Protest,Tear gas,Flash-bang grenades,Cop City,Activist,March,Law enforcement,Training center,Atlanta,Resistance ---- In an intense show of protest, police in Atlanta resorted to using tear gas and flash-bang grenades to halt a march against the construction of a police and firefighter training center, which opponents have nicknamed "Cop City." Over 400 people participated in the march, chanting slogans such as "stop Cop City" and "Viva, viva Tortuguita," in honor of an activist who was fatally shot by state troopers during a forest protest earlier this year.

Police just blockaded the road and fired tear gas on protestors to prevent them from reaching the park. Protestors and police both retreated because neither group was wearing gas masks#BlockCopCity pic.twitter.com/Ea6usJxgVa

— Defend the Atlanta Forest (@defendATLforest) November 13, 2023

Marchers, some clad in masks and chemical suits, collided with officers in riot gear outside the training center site, leading to the deployment of tear gas. Despite accusations of provocation and disobedience, protesters claimed they had no intention of violence and criticized law enforcement's alleged weaponization against public dissent. Protests against the proposed training center have been ongoing for over two years, with Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr charging 61 protesters, characterizing them as "militant anarchists," under the state's anti-racketeering law.

Monday's march, dubbed "Block Cop City," was part of a larger movement across the country that seeks to prevent the construction of the facility. While some protesters retreated from the confrontation and attempted to wash off the effects of tear gas, others ran into the nearby woods, exiting with their hands up. The march concluded without any arrests, with vomiting and irritation from tear gas being the only apparent injuries. Opponents of the training center argue that it could contribute to increased police militarization and worsen environmental damage in a majority-Black, economically disadvantaged area known as the South River Forest.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and other supporters counter that the $90 million facility, spanning an 85-acre site, would provide much-needed improvements to inadequate training facilities and aid in the recruitment and retention of officers. Ahead of the march, organizers encouraged civil disobedience against the project, urging activists not to bring weapons, incendiary devices, or to destroy construction equipment. However, during a subsequent news conference, Chief Darin Schierbaum displayed various alleged weapons, including handmade tree-planting spades, bolt cutters, and gas masks, which he claimed were intended for aggressive and violent use by "professional protesters and anarchists."

Nonetheless, some protesters maintained that trees were being planted as they retreated from the confrontation. The wooded area surrounding the construction site and adjoining park had previously been occupied by activists who camped there for months until they were evicted by police in January, during which a 26-year-old protester referred to as Tortuguita was fatally shot. Although prosecutors declined to bring charges against the state troopers involved, asserting that their use of deadly force was "objectively reasonable," Tortuguita's parents dispute the authorities' account and continue to call for an independent investigation.

As resistance to the Cop City project persists, incidents of violence and vandalism have occurred. Prosecutors now view the protest movement as a conspiracy, linking it to crimes such as possessing fire accelerants and throwing Molotov cocktails at police officers. While most of the individuals indicted in August on racketeering charges had previously been charged with other offenses related to the movement, the contentious battle regarding the policing facility and its potential consequences continues to reverberate.