ATLANTA — The Sierra Club Georgia Chapter is urging the members of the Atlanta City Council to vote against proposed ordinance 21-O-0367, which calls for the City of Atlanta to lease about 85 acres of the South River Forest to the Atlanta Police Foundation for the purposes of constructing a public safety training facility. The vote on the proposal is expected to take place at the City Council’s next meeting on September 7.
Ahead of Tuesday’s meeting, Sierra Club Georgia Chapter Executive Committee Chair Daniel Blackman issued the following statement:
“The Sierra Club Georgia Chapter is closely monitoring the Atlanta City Council’s planned vote on September 7th on proposed ordinance 21-O-0367. As an organization informed by local Black and Latinx community leadership and the history of environmental injustices and pollution that these communities have experienced in this city, the Sierra Club Georgia Chapter vehemently opposes the fragmentation and destruction of a portion of the South River Forest. The proposal to build a public safety training facility in this location actively defies the plan for the area as indicated in The Atlanta City Design: Aspiring to the Beloved Community and adopted into the Atlanta City Charter in November 2017. Pending the vote on Tuesday, the Sierra Club Georgia Chapter stands ready to take any and all actions available to us to uphold environmental justice.”
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About the Sierra Club Georgia Chapter
The Sierra Club Georgia Chapter is the largest grassroots environmental organization in the state, with more than 75,000 members and supporters. The Chapter supports a robust outings program and has active committees working on forest and coastal protection, transit expansion, and clean energy. For more information, visit sierraclub.org/georgia.
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit sierraclub.org.
**Media Contact**
Ricky Leroux, Communications Coordinator, Sierra Club Georgia Chapter
404-607-1262 ext. 234 | ricky.leroux@sierraclub.org