Two people were arrested this morning after locking themselves to equipment at a Midtown construction site in protest of the city’s public safety training center.
Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum called the incident a “publicity stunt” that impacted residents, commuters, and businesses around 12th and Juniper streets. The protesters entered the site around 6 a.m. and streets weren’t reopened until after 11 a.m.
The incident took place at a Brasfield & Gorrie construction site where two mixed-used towers are being built. The firm is also part of the team constructing the training center, called “Cop City,” by opponents, on city-owned property in South DeKalb County.
Schierbaum said the trespassers used devices called “sleeping dragons” – putting their hands inside pieces of pipe bound together with other materials – to attach themselves to equipment at the site. He said an extraction team removed the devices and took the protesters into custody.
The two arrested have been identified as Shiloh Wetstone, 28, of Atlanta and Temperance Blick, 23, of Lilburn. Both were charged with criminal trespass.
Schierbaum said all the protesters accomplished was disrupting the neighborhood and motorists trying to get to work and school.
“There seems to be a sense of desperation by those who don’t want the training center built,” Schierbaum said, noting that construction continues and is expected to be complete by December.
In a press release sent out to local media just after 6 a.m. this morning, the Stop Cop City coalition took responsibility for the action in Midtown.
“Brasfield & Gorrie should expect disruptions at their worksites everywhere, and anytime. People of good conscience will continue taking action against Brasfield & Gorrie until they join the host of other contractors who have cut ties with Cop City,” activist Mariah Parker said in the press release.
Monday morning’s protest comes just days after construction equipment was set ablaze in southeast Atlanta belonging to another company involved in the building of the training center.
On Jan. 17, APD announced that a billboard and digital media campaign was rolling out across the country to locate “anarchists” who had set other fires and committed attacks against the training center. There are $200,000 rewards being offered for information that leads to an arrest and conviction of the activists involved in the cases.
According to officials, the training center is more than 75% complete, but ongoing vandalism has increased the estimated $90 million cost for the complex by nearly $20 million.
Dyana Bagby contributed to this story.