Atlanta, Georgia residents opposed to the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, nicknamed “Cop City,” turned out in droves at a city council meeting on Monday, yelling, “They dropped the ball,” and throwing ping-pong balls toward the front of the room.
“We are so grateful for this,” said an organizer from Stop Cop City. FOX5 in Atlanta They were marking one year since they presented the city with a petition with more than 100,000 signatures calling for a referendum that would give residents the right to vote on whether to allow the construction of a new training facility.
A federal lawsuit has been filed in this matter and is pending.
At Monday's meeting, some members of the audience began protesting after speakers had finished speaking at the podium, nearly four hours into the meeting.
Southern Poverty Law Center attorney arrested, charged with domestic terrorism in Atlanta's “Cop City” attack
Protesters in Atlanta showed up to the Sept. 16, 2024, city council meeting and yelled, “You dropped the ball,” while hurling ping pong balls at the Public Safety Building, nicknamed “Cop City.” (Atlanta)
Two elderly women walked up to the front of the City Council chambers holding signs that read, “Andre Dickens, you have abandoned democracy,” referring to Atlanta's mayor.
The sign also featured a ping pong ball and the number 116,000.
As the two women stood forward holding a banner, some in the crowd began throwing hundreds of ping-pong balls at the council members.
'Anarchists' wreak havoc in Atlanta while protesting 'Cop City'
Protesters in Atlanta showed up to the Sept. 16, 2024, city council meeting and yelled, “You dropped the ball,” while hurling ping pong balls at the Public Safety Building, nicknamed “Cop City.” (Atlanta)
According to a tweet from the Atlanta Community Press Collective, protesters claimed the ping pong balls represented more than 100,000 signatures collected for the referendum.
The protest lasted about six minutes, after which the live feed of the meeting was switched off to a black screen. After 20 minutes, the feed returned and the protesters left the chamber.
Dickens and other supporters of the $90 million facility, which would be built on 85 acres, say it would replace inadequate training facilities and help solve challenges in recruiting and retaining police officers.
Atlanta 'Cop City' protesters clash with police over training center construction
ATLANTA, GA – MARCH 4: Environmental activists rally and march in Atlanta's protected forest, which is set to be developed into a police training center, on March 4, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. Environmental activists were chased out of the forest in January to try to block the construction of what they call a police city, resulting in the police killing of young activist and doctor Manuel Teran. (Photo by Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images) (Photo by Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images)
But opponents worry the new facilities will lead to further militarization of police, and that they're located in predominantly black neighborhoods, FOX 5 reported.
The facility has been the center of several protests over the past few years, which at times have turned violent and vandalized, and escalated further after state police arrested Manuel Esteban Páez Terán, also known as “Tortuguita,” in January 2023.
In October 2023, a special prosecutor dismissed charges against the state trooper who shot and killed Teran, finding that the use of deadly force was “objectively reasonable.”
Click here to get the FOX News app
City officials reportedly claim that problems caused by protesters have increased costs for the training center by nearly $20 million.
