Atlanta students and community march to defend “No Cop City” petition effort
Atlanta, GA – On the morning of August 14, about 30 people gathered outside the 11th Circuit US Court of Appeals to protest the city of Atlanta’s attempt to appeal the “Stop Cop City” referendum. Protesters gave speeches and chanted “APF you have blood on your hands! No more cops on stolen land!”
The protest was organized by members of the Student Coalition Against Cop City and was supported by groups like Cop City Vote and Community Movement Builders.
The city of Atlanta sought to overturn a recent ruling by Judge Mark Cohen which allows people living outside of the city to collect signatures as part of the referendum campaign to get Cop City put on the ballot in November. If the campaign is successful, it would allow residents to vote on whether or not they think the city of Atlanta should lease the land for Cop City to the Atlanta Police Foundation.
In a victory for the protesters, Judge Cohen denied the city’s appeal, stating, “The City’s real concern may be that now that nonresidents have the ability to gather signatures on the petition for the entire time that they would have been permitted to do so had their initial request been granted, there is an increased possibility that a sufficient number of valid signatures could be obtained.”
The city government has ample cause for concern, as activists and community members have wasted no time in uniting people against Cop City. The petition has already garnered 80,000 signatures, which exceeds the initial goal of 70,000 and is even more than the total number of people who voted for Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens.
Kamau Franklin, founder of Community Movement Builders, said in a speech, “We understand the idea of the diversity of tactics. We know we have to be in the streets, we have to take petitions, we have to be in the courtroom. We have to be everywhere we need to be to let these people know. These corporations are doing nothing but taking over the city and moving the working-class and poor folks out of the city.”
Garrett Brand with the Student Coalition Against Cop City commented on the role of students in the Stop Cop City movement, “Students have played a pivotal role in the movement this summer especially, helping with the referendum effort and event support. This event was organized by students, so we’re definitely boots on the ground mobilizing people to make things happen.”
After speeches were delivered, the protesters marched to the Fulton County Courthouse, carrying signs and a banner that read “Let the people decide! Stop Cop City.” Protesters were met with a full police barricade at the Fulton County Courthouse, supposedly in anticipation of the indictment of former President Donald Trump. As protesters approached the courthouse, police immediately deployed a number of intimidation tactics, with over 50 police officers swarming the protesters and telling them they could not stand on that sidewalk.
The police used the threat of running people over with motorcycles as they inched the protesters to the sidewalk opposite the courthouse. Protesters stood firm as police turned their sirens to full volume and drove motorcycles closer to the protesters, attempting move them away from the courthouse. Despite multiple cops threatening mass arrests, the protest dispersed safely with no arrests.