filed amicus briefs in support of non-residents’ participation.

"What it demonstrates is that there is a large amount of support in the community for this referendum, for the effort, and for the City of Atlanta to respect the will of the voter," said Filipovits.

FOX 5 reached out to the city for comment and a spokesperson said they are looking into it.