ATLANTA—The ACLU of Georgia has joined the City of Atlanta’s South River Forest and Public Safety Training Center Community Task Force. Policy and Advocacy Director Christopher Bruce will serve on the task force alongside 40 organizations and community partners.
In recent months, dozens of people have arrested at the site of the new Atlanta Public Safety Training Center and been charged with domestic terrorism, an over-criminalization of demonstrators under a constitutionally dubious statute. The ACLU of Georgia is committed to helping ensure the safe and unencumbered right to protest, and as such, joins the City’s task force with demonstrators’ First Amendment rights at the forefront.
The ACLU of Georgia denounces the domestic terrorism charges and opposes the development of the Public Safety Training Center. Public safety improves by focusing on prevention and investing in proven solutions that benefit communities, such as mental health care; affordable, high quality health care; accessible housing; healthy food options; good paying jobs; quality and safe education options; and other local services.[1] As a member of the task force, the ACLU of Georgia will center discussions about public safety alternatives and First Amendment rights to protest.
“The ACLU of Georgia has a history of working in the courts, in the streets, and everywhere we are needed to defend and protect people’s constitutional rights to protest,” said ACLU of Georgia Policy and Advocacy Director Christopher Bruce. “Despite our opposition to the training center development, the ACLU of Georgia would be remiss in sidestepping this critical opportunity to prioritize demonstrators’ civil rights and civil liberties in conversation with the City of Atlanta. This is not about agreement, it is about accountability.”
The South River Forest and Public Safety Training Center Community Task Force was created by the City of Atlanta to address community concerns about the training center and to engage residents on the future of the South River Forest.
[1] “Redefining the Role of Local Police and Public Safety,” United States Conference of Mayors Report on Police Reform and Racial Justice, August 2020, Page 14. https://www.usmayors.org/issues/police-reform/