The personal diary of Manuel “Tortuguita” Teran, which is filled with anti-police rhetoric, can be used by prosecutors in their case against more than 60 defendants who oppose the construction of Atlanta’s planned public safety training center. The trial of one of the defendants is scheduled to start Wednesday.
During a motions hearing Monday, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Kimberly Esmond Adams ruled that “relevant portions” of the diary can be used in the upcoming trial set to start this week against one of the 61 defendants charged with violating the state’s RICO act while protesting the training facility.
The Georgia Attorney General’s Office, who is prosecuting the case, made the diary public when they filed it in a November motion. On Monday, Attorney General John Fowler argued the diary entries show Teran was part of a conspiracy aiming at stopping the construction of the training center.
“The reality is that Mr. Teran was part of the conspiracy. He met with people in the woods and he writes about that,” Fowler said.
Fowler said Teran’s diary corroborates their involvement in the Defend the Atlanta Forest group, which prosecutors described as an Atlanta-based organization that is an “anti-government, anti-police, and anti-corporate extremist organization.”
He said the diary entries show how Teran’s views evolved over time and claims those views became more “radicalized.”
Prosecutors also argued the diary shows Teran as being member of a group called International Workers of The World, an organization that is connected to a larger charitable organization, Network for Strong Communities.
Fowler said Network for Strong Communities, which is based out of a home on Mayson Avenue that was raided by police last year, claims to raise money for various purposes including to provide food for those in need. The organization also runs the Atlanta Solidarity Fund and International Workers of The World.
“The International Workers of The World, based on our investigation, is not simply a labor charity. What they’re doing is they go into the woods, and they issue instructions on anarchy and committing crime,” Fowler said.
The Defend the Atlanta Forest group’s purpose, according to the indictment, is to occupy parts or all of the 381 forested acres where construction of the facility has commenced. The land is in DeKalb County, owned by the city of Atlanta and leased to the Atlanta Police Foundation.
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Teran was shot to death Jan. 18, 2023 after first firing at officers, authorities have said.
No criminal charges were filed against the Georgia State Patrol troopers involved.
Ayla King, who faces one count of violating the state’s RICO Act, goes on trial Wednesday, months after King filed a speedy trail demand.
King, who is from Massachusetts, is accused of trespassing into the DeKalb County forest on March 5, 2023, by joining “an organized mob of individuals designed to overwhelm the police force in an attempt to occupy the DeKalb forest and cause property damage.”
King’s attorney, Suri Chadha Jimenez said the diary is not relevant to his client, and simply contains Teran’s personal thoughts.
“A personal diary where Mr. Teran is keeping track of his own thoughts, there is no indication at all that these thoughts have ever been shared with anybody,” Chadha Jimenez said.
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Shortly after the motion was filed in November, Adams ruled the diary should be sealed after defense attorneys argued that the diary could be prejudicial and impact the jury pool.
The diary includes anti-police rhetoric and is filled with phrases such as “Cop cars love being on fire,” “Prisons were built to be burnt down,” “Burn police vehicles” and “Kill cops.”
The diary contains a variety of drawings, notes and personal writings with some consisting of anti-police rhetoric. One drawing shows a police vehicle in flames with “Burn police vehicles!” and “Kill cops!” written around the drawing.
Credit: Court document
Credit: Court document
Another drawing shows a police car on fire with the words, “Cop cars love being on fire.” A drawing shows a “Sheriff” building in flames with the words, “Burn down police stations! It’s fun and good!”
King has declined the state’s guilty plea offer of 10 years, three to serve and the rest on parole. A RICO charge carries a minimum sentence of five years and a maximum of 20 years upon conviction.
King’s trial is expected to last up to four weeks, with prosecutors intending to call around 43 witnesses, 30 of whom are law enforcement. A jury was sworn over a two-day period before Christmas.
All 61 defendants in the indictment have been charged with violating the state’s RICO act, and some face additional charges of domestic terrorism, arson and money laundering. Most are not from Georgia.
City officials and the police foundation say the $90 million facility is key to first-rate public safety training. Opponents argue the center will militarize police, and worry about environmental harm. Attempts to halt the construction through lawsuits and referendums ballot are ongoing.
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