Two trans-identified males were arrested in Midtown Atlanta on Wednesday after climbing to the top of a construction crane and chaining themselves to it to protest the construction of Atlanta’s Public Safety Training Center, which activists have dubbed "Cop City."
According to Fox 5, the incident occurred at a construction site on 11th Street and Bellingrath Avenue.
Police arrested 23-year-old Parker Demos and 22-year-old Frederick Hetzel. At the top of the crane, the two unfurled a banner that read "Drop Cop City." The two were charged with Criminal Trespass, False Imprisonment, Obstruction, and Reckless Conduct.
Other protestors gathered along 11th Street with signs.
The building site targeted is being constructed by Brasfield & Gorrie, which is also the lead contractor on the Public Safety Training Center and has faced waves of worksite disruptions and protests.
"We are just getting started. We will keep taking action until Brasfield & Gorrie ends their contract to build Cop City. Mayor Dickens and the City of Atlanta - by blocking the referendum on Cop City - have given residents no other choice but to engage in direct action," the group told Fox 5.
Body camera footage from Atlanta Police showed first responders cutting the protestors away from the railings they chained themselves to.
In a joint Instagram post from Stop Cop City, Defend Atlanta Forest, and Mainline ATL, they wrote that "Both activists on the crane are transgender women, who say they are also taking action to highlight recent violence that trans people have faced in Atlanta, notably the recent murder of Chevy Hill."
"There has also been a slew of anti-trans legislation slated to pass in the Georgia state house. Recently, the state legislature introduced HB 1128, which would end all legal recognition of transgender people by redefining biological sex. It would also remove sexual orientation and gender identity from Georgia’s criteria for hate crimes," they added.
One of the activists who scaled the crane said, "In this political moment, we must act now, consolidate our power, and fight for the world we deserve."
The post noted that this was the "third action on Brasfield & Gorrie" sites.
According to Fox 5, a protestor was arrested after locking themselves to construction equipment at a Peachtree and 17th Street work site.
Two activists were arrested in January after they locked themselves to equipment at a different Midtown Atlanta work site.
Brasfield & Gorrie’s Birmingham, Alabama offices were also targeted in May of 2022.
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