A Friday morning fire in southeast Atlanta is the latest in a series of arsons committed by protesters of the Atlanta public safety training center, according to officials.
Atlanta’s police and fire departments are working with the GBI, FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to investigate the fire that burned four pieces of large construction equipment on Burroughs Street at about 5:30 a.m. Atlanta Fire Rescue put out the fires and no injuries were reported.
“This has got to stop,” Fire Chief Rod Smith said at a press conference at the site with burned construction equipment behind him. “This is absolutely horrendous and we have to get to the bottom of it.”
The site, near Chosewood Park, is where a 34-acre townhome community is being built. The site is also roughly three miles from Key Road in DeKalb County where the training center, called “Cop City” by opponents, is under construction.
Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said that Friday’s fire marks the latest in dozens of arson attacks targeting construction companies that “are doing their civic duty” to build the public safety training center.
He said despite the attacks, construction has not slowed and the 85-acre complex is slated to be completed in December and be operational in January 2025.
“I think that’s why we see these desperate attacks occurring because individuals know that their goal to intimidate, to incite fear in the heart of construction companies and the city is not working,” Schierbaum said.
Friday’s fire comes just over a week after Schierbaum announced a nationwide billboard campaign to advertise up to $200,000 rewards for information leading to the arrest and conviction of “anarchists” responsible for the arson attacks against the training center.
He urged residents in the Burroughs Street area with doorbell cameras to look through footage for images that could be critical in helping police arrest the person or people that set the fire.
“If this individual or individuals are not stopped soon, they are likely to cost someone their life,” he said.
Opponents of the training center say building the complex would only lead to more police militarization and violence against Black and brown people. They also accuse the city of environmental racism for building the training center in a majority Black neighborhood. A referendum on the training center remains in limbo awaiting guidance from the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.
City and state officials have argued a new public safety training center for police and firefighters is needed to replace rundown facilities. They also argue the new facility is needed to recruit and retain police officers. The Atlanta Police Department, like many departments across the country, saw an exodus of officers following national protests against police brutality in 2020 sparked by the murder of George Floyd.
