The South Atlanta neighborhood, located near ‘Cop City’ construction site, has been increasingly targeted by Atlanta police since opposition against the massive police facility formed
ATLANTA—On the night of Fri., March 21, at least six Atlanta police cars arrived unannounced at a community center in Lakewood, while an Atlanta Police Department (APD) helicopter aimed its spotlight at the building. Inside the community center was a locally organized fundraiser for Black Panther elder Dhoruba Bin Wahad, who is facing expenses for lung cancer treatment.
The fundraiser featured music, vendors, and a table full of movement materials, like zines and flyers in support of the ongoing opposition against ‘Cop City,’ the $109 million police militarization facility located nearby in Weelaunee Forest, otherwise known as South River Forest. The fundraiser also provided information regarding the ongoing RICO cases of 61 defendants who were indicted under the state statute for their protest against the facility.
Organizers described the harassment at Bin Wahad’s fundraiser as “intimidation,” connecting it to the trend of increasingly hostile police surveillance and repression in the area.
According to an attendee, who wishes to remain anonymous, police were driving by the space before the event started, apparently “writing down people’s license plates.” Multiple police cars then parked on the streets around the community center with their lights on.
Organizers approached police cars blocking a one-way street. In a video of the encounter, they asked, “Can you explain why you’re surveilling a freedom of speech protected event?”
There was no explanation given for their presence. The officers only responded, “We can move … we’re not gonna leave though.”
Attendees then asked, “Why are you here?” An officer responded that they “work for the city of Atlanta.”
The APD have not responded to a request for comment at the time of this publication.
Surveillance, harassment in Lakewood is an ongoing pattern—and escalating
The Lakewood neighborhood, a South Atlanta neighborhood which neighbors the Cop City construction site, has faced increased police harassment, surveillance, and repression over recent years in response to the movement against Cop City. Mainline last reported on this trend last year. More recently, the Guardian reported on the appearance of hidden surveillance cameras posted outside the community center and in front of homes raided by the police last year.
“The police have been trying to surveil this neighborhood intensely for over a year,” said Anna, an attendee of the fundraiser. “They haven’t found anything, so they waste their resources shamelessly trying to intimidate.”
Angel, a food vendor at the March 21 event to fundraise for Bin Wahad, said she’s been to events at the community center before, and that the recent police presence is unprecedented.
“While it’s mildly unnerving, it’s also reassuring that it feels like this is an effective means of organizing that they’re scared of any form of dissent,” an organizer reflected, as the music played and attendees milled in and out of the open door. People watched and took pictures in the parking lot as the last police car pulled out and slowly drove away.
“The police just want to continue to try and repress the Stop Cop City Movement,” another organizer, who also requested anonymity due to fear of retaliation, said. They cited the recently proposed budget cuts by Mayor Andre Dickens, which they said are happening “specifically because of the overtime spent on police harassing citizens, protecting the Cop City facility site, and just other forms of repression.”
The City of Atlanta’s overspending on policing
On March 25, Center for Civic Innovation (CCI) reported that the City of Atlanta’s Fiscal Year 2025 expenses are projected to be $20 million over budget, with departments instructed to make cuts up to 10% for this year’s budget.
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “Additional dollars toward law enforcement to fund programs like police cars, salary increases for officers, and spending on the public safety training center [Cop City] are the biggest drivers of the inflated costs.”
In a memo issued by the Chief Financial Officer on March 6, departments were asked to “evaluate and document the associated risks” of potential budget cuts at three levels—5%, 7.5%, and 10%. The potential cuts, according to CCI, are due to the $20 million budget deficit for FY 2025 caused by expenses outpacing revenue.
“Even with a projected $77.9M in revenue surplus by June 2025, spending is expected to overshoot by $97.9M—leaving a $20M gap and putting the city about 11% over budget,” reads the CCI report.
Mayor Dickens is expected to share a proposed budget no later than May 5.
