Atlanta petition drive to stop ‘Cop City’ is ‘futile,’ city’s attorneys argue

By R.J. RICO
Associated Press

ATLANTA (AP) — Attorneys for the city of Atlanta say an ongoing petition drive to halt the construction of a police and firefighter training center is “futile” and “invalid.” In a court filing Monday, city attorneys sought to prevent the proposed referendum from appearing on November’s ballot. For the past month, activists with the “Stop Cop City” movement have been trying to gather the signatures of more than 70,000 registered Atlanta voters to force the referendum. But attorneys for the city argued that the massive canvassing effort is far too late, saying the authorization the city obtained in 2021 to sign the lease agreement cannot be retroactively revoked. Activists decried that argument, calling it “a shocking and violent assault on the democratic process.”