Atlanta, Georgia, Police Training Facility "Stop Cop City" Referendum (March 2024)

Atlanta Police Training Facility "Stop Cop City" Referendum
Election date March 12, 2024
Topic Local law enforcement
Status Not on the ballot
Type Referendum

The Atlanta, Georgia, Police Training Facility "Stop Cop City" Referendum did not appear on the ballot as a referendum in Atlanta on March 12, 2024. The referendum may appear on the ballot at a later date.

Overview

What would this referendum repeal?

A ‘yes’ vote for this referendum would repeal an ordinance (Ordinance 21-O-0367) adopted by the Atlanta City Council that authorized the leasing of 381 acres of forest land in Southeast Atlanta to the Atlanta Police Foundation.

According to the Atlanta City Council, 85 acres of the leased land would be used for the construction of a $90 million police training facility referred to as the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center. The center would be used by the Atlanta Police Department and the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department for training purposes.

What are the arguments for and against the construction of the police training facility?

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, in support of the construction of the Public Safety Training Center, said, “Our public safety personnel must have modern, top-quality training programs and facilities throughout their careers, from their first day in the academy to routine training thereafter. This includes the most progressive training curriculum in the nation which includes learning and practicing de-escalation skills, mental health training, anti-bias training, and building relationships with citizens to continue strengthening community trust.”

R. Gary Spencer, senior counsel for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, spoke out against the ordinance authorizing the leasing of land to the Atlanta Police Foundation to construct the police training facility, and in support of the referendum to repeal it. He said, “Cop City is more of a military stronghold than a training facility. The Atlanta community has repeatedly drawn attention to the serious harms posed by Cop City, including environmental damage and the dangers of a militarized police force that have the potential of impacting the everyday lives of Black Atlantans. But instead of addressing these concerns, Georgia officials have responded with police violence, targeted arrests, and unduly harsh charging decisions. As a result, Atlantans have witnessed the police killing of Manuel ‘Tortuguita’ Esteban Paez Terán, domestic terrorism charges against activists based on tenuous evidence, and felony charges against protestors for simply distributing flyers. Cop City symbolizes the failures of a public safety system that continues to weaponize law enforcement against communities rather than invest in resources that would actually produce the safety and stability they need.”

Who is behind the campaign for the referendum?

On June 7, 2023—a day after the Atlanta City Council voted 11-4 to approve funding for the Public Safety Training Center by passing Ordinance 21-O-0367—Vote to Stop Cop City launched a referendum campaign to repeal the ordinance.

In order to qualify the referendum for the ballot, the campaign needs to submit at least 58,203 valid signatures to the municipal clerk. This number is equal to 15% of the electors registered to vote in the last general municipal election.

Text of measure

Ballot title

The ballot title for Police Training Facility "Stop Cop City" Referendum was as follows:

“

Shall the City of Atlanta Ordinance 21-0-0367 authorizing the ground lease of 381 acres of forested land to the Atlanta Police Foundation for the construction of a $90 million police training facility be repealed?

”

Support

Vote to Stop Cop City Coalition is the campaign in support of the referendum.

Supporters

Officials

• U.S. Rep. Cori Bush (D)
• U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D)

Candidates

• Cornel West (Aurora Party, Green Mountain Peace and Justice Party, Independent, Justice for All, Legal Marijuana Now Party, Progressive Party, Unaffiliated, United Citizens Party, Unity Party) -

Political Parties

• Working Families Party

Organizations

• Center for Biological Diversity
• Center for Popular Democracy
• Democratic Socialists of America, Atlanta
• NAACP Legal Defense Fund

