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Expected: at least 9 hours of public commentWatch livestream here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQK2B_Fo0pU&ab_channel=atlcouncil-AtlantaCityCouncil
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TOTAL TALLYSupport the Atlanta Community Press Collective!
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For Cop City:4
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Against Cop City:234Note: normally speakers have 2 minutes to speak; many of these people had time "ceded" to them from other people, and spoke between 2-10 minutes, meaning they represent more of those who signed up than appear on this sheet.
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Unrelated:2
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Unclear2
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RATIO OF AGAINST TO FOR:98.32%
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For Cop CityAgainst Cop City UnrelatedUnclearNotes
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1State Representative Ruwa Romman
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1Reverend James Woodall, Southern Center for Human Rights
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1Police officer, saying he got to facility and saw it was in bad shape, speaking with gun on hip
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1"Vote to put this back in committee...use whatever excuse you want...if you have to, vote no. The facility is not for safety. While I'm sympathetic to the firemen who have been tied to this...facility....it's clear that fire and rescue are not the real priority of what we call Cop City"
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1"We are here to support the mayor" - a young girl with her siblings
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1"He, our mayor, has come under ruthless and priveleged attacks" "I am here to thank the mayor for giving... voice to those without" "Investments in our youth"
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1Georgia Federation of Public Employees - "police officers have gotten over 40%"; "we do support a trainee center... ignore plantation politics"; "this fight is about trees for the priveliged"
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1Allen Lee - labor relations, against HR director. Talking "the kids are more afraid of some of the folks here than cop city"; "I'm with you when you say 'Viva Tortiguita'". "I've spent a lifetime engaging in civil disobedience". Talking about the recent arrests - "encourage the council to say to the prosecutors... that those people are not terrorists" "Those people need to have those charges dropped." Defending the mayor. Couldn't tell if he's for or against Cop City
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1Garry Spencer - NAACP Legal Defense Fund; District 12. Talks about police mliitarization and its disproportional impact on black and brown communities, particularly SWAT teams. "Invest in affordable housing"
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1"You should be ashamed of yourselves" Went to Booker T Washington. "I stand with Reverend Jones against Cop City"
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1south river watershed alliance. proposed facility "racist to its core" bc targets communities of color. check all 3 environmental racism boxes. it's not 85 acres, check the land disturbance permit. increase in taxes for this facility will force many vulnerable citizens out of the city.
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1republican candidate for district 4. against cop city. money being wasted for cop city could go to other police needs. says if he's elected he'll find land elsewhere for a training center
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1"Actions by state actors, too, can be red herrings"; Talking about the SWAT raid on Atlanta Solidarity Fund; "I find it really inconsistent that the Atlanta Solidarity Fund is the one being charged... instead of the APF". How Cop City is connected to domestic terrorist charges, police raids, and the killing of Tortiguita. "Don't ignore the people or the processes." "I had a gun put to my head when I was 14 by the APD." "What is up with the money?" Talking about the lease back agreement
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1Southern Center For Human Rights; They aren't letting people in and stop cop city
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1Friend of Amy Pierre. "Dickens... exploited Amy while erasing her." AJC rejected her op-ed. Shoutout to ACPC. "She was known to oppose Cop City." Policing alternatives and diversions instead. Councilmember Wan and Westmoreland
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1Councilmember Marci Overstreet. "We must stop ecocide." "Join together and help the people rather than your own self-interest."
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1Libertarian. "Building this is a spit in the face of the people" Grew up in and around Atlanta, the out-of-towners are the corporate donors. "You're sending more militarized police to our neighborhoods." "I will not support a police state."
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1"History doesn't forget." Talking about back-alley promises. "Do the right thing."
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1Importance of nature - "Do we desire to cultivate life or do we desire to... constrain it?" The effect of black mold on poor communities. "Violence does not fix anything."
