Stop Cop City Referendum: What It Means and Why It Matters for the Future of Policing

Published On: December 4, 2025
Follow Us
Stop Cop City Referendum

The Stop Cop City is known as Defend the Atlanta Forest and this has been the decentralized movement which focused on Atlanta, Georgia in the opposition to the Cop City. The facility was announced in 2021 which was referred to as the Partnership between Atlanta Police Foundation and the City of Atlanta. The Stop Cop City Referendum will repeal the ordinance which was adopted by the Atlanta City Council which further authorized the leasing of 381 acres of forest land. Why Stop Cop City Referendum Matters is to cancel the lease. Now the individuals who need some more facts on the Program shall have a look at the post given below.

Stop Cop City Referendum

Stop Cop City or the Defend the Atlanta Forest is the decentralized movement which has focused on Atlanta, Georgia in opposition to the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center or the Cop City. The facility was announced in 2021 as the partnership among the Atlanta Police Foundation and the City of Atlanta which was completed in the year 2025. The Stop Cop City Movement was started which was a protest by the activists who are opposing the construction of the Public Safety Training Centre. The SCC has gained a lot of international attention after the protester was killed by police during the raid in January 2023. The opponents are just concerned that the destruction of the South River Forest and the environmental injustice impact the economic disparities and the ecological response to climate change in poor and Black neighborhoods.

The state charged several protestors with domestic terrorism and stated that 61 people were charged for criminal conspiracy in 2023. The protest even drew participants from all over the United States and many of them said that they are not from Georgia. The petition for public referendum on the project also became a part of the lawsuit and none of the criminal suits were resolved by April 2025 at the time when the facility opened. 

Stop Cop City Referendum

What Is a Stop Cop City Referendum?

The Atlanta City Council has adopted new rules which allowed the referendum process for the public to vote on the Cop City project to move forward. The vote came after the protest against the methodology which the council has adopted for matching the signature on referendum petitions. The construction of the non Atlanta Public Safety Training Center began last spring after hearings at activists criticized the expense. The activists have sabotaged construction equipment and have disrupted the development at site.

Why Stop Cop City Referendum Matters?

  • Dozens of cop cities have been built and are under construction since the George Floyd uprising but Atlanta’s one will be the flagship.
  • It shall be the largest and the most public facing police urban warfare training center in the USA.
  • In the fight to prevent construction, anti racist and opponents of militarized policing along with the environmentalists have been speaking of climate impact which could destroy the green space of Atlanta and the residents who see Cop City as the part of gentrification.
  • The very first version of the petition was rejected on the technical basis and when it was submitted again, it was accepted. 
  • The District judge on the second objection stated that it would get adjudicated if the referendum was to make the ballot.
  • The City Council has then adopted a signature matching procedure to cope with the problems.

FAQs On Stop Cop City Referendum

What is meant by the Stop Cop City?

The Stop Cop City Movement was started which was a protest by the activists who are opposing the construction of the Public Safety Training Centre.

What has Atlanta City adopted now?

The Atlanta City Council has adopted new rules allowing the referendum process for the public to vote on the Cop City project to move forward.

Why does the Stop Cop City Referendum matter?

The Stop Cop City Referendum matters as the public has been backing for the construction of the training center. 

Related Posts

From Forest Defenders to Courtrooms

From Forest Defenders to Courtrooms: Personal Stories from Stop Cop City Activists

December 4, 2025
Cop City Threatens the South River Forest and Local Ecosystems

Cop City Threatens the South River Forest and Local Ecosystems

December 4, 2025
Why Americans Are Protesting Against Cop City

Why Americans Are Protesting Against Cop City: Key Reasons You Should Know

December 4, 2025
Why So Many Supporters Are Saying: ‘Defund the Police, Fund the People

Why So Many Supporters Are Saying: ‘Defund the Police, Fund the People

November 29, 2025
From Tree-Sits to Courtrooms The Tactics Used by Activists in the Stop Cop City Movement

From Tree-Sits to Courtrooms: The Tactics Used by Activists in the Stop Cop City Movement

November 29, 2025
Imagining a Different Future What Community- Centered Public Safety Could Look Like Instead of Cop City

Imagining a Different Future: What Community- Centered Public Safety Could Look Like Instead of Cop City

November 29, 2025
Forest Protectors on Trial: How the Legal System Responds to Dissent

Forest Protectors on Trial: How the Legal System Responds to Dissent

November 29, 2025
Activism In The Age Of Risk: How To Protect Yourself When Protesting Police Projects

Activism In The Age Of Risk: How To Protect Yourself When Protesting Police Projects

November 29, 2025
⁠What the Opening of Cop City Means—and Why Opposition Isn’t Over Yet

⁠What the Opening of Cop City Means—and Why Opposition Isn’t Over Yet

November 28, 2025
Environmental Justice vs Police Militarization Why Forest Defenders Oppose Cop City 

Environmental Justice vs Police Militarization: Why Forest Defenders Oppose Cop City 

November 27, 2025
From Local Movement to Global Awareness: Why Cop City Resonates Worldwide

From Local Movement to Global Awareness: Why Cop City Resonates Worldwide

November 27, 2025
How South River Forest Became a Battleground

How South River Forest Became a Battleground: Inside The Origins of Stop Cop City

November 27, 2025
Police Training or Urban Warfare Prep? What Mock-City Facilities Mean for Civil Rights

Police Training or Urban Warfare Prep? What Mock-City Facilities Mean for Civil Rights

November 27, 2025
What Is Atlanta Public Safety Training Center

What Is Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, Why Activists Call It Cop City

November 27, 2025
Cop City Protest

Cop City Protest – RICO Charges, Reason behind Cop City People Protest

November 19, 2025
Stop Cop City RICO case

Stop Cop City RICO case – Public Reaction, Activists, Background

November 19, 2025

Leave a Comment