Across the United States, cities are witnessing a shift as funding is stripped away from public classrooms and essential community services. This diversion of resources is feeding into ever-expanding police budgets, aiming to militarize police further and provide extensive nationwide training grounds known as "Cop City."
The deepening crisis is exacerbated by studies revealing the undeniable link between crime and poverty. This trend paints a grim future for Black and Brown communities, where the escalating focus on policing threatens to overshadow vital investments in education and community support. The trajectory suggests an impending disaster, with marginalized communities bearing the brunt of these policy choices, jeopardizing their safety, well-being, and future prospects.
Know Your Rights Camp has followed the development of Atlanta's police training facility, also known as Cop City. The $90 million, 85-acre center announced and approved in 2021 will feature a shooting range, mock city, and burn building.
The Atlanta Police Foundation(or APF) claims the center is crucial for morale and recruitment, as current facilities are inadequate, and fire officials train in borrowed locations. Established in 2003, the nonprofit foundation funds local policing initiatives through public-private partnerships.
More than 60 protesters in 2023 faced state RICO indictments for protesting against the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center. The charges include RICO violations, domestic terrorism, attempted arson, and money laundering. The project, backed by the Atlanta Police Foundation, aims to improve morale and recruitment but faces opposition over environmental concerns and potential police militarization. Protests have included violent clashes and a protester's death. The Vote to Stop Cop City Coalition condemned the indictment, linking it to broader racial justice protests. Georgia AG Chris Carr stated that violence will not be tolerated, emphasizing accountability for attacks on officers and property.
There are several reasons why Atlanta citizens and protesters oppose the building of Cop City. The proposal for Cop City followed the 2020 anti-police protests. It aims to train police globally in repressive tactics, with 43% of training for non-Atlanta officers, including military training with the Israeli Defense Forces, who face criticisms for their treatment of Palestinians.
Meanwhile, Cop City is planned for Atlanta's Weelaunee Forest, a key green space. It will feature urban warfare training, burn towers, and firing ranges. Environmentalists warn it will worsen air quality, increase the urban heat island effect and add pollutants to the already endangered South River, impacting nearby low-income Black communities.
Atlanta isn't the only city planning to create police training facilities. Nationwide, numerous "Cop City" projects are in various stages of planning and construction, according to a report from Isyourlifebetter.net. The costs for these projects range widely, with confirmed amounts for 55 of the 69 initiatives. These costs span from just under $1 million to a proposed $415 million. Specifically, 20 projects are under $20 million, 19 range between $20 million and $50 million, 9 fall between $50 million and $100 million, and 7 exceed $100 million.
The total cost of these projects exceeds a billion dollars. Many of the costs come from taxpayers through approved city, state, and police budgets alongside outside organizations. As mentioned previously, the nonprofit ATF helped fund Cop City in Atlanta.
Listed donors, funders, and sponsors of the ATF from Atlanta include:
Home Depot
Delta Air Lines
Coca-Cola
Chick-fil-A
James M. Cox Foundation
The philanthropic branch of Cox Enterprises is the owner of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Its board of trustees includes leaders from:
UPS
Wells Fargo
The Home Depot
Equifax
Delta Air Lines.
In June 2023, the Atlanta City Council approved $30 million in funding for the $90 million Cop City project, with the remainder expected from private donations via the Atlanta Police Foundation (APF). This decision has brought attention to the corporations and foundations backing the APF. The funding strategy has raised public scrutiny of these supporting entities.
In the report, the only states that don't have plans for this type of police training facilities project are North Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming. The size of these projects varies significantly, from a 3,500 square foot structure on 3 acres to a 366,000 square foot village on 146 acres in Hershey, Pennsylvania . The largest project, planned on an 800-acre site, lacks specific facility details but indicates the expansive scale of some initiatives.
One of these projects includes a $43.6 million "Cop Campus" in 2023 to train local and state police in San Pablo, California, near the San Francisco Bay Area. As plans advance, local grassroots organizers draw parallels to Atlanta's Cop City, raising concerns about the environmental and social impacts on nearby low-income communities of color as it nears its compilation this year. These projects highlight potential harm to vulnerable areas, underscoring the broader worries among local communities about the implications of such developments.
Earlier this year, New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced a $225 million investment in a new police training facility in Queens, with construction starting in 2026 and completion expected by 2030. Despite cutting $58.3 million from library budgets, Adams emphasizes multi-agency law enforcement training at this facility.
Many of these Cop City facilities were built, planned or started after 2020 and saw many uprisings after George Floyd and Rayshard Brooks' murders. Before those 60 protesters were hit with RICO charges, early 2023 saw police killing protester Manuel Paez Terán during a raid in the Weelaunee Forest, opposing the "Cop City" training center. One of the goals of Cop City is to train police in militarized tactics, raising concerns about increased state violence. The incident highlights broader issues of police militarization in the U.S., with parallels to repressive tactics supported by the U.S. in Central America.
Over the past 30 years, the militarization of policing in America has grown exponentially. Local police now resemble soldiers, using military gear and tactics. This shift has made the public less safe and less free, increasing the likelihood of violence during encounters with police. The militarized mindset contributes to excessive force, as seen in the deaths of unarmed individuals like George Floyd. The militarization trend is fueled by programs like the 1033 program, which supplies military equipment to local police. This has transformed law enforcement into a quasi-military force, undermining community trust and escalating tensions, particularly during protests.
The 1033 Program, created under the Clinton administration, allows the transfer of surplus military equipment to local law enforcement, including school campuses. Since its inception, over $7 billion in equipment has been distributed. The 1033 Program is linked to increased police violence, particularly against Black communities. Critics urged President Biden to end the program by his 100th day in office, arguing that military-style weapons have no place in civilian policing and contribute to systemic violence and white supremacy.
That didn't happen.
In an election year where former United States President Donald Trump promises to grant full immunity to police if elected, it's safe to say that our binary system of government will potentially place Black and Brown communities in danger regardless of who is in office.
Police militarization and projects like Cop City in Atlanta will severely impact Black and brown communities. The hundreds of millions allocated for militarized police training could instead address critical needs such as housing for struggling Americans, improving underfunded schools, lowering food prices, and reducing healthcare costs. Redirecting these funds would better serve the community by tackling homelessness, enhancing education, and providing essential services rather than investing in facilities that may increase violence and distrust.
Comentários