Individuals

• Angela Davis (Nonpartisan) -

Arguments

• R. Gary Spencer, Senior Counsel for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund: "Cop City is more of a military stronghold than a training facility. The Atlanta community has repeatedly drawn attention to the serious harms posed by Cop City, including environmental damage and the dangers of a militarized police force that have the potential of impacting the everyday lives of Black Atlantans. But instead of addressing these concerns, Georgia officials have responded with police violence, targeted arrests, and unduly harsh charging decisions. As a result, Atlantans have witnessed the police killing of Manuel ‘Tortuguita’ Esteban Paez Terán, domestic terrorism charges against activists based on tenuous evidence, and felony charges against protestors for simply distributing flyers. Cop City symbolizes the failures of a public safety system that continues to weaponize law enforcement against communities rather than invest in resources that would actually produce the safety and stability they need. The voice of the people has been repeatedly ignored, so it is time for the residents of Atlanta to exercise their political will and decide the fate of Cop City."
• Democratic Socialists of America, Atlanta: "This plan not only ignores residents’ demands to reduce the scope and size of policing in Atlanta and invest in more resources in the community instead, but it also underscores City Council's commitment to fulfilling the desires of private organizations over the needs of the people. Additionally, City Council recently delegated an additional $500,000 in funds from the American Rescue Plan to create housing for more police officers through the Atlanta Police Foundation. They are out of step with the desires of the community who badly need relief from the housing crisis, not more cops, and are pushing this project against the interests of the people."

Opposition

Ballotpedia did not locate a campaign in support of a "no" vote on the ballot measure.

Background

Ordinance 21-O-0367

Ordinance 21-O-0367 was designed to lease a 381-acre public parcel to the Atlanta Police Foundation (APF) to construct the Public Safety Training Campus. Councilmember Joyce Sheperd introduced the ordinance on June 7, 2021. According to the Atlanta City Council, the APF intended to build on 85 acres and preserve the remaining 266 acres as green space for passive recreation. On September 8, 2021, the Atlanta City Council voted 10-4 to pass Ordinance 21-O-0367. Councilmembers voted as follows:

• Yes: Councilmembers Michael Julian Bond, Matt Westmoreland, Andre Dickens, Cleta Winslow, Howard Shook, J.P. Matzigkeit, Dustin Hillis, Andrea Boone, Marci Collier Overstreet, and Joyce Sheperd

• No: Carla Smith, Antonio Brown, Natalyn Mosby Archibong, and Jennifer Ide

Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms supported the plan for the Public Safety Training Campus.

On June 6, 2023, the Atlanta City Council voted 11-4 to appropriate $67 million for the Public Safety Training Campus.

Notable local police-related ballot measures

See also: State and local police-related ballot measures (2023)

From 2020 to 2022, Ballotpedia has tracked 41 notable local police-related ballot measures. In 2020, voters approved 20 local police-related ballot measures in 10 cities and four counties within seven states. Two were overturned after the election. In 2021, voters approved seven of 12 local police-related ballot measures in 10 cities and one county within nine states. In 2022, voters approved all nine local police-related ballot measures in six cities and two counties.

To see a list of local police-related ballot measures by year, click here.

In 2023, Ballotpedia covered local ballot measures that appeared on the ballot for voters within the 100 largest cities in the U.S., within state capitals, and throughout California. You can review the coverage scope of the local ballot measures project here.

Ballotpedia covered a selection of election-related, such as electoral systems like ranked-choice voting, and policing-related ballot measures outside of the largest cities.

See also: Local ballot measure elections in 2023

Ballotpedia considered the following questions in deciding whether to cover a police-related measure:

• Is the measure being proposed in response to events involving the use of force by police or related protests, either in the city or county itself or elsewhere in the state or country?
• Are references to the use of force by police, related protests, or proposed reductions in law enforcement funding central to the messaging of campaigns supporting or opposing the measure?
• Does the topic of the measure relate to one of the following:
  • police oversight;
  • the powers and structure of oversight commissions;
  • police and incarceration practices;
  • law enforcement department structure and administration;
  • law enforcement budgets;
  • law enforcement training requirements;
  • law enforcement staffing requirements; and
  • body and dashboard camera footage.

