Judge gives deadline extension to organizers trying to stop ‘Cop City’ with signature campaign

By R.J. RICO
Associated Press

ATLANTA (AP) — A federal judge has significantly extended the deadline for Atlanta organizers who have been trying to gather more than 70,000 signatures to force a vote on the construction of a police and firefighter training center that critics call “Cop City.” U.S. District Judge Mark Cohen ruled that the city had imposed an unlawful requirement that those collecting signatures have to be residents of Atlanta. A group of DeKalb County residents who live just outside the city had sued, saying they should be allowed to canvas. Cohen extended the deadline for organizers to gather signatures from mid-August to late September.