Judge blames Atlanta officials for confusion over 'Stop Cop City' referendum campaign

Caleb “Ian” Connell steps out into the parking lot of the shopping center searching for a potential Atlanta resident to sign a referendum petition. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)

A federal judge overseeing the case involving Atlanta activists’ referendum effort against a police and firefighter training facility accused city officials on Wednesday of moving the goalposts on the signature-gathering campaign, saying they have “directly contributed” to a widespread sense of confusion over the matter.

U.S. District Judge Mark Cohen ruled that he does not have the authority to force the city of Atlanta to begin processing the tens of thousands of signatures that were handed in Monday by “Stop Cop City” activists, explaining that he cannot intervene while a larger dispute over the effort is awaiting input from the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

But Cohen also said he was “compelled to comment upon the vacillating positions of the City of Atlanta throughout this litigation.”