The Continuing Struggle to #StopCopCity—Ordinary People Transformed into Activists of Conscience

Speaking Out of Place · Apr 27, 2026 · 43m

In 2021, the City of Atlanta announced that it was entering into a partnership with the Atlanta Police Foundation to destroy the South River Forest and build what became known as “Cop City,” a large facility for the training of police officers. This met with massive public outcry from those outraged by the destruction of the environment and an important historical site (a former prison farm), and the purpose to which the land was to be put—to train police in urban warfare techniques and by extension feed the prison-industrial complex. Activists also pointed to its connection to the Georgia…