May 31st 2024.
The Atlanta community is in an uproar as accusations surface against the local police department. There have been reports of officers stalking and harassing individuals and neighborhoods that are opposed to the construction of the new police training center, nicknamed "Cop City." These allegations have caused great concern among residents who feel targeted and intimidated by law enforcement.
According to residents in the affected neighborhoods, police have been following individuals in their cars, blaring sirens outside of their homes in the middle of the night, and shining bright headlights into their windows. These actions allegedly began in February of 2024, after a controversial raid on three houses that were suspected to be connected to an arson case involving construction and police equipment. Since then, police have been accused of setting up surveillance in four different neighborhoods, with a focus on approximately 12 homes, including those that were previously raided.
Residents have reported both marked and unmarked police cars parked nearby, slowly driving by, and leaving when approached. One individual even shared that they were followed by a car for over four hours while in the company of another person. This caused them to drive outside of the county to escape the harassment, only to be pulled over by a Gwinnett police officer for a minor infraction.
Similar experiences have been shared by nearly ten other residents in different Atlanta neighborhoods, all of whom have noticed an increased police presence in recent months. One individual, who was followed for hours, recalls being startled when a police car blasted its siren outside their home at 3:30 am in March of 2024. "I'm not a lawyer," they said, "but at what point does this become harassment? How do you tell the police that they have crossed the line?"
With no arrests being made, residents are left feeling confused and concerned about their privacy and protection from harassment. Social movement historian Dan Berger has compared this level of surveillance to tactics used during the civil rights era, stating that it is a form of "naked intimidation with plausible deniability attached to it." He believes that this is a common strategy used by those in power to scare and suppress movements that they see as a threat.
Lawyer and law professor Andrew Ferguson points the finger at the courts for enabling law enforcement to have this level of intimidation power. He explains that while the courts have given police the authority to investigate crimes, the issue lies in the fact that abuse and harassment are difficult to define and there are not enough laws in place to protect individuals from these types of actions.
The Atlanta police department has defended their actions, stating that the construction of Cop City is necessary for "world-class" training. The controversial training center is being built on a 171-acre lot just southeast of Atlanta. Despite public outcry and opposition, the city council voted in favor of the project in June of 2023, with only four members voting against it. Those who oppose the project believe that the city's resources could be better used in more productive and less harmful ways.
In an attempt to stop the "Stop Cop City" initiative, the city of Atlanta appealed to a federal judge, but their appeal was denied. The organizers of the Vote to Stop Cop City coalition claim to have gathered close to 80,000 signatures in August of 2023, surpassing their initial goal of 70,000. However, despite growing concerns in Atlanta, other cities are also moving forward with plans to build similar training facilities. Teen Vogue has reported that a new $50 million police station with a "regional training facility" has been approved for construction in Madison, Wisconsin. And in 2023, plans for a $170 million "public safety training facility" were announced in Chicago.
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