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1Councilmember Overstreet. Cop City is taking money away from housing. "Wasting taxpayer money." "Tear it up"
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1Muskogee member. Methodist Church Member. Sits on the UN Council on Indigenous People. Environmental destruction because of Cop City. "This is my home. And I've told my children I want to come back home one day." Talks about him and his son visiting Weelaunee Forest; "the earth will still be here when cop city falls"
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1Reverend Keyanna Jones. "The mayor's hired lackeys have left the building." "I will have a conversation with anyone outside of this chamber." Accountability for domestic terrorism charges and SWAT raids, "I have never seen someone use SWAT to arrest people for charity fraud. People are being arrested for taking part in the insurrection two years ago, and SWAT isn't being sent to their homes!". "We have a duty to stand against injustice."
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1Matthew Johnson. "These are our lives." Led a meditation in Weelaunee Forest, several who went charged with domestic terrorism without causing any harm. "
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1Rev Darci. District 1. Park Ave Church.
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1Micah. Record turnout at city hall. New updates - Pricetag of up to $67 million based on AJC. "You all should be mad at the APF and the mayor." City hall is partnerning with facist republicans like Governor Kemp to raid Atlanta Sol Fund. The changing and lying of the APF.
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1young girl reads from the lorax. "unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better, it's not." brought one loblolly pine seedling for each council member. reading her own seuss-esque poetry. big applause
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1member of surrounding community. comments on measures to stop public comment (no liquids, not letting people in, misleading press releases, etc). cites ACPC reports of cost discrepancy, mayor's comments that facility won't be rented out at NPU-W meeting where comments were muted. who would go to a park next to a police facility? discusses south river pollution and its impacts downstream. "sounds like a huge liability". possible lawsuit about blank's stipulation that land remain forest. prove apf money has been raised before committing us. reads city design statement from 2017
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1educator and part of weelaunee coalition, resident of district 5. commenting against insinuation from previous comments that this is a white movement. council members have heard from so many different groups and perspectives and remain unmoved. project is epitome of injustice done against the will of the people with public funds. APF has not had to report back to city council. is APF a nonprofit, or a for-profit real estate company perpetuating gentrification. hundreds of questions, different or no answers every time. arrested sol fund members are the ones who consistently show up in solidarity. discusses tort's assassination. quoting frederick douglas "power concedes nothing without demand."
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1daxton, morehouse student. "Black leaders have become pawns... in our own oppression."
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1Oren. Student organizer, Emory student. "Cop City will never be built." Thankful to Councilmembers willing to meet with student organizers. Police violence "... is built and baked into the structure." Incredible lack of transparency. Councilmember who is close friends with a lobbyist of the APF. Built in an area where the people have no vote. "If you vote yes, you are saying you do not stand with the people of Atlanta."
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1Jack. Member of Councilmember Norwood's district. "Dang council, back at it again with the tyrannical plans." Commenting against police militarization, police raids. Let people in the building. Healing will not happen with the police, prisons.
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1Amy Taylor. Live on Key Road. Rep of Starlight Heights community. Commenting on surviellance and police occupation. Took pictures of runoff of sediment into Entrenchment Creek. Violation of Clean Water Act. Not deterring crime in Amy's neighborhood.
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1Devon Ward. "Ain't no crime wave in Atlanta. Half of the force is here."
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1Kyle Lamont. Commenting on Atlanta as a home of black individuals being policed.
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1"Rioting is the voice of the unheard." Commenting on not being heard and dehydration, both through physical lack of water and elsewise through the city council and police force.
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1Alan Peterson, Atlanta native, small business owner. Commenting on how the majority of Atlanta disapproves of Cop City.
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1Resident in Old 4th Ward, moved last year.
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1Susi Duran. Legal observer with National Lawyers Guild. Moved to Atlana 7yrs ago. Cop City as a sight of oppression. APD arresting legal observers in 2020. "We're not outside agitators, we're immigrants."
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1Mariam Ahmad. Lives within 5 miles of the site of Cop City. "Public health is about prevention." "Cop City is extremely detrimental to our health."
