Activists hope to get ‘Stop Cop City’ on November ballot

By Dyana Bagby

Activists have launched a campaign that would let Atlanta voters decide in a referendum if the city’s planned $90 million public safety training center should be built, the latest effort to stop what opponents call “Cop City.”

The announcement came just after the Atlanta City Council voted 11-4 on June 6 to approve $67 million in public money for the facility, despite hundreds of people pleading with members over 15 hours to vote against funding the project.

Organizers need to gather more than 70,000 voter signatures over 60 days now that the Atlanta city clerk has approved the petition. And even that was steeped in drama.

The clerk’s office informed the group that the petition was missing a line requiring city of Atlanta residents to validate each signature. The group added the line and resubmitted the petition on June 15, but the clerk’s office said there were still issues with the petition. Vote to Stop Cop City organizers filed a lawsuit to compel the clerk’s office to approve the