Protests against Atlanta’s ‘Cop City’ continue despite crackdown demonstrations

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• Amna Nawaz:

  Dozens of people in Atlanta are facing racketeering charges in connection with protests over what they call Cop City, a proposed training center for police and firefighters.

  William Brangham has that story.

• William Brangham:

  Protests against this proposed 85-acre training center have been going on for more than two years.

  In January, protester Manuel Teran was killed in a gunfight with police as they were clearing out a site where activists were camped. This summer, the state's attorney general, Chris Carr, obtained a sweeping indictment using the state's anti-racketeering law, charging 61 protesters and characterizing them as — quote — "militant anarchists."

  This week, hundreds of marchers were met with flashbangs and tear gas, and, today, more crowds gathered near the proposed training site, again calling for a halt to the project.

  Chamian Cruz is a reporter for WABE in Atlanta who is covering it all.

  Chamian, welcome back to the program.

  These protests have been going on for quite a long time, and there's so many different groups involved. There's environmentalists, police abolitionists, faith leaders, indigenous tribes. Overall, what is it that they most object to about this facility?

• Chamian Cruz, Criminal Justice Reporter, WABE:

  Yes, like you said, there are a lot of layers to this.

  And people have been protesting this project for more than two years because it is an 85-acre facility that's estimated to cost about $90 million. And it's going in this area where it is surrounded by low-income majority-Black neighborhoods. And people say that it's going to disproportionately affect these people.

  I mean, a lot of people say they don't want to hear officers firing their guns and training in their backyards.

• William Brangham:

  And what do police and the city officials who approved this project say they need it for?

• Chamian Cruz:

  Yes, the mayor has said that this project is needed to have a well-trained police force and also firefighters, and that it's needed to improve their de-escalation training and to boost morale and be able to recruit more officers in the city.

• William Brangham:

  I mean, the siting of a police training facility is not normally the kind of thing that stirs such opposition.

  Do you have a sense as to why this has set off such a furor?

• Chamian Cruz:

  Well, I will say that protests have been going on for more than two years.

  And I started covering it in January, when State Troopers shot and killed a protester at the site. And that's really when people around the country started paying more attention to what's going on here. After that shooting happened, a special prosecutor investigated the case. And in late August, he determined that the shooting was justified and that he would not be pressing charges or bringing charges against the officers involved.

  And that's only sparked even more protests.

• William Brangham:

  As I mentioned, the attorney general is using the RICO laws, which are normally used against organized crime, to go after some of these protesters.

  What is he alleging that they are doing that is part of this illegal conspiracy?

• Chamian Cruz:

  Well, he's alleging that protesters are organizing around the country to raise funds and commit violent acts.

  Earlier this year, in the city, people were marching, and they started destroying several buildings and setting police cars on fire. And so they're calling this, it's organized crime. And that's why they're bringing these racketeering charges against them.

• William Brangham:

  I see.

  And where do those protesters who were charged, the 61, where do their cases stand right now?

• Chamian Cruz:

  So, these 61 protesters were arraigned earlier this month.

  And, at that arraignment, we learned that state prosecutors have collected about five terabytes worth of evidence. And we expect the defense to take months to review all of this. And so, at that hearing, a judge set a final plea hearing for June, so next summer.

  And we really expect that to go on for months.

• William Brangham:

  I know that you have been on the ground talking to some of the protesters themselves. Do you have a sense as to how long they're willing to keep this protest up?

• Chamian Cruz:

  That's a question that I have been asking people every time that I'm out there. And they always tell me, we're not going to stop, that these racketeering charges, they see them as an attempt to silence people and dissuade them from protesting this project.

  But they always tell me, like, no, we're going to keep going. Even if or when this project is completed, we're going to be protesting because, like I said, this is one of the largest facilities of this kind in the country. And since this project has started construction, we have seen other cities also trying to build their own police training center.

• William Brangham:

  There is a public referendum that opponents have been gathering signatures for, and they hope that that will get to the ballot and be voted on.

  This is something that Atlanta's mayor, Andre Dickens, has dismissed. And I wonder, how has the mayor been navigating this entire crisis?

• Chamian Cruz:

  So, when these organizers began collecting the signatures, he said that he would stand back and allow this process to go through.

  But once the organizers submitted 116,000, signatures, which is double the amount that they needed to get the issue on the ballot, now the case is in legal limbo. And he said that it's invalid, and the city has refused to begin verifying these signatures. And there's actually a hearing scheduled for next month where a judge will determine next steps.

• William Brangham:

  All right, that is Chamian Cruz of WABE in Atlanta.

  Thank you so much for bringing us up to speed on this.

• Chamian Cruz:

  Thank you.