Marking one year since the controversial shooting that claimed the life of 26-year-old activist Manuel Paez Terán, remembered as "Tortuguita," a vigil was convened by loved ones and supporters to honor his memory. Terán was shot by law enforcement during a “clearing operation” at the site of the proposed Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, a project Terán was actively protesting against. According to FOX5 Atlanta, dozens gathered at Gresham Park to remember Terán, with his mother sharing that although she lost a child, she "gained thousands more."
As reported by FOX5 Atlanta, the incident occurred when law enforcement was attempting to remove protestors from the area. Officials claim that Terán fired at a Georgia State Patrol trooper, who survived because of a bullet-proof vest, prompting officers to return fire fatally. Terán's family's independent autopsy indicated that he appeared to have been sitting, with raised hands, contradicting the official narrative of the events. Despite this discrepancy, no charges have been brought against the trooper involved.
Talking to 11Alive, Terán’s mother, Belkis, expressed her appreciation for the community's support and the comfort she found in their presence, stating, "I like to help them. That's why I came here-- because I knew that he was here when he died."
The Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, situated on an 85-acre site of a former state prison farm, is contested by activists for potentially decimating a significant forest area and disturbing land sacred to the Muscogee Creek people. City officials and the Atlanta Police Foundation uphold that the training center will serve to modernize police resources and address retention issues highlighted since the racial justice protests of 2020. Officials continue steadfastly to maintain that the shooting of Terán, who they allege shot first at officers, was "objectively reasonable," as referenced by 11Alive.
