Protesters take over Atlanta City Council meeting by throwing ping-pong balls, yelling

ATLANTA — A group of protesters against the public safety training facility stopped the Atlanta city council meeting with yelling and by throwing ping-pong balls Monday evening.

The disruption lasted about 30 minutes.

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There was yelling and rage, which is exactly what protesters wanted to convey as they took over the Atlanta City Council meeting for several minutes on Monday.

They had a sign reading “Andre Dickens, you dropped the ball on democracy” as protesters threw ping pong balls on the council floor.

“This movement is not an anti-cop movement; this movement is not an anti-public safety movement. What it is, is a pro-democracy movement because democracy is good all the time,” said activist Devin Barrington-Ward.

Ward said the protesters represent the 116,000 signatures delivered to city hall exactly one year ago, as they called for a referendum on the public safety training facility. It’s a referendum protestors are still demanding.

“City Council literally has time before the November ballot to put it on the ballot,” said one organizer.

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But City Councilmember Michael Julian Bond said that hasn’t happened.

“It is possible for a member of the Atlanta City Council to introduce legislation to put this question on the ballot and have people vote on it. That’s absolutely true. But a person on the city council has to take up that charge and that hasn’t happened yet,” Bond said.

While the city says they plan on opening the facility later this year, this group of activists maintains they won’t stop their fight.

“Homicides are down in the city of Atlanta, that’s something that should be celebrated and look we were able to do that without spending $90 million on a new public safety training facility,” said Barrington-Ward.

No one was arrested during the incident.

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