Partners for Dignity & Rights stands in solidarity with the organizers and community members in Atlanta who have resisted the construction of a $90 million police training facility being planned just outside Atlanta.

A broad coalition of residents in neighboring Black communities, abolitionists, and environmental justice organizers have joined together to stop what has become known as “Cop City.” 

This week, state repression of the protests reached a new and shocking level, as three members of the Atlanta Solidarity Funds were charged with financial offenses carrying penalties of up to 20 years in prison and up to $500 thousand dollars in fines following a raid of the bail fund’s offices.

As the Atlanta Community Press Collective notes, “Collective bail funds have existed since the dawn of the civil rights movement. When Dr. King was held in Birmingham Jail, churches and community groups including the NAACP came together to fund his $4000 bail – the equivalent of $39,000 today.”

We stand against these efforts to intimidate opponents and silence dissent. This is a moment for all of us to resist – our very right to protest is at risk.

We stand against any effort to expand the prosecution of protest support infrastructure and community organizations. We call on Atlanta and Georgia public officials to drop all charges and cease all proceedings against #StopCopCity protesters, release them immediately, and expunge their arrest records. We join in the activists who are calling on Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and the Atlanta City Council to cancel the lease for construction of Cop City.

Image above by Felton Davis, Licensed through Creative Commons.