Murder, They Wrote: Bush and Tlaib Publish Column Accusing Police of Covering Up Killing of Protester
The Nation is under criticism this week for another column that appears to entirely discard the facts in advancing a narrative of police misconduct. Despite its writers supporting forms of censorship to fight “disinformation,” Nation columns regularly omit or misrepresent key facts in national controversies. The latest example is a column published from Reps. Cori Bush and Rashida Tlaib, who accuse the Atlanta police of covering up a police killing during the “Cop City” demonstrations. They claim that the evidence shows that “Georgia State Patrol officers shot and killed Manuel ‘Tortuguita’ Terán, a nonviolent activist” after one officer accidentally killed another. The Nation and the members omit evidence that directly contradicts those claims.
The column states that
In January, heavily militarized Georgia State Patrol officers shot and killed Manuel “Tortuguita” Terán, a nonviolent activist protesting in the local forest that Cop City would destroy, in a hail of 57 bullets. In the immediate aftermath of their killing, law enforcement claimed that Tortuguita possessed a firearm and fired first. This was a lie. Body camera footage suggests one officer shot another, and autopsies showed Tortuguita had their arms raised and no gunpowder residue on their hands when they were killed.
The column cites articles that preceded findings from the police lab and other sources. Some, like the suggestion of friendly fire, came later from speculation of officers who were not involved in the shooting.
https://jonathanturley.org/2023/09/17/murder-they-wrote-rep-bush-and-tlaib-publish-nation-column-accusing-police-of-covering-up-killing-of-protester/#more-209715
