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Corporations tied to Cop City face pressure after names released


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On Monday, researchers against the proposed $90 million police training facility in Atlanta, nicknamed ‘Cop City’, released a list of corporations, including Nationwide Mutual Insurance, that are contributing to either the facility or the police union behind it.

The list of companies involved in Cop City include Motorola Solutions, Brasfield & Gorrie, Nationwide Mutual Insurance and more, according to a list released by American Friends Service Committee (AFSC).

The report also shows Bank of America, Home Depot, and Delta Airlines among the donors and sponsors for the Atlanta Police Foundation.

nationwide corporations cop city
Associated Press

“The people of Atlanta have shown tremendous strength and courage in standing up to the police and City Council in order to stop Cop City,” said Dov Baum, AFSC’s Director of Corporate Accountability and Research.

“But the forces that are driving this project are not just public officials. Big corporations have been donating millions of dollars to fund Cop City, and others are benefiting as contractors and sub-contractors,” Baum added.

Is Nationwide Mutual Insurance on your side?

The release of corporations tied to Cop City come days after the Atlanta city clerk released the full names and addresses of over 116,000 people who signed a petition calling for a vote to stop the project.

The 85-acre facility would disrupt the city’s largest greenspace and lead to more police militarization, opponents warn. Meanwhile, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said the city needs more officers to combat violent crime.

Georgia State Patrol killed one forest defender in January, and authorities arrested dozens more on terrorism and RICO charges in recent months.

The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) describes itself as a Quaker organization with a long history of holding corporations accountable. They worked with organizers to gather the necessary signatures to let residents vote on the future of Cop City.


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List of Corporations contributing to Cop City

The petition currently hangs in legal limbo as city officials have sued to stop the counting of signatures.

“I urge the City to err on the side of giving people the ability to express their views, including by establishing clear and transparent deadlines regarding timelines and requirements and by using any discretion available to the City under the law to accept and count all lawfully collected signatures,” Georgia Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock wrote in a letter to Mayor Dickens in September.

“Last year, 171 people were murdered in the city of Atlanta,” the mayor wrote back.

Meanwhile, organizers say they plan to use the list of corporations tied to Cop City to pressure them to disinvest.

“While we can’t vote to remove them from office, we can demand that these companies take their hands out of policing our communities,” Baum said.

Click here to view the full list.

The list drew heavily from research that was published by Stop Cop City Solidarity and Stop Brasfield & Gorrie. Ally organizations, including AdasinaColor Of ChangeJustice CapitalLittleSisPresente, and the Private Equity Stakeholder Project, also contributed information.




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