Protesters and activists have fiercely resisted the recently approved “Cop City” facility in Atlanta over fears it would harm the city’s most vulnerable population, something one expert believes is the opposite of what will happen.
“It’s a win-win,” Charles “Cully” Stimson, Heritage Foundation senior legal fellow, told Fox News Digital. “By training officers and keeping them certified and holding them accountable for the few who make a mistake and using that training facility for best practices, you’re going to reduce Fourth and Fifth Amendment violations.”
Stimson’s comments come after the Atlanta City Council on Tuesday voted to approve $31 million in funding for the $90 million Copy City project, which supporters envision will become a state-of-the-art center where local police and first responders receive critical training to better prepare them for their duties.
The facility will include areas for officers to work on driving techniques and firearms training, while including mock stores, homes and nightclubs meant to simulate environments police may find themselves in on the job.
ATLANTA REJECTS PLEAS OF HUNDREDS OF ACTIVISTS, APPROVES POLICE FUNDING PROJECT DECRIED AS ‘COP CITY’
But the project has faced fierce resistance from many in the community who argue it will serve to militarize the police and bring harm to marginalized communities within the city that may already fear interaction with officers.
Tuesday’s vote to approve the center was marked by the resistance to the project. A meeting turned into a marathon 16-hour session where over 300 people, mostly objecting to the funding, made their voices heard to council members.
The majority of those who voiced their thoughts opposed the facility.
PUBLIC COST OF ATLANTA’S ‘COP CITY’ MORE THAN DOUBLED IN NEW ESTIMATE
“Cop City has already proven to be a source of violence, oppression, militarized approaches to civilians, unconstitutional activity and economic and environmental disaster,” Susi Durán, a leader…
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