Twitter suspends account calling for 'retaliation' for protestor killed near planned police training site
'Defend the Forest' group rallies after protester killed
Supporters of the "Defend the Forest" group gathered in the rain in Little Five Points on Wednesday, hours after the GBI says a protester shot a Georgia State Patrol trooper and then was killed by other officers returning fire in the so-called "Cop City" property in Atlanta.
ATLANTA - Twitter has suspended an account that called for a "night of rage" after a person was killed during demonstrations surrounding a planned Atlanta Police Department training facility in DeKalb County.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said law enforcement shot and killed a protestor who shot a Georgia state trooper on Wednesday morning. Law enforcement was clearing people out of the woods in the area.
The account Scenes from the Atlanta Forest (@scenesatl), called for "reciprocal violence to be done to the police and their allies," and a "night of rage" on Friday. The account was found to have violated Twitter's rules hours later.
During Wednesday's "operation," the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said multiple law enforcement agencies were trying to identify people who are trespassing on the property. Police said a man inside a tent in the woods "shot a Georgia State Patrol Trooper." Other officers returned fire, and killed the man.
Georgia State Patrol said officials do not plan to identify the state trooper who was injured. They were recovering in ICU at Grady Hospital on Wednesday after surgery.
On Wednesday night, "forest defenders" marched in Little Five Points. They've also called for demonstrations on Saturday at Underground Atlanta in support of the protestor who was killed.
Protestors in the area have been accused of criminal activity at the site before. Wednesday's deadly incident followed a sweep in December resulted in five arrests and domestic terrorism charges. The Atlanta Police Department released video of what officials call "Molotov cocktails" thrown while a group of protestors was occupying the so-called "Cop City" site.
The controversial area, which protestors refer to as "Cop City," is in southwest DeKalb County near Gresham Park. The training facility site is near the remains of a former prison farm in unincorporated DeKalb County. That property is owned by the city of Atlanta.
Atlanta mayor backs approval of police training facility
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said Thursday she is behind the city's approval to lease land for a training facility for police officers. The project has been at the center of protests by activists who say law enforcement doesn't need additional funding.
The facility plan, funded by the Atlanta Police Foundation, was approved by Atlanta City Council in 2021. The facility would include a shooting range and burn building for firefighters to practice tactics.