Atlanta police and rescue crews removed two activists who scaled a tower crane at the construction site of a police and firefighter training facility dubbed, “Cop City,” which has drawn criticism out of fear that it will lead to police militarization in a poor, majority Black area.
Crews scaled the tower to reach the two protesters, who Atlanta police called “anarchists” in a social media post.
“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,” police said in a post on X.
In the police body camera footage, a man and a woman were seen pretty high up on the tower crane, with their hands duct taped around the metal bars.
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Two Atlanta protesters were cut free from a tower crane at the Cop City construction site. (Atlanta Police)
People from below could be heard chanting, “We see you; we love you,” as the officer wearing the camera, tries to talk them down.
“If they love you, they wouldn’t have you 100 feet up in the air,” the officer said. “I’m just going to be honest with you, alright. So that’s not love. Love is safety. Love is care. Love is kind. And you’ll still be able to push your agenda of what you’re trying to get us to do.”
He proceeded to tell them it was not love to fall backwards and down the crane.
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Two Atlanta protesters were cut free from a tower crane at the Cop City construction site. (Atlanta Police)
As he spoke to the two activists, the woman’s head continued to nod forward and backwards, appearing confused and not seeming to care.
The officer warned the two that their job was to cut them free and get them to the base of the tower.
The next shot shows the crew using a tarp to cover the woman as they used a circle saw to cut her arms free from the structure.
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Crews cut a protester free from a tower crane at the construction site of Cop City, a new Atlanta public city training facility. (Atlanta Police)
Once freed, the woman appears to work with the crew, before the man is seen being cut free.
The protest Wednesday was just another example of the disdain some have for a new police and firefighter training center being constructed just outside the Atlanta city limits in DeKalb County.
Protests against the facility have gone on for more than two years.
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Two Atlanta protesters were cut free from a tower crane at the Cop City construction site. (Atlanta Police)
Prosecutors are characterizing the protest movement as a conspiracy, saying it has led to underlying crimes, including possessing fire accelerants and throwing Molotov cocktails at police officers.
Opponents say the facility could lead to greater police militarization and that its construction in the South River Forest will worsen environmental damage in a poor, majority-Black area.
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Meanwhile, Atlanta officials and other supporters say the 85-acre, $90 million facility would replace inadequate training facilities, help the police department recruit, and retain police officers.
Stephen Sorace of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.