'Cop City' Protesters Dance During Atlanta City Council Public Comment Session
Protesters broke into dance at Atlanta City Council chambers on Monday, May 15, during a public comment session on a contentious planned police training complex.
Local media reported nearly 300 people registered for comment on the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center. Critics of the center refer to it as ‘Cop City’.
The $90 million project is set to be built in woodland near Atlanta on a 385-acre leased plot. Citing the city’s mayor, local media reported the facility itself would be built on 85 acres, with the remaining acreage to be kept as greenspace. Credit: @_afrodiziak via Storyful
Video transcript
- Do they pay Atlanta taxes?
[CLAPPING]
And do you know who else is called outside agitators? Dr. King, and other civil rights leaders who travelled around the country.
- [INAUDIBLE] can you hold on just a second, please? We're not going to have clapping. Not going to. So please stop so he can continue and keep moving. Please proceed.
- Abolitionists in the 1860s from the North. They were called outside agitators. And you know what all of them did? A lot of them were from here. Even those who didn't, do you know what they did? They fought for basic human rights and dignity in a region of the country that doesn't have the best track record on that, that doesn't usually do that unless they're pressured from other regions of the country.
Imagine--
[MUSIC PLAYING]
- (SINGING) The revolution will not be right back after a message about a white tornado, white lightning, or white people. You will not have to worry about a dove in your bedroom, the tiger in your tank, or the the giant in your toilet bowl. The revolution will not go better with Coke.
[GIGGLING]
The revolution will not fight the germs that may cause bad breath. The revolution will put you in the driver's seat.
- (CHANTING) We will stay. We will stay. We will stay. We will stay. We will stay. We will stay. We will stay. We will stay. We will stay.
- [INAUDIBLE] right to speak. Everybody else is going to have to wait outside.
- (SHOUTING) Vote them out. Vote them out. Vote them out.
- I've asked you multiple times, and you didn't.
- (SHOUTING) This is why you [INAUDIBLE].
- [INAUDIBLE] protest, you'll have to wait outside.
- You got enough [INAUDIBLE]?
- You guys don't train. You don't have to stay in the country.
- Yeah.
- Move outside, guys. You've made your point. Now you've got to move outside.
- And the rest of the council agrees with this?
- Come on, guys.
- Y'all agree? Y'all agree that we should be cleared out for clapping?
- The rules of counsel are clear. Not being disruptive, but for clapping.
- I've got to let you wait outside.
- No. I want to hear it. Y'all agree?
- [INAUDIBLE] at all, so [INAUDIBLE].
- Sit outside.
- What are you trying to hear?
- Guys, I'm trying to move this along because we have 288 folks [INAUDIBLE].
- Then move along.
- We can move along.
[SHOUTING]
- I'm ready if y'all are ready.
- Nope. We're not going to start public content [INAUDIBLE].
- Why are you holding us up?
- These guys, they're going to have to step outside.
- We'll wait.
- We'll wait.
- You're going to have to step outside.
[INTERPOSING VOICES]
- Please step outside.
[INTERPOSING VOICES]
- You're going to step outside.
[CHANTING]
There's a motion to recess by coun--
