Groups across the country plan for national week of action
ATLANTA (January 12, 2024) On Jan. 15 – Jan. 21, people across the country are organizing protests at Home Depot, UPS, and other corporations to protest their support of the Atlanta Police Foundation (APF) and the construction of Cop City in Atlanta. The city of Atlanta is attempting to build a $90 million police training facility. If constructed, “Cop City” would be one of the largest militarized police training centers in the country—all built by destroying a vital urban forest. Learn more at http://afsc.org/CopCityAction
Atlanta residents have mobilized in huge numbers to petition the city to stop the project. And now people across the country are taking action by protesting the corporate sponsors and contractors who are enabling this massive and expensive expansion of militarized policing. The Home Depot has donated at least $361,500 to APF between 2016 and 2022 and is listed as a corporate sponsor for the Foundation’s September 2023 event. The company’s vice president of technology, Daniel Grider, sits on the APF Board of Trustees. UPS donated $1 million to the APF in 2022. It sponsored the Foundation’s May, September, and November 2023 events, and its executive vice president, Norm Brothers, sits on the APF Board of Trustees.
“Corporations must be stopped from investing in and profiting off of the pain of our communities,” said Tim Franzen, Director of AFSC’s Economic Justice Program in Atlanta. “We want to preserve our urban forest and natural resources. And we want our tax dollars to go toward schools, affordable housing, health care, and other programs that promote safety and well-being for all our community members.”
Actions are taking place in Colorado, California, Georgia, Illinois, New York, and elsewhere. The week of action is organized by the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) – a Quaker organization with programs in Atlanta and across the United States – as well as the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, Side With Love, Presente.org, and local partners.
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The American Friends Service Committee is a Quaker organization that includes people of various faiths who are committed to social justice, peace and humanitarian service. Its work is based on the belief in the worth of every person and faith in the power of love to overcome violence and injustice.