35 Arrested After Attacking Officers at Site of Proposed Atlanta Training Facility
AllSides Summary
Police arrested 35 people after a "coordinated attack" on the proposed site of the new Atlanta Public Safety Training Center.
The Details: Police said people threw "large rocks, bricks, Molotov cocktails, and fireworks at police officers," and set fire to cars and equipment. Footage published by the Atlanta Police Department shows a crowd of people, many dressed in black or camouflage and wearing face coverings, attack the site and throw apparent fireworks and other objects at police officers. No officers were injured. The attack reportedly followed a peaceful "Stop Cop City" demonstration and concert nearby.
For Context: The $90 million site, dubbed "Copy City" by opponents, covers 85 acres of woodland near Atlanta, which some environmental activists object to. In January, an activist was shot and killed by a Georgia state trooper after allegedly shooting him near the site.
Balanced Quotes: "Violent agitators used the cover of a peaceful protest" to conduct "a coordinated attack on construction equipment and police officers," said the Atlanta Police Department. Defend the Atlanta Forest tweeted that those arrested were "peaceful concert goers who were nowhere near the demonstration." The Atlanta Solidarity Fund tweeted, "The first amendment doesn't go away when a single person sets a fire."
How the Media Covered It: Georgia outlets and some national sources across the spectrum highlighted the news Monday. Some left-rated sources focused on activists concerned that the facility could enable more "police militarization." Right-rated sources often focused more on details of the attack.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Center
Atlanta police training site attacked by violent protesters
The site of a proposed police training facility in Atlanta was attacked Sunday by “violent agitators” during a coordinated, chaotic attack, police said.
The future police training site has been the focus of repeated protests and confrontations, but Sunday’s attack threatened the lives of law enforcement personnel.
A “Stop Cop City” festival was underway nearby to protest the facility’s construction when police said more than 100 people, who used the peaceful protest as a cover, broke away and started a violent, coordinated attack on police personnel and construction equipment at the construction site of...
From the Left
Police: 35 detained after officers attacked, fires set at Atlanta training center site
Protesters dressed in all black threw large rocks, bricks, Molotov cocktails, and fireworks at police officers Sunday at the construction site for the new Atlanta Police Department training facility, according to police.
Several pieces of construction equipment were set on fire, Atlanta’s police Chief Darin Schierbaum said during a press conference around midnight. Some 35 people had been detained as other police agencies stepped in to assist the city’s officers.
“Actions such as this will not be tolerated,” Schierbaum said. “When you attack law enforcement officers, when you damage equipment,...
From the Right
Atlanta protesters hurl bricks, Molotov cocktails at police at future ‘Cop City’ site
Protesters hurled bricks and Molotov cocktails at cops and set vehicles on fire Sunday at the site of a future police training facility in Atlanta, officials said critics have dubbed “Cop City.”
The $90 million Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, dubbed “Cop City,” was taken under siege by a group of vandals “using the cover of a peaceful protest” in what Atlanta Police called “a coordinated attack.”
“They changed into black clothing and entered the construction area and began to throw large rocks, bricks, Molotov cocktails and fireworks at police...
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