Prosecutors will not charge the Georgia State Patrol troopers who shot and killed an environmental protestor during a confrontation at the planned site of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center.

A special prosecutor will not charge the six Georgia State Patrol troopers who shot and killed an environmental protestor at the proposed site for the controversial Atlanta Public Safety Training Center.

Manuel Esteban Paez Terán, who went by “Tortuguita” and used they/them pronouns, was shot and killed by six Georgia State Troopers on Jan. 18 as officers raided campgrounds occupied by environmental demonstrators who had allegedly been camping out for months to protest the development of the training center, dubbed “Cop City” by critics.

After months of investigating, the Stone Mountain Circuit District Attorney’s Office says the troopers’ use of lethal force was “objectively reasonable under the circumstances of the case.”

  • ChunkMcHorkle@lemmy.worldEnglish
    56·
    11 months ago

    Why is a military training area like Cop City needed for street-level police in a democratic society?

    Why is Cop City so important to those in power that killing unarmed protesters is necessary to defend it?

    Speaking for myself, the answer is simple. I don’t think Cop City is intended for police in a democratic society, and never was. Hence Cop City itself, the massive funds invested in it, and the overkill used to defend it against unarmed protesters.

    But that’s just me, I guess.

    • nomad@infosec.pub
      53·
      11 months ago

      Someone who shoots back is probably not unarmed. Still somehow I still think it should be self defense if you shoot back after someone shoots pepper balls into your tent. Especially if you are 6! People an can just go in there and carry him out.

      • ChunkMcHorkle@lemmy.worldEnglish
        18·
        11 months ago

        Someone who shoots back is probably not unarmed.

        Indeed. But I do not believe Tortuguita ever shot back. He was known to be unarmed and against violence.

        From personal experience as an ex-gun-owner I can tell you that you literally cannot put a gun in the hands of someone who hates them: they won’t take it and will refuse to let you hand it to them. It’s like you’re trying to hand them something radioactive. Even if they want to see it they still want you to hold it for them to look at, lol. So I don’t believe for two seconds that one of the protesters suddenly handed him a gun after many months of non-violent protest and he just as quickly decided to shoot it . I just don’t.

        Rather, I believe it is far more likely the cop got hit by one of his own, “friendly fire,” and a gun was later planted on Tortuguita. Cops have done far worse with far less motive than this, so it’s not even a stretch to believe.