After the Atlanta City Council approved the construction of the Public Safety Training Center, a police training facility, in a patch of city-owned forest in 2021, activists mobilized against the project, which they derisively call "Cop City." A group called Defend the Atlanta Forest camped out in treehouses to prevent construction. Some have even turned violent, throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails at police.
But the police response has come under scrutiny in recent months, including the police killing of a protester that was later ruled a homicide and numerous arrests of activists and protesters for nonviolent offenses.