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1Alexander. Commenting on 2017 Atlanta City Design and how it contradicts the proposal for Cop City
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1Deaf resident talks about violent experiences with APD due to speech diferences. Commentting on disproportionate impacts of policing on people with disabilities and people of color with disabilities. "Y'all don't give a damn about disabled people." CM Bond claims they neeed to get back on disabilities accessabilities for city council (had it at some point)
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1Erica Mead 6 min due to yeilded time D1 & NPU-W calls out Hillis for looking like a bored SAT teacher, "stand with the many" "stand with democracy"
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1Noah Grigby - singing an amazing rendition of Big Yellow Taxi!!!
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1Tanya Washington signed with mutliply faculty members speaking against cop city, this vote reminds me of the gulch deal, asks to have it sent back to committee
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11Alison Johnson w/ HJL power concedes nothing without demand, atl has the highest income inequality, we haven't seen the budget (talking about the housing trust fund) also calls out for stop cop city
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1Ron Shakur SW Atl "the citizens of atl have stood up and said no to cop city" "atl matters" "where would MLK be on this vote"
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1Tim Franzen w/ american friends service committee mentiones Kathryn Johnson as an example of over policing, calls out individual CMs - CMs are human but everyone else here is human too "it's almost like you all want something crazy to happen"
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1Fig White w/ HJL need for affordable housing
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1Maleena Abdula W/ BLM grassroots flew in from Los Angeles "what you're planning to do with cop city affects me and my children"
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1Rev Yearwood 4 min - is prez of the hip hop caucus (they've said no to cop city), is also a climate activist, was arrested w/ Bond's father for climate justice @ white house under Obama
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1Mark Thompson founding chair of the Washington NAACP police complaints
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1calls out that SWAT is a paramilitary officer,"that militarizes every dept that has one [SWAT team]", mentions Baby Bou Bou in Habersham county "y'all are paying rent to the APF" "your existance is due to our resistance" "we're supposed to protest like nice boys and girls" calls out Warnock and Ossoff
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1Monty Benjamin 4 min- Lost a son (killed by a cop) isn't anti-cop, has family members in law enforcement, this $$ should be invested in communities vs a building calls it a "police playground" officers need to be held accountable it took 2 yrs after her son was killed to learn what really happeend to him and the officer was promoted during that time
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1Kimberly Brooks "if cop city is built you will kill Black people" we may need federal intervention (for not protecting Black people), anyone who votes for cop city is not an advocate for the Black community
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1Vanessa Ward 1st time speaker! if cop city keeps going all of us might be in trouble (the whole US)
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1Jordan Harmond speaker #80 Deerclan, Muscogee, the city of Atl only exists bc of their People's forceful removal, "my relative's bones fertalized the trees in the Welaunee forest" our homecomming is powerful and this won't be the last time you see us here
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1Amber Shermon from Memphis - if this is really the year of the youth wouldn't we see more investment in the youth/communities, what happens with cop city affects us globally, mentions the scanner audio from Sally, "we won't take it any more" "we said stop cop city on any land and meant that"
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1Curtis Duncan 10 min lives in Overstreet's district, cop city has been built on a lie, and to maintain the enequalities that have existed for a long time, police goes back to slave catchers/klan, gives continued history of policing, GBI did nothing about the ATL child murders (when they were happening) and pinned it on a Black man to avoid a race riot, if america was a democracy then this would still be Muscogee land, "when you side with cop city you are siding with fascism"
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1Demonta Vereno wants to point out all the melananin in the room (and outside) and that this movement is multiracial, "you cannot divide us"
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1Speaker #85 "aint no one supporting this cop city shit what you talmbout"
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1Clifton Kelly - is fire and isn't here repping his dept - this is a gross missuse of funds and first responders stand to gain nothing from cop city
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1Tiffany Joiner - new mom from Dekalb, to all who are listening "the time is now" to fight for our future by standing together, CMs the world is watching you
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1Jermaine Stubbs 4 min - with PSL - "we [SPL] says no to cop city fund people's needs not the police"
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1Yasmin Orbs - with PSL - cop city will set the blue print for how to wage war against the people
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1Basil Jupiter - with PSL - we are united against cop city
