Over the past weekend, protests against Atlanta's "Cop City" training facility turned violent. Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) issues a statement on the attack, saying that "The attacks on Atlanta law enforcement officials by lawless anarchists are abhorrent & speak to the real-life impacts of the Defund The Police movement."
"The attacks on Atlanta law enforcement officials by lawless anarchists are abhorrent & speak to the real-life impacts of the Defund The Police movement. We must stand by our men & women in blue & condemn these horrific assaults on law & order & those who defend our communities," Rep. Donalds tweeted.
The attacks on Atlanta law enforcement officials by lawless anarchists are abhorrent & speak to the real-life impacts of the Defund The Police movement.
We must stand by our men & women in blue & condemn these horrific assaults on law & order & those who defend our communities.
— Byron Donalds (@ByronDonalds) March 6, 2023
According to Fox, 23 suspects have been arrested and face potential domestic terrorism charges.
Notably, only two of the arrested suspects are from Georgia. The vast majority are from other states and include two foreign nationals, a Frenchman and a Canadian.
Additionally, protesters are described as changing into black clothing and throwing fireworks, rocks, and even Molotov cocktails at the facility and officers.
As described by ABC, protests against the so-called "Cop City" facility have been going on since 2021, when the facility was first proposed.
In addition to police, "Cop City" would also be a training area for firefighters and first responders.
Opposition comes from environmental groups for developing in the South River Forest; but also from those concerned of increasingly-militarized police.
On the other hand, Atlanta Chief of Police Darin Schierbaum says of the recent attack that "this wasn’t about a public safety training center."
"This wasn’t about a public safety training center. This was about anarchy, and this was about an attempt to destabilize."
Meanwhile in Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis (R) has recently been on a "pro-police" tour, speaking at several cities in the US including New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia, encouraging officers to work in the Sunshine State.
"Anti-police politicians should stop catering to the woke mob," DeSantis said.
