Atlanta protest escalates into violence over police killing of activist

ATLANTA. A protest in downtown Atlanta Saturday night turned violent over the death of an environmental activist who was killed this week after authorities said the 26-year-old activist had shot and killed a state soldier.

Masked activists dressed all in black threw rocks and lit fireworks in front of the skyscraper that houses the Atlanta Police Foundation, breaking large glass windows. They then set a police car on fire and painted other buildings with anti-cop graffiti as the stunned tourists fled.

The violent protesters were part of hundreds of demonstrators who gathered and marched down Atlanta’s famous Peachtree Street to mourn the death of a protester, a non-binary person who went by the name Tortugita and used the they/it pronouns.

Tortugita was killed Wednesday as authorities removed a small group of protesters from the site of a planned public safety training center in the Atlanta area, which activists have dubbed “Police City.”

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said Tortugita was killed after shooting and wounding a state trooper, but activists questioned the officials’ version of events, calling it a “homicide” and demanding an independent investigation.

According to the GBI, the incident was not captured by body cameras. On Friday, the GBI said it had determined that the serviceman had been shot in the stomach by a bullet from a pistol carried by Tortugita.

Rumors of Saturday’s protest were widely circulated in advance on social media and among left-wing activists, with some handing out leaflets that read, “Police killed a protester. Get up. Fight back.”

A police statement said protesters damaged property at several locations along Peachtree Street, in a corridor of hotels and restaurants, adding that several arrests were made and “order was quickly restored downtown.”

There were no immediate reports of any injuries.

“This is still an active and ongoing investigation and we will not be able to provide details on the number of arrests or property damaged at this time,” the police said in an emailed statement to the Associated Press.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp condemned the violence and thanked the officers who responded.

“Violence and unlawful destruction of property are not acts of protest,” the Republican governor said. tweeted. “These are crimes that will not be allowed in Georgia and will be prosecuted in full.

Opponents of the training center have been protesting for more than a year, building platforms in the surrounding trees and pitching tents on the spot.

They say the $90 million project to be implemented by the Atlanta Police Foundation involves cutting down so many trees that it will harm the environment. They also oppose investing so much money in a facility that they say will be used to practice “urban warfare”.

The GBI said about 25 campsites were located and removed on Wednesday, along with mortar fireworks, edged weapons, air rifles, gas masks and a blowtorch.

According to the GBI, seven people were arrested during the raid and charged with domestic terrorism and trespassing, with other charges pending. Their age ranges from 20 to 34 years old, and none of them is a resident of Georgia.

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