Inside ‘Cop City': What Atlanta's Controversial Training Center Looks Like
The 85-acre campus will serve as the training grounds for the city's police and firefighters, yet it has received strong pushback due to its environmental impact, $67 million taxpayer price tag, and prospect of police militarization being used against Black citizens.
'We need this training center so that we can better service you,' Roderick Smith, chief of Atlanta Fire and Rescue, said during a December media tour of Cop City. 'No matter what stories you've heard about what's going on or what's transpiring here, we've been very transparent about what this facility means to each department and what services we intend to provide.'
Cop City was first announced in April 2021 by then-Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms as a means of increasing morale and improving retention among Atlanta police officers following a wave of protests during summer 2020.
Activists began organizing to oppose the facility almost immediately, but Stop Cop City — a movement of racial and environmental justice activists — received national and international attention after Georgia Bureau of Investigation SWAT shot and killed 26-year-old Manuel 'Tortuguita' Paez Terán there on the morning of Jan. 18, 2023. The unit was raiding South River Forest to clear out activists known as 'forest defenders' who were camping in the woods adjacent to where the facility is now located.
The shooting spurred protests in downtown Atlanta that led Gov. Brian Kemp to declare a state of emergency. Local elected officials who sought to delegitimize the movement labeled people affiliated with Stop Cop City as 'domestic terrorists' and 'outside agitators.'
Despite Stop Cop City gaining momentum, particularly on local college campuses, the political will to move forward with the facility never faltered.
In June 2023, Stop Cop City launched the Cop City Vote campaign with the support of organizations like Working Families Power, Community Movement Builders, and the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund.
The campaign collected more than 100,000 signatures with the goal of putting the controversial training center on the ballot. Despite support for the referendum from U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, former state Rep. Stacey Abrams, and Bernice King, the city refused to count the signatures to determine if enough had been gathered to force a vote.
Mayor Andre Dickens has been a staunch supporter of the facility, asserting that more training is necessary to reduce instances of police brutality.
Now that the training center is open, activists say they remain committed to fighting against the trend of increased spending on policing and decreased spending on public services.
'Our fight isn't over until Cop City falls and Atlanta reallocates funding towards services that actually keep our communities safe,' reads a press release from The People's Campaign to Stop Cop City, which held a press conference at Jackson Street Bridge on Tuesday. 'Cop City may be built, but Atlantans' resistance remains as strong and determined as ever.'
Capital B Atlanta toured Cop City in December for an inside look at the training center. This is what we saw.
Lt. Greg Lyon, commander of the mounted patrol, talks with the media. The horse stables that were previously located in Grant Park have been moved to the new training center.
The name 'Cop City' nods to the mock city that includes a fake gas station/convenience store, school/apartment building, and two-story home where police and SWAT officers will practice conducting raids and responding to hostage situations and active shooter threats.
Atlanta Police Chief Administrative Officer Marshall Freeman stands in front of the greenspace that will become a 0.9-mile walking trail that is open to the public.
Police and fire recruits will take public safety courses in the main classroom building, which also has a community space designated for local groups like neighborhood watch to hold meetings.
Recruits, officers, and firefighters will practice driving squad cars, fire trucks, or motorcycles.
ABOVE: Atlanta Fire and Rescue Chief Roderick Smith stands in front of the mock fire station at the training center. BELOW: In the six-story burn tower, firefighters will practice rescues in full gear and conditions that simulate a house fire.
