ATLANTA — The historic King Center and their partners crafted a letter to call on Atlanta leaders to let residents vote on the contested future Public Safety Training Center.
The letter was issued after the City of Atlanta filed an appeal against a petition that aims to stop the construction of the center.
In the letter, King Center CEO Bernice King, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s daughter, and her constituents quote MLK's 1957 speech of "Give us the Ballot."
“In this juncture of our nation’s history, there is an urgent need for dedicated and courageous leadership,” the letter quotes from his speech.
The King Center officially announced their stance on joining the community to put the training center's construction to a democratic vote.
Officials with the center also said in their letter that they believe the City of Atlanta's process toward approving funding for the center's construction did not include "transparent public engagement."
"The King Center considers this a misstep and a missed opportunity, as we believe city leadership should ensure a just, humane, and equitable path if we are sincerely committed to advancing and preserving the Beloved Community in our city," the letter said.
The letter continued to mention the pushback the city has endured from residents opposed to the center and called on leaders to "put it to a public vote."
King and her partners said that the city should allow residents and community member to have a voice in discussions in city governance.
"The participation of the people must be welcome. Atlanta cannot be a city that closes its ears to its most vulnerable residents, who have been made so by historically discriminatory, destructive, and undemocratic policies and practices," the center added.
Activists said last week they're about 10,000 signatures from the 70,000 they need to qualify a referendum that, if approved by voters, would revoke the funding legislation for the center passed by the Atlanta City Council. They have until Aug. 14 to collect all the signatures.
A public referendum would likely stand as one of the last real roadblocks to the training center - called "Cop City" by its opponents - being built. Regulatory hurdles have been cleared in DeKalb County, and with the Atlanta City Council funding approved site work has already begun on the portion of DeKalb's South River Forest where it is being built. Full-on construction has been expected to begin sometime this summer.
