For Immediate Release: June 7th, 2023
Media Contact: media@colorofchange.org

Color Of Change Condemns Cop City Vote, Demands Accountability from Politicians & Corporate Sponsors 

NATIONWIDE – In response to the Atlanta City Council’s vote to approve another whopping $31 million of city funds towards the development of the militarized training facility known as “Cop City,” Michael Collins, Senior Director of Government Affairs at Color Of Change issued the following statement:

“Cop City is a playground for cops that poses a direct threat to the principles of democracy and community well-being. The approval of another $31 million towards the militarized training facility has become emblematic of a disturbing trend where elected officials are no longer attuned to the voices and concerns of their constituents. Despite the historic public turn out of community members pleading for these funds to instead be directed towards infrastructure that improves the well-being of our neighborhoods, such as housing, healthcare and education — Atlanta City Council members turned their backs on the Atlanta community. The unjust charges against Cop City protestors, the environmental racism, police brutality, corporate lack of accountability, and the City Council’s disregard for hours and hours of public testimony reinforce a climate that undermines community concerns. Elected officials are more interested in consolidating their power and pushing their own agendas than in upholding the values of transparency, accountability, and democracy.

Cop City represents a misguided approach to public safety that perpetuates a culture of militarized policing and mass criminalization where cops can act with unchecked power and impunity, eroding trust between law enforcement and the communities they are meant to serve. Rather than directing funds towards initiatives that address the root causes of crime, support mental health services, or invest in schools and social programs, corporate sponsors like Cadence Bank, Coca Cola, Target, and other entities are channeling their money into a militarized training facility designed to inevitably and disproportionately put Black and low-income Atlantans in harm’s way. Corporations like Cadence Bank hold the power to listen to the voices of Georgians who have long fought against “Cop City” by refusing to finance any loans for APF that would contribute to its construction and further development.Color Of Change will continue to hold corporations accountable to our communities and push all potential investors to stand with us and divest from Cop City.”