Protesters march to Police Foundation rallying against public safety training center

23 people were arrested after a chaotic protest at the site following a music festival.
Published: Mar. 9, 2023 at 6:20 PM EST|Updated: Mar. 9, 2023 at 11:31 PM EST
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ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Roughly 300 protestors rallied on Thursday calling to a stop the development of the planned public safety training center.

The rally started at the King Center. Among the speakers was the mother of Manuel Teran, the activist killed during a clearing operation at the site in mid-January.

“The blood of my son must speak,” said Teran’s mother. “We are going to win.”

The crowd then marched along Auburn Avenue to the headquarters of the Atlanta Police Foundation on Peachtree Street.

Hundreds of police officers stood guard at every entrance of the building.

After roughly an hour, the protesters dispersed. The night remained peaceful.

This comes during a ‘Week of Action’ by activists calling to defend the forest where the training center is under construction.

The ‘Week of Action’ is set to end on Saturday.

“It’s alive and it’s growing. We won’t be deterred by police violence against our movement,” said Kamau Franklin, an organizer of the protests.

On Sunday, 23 people were arrested and charged with domestic terrorism after a chaotic protest at the site following a music festival.

As of Tuesday, 41 demonstrators have been charged with domestic terrorism since December.

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