Police-related measures on the ballot in 2023

March 7:

State	Year	Ballot Measure	Status	Yes Votes	No Votes
Vermont	2023	Burlington, Vermont, Question 7, Establish Police Oversight Board Initiative (March 2023)	Defeated	3,864 (37%)	6,653 (63%)

May 6:

State	Year	Ballot Measure	Status	Yes Votes	No Votes
Texas	2023	Austin, Texas, Proposition A, Oversight of Police Measure (May 2023)	Approved	51,919 (80%)	13,097 (20%)
Texas	2023	Austin, Texas, Proposition B, Oversight of Police Measure (May 2023)	Defeated	12,137 (19%)	52,069 (81%)
Texas	2023	San Antonio, Texas, Proposition A, Law Enforcement on Abortion, Marijuana, and Police Actions Charter Amendment (May 2023)	Defeated	40,237 (28%)	101,590 (72%)

Polls

See also: 2024 ballot measure polls

Are you aware of a poll on this ballot measure that should be included below? You can share ballot measure polls, along with source links, with us at editor@ballotpedia.org.

Atlanta, Georgia, Police Training Facility "Stop Cop City" Referendum (March 2024)
Poll	Dates	Sample size	Margin of error	Support	Oppose	Undecided

Data For Progress	9/15/23-9/18/23	454	± 5%	44%	39%	18%
	Question: "Some groups are proposing a ballot initiative to repeal City of Atlanta Ordinance 21-O-0367, stated below: "Shall the City of Atlanta Ordinance 21-O-0367 authorizing the ground lease of 381 acres of forested land to the Atlanta Police Foundation for the construction of a $90 million police training facility be repealed." Would you vote for or against this ballot initiative?"

Note: LV is likely voters, RV is registered voters, and EV is eligible voters.

Path to the ballot

Process in Atlanta, Georgia

In Atlanta, Georgia, the signatures needed for a citywide initiative or referendum must equal 15% of the electors registered to vote in the last general municipal election, which was on November 2, 2021. Campaigns have 60 days to file signatures from the date that the municipal clerk provides official petitions to proponents. In 2023, at least 58,203 valid signatures are required for citizen-initiated ballot measures in Atlanta.

When signatures are filed for a referendum in Atlanta, the municipal clerk has 50 days to determine the number of valid signatures. The Atlanta City Council must then vote on whether the petition is valid, and the council must call a special election for the referendum within one week of signatures being verified.

In Atlanta, when voters approve a referendum to repeal an ordinance, the Atlanta City Council cannot adopt the ordinance again without seeking voter approval.

Stages of the referendum

Vote to Stop Cop City launched a referendum campaign to repeal Ordinance 21-O-0367 on June 7, 2023, after the Atlanta City Council approved funding for the Public Safety Training Campus on June 6.

Signature gathering process

Interim Municipal Clerk Vanessa Waldon rejected the first version of the petition on June 14, 2023, saying that the petition was missing a line requiring residents to validate their signatures. The campaign resubmitted the petition but said the clerk's office was required to fill in the missing information, rather than rejecting the petition. On June 19, the campaign sued Waldon, asking the Fulton County Superior Court to order the clerk to approve the petition.

On June 22, Waldon approved the petition form and provided official copies to petitioners, starting the signature-gathering period with a deadline of August 15.

Atlanta required that referendum signature gatherers be residents. On July 11, four persons living in DeKalb County filed a lawsuit, arguing that the requirement violated their constitutional rights.

The City of Atlanta, named as a defendant, responded that the referendum itself was unconstitutional. The city's response said, "Repeal of a years’ old ordinance cannot retroactively revoke authorization to do something that has already been done. But even if the referendum could claim to result in a revocation or cancellation of the lease, it would still be invalid because it would amount to an impermissible impairment of that contract." The office of Attorney General Chris Carr (R) agreed, writing, "Plaintiff’s claims are likely moot because the ballot initiative is entirely invalid under Georgia law. The Georgia Supreme Court has held that, as it relates to cities (as opposed to counties), ballot referendum petitions are `available only for proposed amendments to the city charter’ and not to resolutions or ordinances not impacting the charter itself."

