Atlanta is a city with a long, powerful history of activism, from the Civil Rights movement to modern organizing that has ushered in unprecedented voter turnout in recent Georgia elections. And with the recent indictment of former President Trump by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, it is also the legal battleground where the fight to defend and uphold our nation’s democracy is currently centered. Atlanta residents are proud to live and raise their families in a city that has served as a cradle of the civil rights movement. The recent suppressive actions demonstrated by some City of Atlanta leaders are an insult to this legacy.
Anti-voter efforts to stifle opposition to the construction of a new police training facility in the South River Forest—referred to by some residents and opponents as ‘Cop City’ – have reached a fever pitch. This week, opponents of ‘Cop City’ submitted over 116,000 signatures to the City of Atlanta in support of a referendum, the first citizen-led ballot initiative in recent memory, and one of the first in the state. The proposed facility has prompted vocal protests in the Atlanta community, and has drawn widespread criticism from environmental justice and criminal legal reform organizations both within the state of Georgia and nationwide. The petition was met with pushback from the City of Atlanta, in addition to attempts by city leaders to disqualify the referendum in court.
It is clear we are at an inflection point for democracy in Atlanta, and organizations committed to advocating on behalf of voters and access to the ballot can no longer remain silent. Regardless of where you stand on this issue, the fact remains that some Atlanta leaders are not listening to the voters who elected them to represent their community and values. Instead, they are following the same tired anti-voter playbook that has been wielded against voters of color for generations: moving the goal posts for change, defaulting…
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