(The Center Square) – The Atlanta Public Safety Training Center is on track to hold its ribbon-cutting in December, according to the Atlanta Police Department.
The training center has been the subject of protests, including one Monday at City Hall where residents threw thousands of ping pong balls during the Atlanta City Council meeting while chanting, “You dropped the ball!”
Stop Cop City, also known as Defend the Atlanta Forest, has opposed the project since it was announced in 2021. Police said previously 173 arrests were made during protests that were at times violent. Twenty-three arsons destroyed 81 pieces of equipment.
While the protests have not stopped progress on the 85-acre facility, the Atlanta Police say they have increased the cost from $90 million to $109.6 million.
“This increase is a result of the frequency and intensity of the attacks in opposition to the training center,” the department said on the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center website. “The new estimate includes $6 million for additional security and $400,000 for insurance increases. Neither the city of Atlanta nor Atlanta taxpayers will be responsible for the $19.6 million in incremental costs.”
The city of Atlanta’s share of $31 million has not increased, according to the department.
Even though the training center is near completion, protestors still packed Atlanta City Hall, demanding the council allow them a vote on the issue. The council received more than 115,000 signatures last September gathered by opponents to the training center which protestors said were “collecting dust.”
The Center Square was unsuccessful trying to gain answers to questions of Stop Cop City. The group said on its Twitter page its message on Monday was clear.
“Mayor Dickens has dropped the ball on democracy,” the group said.
Sixty-one people tied to protests against the training center were indicted by Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr last year on racketeering charges. While those charges stand, money laundering charges against three protestors were dropped this week, according to reports.
‘Why? They have no legal basis. The repression of Defend the Forest/Stop Cop City is not legal, it is political,” the group said on Twitter.
Meanwhile, Atlanta police say they are pleased with the progress on the site.
“Several buildings have already been erected, with finishing work underway to complete them,” Atlanta Police said in an email to The Center Square. “We eagerly anticipate the ribbon-cutting ceremony, scheduled for December 2024, marking the official launch of this vital facility.”
The site includes 13 classrooms, fire training facilities and a shooting range. A four-acre driving skills pad featured on the police department’s social media pages this week will be used by other city departments to train drivers.
