Students from several Atlanta-area colleges, including Emory University, Georgia State University, and Morehouse College, staged a demonstration on Monday to halt the construction of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Centre.
The protest comes after the release of the DeKalb County Medical Examiner’s report on the death of Manuel Esteban Paez Teran, who was shot and killed by police on January 18th during a raid on a campground where environmental demonstrators were protesting against the development of the training centre.
Manuel Esteban Paez Teran, also known as Tortuguita, was an environmentalist.
He was known for his commitment to preserving natural habitats and his advocacy for sustainable practices.
Tortuguita was shot and killed by the police while camping in a forest with other activists.
They had been trying to defend the forest from being razed and turned into a $90m ‘urban warfare’ style police academy.
The police claimed that they had arrived to ‘clear’ the protesters and ‘returned fire in self-defence’ when someone shot a Georgia State Patrol Trooper.
However, the police conduct has raised serious questions and doubts about the circumstances of Tortuguita’s death.
The police who stormed the area were wearing body cams, but there is no footage to be shared.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has said that ‘although we have bodycam footage from the day of the operation, we do not have bodycam footage of the shooting incident.
The law enforcement officers wearing bodycam ‘were not close enough to the shooting itself to capture it’.
Local organisers who knew Tortuguita and others who were at the site of the shooting have called the police story of events into question, and reject the idea that there was a back-and-forth of shots, having heard all the shots at once coming from the same direction.
The overwhelmingly armed, militarised, and menacing Swat team that showed up to clear the area of protesters provoked the very reaction the police could then cite to justify this completely unnecessary escalatory operation.
The autopsy of Manuel Esteban was released on 19th April and confirmed 57 gunshot wounds and no gunpowder residue on their hands—another discovery that directly contradicts the police narrative.
According to protesters, the excessive use of force by police that resulted in Teran’s death is unacceptable, and they are calling for a thorough investigation into the incident.
They also criticise the Atlanta Police Foundation, the organisation behind the project, for promoting police violence and corruption, and demand that universities in the area sever their ties with the foundation.
The protesters are demanding that Atlanta officials cancel the lease and drop ties with the Atlanta Police Foundation.
Emory University students are handing out free ‘stop cop city’ T-shirts and holding picket signs, calling on the university’s president, who is a member of the Atlanta Committee for Progress, to step down from the organisation and condemn the development of the training centre.
Opponents of the project argue that the Atlanta Public Safety Training Centre, dubbed ‘Cop City’ by protesters, is a waste of taxpayer money that will only contribute to police militarisation and brutality.
The centre is planned to include a shooting range, classrooms, a mock village, an emergency vehicle driving course, stables for police horses, and a ‘burn building’ for firefighters to practice putting out fires.
Supporters of the project claim that it is necessary to train law enforcement officers and first responders in a controlled environment.
The protesters plan to continue their demonstrations until their demands are met.
The controversy surrounding the Atlanta Public Safety Training Centre highlights the growing concerns around police violence and corruption in the United States, and the need for greater transparency and accountability in law enforcement agencies.
- Meanwhile, teachers in Oakland’s school district are fighting for their rights, as the district’s teachers union, the Oakland Education Association, awaits the results of a strike vote.
The district officials are scrambling to prevent the walkout, claiming it would be illegal and would cause hardship to students and families.
The union, however, accuses the district of not bargaining in good faith, alleging that Oakland Unified representatives appeared unprepared during negotiations and offered unsatisfactory proposals.
Union officials have filed an unfair labour practices complaint, which could allow the union to bypass several steps in the bargaining process and proceed with the strike.
Despite the district’s financial struggles, teachers and other classroom staff are demanding a fair 23% raise along with essential support for students, including more counsellors and social workers, reduced class sizes, and climate-controlled classrooms.
The union draws inspiration from their Los Angeles counterparts, who secured a settled contract following a three-day strike.
Parents across the city are divided over the strike, with many supporting the union’s petition calling for the school board to meet the labour organisation’s demands.
However, a much smaller number of parents oppose the strike, expressing concerns over the impact on students who have already experienced disruptions due to COVID school closures and previous strikes.
Elsewhere, the Los Angeles school district and the teachers union reached a tentative agreement, averting the potential for a second strike this school year.
The agreement provides a 21% wage increase over three years, raising the average teacher salary to $106,000.
Union leaders and many parents are relieved by the agreement, which also addresses smaller class sizes, housing for low-income families, special programs for Black students, and climate change curriculum.
Hard-to-staff positions, such as nurses, would see additional salary hikes.
The tentative agreement is seen as a necessary step to make Los Angeles Unified the district of choice for families and teachers alike, according to Supt. Alberto Carvalho.
However, as the Oakland teachers stand strong, there is growing frustration among teachers in Los Angeles.
Some teachers believe the tentative agreement falls short of their demands and are suspicious of the lack of transparency from their union.
Teachers are already working on an expired contract, and many are struggling to make ends meet amid soaring inflation rates and student loan repayments.
Critics such as professional union watcher Mike Antonucci, have questioned the affordability of the deal, citing historic declines in enrolment and the district’s multibillion-dollar unfunded liabilities for retiree health benefits and steep state-pension costs.
However, in response the union leaders have pointed to a record $5-billion reserve and argue that the funds should be invested in schools, students, and staff members now, rather than padding the reserves.
With the Oakland teachers standing firm, the question remains whether the district will recognise the importance of supporting their educators in providing the best possible future for their students.
As teachers across California face mounting financial challenges and ever-increasing workloads, their fight for fair pay and adequate resources continues.