New podcast explores shooting of environmental activist killed by police

A new true crime podcast series explores the shooting of an environmental protester at the hands of Georgia law enforcement.

We Came to the Forest is a six-part narrative series from award-winning podcast creator, writer, Campside co-founder, and longtime Atlanta resident Matthew Shaer.

The series explores the shooting of environmental protester Tortuguita (Manuel Esteban Paez Terán) at the hands of Georgia law enforcement. It looks into the years-long fight between forest-dwelling activists and the construction of “Cop City,” one of the largest police training facilities in the US.

The story is around a group of protestors known as the “Forest Defenders”, and the personal journeys that led to their activism. There’s newly disclosed facts, perspectives, and nuances about the events that led up to the dramatic conflict between police and protestors, and ultimately Totuguita’s death.

Listeners first meet protestor Tortuguita through a courtship with Vienna Forrest, a young activist from Nebraska who abandons her old life to join the growing protest movement against the looming $90 million+ police training facility in Atlanta.

Their relationship, along with intimate stories and interviews with Forrest and Tortuguita’s mother, Belkis Terán, lead to the heart of the investigation into what happened in the forest leading up to that fateful day.

The series examines how the moment-to-moment tensions between protestors, law enforcement and government officials consistently raised the stakes in a way that made violence feel inevitable. 

In early 2025, as Atlanta puts its finishing touches on Cop City, the second anniversary of Tortuguita’s killing approaches, with the family continuing to fight the battle in court. We Came to the Forest goes deep inside the story that could define police and protester interactions for years to come.

We Came to the Forest is a Wondery, Campside Media, and Tenderfoot TV production. The six-episode series launches next week on 27 January, with all six episodes available ad-free on Wondery+.

The first two episodes will also be available on all podcast platforms from 27 January, with subsequent episodes released weekly.

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