In the year since her child’s death, Belkis Terán has asked “why” many times.
She still doesn’t understand. But Terán told friends who gathered to remember Manuel Paez Terán that she tries to think instead about the people her child inspired.
“They had a great life,” Terán said. “We had a great person in earth and now they’re a big light in the universe.”
Manuel Terán, who went by “Tortuguita” or Little Turtle and who used the pronoun they, was shot by a Georgia state trooper while protesting near the site of Atlanta’s public safety training center. A subsequent investigation by the GBI found that Terán shot at police first, wounding a trooper, before being killed in return fire — an account the family has questioned.
An autopsy showed at least 57 gunshot wounds on Terán’s body.
Terán was part of the Defend the Atlanta Forest, a group of activists who have used extreme tactics to fight the center’s construction in the South River Forest.
The training center plans have drawn criticism since they were announced in 2021, from residents who live near the site in unincorporated DeKalb County as well as far-left activists from around the country. But Terán’s death at the hands of police, who were conducting a “clearing operation” to remove protestors who had occupied the forest for months, marked a turning point in the fight.
Credit: Miguel Martinez
Credit: Miguel Martinez
In the days that followed, peaceful protests in downtown Atlanta turned violent. Since then, activists have claimed responsibility for multiple incidents of arson targeting Atlanta Police and contractors associated with the project. Protestors who attempted to march to the site in November were stopped by DeKalb County police in riot gear who used tear gas and flash-bang grenades to block access.
It was also an inflection point for police and prosecutors.
More than 60 protestors were indicted last fall, charged with conspiring in efforts to shut down the project. In addition to racketeering charges, some protesters face counts of domestic terrorism and money laundering.
A judge has said parts of Terán’s personal diary, which is filled with anti-police rhetoric and images, can be admitted as evidence in the cases against those charged. Police have offered a $200,000 reward for information leading to the arrests and convictions of additional protestors.
At a “Tortugita Memorial Day of Healing” at Park Avenue Baptist Church on Thursday, Rev. Keyanna Jones said her heart was heavy but full of hope. Terán has inspired that, she said.
“Tort had hope that we would win,” Jones said. “They were truly something.”
Credit: Miguel Martinez
Credit: Miguel Martinez
Jones read a letter from one of the defendants facing charges who wrote that to call Manuel Terán a “friend” feels insufficient.
“No one loved the forest more deeply, more fiercely,” the activist wrote. “A part of me is grateful that the land held you in your dying moments, that the last thing you saw was the light filtering through the canopy of trees you fought so hard to protect. This forest was your home and now it will always be. The trees never forget.”
About 50 people gathered for the memorial service at the church across from Grant Park, bringing sweet and savory foods for a potluck. Before the service, Belkis Terán laid out of spread of photos of Manuel: As a newborn lying next to her, in green robes at their kindergarten graduation, on family trips to the zoo.
“(Manuel) wanted to be a doctor,” Belkis Terán said while holding a photo of the child listening to her heartbeat with a toy stethoscope.
It would be easy, Belkis Terán said, to have retreated in grief after Manuel’s death. But “crying and complaining” was not their style, and it’s not hers. They were motivated by action. A candlelight vigil for Teran was planned for Thursday evening.
Belkis Terán said that one day, she would like to open a healing center in Terán’s honor in Panama, where she lives. She said she wants to pass along the lessons she taught Manuel and wants herself to learn from other activists. Belkis Terán told their fellow activists to reach out at any time.
“My house is your house,” she said. “We are in this together.”
Credit: Miguel Martinez
Credit: Miguel Martinez
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