ATLANTA — It's been one year since the death of activist 26-year-old Manuel Paez Terán, who was shot and killed by law enforcement while camping out in the South River Forest-- opposing the future Atlanta Public Safety Training Center.
On Thursday, loved ones gathered to honor and pay tribute to Paez Terán, known lovingly as Tortuguita. Among those gathering was Paez Terán's mother Belkis.
"After a year being companion by the Forest Defenders, it had been a journey for me-- learning about living in a community and getting new ideas. My child, he was very active to the community, to the Forest Defenders, so I didn't understand why he wanted to be there, but when I met the community, I realized, 'Yeah they are very sustainable, they help each other a lot,'" Belkis said.
Belkis said she went through all of the stages of grief. However, she's also seen how much of an impact Paez Terán has had on the community.
"The most important is that I see there is a need in the community, and there is a lot of people suffering because of my child's death," Belkis said. "I like to help them. That's why I came here-- because I knew that he was here when he died."
Belkis added she lives in Panama but often comes to visit.
"I especially share a lot of love and consideration that bring me peace in my heart," she said.
More background
The Atlanta Public Safety Training Center project is a planned 85-acre complex on the Old Prison Farm site in south DeKalb County under a land lease agreement with the City of Atlanta. Situated in the South River Forest, protesters have argued the facility would decimate one of the largest preserved forest areas in the city and desecrate historically Native American land of the Muscogee Creek people, who once lived in the woods and called it the Weelaunee Forest before being displaced by white settlers in the early 19th century.
In addition to police training facilities, the center is also slated to offer training capacity to the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department and the city's 911 center.
The training center has been the subject of a now-years-long protest movement as city politicians, including Mayor Andre Dickens, and the Atlanta Police Foundation, which is primarily funding the project, have argued it will have a much-needed modernizing effect on the police force.
The protest movement mushroomed with the law enforcement shooting death of an activist, Manuel Paez Teran, on Jan. 18, 2023. Officials have said the protester shot first at a Georgia State Patrol trooper as a clearing operation of protest encampments in the forest was ongoing, then was killed in return fire. Paez Teran's family and activists have strongly contested the official narrative.
Last October, a prosecutor determined the shooting was "objectively reasonable" and that there would be no charges against the six Georgia State Patrol troopers who were primarily involved.