'Stop Cop City' petition campaign in limbo as Atlanta officials refuse to process signatures

Activists haul dozens of boxes full of signed petitions to Atlanta City Hall, Monday, Sept. 11, 2023, to force a referendum on the future of a planned police and firefighter training center. Shortly after, though, Atlanta officials refused to accept the paperwork for processing, saying the city is awaiting a court decision over whether the petitions had been turned in on time. (AP Photo/R.J. Rico)

Atlanta officials refused to verify tens of thousands of signatures submitted on Monday by activists trying to stop the construction of a police and firefighter training center, the latest setback for organizers who have accused the city of trying to illegitimately push the project forward.

The activists had gathered jubilantly after obtaining what they said were the signatures of more than 116,000 Atlanta residents, far more than necessary to force a vote on the center that critics have dubbed “Cop City.”

But shortly after they began hauling dozens of boxes of paperwork to the clerk’s office, Atlanta officials declined to begin the process of verifying the forms, saying organizers had missed an Aug. 21 deadline. The deadline had been previously extended until September by a federal judge, but an appellate court on Sept. 1 paused the enforcement of that order, throwing the effort into legal limbo.