Opposition to Atlanta’s public safety complex recently hit a bloody, violent milestone after a state trooper fatally shot a 26-year-old at the DeKalb County site. Activist Manuel Teran died after allegedly shooting a trooper amid a forest sweep operation last Wednesday, said the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
The GBI said there’s no bodycam footage. The Atlanta Police Department isn’t going to release any footage from the operation amid GBI’s probe. Over the weekend, Atlanta police arrested six people in downtown Atlanta for firebombing a police car and shattering business windows. Five of them are out-of-state detainees.
The group allegedly damaged the 191 Peachtree Tower best known in the city’s skyline. Its corporate tenants include Deloitte and the Atlanta Police Foundation — one of the most powerful nonprofits of its kind nationwide. APF is contributing two-thirds of the project’s construction funds as it spearheads the plan.
At least 13 people had previously been arrested in relation to the $90 million project. State troopers last month arrested six others on domestic terrorism charges for their attempts to stop the project. Meanwhile, a bipartisan chorus of politicians is publicly praising Mayor Andre Dickens and Gov. Brian Kemp for their united defense of the project.
Dickens and Kemp both won their elections on a platform focused on increased support for public safety. The APD investigated 170 homicides last year.
Joe Scarborough, an Atlanta native and former Republican congressman for Florida, thanked Atlanta for its “strong stand” on Saturday. Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock said he’s “deeply saddened by the inexcusable violence” that occurred.
The opposition, which includes environmentalists, radical anarchists and Black revolutionaries, is seeking an independent probe into Teran’s death. They’ve spent months arguing against plans to convert 90 acres of forestland into a space for police and firefighter training. They’re worried about police militarization, deforestation, and more fatal police shootings.
Credit: Steve Schaefer / AJC/TNS
Credit: Steve Schaefer / AJC/TNS
“If you have something to say about a burned out car but not a person killed by the state you should probably not say anything at all,” tweeted Hannah Riley, the communications director for the Southern Center for Human Rights.
This is committee week for the Atlanta City Council. In 2021, the previous council listened to 17 hours of public comment concerning the project before they — including then-Councilman Dickens— OK’d the plan in a 10-4 vote. So far, Matt Westmoreland is the only councilmember to publicly comment on the violence.
“Freedom to peacefully assemble is a core democratic value,” Westmoreland tweeted. “But dangerous, violent activity by a few...has no place in Atlanta. It endangered our first responders, workers, residents, visitors.”
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Atlanta is also mourning after police found a 13-year-old with multiple gunshot wounds on Saturday night. The shooting occurred at the Cascade Skating rink’s parking lot on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. City Councilwoman Andrea L. Boone called the violence abnormal in a statement on Sunday.
“The skating rink has in many ways been a safe haven for families,” Boone’s statement said. “To see this type of violence is deeply disturbing. Any loss of life is felt in our community, but for such a young boy to fall victim to this here, it is very tragic.”
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Finally, we now have the legislation to establish Atlanta’s first-ever Department of Labor and Employment Services. Freshman Councilman Antonio Lewis authored it in partnership with Dickens, who pitched the idea during his 2021 campaign.
The council’s Community Development/Human Services committee can review the ordinance at their meeting Tuesday. Currently, the labor department would fall under that committee’s jurisdiction when the full council is ready to vote on its fate. Until then, they might take their time to refine this legislation, if needed.
Send us tips and feedback at Wilborn.Nobles@ajc.com.
A note of disclosure
The James M. Cox Foundation, the charitable arm of Cox Enterprises which owns The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, contributed to the training center’s fundraising. It is among several Atlanta-based foundations that have contributed.
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