Fort Worth renames community center in honor of Atatiana Jefferson

The Hillside Community Center will be renamed to honor Atatiana Jefferson.

The Fort Worth City Council voted Tuesday to rename the building Atatiana Carr Jefferson at Hillside Community Center.

Council member Chris Nettles had originally proposed renaming the building the Atatiana Carr Jefferson Community Center.

He suggested a compromise after a few residents said they did not want the Hillside name to lose its legacy.

Gregory Wesley told the City Council he spent much of his childhood at the center. He said he was not opposed to renaming something after Jefferson, but not Hillside. “Hillside is an institution,” he said.

Put Patrice Jones disagreed. “We have waited three years for justice,” she said. ” This is the least we can do.”

The center has a gymnasium, basketball court, picnic tables, playground, trails and an after-school program.

Nettles said this would be good way to honor Jefferson and Hillside. He added that he would enlist the help of the community to put a historical marker with the history of Hillside Park and the center.

He said he met with the Jefferson’s family and they are still grieving.

“You can feed the hurt and pain they go through,” he said. “We need to be the voice for the community.”

The building at 1201 E Maddox Ave. is about a block from where Jefferson, 28, was shot and killed by a police officer on Oct. 12, 2019.

The officer, Aaron Dean, was responding to an open structure call when he shot Jefferson through a bedroom window in the back of the house. He was convicted of manslaughter in December and sentenced to almost 12 years in prison.

This story was originally published January 11, 2023 at 2:49 PM.