ATLANTA — Atlanta Police announced a reward increase regarding an alleged arson over July 4 weekend, relating to the controversy over the future Public Safety training center.
The Atlanta Police Department held press conference on Tuesday morning. You can watch the full video below or on our YouTube channel.
What's new?
Atlanta Police released new photos showing the persons of interest in not just the arson investigation from early July but several others.
Images also showed many of the suspected destruction devices placed near police motorcycles, a patrol car, and even construction equipment at the training center site.
In addition, officers showed video of an attack at the Promise Center youth center. They believe it is the same group involved in that attack.
As a result, the ATF is increasing its reward from $5,000 to $10,000 and the Crimestoppers reward is increasing from $10,000 to $50,000 for information that could lead to an arrest and conviction. That brings the total amount for reward to $60,000.
More on the incident
Over July 4 weekend, fires were set at police facilities, destroying several motorcycles, were the result of arson by a "small determined group" radically opposing the future Atlanta Public Safety Training Center.
Officials also said there had been a prior incident in which people were seen breaking windows at an APD precinct on Memorial Drive. Atlanta Police Chief Schierbaum said it was their belief the intent was for fires to be set to police vehicles there as well, but that a "citizen observed the criminal acts and actually interrupted the crimes."
"We believe a fire attack planned on Memorial Drive was thwarted by an observant citizen," he said, calling the weekend incidents an "attack not only on the men and women of this police department, but an attack on every neighborhood this department protects and every visitor that comes to our city to enjoy Atlanta."
Officials also described vandalism and harassment at the homes of a contractor tied to the training center project and an executive at Brasfield Gorrie, which is doing work for the building of the facility, as well as a fire at an unrelated construction site, meant as retaliation against the contracting company Brent Scarborough.
Police attributed the arson and other incidents to the "Week of Action" protesters had been conducting in opposition to the training facility, which they call "Cop City."
Why the controversy?
The movement against the facility, which opponents call "Cop City," has largely transitioned from a small tree-encampment sit-in protest in the South River Forest, where the center is to be built, into a more organized opposition. That now includes an ongoing petition drive to get a referendum on center, with the hopes that it could be defeated in a vote.
The protesters have opposed the facility on environmental and historical grounds, saying it would decimate one of the largest preserved forest areas in the city and desecrate historically Native American land of the Muscogee Creek people, who once lived in the woods and called it the Weelaunee Forest before being displaced by white settlers in the early 19th Century.
The project's backers - including the law enforcement community, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond - have argued it would improve training and community ties, framing it as an answer to police reform demands to eliminate contentious policing practices and reduce tensions between the police department and the public.
The construction of the facility is tentatively set to start in August, following approval of $33 million for construction of the project by the Atlanta City Council.
Several activists in the last few months have been arrested and charged with domestic terrorism after property was damaged at the development site. The protest groups have strongly disputed the characterization of their activity as extremist.
Additionally, three people with the Atlanta Solidarity Fund, which has supported the protest movement, were arrested and charged in May with financial crimes for allegedly misappropriating funds.
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