Supplemental Info:

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has declared a state of emergency in response to ongoing violent protests in downtown Atlanta. 1000 GA National Guard troops have been activated, to be called up as necessary by the Adjujant General.

The State of Emergency will expire on 2/9 at 11:59 PM unless renewed by the Governor.

Read the full Executive Order here (PDF):

https://gov.georgia.gov/executive-action/executive-orders/2023

Background:

In April 2021, then-Atlanta mayor Keisha Bottoms announced a plan to turn an 85-acre parcel of property, owned by the city of Atlanta, into a future public safety training facility that would include a shooting range, mock village and burn house.

Opponents of the proposed facility in DeKalb County say the project involves cutting down so many trees that it would be environmentally damaging.

In January 2022, activists began protesting at the site.

In May 2022, seven protesters were arrested and charged with throwing a Molotov cocktail at officers as police tried to clear protesters from the site.

In December 2022, five more protesters were arrested on domestic terrorism charges. Police say this group threw rocks and bottles at police cars, as well as emergency services personnel outside neighboring fire stations.

On Wednesday of last week, police were clearing people out of the area around 9 AM when gunfire erupted, injuring a Georgia state trooper. The shooter himself was killed by police a short time later.

A protest against a law enforcement following the shooting of what is now referred to as an "environmental defender" turned violent this past Saturday in Atlanta, with demonstrators setting a police car on fire and damaging property. Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said at a press conference after the protests that some of the demonstrators carried explosives.

The map below shows the location of the proposed training center and shooting incident.