Fort claims ‘politics’ behind campaign aide’s arrest

Tim Franzen, a leader of Occupy Atlanta, waves along with other protesters that were arrested and released during a press conference in front of Atlanta City Jail.

Tim Franzen, a leader of Occupy Atlanta, waves along with other protesters that were arrested and released during a press conference in front of Atlanta City Jail.

Mayoral candidate Vincent Fort said the arrest Tuesday of one of his top campaign surrogates “reeks of politics” -- an allegation police roundly rejected.

Community activist Tim Franzen, a vocal Fort supporter who previously acted as a spokesman for the Occupy Atlanta movement, was pulled over shortly before 2 p.m. on Campbellton Road after a run of his tag revealed he was driving with a suspended license, said APD spokesman Carlos Campos.

Franzen’s license was flagged as “served and surrender,” meaning he had been formally notified about the suspension and risked arrest if caught driving.

Campos called Fort’s suggestion that Franzen’s arrest was politically motivated “patently false and absurd on its face.”

“Mr. Franzen was driving on a suspended license, which is illegal,” he said. “It is the only reason his vehicle was stopped.”