'Cop City' activists arrested after chaining themselves to construction equipment

September 7th, 2023

A banner hanging near the site occupied by opponents to the construction of a planned $90 million public safety training center, dubbed "Cop City" by opponents. Police arrested eight protestors at the site on Tuesday. (Rebecca Etter/WABE)

Authorities arrested five people who allegedly chained themselves to construction equipment at the site of Atlanta’s planned public safety training center.

It happened around 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 7, and comes just days after Republican Attorney General Chris Carr announced the indictment of 61 people over alleged violent efforts like throwing bricks and lit Molotov cocktails to stop the construction of what protesters call “Cop City.”

The clashes have been going on for nearly two years.

The most recent arrests include two ministers and other people of faith who held banners that read, “Stop Work Now” and “No Cop City.” They range in age from 28 to 65 years old. Four are from Georgia, and one is from Burlington, Massachusetts. Charges include trespassing, obstruction and reckless conduct.

According to the Atlanta Police Department, they were arrested soon after trespassing onto the property. The agency worked with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to determine charges.

“Additional resources have been moved to the site and our local, state and federal law enforcement partners are engaged and assisting us to ensure the First Amendment rights and the safety of protestors [are] protected as well as to ensure the work site remains secure and work continues on the training center,” the department said.

Organizer Mary Hooks was one of about two dozen protesters who lined the site off Constitution Road while the arrests were made. She said they went to deliver what they call, “The People’s Stop Work Order.”

“I want to make sure that the people of Atlanta know that we will not be deterred,” Hooks said. “We will not be deterred by RICO [Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations act] charges, domestic terrorism charges, the trickery that’s happening at City Council. And if we cannot find justice in the courts, we will take it in the streets.”

Earlier this week, the American Civil Liberties Union, or ACLU, called the state’s use of RICO in the case “unprecedented” and “breathtakingly broad.”

Meanwhile, Hooks said there’s an ongoing legal battle to put the issue on the ballot so voters can decide whether they want the 85-acre, $90 million police and firefighter training center.

“It’s heartbreaking and disappointing that our city leadership has been so co-opted by corporate interests that when the people have made a strong assertion that they want to vote on the thing that they would not stop, drop and let the people vote,” Hooks said. “Fear is not an option at this point. Too much is at stake.”

The Stop Cop City Coalition is set to submit about 108,000 signatures in support of the referendum at Atlanta City Hall next week.