A group of protesters clashed with police in Atlanta, Georgia Sunday at the construction site of a new police training center. The City of Atlanta Police Department later reported that 35 people were detained as a result of the confrontation.

Police claimed that those who gathered at the construction site were there to target and attack the site and officers, rather than protest peacefully. Authorities said there was damage to construction equipment through the use of fireworks, bricks, and other objects, which eventually led to a fire at the construction site. However, local activists report that those arrested were attending a concert far from the construction site and not a part of the demonstration. The Atlanta Police Department shared their plan to address protests planned over the next week, with a focus on reaction and arresting those involved.

The construction site is the planned area for the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center in DeKalb County, Georgia, which is near the South River Forest. The city plans to use about 25 percent of the available land to build the training center, leaving the other 75 percent as a restored green space for the public. Groups like Defend the Atlanta Forest have formed in response to the planned training center, which they term “Cop City.” The groups aim to protect the forest from development. They also allege that the proposed center will contribute to the militarization of American police forces.

Atlanta explained the need for a police training center, stressing that the city has “the most extensive training requirements in the Southeast,” mandating officers in Atlanta to complete almost six months of classroom training and three months of field training. This training center would offer exercises in de-escalation, mental health, and crisis intervention.

The skirmish comes amid tension between citizenry and police in the United States over police killings of Black civilians. It also comes after environmental protester Manuel Esteban Paez Terán was shot and killed during an environmental demonstration at the planned construction site for the training center in January. According to a press release by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, a Georgia State Trooper was also severely injured during the incident. The GBI shared that a statement can be heard by another trooper in released bodycam footage suggesting a fellow officer shot a bullet that injured the trooper, leaving questions as to why Terán was killed during the environmental protest.