On July 27, U.S. District Court Judge Mark Cohen ruled that the city's ban on signature gatherers who do not live in Atlanta is unconstitutional. Cohen wrote, "Requiring signature gatherers to be residents of the city imposes a severe burden on core political speech and does little to protect the city’s interest in self-governance." Judge Cohen also reset the signature-gathering period, meaning supporters had until September 23, 2023, to circulate petitions.

The City of Atlanta appealed the judge's ruling to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. Judge Cohen denied to appeal on August 14, saying, "It also must be emphasized that none of the City’s concerns about a potential invalid referendum will ever come to pass unless and until the qualifying number of valid signatures are gathered by the petitioners."

On September 1, 2023, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the City of Atlanta, issuing a stay on a federal district court’s preliminary injunction that provided for signature gatherers who resided outside of Atlanta to gather signatures. In a statement, Mary Hooks, the tactical lead for the Cop City Vote Coalition, said, “We are disappointed that the 11th Circuit has stayed the injunction in this case, particularly given the confusion this ruling creates and lack of clarity provided by the Court. To be clear: this does not mean the petition itself has been invalidated or disqualified, only that the Northern District’s injunction has been stayed pending a full decision. To say otherwise is simply a lie. We remain fully committed to putting Cop City on the ballot to let the people’s voices be heard, and are assessing what this means for our ongoing signature collection and canvass efforts.”

On September 11, 2023, the petitioners submitted more than 116,000 signatures, however, Atlanta officials said they were unable to verify the signatures, as the petitioners submitted after the August 21 deadline. The deadline was previously extended by U.S. District Court Judge Mark Cohen, but the decision by the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals paused an enforcement of that order. In a statement, the Stop Cop City Coalition said, "The City was notified on Thursday of our intention to submit, yet was too cowardly to release any response, or even respond to our email, until after we arrived." An attorney for the city, Robert Ashe, said, "The city is not in a position, does not have discretion, to choose to accept the petitions today, at least not to start the 50-day (verification) clock."

On December 14, 2023, lawyers representing the city of Atlanta asked the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn the lower court ruling allowing signature gatherers who do not live in Atlanta to collect signatures for the petition.

Signature verification process

Vote to Stop Cop City announced that around 104,000 signatures would be filed for the referendum on August 21, 2023. However, later on August 21, the campaign said that signatures would not be submitted due to concerns regarding the signature verification process.

Vanessa Waldon, the interim municipal clerk, said her office "developed a step-by-step process to conduct the audit of the documents, of which the signature verification process may be a critical element." The signature verification process would use the official state voter registration database to review each petition line to "determine a) whether the name and other information present identifies and corresponds to a uniquely qualified Atlanta voter, and if so, b) whether those signatures match that of the unique voter." Officials also announced that Foris Webb III, a former municipal clerk, would help supervise the process.

Stephanie Jackson Ali, Policy Director for New Georgia Project Action Fund, said, "The signature match process amounts specifically to voter suppression. People’s signatures from different times are matched from when you first got your driver’s license to when you filled out that form. So you’re going [to] find people who mismatch their own signature." Fair Fight, Georgia Conservation Voters, Black Voters Matter Fund, and 23 other organizations described the proposed verification process as "a widely discredited tool of voter suppression."

Foris Webb III said, "We are going to try to be deliberate and accurate as to not unintentionally disenfranchise any registered voter."

On Sep. 1, a memo was issued by the Office of the Municipal Clerk. The memo said, “No petitions have been submitted or filed with the City of Atlanta Office of the Municipal Clerk as of today, September 1, 2023. If petitions are filed, the Clerk’s office and the team authorized to be engaged by City Council on August 21, 2023, have developed a step-by-step verification process conducted by independent third parties to ensure a process that is fair, inclusive, and transparent.”

See also

Local measures

• Local measures in 2024
• Local law enforcement on the ballot

Georgia

• Georgia 2024 local measures
• Local ballot measures, Georgia
• Atlanta, Georgia

News and analysis

• State and local preemption conflicts
• Measures advancing national agendas

External links

• Atlanta Ordinance 21-O-0367 (2021)