Atlanta petition drive to stop 'Cop City' is 'futile,' city's attorneys argue

Activist Hannah Riley works on her laptop at Muchacho, a local taco restaurant, while gathering signatures from fellow voters, in Atlanta, Thursday, July 13, 2023. Organizers are trying to force a referendum that would allow voters to decide the fate of a proposed police and training center, but attorneys for the city say the petition drive is invalid. (AP Photo/R.J. Rico)

An ongoing petition drive to halt the construction of a police and firefighter training center is “futile” and “invalid,” attorneys for the city of Atlanta argued in a court filing Monday, as they sought to prevent the proposed referendum from appearing on November’s ballot.

For the past month, activists with the “Stop Cop City” movement have been trying to gather the signatures of more than 70,000 registered Atlanta voters by Aug. 15 to force a referendum. It would allow voters to decide the fate of the project that has seen significant pushback and become a flashpoint in the national debate over policing.

Under the proposed referendum, voters would choose whether they want to repeal the ordinance that authorized the lease of the city-owned land upon which the project is set to be built.