ATLANTA (AP) — Lawyers for the city of Atlanta on Thursday asked a federal appeals court to overturn a lower court ruling that let nonresidents collect signatures as part of the “Stop Cop City” effort to force a referendum on a police and fire training center.
If the city wins, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals could kill the petition drive by ruling it illegal under state law, or rule all of 100,000-plus signatures collected are void because none were submitted by the original 60-day deadline of Aug. 21.
Even a ruling just narrowing which petitions are accepted could doom the chances that opponents will have enough signatures from eligible registered Atlanta voters to force a referendum, an analysis by The Associated Press, Georgia Public Broadcasting, WABE and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has found. Statistical sampling of 1,000 entries found it’s possible opponents have the required 58,231 signatures if all entries are counted. But excluding signatures collected after Aug. 21 or by people who weren’t Atlanta voters would disqualify 20% of potentially eligible sampled entries — likely defeating the effort.
The fight over the $90 million training center has become nationalized, with opponents deriding a facility they say will worsen police militarization and harm the environment. They say the city’s fight against the referendum is anti-democratic and dovetails with their concerns about a violent police response to protests and a prosecution on racketeering charges of dozens of opponents.
Supporters of the training center, including Democratic Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, say the city must replace outdated facilities and that the center is key to better training officers to avoid improper use of force. The city hasn’t counted any signatures yet, with the 11th Circuit Court proceedings leaving the referendum drive in limbo.
Robert Ashe, arguing for the city, told a a three-judge panel they should declare the petition…
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