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1Jacob - with PSL - we have shown you courtesty by standing in line to speak to you, the courtesty you have shown us should leave no window unbroken here
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1Robel Aoka (I'm sorry I butchered your name) from SW atl, first time speaker! is here bc of his 2yo daughter, Cop city is the most anti Black thing proposed in his lifetime
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1Tony Michelle Williams - from SNAP - "we don't want this shit" we want Black trans women to stay alive, we don't want this shit
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1Acosua speaker #97 I may say some things you've already heard but I'm a muscian and repetition is how you learn "a healthy society does not include policing" "I challenge you to be a human being"
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1Jennifer SW atl, Boone district, calls out whitesupremacy
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1Dashking "When you arrest 3 of us you activate 300 of us" "I promise you, we can be louder"
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1Gabriel Sanchez - from ATL DSA - had to move out of ATL bc it's too expensive, the best way to stop crime is to eliminate poverty, points out how Black and Brown ppl are disproprtionatly poor and cannot come out to public comment due to working multiple jobs
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1Elisa Gambino- from Buckhead, Norwood's district, calls out Norwood for always calling out "crime", went canvassing to stop cop city "civil rights don't just belong in a museum they belong to all of us"
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1Matt Bass lawyer, yoga instructor and pastor, queer - "we need to get ahold of this APF" "you work for us"
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1Akeel Gregory 8 min- some of his time was ceeded bc someone had to leave and pick up their kids and that's the story of many people, where did all the people go who spoke for cop city?(they came/left) y'all are charging the next gen for this project, the first thing that needs to be done is restoring that forest. Tort should be here today. sorry for delay, they just tried to kick us out with cops lol. people are staying.
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1Jack Joiner 4 min - from Atl Justice Alliance - is delivering Marlon's words (he became sick while in jail)
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1Mark Spencer 10 min - reps healthcare, notes that he spoke to many of the CMs during the close the jail campaign "we cannot have healthy communities without healthy democracy" we want alternatives to police not rebranded police
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1speaker #109
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1Joe Peery, has been touring prison farm and giving tours and hiking there for over a decade. brought poster of 296 acres total that the prison farm is, notes that they are constructing on 171 acres -- it's not 85 acres.
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1In Farokhi district; Talking about how many people have spoken from the heart about why they don't want Cop City. Addresses Alex Wan, is a professor of Religion at Emory University. "We don't want it because it doesn't contribute to life. It's not an institution of peace. It's not a way forward for our city that we love."
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1"Accountability makes you uncomfortable." speaking about hypocrisy of politicians, discussing murder of Tortuguita, raid of the Atlanta Solidarity Fund. "Those who make peaceful revolution impossible make violent revolution inevitable"
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1Jay Crawford #116 works in food justice speaks on the wrongness of the Sol Fund arrest, would a burn town be built next to a school in Buckhead? Why is it being built next to a school on constitution.
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1Burnette Calls on Dickens to end the lease for cop city because we need clean air earth and soil and a healthy earth to survive "we need earth justice"
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1Alex Joseph (they're on 120 and they need to get to 360, they've had to skip over some people bc they left) - former state and federal prosecutor, there is already a training center in forsyth GA, if every police force can have their own training center then it becomes a race of who can do it bigger/better. Why should we trust APF to run a training center when they have no experience doing so?
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1David Martin D5 talks about the ACPC article on what the city will actually pay, notes no one has addressed how much it will actaully cost
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1Lee Dang - Moved from FL (bc of Desantis) under the impression that this community "really doesn't fucking want it [cop city]", I'm gonna have to move if I feel like GA is becoming like FL
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1Local artist (missed name)
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1Bond wants to say that CoA can't provide healthcare or social services or public transportation - crowd is arguing back with him
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1Abundia - I come from Mexico, this country is fascist! the power is in the people here, do your job and stop cop city
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1John Meyer I ask the CMs to listen to your constituents and vote for services that give a helping hand vs a baton
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1playing police scanner, during vigil for Bre'Asia Powell they cut the livestream part way through