Current:Home > ContactVideo shows 'Cop City' activists chain themselves to top of 250-foot crane at Atlanta site -MoneyStream
Video shows 'Cop City' activists chain themselves to top of 250-foot crane at Atlanta site
View
Date:2025-04-12 10:57:08
Two protesters who climbed a 250-feet crane at an Atlanta construction site and attached their arms with duct tape were subsequently arrested.
The Atlanta Police Department released video showing how officials used a cutting tool to remove the tape attached to the reinforced pipes and help the demonstrators down. The site is at the construction of a public safety training center being built in a forest near Atlanta that many protesters are calling "Cop City."
"In a coordinated effort, Atlanta Police and Fire Rescue teams were compelled to intervene and remove two anarchists who had scaled construction equipment to protest the construction of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center," the department wrote on X.
Video shows officials speaking to the pair up above while a crowd is heard cheering below.
"If they love you they wouldn't have you up a hundred feet in the air. That's not love," one official tells the protesters. "It's not love to fall backwards or to fall down there. It's instant death."
Climbers protested anti-transgender legislation
The protesters are seen cooperating with the officials as they are brought down safely wearing harnesses. Officials are heard offering medical resources to the duo in case they need help.
The two activists were trans women who climbed the crane to bring attention to the violence trans people have faced in Atlanta and anti-trans legislation within the Georgia Legislature, Drop Cop City said in a news release.
"We are just getting started. We will keep taking action until Brasfield & Gorrie ends their contract to build Cop City. Mayor Dickens and the City of Atlanta - by blocking the referendum on Cop City - have given residents no other choice but to engage in direct action," Drop Cop City said in a statement.
The climbing of the crane follows many protests amid concerns that the training center will damage the environment and contribute to the militarization of police. Since late 2021, activists have dedicated efforts to halt the project's development by occupying the area.
'Cop City' protests follow death of activist
Arrests of "Cop City" activists began following the death of a 26-year-old environmental activist who was killed by police after allegedly shooting a state trooper as officials cleared the area, according to law enforcement.
The Atlanta Public Safety Training Center is a $90 million, 85-acre training space, according to the Atlanta Police Foundation.
The city said the facility will include classrooms, a shooting range, a mock city for "burn building" and "urban police" training, as well as a course for emergency vehicle driver training. The remaining 265 acres of the property, which until 1995 served as the Old Atlanta Prison Farm, will be preserved as "greenspace," officials said.
Contributing: N'dea Yancey-Bragg
veryGood! (727)
Related
- Kylie Jenner Shows Off Sweet Notes From Nieces Dream Kardashian & Chicago West
- 94-year-old man dies in grain bin incident while unloading soybeans in Iowa
- Police search for a suspect after a man is shot by an arrow in Los Angeles
- Soda company will pay close duo to take a road trip next month
- See you latte: Starbucks plans to cut 30% of its menu
- Missouri Supreme Court declines to hear appeal of ex-Kansas City detective convicted of manslaughter
- The U.S. sharply limits how much credit cards can charge you in late fees
- Latest Payton NFL award winner's charity continues recent pattern of mismanagement
- Federal appeals court upholds $14.25 million fine against Exxon for pollution in Texas
- VIP health system for top US officials risked jeopardizing care for rank-and-file soldiers
Ranking
- John Galliano out at Maison Margiela, capping year of fashion designer musical chairs
- Defendants in US terrorism and kidnapping case scheduled for sentencing in New Mexico
- Brian Austin Green defends Chelsea's comparison to his ex Megan Fox on 'Love is Blind'
- Facebook and Instagram restored after users report widespread outages
- Why we love Bear Pond Books, a ski town bookstore with a French bulldog 'Staff Pup'
- Camila Cabello Reveals the Real Reason Why She Left Fifth Harmony
- Love Is Blind's Chelsea Shares What Wasn’t Shown in Jimmy Romance
- EAGLEEYE COIN: Bitcoin to Reach $90,000 by End of 2024
Recommendation
Federal hiring is about to get the Trump treatment
Getting food delivered in New York is simple. For the workers who do it, getting paid is not
Mexican gray wolves boost their numbers, but a lack of genetic diversity remains a threat
South Carolina lawmakers are close to loosening gun laws after long debate
Federal court filings allege official committed perjury in lawsuit tied to Louisiana grain terminal
You'll Be Amazed By These Secrets About Cruel Intentions
Georgia House advances budget with pay raises for teachers and state workers
Rising debt means more would-be borrowers are getting turned down for loans