DeKalb residents sue Atlanta for referendum against planned police training center

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Attorney Jeff Filipovits joins four DeKalb residents at the DeKalb Courthouse on July 10, 2023, to announce they filed a lawsuit against the city of Atlanta.

Credit: Amanda Andrews / GPB News

Four DeKalb residents are filing a lawsuit against the city of Atlanta arguing they should be able to help with the proposed referendum to stop the police training center being built in their neighborhood.

Land for the center is in DeKalb County but owned by the city of Atlanta. Right now, Dekalb residents who live nearby are not allowed to collect signatures for the petition because they are not Atlanta residents. The lawsuit argues their right to petition is protected under the First Amendment.

Keyanna Jones is one of the plaintiffs in the suit. She said DeKalb residents have never been given a voice in this issue.

“We have never been able to say that we don't want a firing range near our children's school,” she said. “We've never been able to say that we don't want more lead from gunshots, from the bullet casings polluting our water.”

The paperwork to begin collecting signatures was filed June 7 but the city rejected and delayed approving it three times. After two weeks and a lawsuit, the petition was officially approved by Atlanta officials on June 22.

Attorney Jeff Filipovits represents the four residents in the lawsuit. He said the city’s attempts to suppress protests lead him to wonder how Atlanta officials will react to this new lawsuit.

“The city can show that it supports the will of the voters rather than the interests of its politicians,” he said. “If the city opposes this lawsuit and opposes this request, the question needs to be why? Why would they try to keep people out of this process who live in the area most affected by this process?”

The lawsuit has been fast tracked by the court. The city has one week to respond, and the plaintiffs have another week to reply. From there, a judge could decide the case or decide to hold a hearing.

If it succeeds, the lawsuit would open up signature collecting to all Georgia residents, but valid signatures would still be limited to Atlanta residents who voted in the last citywide election in 2021. Filipovits said the plaintiffs would also call on the city to push the deadline to collect signatures back from the current date of Aug. 14.