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Dear Saint Mark Family,
The young adult group at Saint Mark has been incredibly active as of late, in fellowship, growth, and volunteering. It’s been a pleasure to be a part of the congregation at Saint Mark, and we would like to share with this congregation one of the causes that has been placed on the hearts of some of our members.
The City of Atlanta plans to build the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, dubbed by opponents as “Cop City.” The building of this new training center would lead to the destruction of the South River Forest, formerly indigenous land and one of the largest and most important greenspaces in the city of Atlanta.
Many Atlanteans, including some of our young adults ministry, are staunchly opposed to the construction of this facility for a myriad of reasons, including the fact that it could likely become a militarized training facility that will not only destroy valuable greenspace, but could also increase the potential for police brutality. The recent death of a protester and numerous wrongful arrests are indicative of what could likely happen if there is no accountability or check and balance in place.
It is for this reason some of the young adults have written a statement about our concerns of this building of this new facility. We view this as a cause that exists at the intersection of many social and environmental justice issues. This letter is not the stance of Saint Mark itself, but simply a letter from members of the young adult ministry to the congregation, so persons can learn more, and to create space for dialogue about this topic we care about deeply. Click here for statements from some our young adults.
There is currently an ongoing effort to gather enough signatures from the residents of Atlanta to petition for a referendum to be added to the ballot in the upcoming Atlanta city elections. This is not a petition to stop construction of the facility, but simply to *allow the residents of the city to vote* on whether or not this is the best way to use our tax dollars.
Below are links to articles on the movement and information on how to help. A number of our young adults are available to answers whatever questions you may have, and to listen to your comments and recommendations. Please reach out to any of us, we welcome hearing from you.
Thank you,
The Young Adults of Saint Mark
Movement website: https://stopcop.city/
How to get involved: https://www.copcityvote.com/petition#:~:text=Sign%20the%20petition%20while%20you,in%20the%20City%20of%20Atlanta
More Information: https://micahherskind.com/2023/05/01/this-is-the-atlanta-way-a-primer-on-cop-city/
PS: If anyone is interested in signing the petition, many of our young adults are trained to accept the signatures. Feel free to ask!
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