ATLANTA — In three days, President Joe Biden will debate former President Donald Trump in Atlanta.
The debate is taking place at the site long known as the headquarters for the company formerly known as Turner Broadcasting, now known as Warner Brothers Discovery. It now hosts CNN’s Atlanta presence since CNN left downtown's CNN Center.
It’s likely to be one of the most secure places in America when Biden and Trump share a stage on Thursday night.
But it's also expected to be a site of conflicting protests and demonstrations outside the midtown venue.
Protesters have made a lot of noise of late in opposition to the war between Israel and Hamas. Flyers circulating on social media indicate an effort to bring that issue to midtown on Thursday as the two presidential candidates meet to debate.
"We know we have a busy week ahead of us with a presidential debate that’s coming," Deputy Atlanta Police Chief Prenzinna Spann told the city council’s public safety committee on Monday.
She said that APD would work with state and local law enforcement to manage any demonstrations "to make sure we deploy our efforts to keep the city safe."
APD declined further comment.
At midday on Monday, about a dozen people shouted slogans outside the state Capitol opposing restrictive abortion laws. It’s an issue with a sharp divide between Biden and Trump.
Labor union organizer Sandra Williams, who was in attendance, said she expects a presence in midtown on Thursday in support of Biden.
"Because people forget. They’re not dealing with politics every day. They’re dealing with their daily lives. And it’s important they be reminded before the election," Williams said.
Trump supporters are also planning to carry signs near the debate site and on highway overpasses Thursday to "welcome" the former President.
At least some protesters are expected to bring up their opposition to what they call "Cop City," which is the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center under construction southeast of Atlanta.
In general, Marlon Krautz said it makes sense for protesters to take that message to the presidential debate.
"At an event like that, there's going to be tremendous media coverage," Krautz said. "A lot of people have issues they want to talk about that they think need attention. They want to use protest to draw attention to those things."
All this will converge near a high-profile site overlooking the downtown connector and Georgia Tech, where access is expected to be very restricted – a stew of contradictions police will have to manage Thursday.