ATLANTA — A group of people opposed to the City of Atlanta’s plan to build the public safety training facility set up camp in a new subdivision this week.
It’s less than five miles away from the wooded area near Key Road where Atlanta’s training facility would sit on 85 acres in Dekalb County.
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The nonprofit, Lakewood Environmental Arts Foundation Inc. lists the property on Schell Road as its headquarters.
Organizers with the group, NDN Collective posted a video on Twitter that said the nonprofit director allowed campers to use his property for a “commune” while they were in town for a week-long list of demonstrations against the training facility plan.
NDN Collective said some supporters preferred to stay there rather than the property where the facility will go because that’s where clashes between police and protestors have turned deadly and fiery this year.
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NDN Collective said Saturday morning, police showed up at the property and detained 22 people and arrested one of them.
Atlanta Police Department said they were conducting a search warrant of the property.
Neighbors who asked to remain anonymous in fear of retaliation said they were awoken around 8 a.m. in the morning to the commotion.
“We started hearing helicopters. That’s what woke everybody up, at least us. Then, SUVs parked outside. Then, before you know it, there were flashing lights everywhere. They had it all blocked off. Nobody in or out. It was kind of scary,” said one neighbor.
Another neighbor described the campers cuffed on the sidewalk.
“They had them all lined up from here all the way down. They wanted to get them out of here because of the situation with Key Road. They didn’t want that to happen here. That’s why they wanted them out, and we wanted them out,” said the second neighbor.
She said the people were staying in tents on the property. “They showed up and just like taking over our neighborhood.”
It’s unclear how long the campers will stay in the neighborhood. People on the property declined to comment Saturday evening.
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