Colorado man among dozens arrested in Atlanta police training facility protest

A Colorado man is among dozens of people that were arrested in Atlanta Sunday during a protest against a proposed police training facility dubbed "Cop City."

Ehret Nottingham, 22, of Fort Collins, was arrested Sunday. Atlanta Police say 35 people were detained and 23 have been arrested. He has been charged with one count of domestic terrorism, but court documents do not say how he was allegedly involved in the demonstration. Requests for further information are pending with several Georgia law enforcement agencies.

Whether everyone arrested was involved in the protest remains in dispute. Several observers on social media say some people who were arrested were not involved in the protest but were simply nearby.

RELATED: 35 people detained after "coordinated attack" at Atlanta's "Cop City" police training site

Efforts to reach Nottingham via phone and social media were not successful Monday, but local media reports from Colorado identify him as an activist and community organizer who has been organizing around climate change and abortion rights issues since at least high school.

"Cop City" protests have been particularly heated since police shot and killed a protester and environmental activist, Manuel Esteban Paez Terán, also known as "Tortuguita," on Jan. 18.

Many protesters, who call themselves "forest defenders," have occupied the site of the proposed $90-million, 85-acre training facility for over a year. Terán was shot and killed by police as they tried to clear the forest, claiming the 26-year-old shot at them, injuring one officer. The version of events is disputed by witnesses and police body-cam footage where at least two officers are heard speculating as to whether a police officer was the one who actually shot the injured officer.

Opponents are against removing the forest and putting the training center on historic Native American land, and also cite noise and air pollution that they say would be generated by the center.

RELATED: What we know about Atlanta's "Cop City" and the standoff between police and protesters

The killing of Terán led to protests in Georgia at the time, some of which ended with property damage and several arrests.

Police said two suspects are from Georgia, while others hail from Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Wisconsin, France and Canada. Their ages range from 18 to about 50, with most of them in their 20s.

Video released by Atlanta police shows dozens of people mostly dressed in black setting fire to construction equipment at the facility, as well as throwing rocks at police officers.

"On March 5, 2023, a group of violent agitators used the cover of a peaceful protest of the proposed Atlanta Public Safety Training Center to conduct a coordinated attack on construction equipment and police officers," Atlanta police said in a statement. "They changed into black clothing and entered the construction area and began to throw large rocks, bricks, Molotov cocktails, and fireworks at police officers."

Protesters and some legal experts have raised alarms about domestic terrorism charges being levied against protesters and its potential to deter or discourage participation in protests. They caution that people who might be engaged in lawful First Amendment-protected activity could be erroneously charged because someone else at or near a protest allegedly engages in criminal activity.

"The concern is while other criminal charges are available, is this serious felony that carries with it mandatory prison, being used by the state deter otherwise peaceful protesters," said Karen Steinhauser, CBS News Colorado legal analyst and University of Denver law professor. "It is a felony and it's considered serious enough -- and there are different levels depending on the facts of what actually happened -- but there is mandatory prison time involved ... 5 to 35 years depending on the allegations."

Organizations involved in the protests specifically criticized the charges and accuracy of police statements over the protest and arrests.

"It's important to note that the the (sic) 35 people that police arrested tonight were not 'violent agitators,' but peaceful concert goers who were nowhere near the demonstration," tweeted Defend the Atlanta Forest, the primary group opposing the construction of the training facility.

The Atlanta Solidarity Fund, which is also involved in organizing around "Stop Cop City" and legal defense for arrested protesters said few, if any, of those arrested were involved in any vandalism.

"Police are claiming to have arrested violent extremists at a vandalized construction site, but in fact they raided a protest music festival miles away and violently arrested attendees. Based on the facts we've gathered from eye-witnesses, it appears the police raid on the Weelaunee music festival was illegal and the charges are baseless," the organization told CBS News Colorado in an emailed statement. "We will be assisting protesters with legal representation to beat their charges, and, if they choose, to pursue civil claims for unlawful arrest."

A request for additional information and documents from police is pending. CBS News Colorado also reached out to Defend the Atlanta Forest but did not immediately receive a response.