The post Inside 'Cop City': What Atlanta's Controversial Training Center Looks Like appeared first on Capital B News - Atlanta.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Black America Web
2 hours ago
- Black America Web
Black Woman Sues University Of Michigan For ‘Racist' Firing
Source: Nic Antaya / Getty A Black woman who was the former head of the University of Michigan's diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) office is suing the school, alleging she was discriminated against when the school fired her for antisemitic remarks she said she never made. According to the Detroit Free Press, Rachel Dawson attended an academic conference in March 2024 when she was approached by two women asking her how the school was planning to address antisemitism. The women allege Dawson, who then ran University of Michigan's Office of Academic Multicultural Initiatives, responded by saying 'The university is controlled by wealthy Jews' and 'We don't work with Jews.' Dawson has a different recollection of the events and denies ever making remarks of the sort. From Detroit Free Press: Dawson said she remembered talking with the two women who accused her, but her recollection of the conversation was far different. She said that when the two women heard she was from U-M, they approached her to discuss rumors of antisemitism on campus. Dawson said she told them that the school was doing its best to combat antisemitism and all forms of discrimination. She noted that the school had recently opened the Raoul Wallenberg Institute to promote tolerance and that Jewish students had access to support groups like Hillel . Dawson's suit said the women became hostile, began berating her and even followed her out of the room when she tried to end the conversation. Days later, back at U-M, Dawson said she learned that the women had contacted the Anti-Defamation League, which filed a complaint about her with then-President Santa Ono. 'I am aware of several non-Black employees of the university who have been the subject of similar complaints about their behavior, and none have been terminated,' Dawson wrote in a statement to the school before her disciplinary hearing. 'The allegations against me illustrate how racial and gender biases can shape the interpretation of events and statements, especially for Black women in positions of authority.' Call me racist, but I'm much more inclined to believe that a group of white women got offended that a Black woman didn't say exactly what they wanted to hear, instead of a Black woman, in a position of power, willfully throwing that out the window to say something heinously antisemitic in a professional setting. Just saying, we didn't coin the term 'Karen' because entitled white women don't exist. Moving on, Dawson alleges the University of Michigan didn't follow its usual disciplinary steps when it comes to investigating incidents like these. The school hired an outside law firm, Covington & Burling LLP, to investigate instead of doing it in-house. Covington & Burling also represented the ADL in this case, which Dawson's lawyers allege to be a conflict of interest. The law firm's report acknowledged that Dawson and the women had differing accounts of the incident but found 'the weight of the available evidence supports the conclusion that Ms. Dawson made the statements attributed to her in the ADL Michigan letter.' Tabbye Chavous, Dawson's supervisor, was skeptical of how the investigation was being conducted and the findings in the final report. Chavous wrote a letter to the University of Michigan's then-President Santa Ono saying that 'Based on all information available to me, I would respectfully disagree with the conclusion drawn from the report.' 'It is obvious that this is not consistent with our normal processes for investigating alleged similar conduct of employees in a similar position as Ms. Dawson at an off-campus conference,' Chavous wrote. 'Why is the process for this situation and employee seemingly different from similar kinds of allegations and issues with others and how they are dealt with normally?' After the investigation, Chavous issued Dawson a warning and ordered her to complete anti-bias training. Usually, this would be where the story ends, but not in the case of Dawson. When word of the disciplinary action reached the University of Michigan's Board of Regents, Regent Mark Bernstein wrote, 'that the only acceptable outcome would be for Ms. Dawson to be 'terminated immediately.'' By December 2024, Dawson was fired from her position. Being prejudiced against someone for their race, religion, gender, or sexuality is the weakest thing a person can do. Yet it's interesting that whenever a white man is accused of racism, all he's expected to do is take an anti-bias class, make an apology, and the consequences are waved away. What Dawson is accused of is objectively awful, yet one can't help but see the double standard in how she's being treated compared to the multitudes of white men who have actually been recorded saying equally if not more heinous things and are still given chance after chance to redeem themselves. The University of Michigan has stood by its decision to fire Dawson. 'Rachel Dawson was appropriately terminated from her employment at the University of Michigan,' school spokeswoman Kay Jarvis told the Free Press in an email. 'We will vigorously defend this matter.' Dawson filed her lawsuit in federal court and intends to file a state court discrimination claim as well. Dawson's suit asks the court to declare the University of Michigan violated her civil rights and to award her an undisclosed amount in damages. SEE ALSO: UVA President Resigns Over Trump's Anti-DEI Investigation UNC Asheville Dean Of Students Fired For Pro-DEI Comments SEE ALSO Black Woman Sues University Of Michigan For 'Racist' Firing was originally published on
Black America Web
2 hours ago
- Black America Web
T-Mobile Removes DEI Programs Just In Time For FCC To Approve Mergers
