Atlanta: Protest over police murder of Forest Defender

More than 100 people sat cross-legged at Atlanta’s State Capitol March 25, with their hands raised and palms inward with red X’s on the backside, to indicate where some of the 14 bullet wounds pierced Manuel Paezl Teran’s body.

The autopsy commissioned by the Teran family revealed that the young Forest Defender, aka Tortuguita, had been sitting cross-legged in their tent with hands up when killed by a team of Georgia Patrol officers participating in an armed raid on the Weelaunee Forest on Jan. 18.

Manuel’s mother, Belkis Teran and Manuel’s brother, Pedro Santema were joined by others who knew “Tort” well from their gentle spirit and community work to stop Cop City.

— Story by Dianne Mathiowetz