Protests expected in Atlanta due to presidential debate

ATLANTA — In three days, President Joe Biden will debate former President Donald Trump in Atlanta.

The debate is taking place at the site long known as the headquarters of the company formerly known as Turner Broadcasting, now known as Warner Brothers Discovery. It now hosts CNN’s presence in Atlanta since CNN moved from the CNN Center downtown.

It will likely be one of the safest places in America when Biden and Trump share the stage Thursday night.

But it is also expected to be a venue for protests and contradictory demonstrations outside the city center.

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Protesters have been making a lot of noise lately in opposition to the war between Israel and Hamas. Fliers circulating on social media indicate an effort to bring the issue downtown on Thursday when the two presidential candidates meet to debate it.

“We know we have a busy week ahead of us with a presidential debate coming up,” Atlanta Deputy Police Chief Prenzinna Spann told the City Council’s Public Safety Committee on Monday.

She said APD would work with state and local law enforcement to manage any protests “to make sure we are doing our best to keep the city safe.”

APD declined to comment further.

At noon Monday, about a dozen people shouted slogans outside the state Capitol opposing restrictive abortion laws. It’s an issue that sparks a deep division between Biden and Trump.

Union activist Sandra Williams, who was in attendance, said she expects a presence downtown Thursday in support of Biden.

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“Because people forget. They don’t deal with politics every day. They deal with their daily lives. And it’s important to be reminded of that before the election,” Williams said.

Trump supporters also plan to carry signs near the debate venue and on highway overpasses Thursday to “welcome” the former president.

At least some protesters are expected to express opposition to what they call “Cop City,” namely the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center under construction in southeast Atlanta.

Overall, Marlon Krautz said it made sense for protesters to convey that message during the presidential debate.

“At an event like this, there will be enormous media coverage,” Krautz said. “A lot of people have issues that they want to talk about that they think need attention. They want to use protest to bring attention to these things.”

All of this will converge near a high-profile site overlooking the Downtown Connector and Georgia Tech, where access is expected to be severely restricted — a stew of contradictions that police will have to deal with on Thursday.