BATON ROUGE - Activists opposed to the Metro Council's proposed six settlements to BRAVE cave lawsuits and Mayor-President Sid Edwards' plan to turn the site into a community center gathered outside city hall Wednesday before attending the Metro Council meeting.

Ryan Thompson, an attorney representing three people who were either strip searched, beaten or shocked with a Taser inside the BRAVE cave warehouse, said he was shocked to hear about the settlements the council was considering.

"Several weeks ago, I received a phone call for several media sources that informed me and asked me if I was aware that there were settlement offers on the table from the city council," Thompson said. "I almost swerved off the road until Jesus grabbed the wheel. I was astonished. I was blown back. I couldn't believe I was hearing over the phone."

Thompson, alongside many others, criticized the settlements and repurposing of the BRAVE Cave as inappropriate.

"The re-appropriation of this site, this crime scene, into a community center is an insult," Linda Franks said. It belittles the pain of the people that were hurt there. We need to uphold the people, the families and make sure their voices are being heard. Make sure that every stone is turned over so we understand the atrocities happened there. The community has the right to know what their paid officials are doing in their name, using their tax dollars."

Others, such as attorney Ron Haley said that the issue was a "situation of priorities" and local government "should not prioritize buildings over people."

Critics, such as the mother of Ronald Greene, Mona Hardin, also said the BRAVE cave and the ongoing issues around it are a reminder of the problems of police brutality around the state.

"My son was killed almost six years ago, the lies and the coverup happened, and it continues now in to many other cases," Hardin said. "It needs to stop. This is shameful and it's disgusting. Men, women, children, our officials that are badged to patrol the street are judge, jury and executioner on the spot because that's what's happening. We have to stand solid, this has to be magnified."

Additionally, Mike McClanahan, the Louisiana state conference president for the NAACP, said officials needed to collaborate to make Baton Rouge a safer city and a destination.

"It's time for law enforcement to take ownership and responsibility for their actions," McClanahan said. "We should work hand in hand to make Baton Rouge and Louisiana a safer place for us all. We all live here. We all want to live, work and play here. But sometimes in Louisiana, there's some parts of Louisiana I know not to go in because I could end up dead on the side of the road."