In the first segment, we speak with Anthony Sims, who was convicted in the 1998 slaying of Li Run Chen at a Bushwick Chinese food joint in May 1998. The prosecution’s case was built around the testimony of a witness whose story has since been found to be awash in contradictions. Sims was paroled last fall after 24 years behind bars. He is still seeking to clear his name. He has a court hearing on Friday where Judge Danny Chun could throw out his conviction Meanwhile, Anthony is about to begin a fellowship with the Ford Foundation. Years of preparation while he was incarcerated have put Sims in a place to succeed after his release.
In our second segment, we will look at Cop City, a massive new police training facility being built on the edge of Atlanta. Atlanta’s political leaders describe Cop City as a progressive response to the George Floyd protests and demands for better police training. However, critics of the $90 million project say it promotes the further militarization of policing. Cop City has become a magnet for protesters not only in Atlanta but from around the country. On January 18, a forest defender named Tortuguita was shot and killed by police during a raid of a protest encampment inside the forest. It marked the first time an environmental activist has been killed by the police in the United States. This past weekend, hundreds of protesters returned to the Waulanee Forest to begin a week of action against Cop City. There was a two-day music festival this weekend. Late Sunday afternoon, more than 200 masked protesters broke away from the music festival and marched to the Cop City construction site where they set fire to some police equipment, making national headlines. Indypendent Associate Editor Amba Guerguerian was on hand for the Cop City convergence this weekend.
