REMEMBERING TORTUGITA TERÀN: STOP COP CITY SAN PABLO
by CYS
January 31, 2024
This past Thursday, January 18th, an autonomous group organized a vigil and direct action in honor of fallen comrade, Manuel Esteban Paez Terán, better known as Tortugita. Tortugita was shot 57 times and killed by Atlanta Police during a raid at the Stop Cop City encampment on January 18, 2023. They were a 26-year-old indigenous Venezuelan queer, a forest defender, and an active member of Food Not Bombs.
Background about Cop City Atlanta
Since September 8th, 2022, Atlanta Police Foundation has been building a $90 million, 85 acre militarization facility in South River Forest, known as Weelaunee Forest. The creation of Cop City Atlanta is in direct response to the thousands of residents in Atlanta taking to the streets and protesting during 2020 for the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Rashard Brooks; the police want to silence any form of opposition. The construction of the facility not only has dangerous implications for policing but also for the environment that will displace Black, Brown and poor people directly.
To prevent any form of construction in Cop City Atlanta, activists have been holding space in Weelaunee Forest, which has successfully stalled operations. Unfortunately though, after a year of occupation, the police raided Weelaunce Forest and claimed the life of Tortuguita, a member of the protest. Cops have also violently arrested others and charged 42 with domestic terrorism.
Cop City San Pablo
Akin to Cop City Atlanta, San Pablo is also trying to control protestors in which the facility will include a drone work area, virtual reality simulator, training classrooms, fitness rooms, kennels for police dogs and a 20-lane indoor shooting range. The police facility will be two-stories and 42,000 square feet that will be used to train the entire Bay Area, including San Francisco pigs.
On January 18, 2024, 40-50 people came together in San Pablo to honor the life of Tortugita and protest the creation of a new $44 million Cop City in San Pablo. The event began with a vigil for Tortugita at Kennedy Plaza in San Pablo. Folx paid respects for over an hour, lighting candles, gathering flowers, and sharing in mourning while playing Tortugita’s favorite music.
After the vigil, people marched in the streets from Kennedy Plaza to Cop City San Pablo located at 1050 Gateway Avenue. While marching, some activists tagged buildings of major corporations and city property. Police was steadily in the distance—given their department only consists of 25 full-time officers—as organizers chanted “¡Viva Tortugita!”, and “Fuck 12!” in the streets. As organizers approached Copy City San Pablo, many protesters covered the fences with fliers in remembrance of Tortugita, and left San Pablo City Hall entrance, as well as Cop City San Pablo’s construction placard in bold red letters “STOP COP CITY.”
From the Bay to Palestine Stop Cop City Action
As a follow-up, Stop Cop City Bay Area organized a march in solidary with the occupation and genocide that is ongoing in Palestine this past Sunday, January 28th, 2024. About a hundred protesters showed up to Kennedy Plaza and distributed mutual aid (water and food supplies). Shortly after all contingencies spoke: Stop Cop City Bay Area, Poor Magazine, F12, Frisco Cop Watch, Solano Unity Network, and APTP, about 100 people marched from Kennedy Plaza to Cop City San Pablo and painted a beautiful mural “From the Bay to Palestine, Stop Cop City” as a marker for everyone to see.
In Closing
If you would like to learn more or get involved please reach out to Stop Cop City Bay Area collective, who are native residents of San Pablo or any of the following orgs present this past Sunday:
Poor Magazine
F12 Unity
Frisco Cop Watch
Solano Unity Network
APTP
Stop Cop City Bay Area is a small barrio resistant to gentrification, as well as preserving indigenous Ohlone land.
CYS / / Catch Ya Slipp’n