Passionate Pittsburgh residents turned out Wednesday afternoon to voice their opposition to a proposal that would convert the old Veterans Affairs hospital in Lincoln-Lemington into a public safety training facility, the latest in a yearslong debate over the site that has been largely abandoned for over a decade.

Dubbed by some residents as Pittsburgh’s version of a so-called “cop city,” many cited concerns that such a campus would facilitate the militarization of police. They’re also concerned about what they say is a high price tag.

Regina Hendley, a public speaker during Wednesday’s meeting, called the plan “an insult to Pittsburghers everywhere” and cited what she said were “deplorable conditions” in some of the city’s public housing.

“If this project is supposed to be about making

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