Source: picture alliance / Getty Boy, I tell ya, 2025 has really been the year of finding out how many companies don't value Black dollars. Cell service provider T-Mobile is the latest company announcing an end to its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives to appease the Trump administration. Last week, T-Mobile sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Brendan Carr stating it was ending its DEI initiatives 'not just in name, but in substance.' T-Mobile has removed any mention of DEI on its website and employee training manuals, and no longer has any positions or teams dedicated to DEI. 'This is another good step forward for equal opportunity, nondiscrimination, and the public interest,' Carr wrote in response to T-Mobile's letter. On Friday, the FCC approved T-Mobile's acquisitions of regional carrier United States Cellular and internet provider Metronet in two separate transactions. Most of the companies that've made similar moves have at least tried to soften it with some corporate speak about how 'we stand committed to creating a welcoming environment for all customers,' but T-Mobile really stood 10 toes down here. 'Not just in name, but in substance,' is crazy work and tells T-Mobile's Black, Brown, and LGBTQ employees and customers that it has no problem throwing them under the bus when it's politically expedient. FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez, a Democrat, criticized T-Mobile's decision, calling it 'yet another cynical bid to win FCC regulatory approval. T-Mobile is making a mockery of its professed commitment to eliminating discrimination, promoting fairness, and amplifying underrepresented voices.' What's interesting to me is that the GOP loves to go on and on about 'ideological purity tests' and then use their power to punish any individual or organization that doesn't agree with their ideology. Throughout his tenure as FCC Chair, Carr has shown no hesitation in weaponizing his position to target any company that has DEI initiatives he agrees with. He most notably opened an investigation into NBC over Comcast's DEI policies earlier this year. In an interview with Bloomberg, Carr openly said, 'Any businesses that are looking for FCC approval, I would encourage them to get busy ending any sort of their invidious forms of DEI discrimination.' Carr's willingness to use the FCC's merger approval process to pressure companies into removing their DEI initiatives has drawn criticism from House Democrats, resulting in the House Committee on Energy and Commerce opening an investigation into Carr. As a result of the Trump administration's crackdown on DEI initiatives, this year has seen several companies announcing an end to their DEI programs. While it may have gained them favor with the Trump administration, it hasn't gone over smoothly with consumers. Several consumer boycotts have been launched this year over companies removing their DEI programs, with Target being the most notable. The company announced in January it'd be winding down its commitment to DEI and is steadily facing the consequences of that decision. Several consumer boycotts were launched by Rev. Jamal Bryant and Minnesota activist Nekima Levy Armstrong, resulting in foot traffic being down in stores, and the company posting a sales loss during its quarterly earnings report in May. Consumer boycotts over DEI closures are so effective that companies are listing them as potential risks for investors. While T-Mobile may gain the FCC's approval, it's now running the risk of alienating a substantial part of its consumer base. SEE ALSO: Stacey Abrams Warns Companies Dropping DEI, 'It Costs You' Survey: High-Level Business Execs Say DEI Is Necessary SEE ALSO T-Mobile Removes DEI Programs Just In Time For FCC To Approve Mergers was originally published on
New York Post
3 hours ago
- New York Post
Piers Morgan accuses Joy Reid of playing ‘race card' in heated exchange over MSNBC firing
Joy Reid and Piers Morgan had a heated exchange on 'Piers Morgan Uncensored' Thursday when the host disputed her claim that she was fired from MSNBC for being a Black woman. 'Joy, I mean, let's be honest. I don't think you were fired after all those years because of your skin color or because you're a Black woman. I think you were fired because your show just got increasingly unpopular,' Morgan said. Advertisement Reid's MSNBC show 'The ReidOut' was canceled in February as part of a larger shakeup at the network. Her show had struggled to attract ratings, averaging only 973,000 total viewers in February 2025 compared to 1.3 million during the same month in 2024, marking a 28% decline. Reid has maintained that her show suffered smaller declines than other MSNBC shows, and she didn't understand the reason for the cancellation. When Morgan asked why she was playing 'the race card' instead of acknowledging that rating struggles were behind her cancellation, an incensed Reid shot back at Morgan that he was 'fixated on trying to racialize conversations.' 'I love the fact that your 'play the race card' is your version of the race card. You literally are so fixated on trying to racialize conversations with me, Piers, I actually find it quite charming,' Reid said before she was cut off. Advertisement 4 Joy Reid and Piers Morgan had a heated exchange on 'Piers Morgan Uncensored' when the host disputed her claim that she was fired from MSNBC for being a Black woman. YouTube / Piers Morgan Uncensored 'You racialize more conversations in your tenure at MSNBC than any host in history,' a peeved Morgan interrupted while Reid continued to speak. Reid's show was known for her controversial and often racially charged views, especially directing scorn towards Black Republicans and conservatives. She called Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas 'Uncle Clarence' due to his conservative views. Advertisement 4 'Joy, I mean, let's be honest. I don't think you were fired after all those years because of your skin color or because you're a Black woman. I think you were fired because your show just got increasingly unpopular,' Morgan said. YouTube / Piers Morgan Uncensored 4 'You racialize more conversations in your tenure at MSNBC than any host in history,' Morgan interrupted while Reid continued to speak. YouTube / Piers Morgan Uncensored Reid claimed in 2021 that Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., was only present at a GOP press conference to provide a 'patina of diversity.' The former MSNBC host also called Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fl., the 'Black guy the Republicans love to roll out' in 2021. Reid previously told podcaster Marc Lamont Hill that being a 'Black woman' made White viewers 'angrier' when they objected to some of the controversial views she shared on her program. Advertisement 'You take an entire conversation I had with Marc Lamont Hill and pick the bits that you can racialize because this is your schtick,' Reid told Morgan. 4 Reid's MSNBC show 'The ReidOut' was canceled in February as part of a larger shakeup at the network. Getty Images for ESSENCE 'You racialize everything Joy, come on… It's not my schtick, it was your schtick, but people got bored with it,' Morgan shot back. The former 'ReidOut' host went on to say that Morgan, a 'White European,' had a double standard for when 'people of color' discussed race. Morgan and Reid's interview was contentious throughout. At another point, Morgan confronted Reid at length over her blog controversy, where homophobic posts from a Florida-based blog she had resurfaced in 2018.
