ATLANTA — The mother of an 8-year-old girl murdered during civil unrest in 2020 is upset that the GOP nominee for governor is using her daughter’s photograph in a campaign mailer.
A gunman shot and killed Secoriea Turner while she slept in the back of her mother Charmaine Turner’s jeep. The gunman was part of a group that took over a Southeast Atlanta intersection and barricaded the street.
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Police said Turner drove up on the barricade on July 4, 2020, and as she tried to turn around, the gunman fired eight shots in the car, killing Secoriea. That gunman was later convicted of murder and sentenced to life without parole.
The Rick Jackson campaign is using a photograph of Secoriea as it tries to attack his Democratic opponent, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottom’s record as leader of the city.
“My daughter is not a political tool or talking point, a campaign talking point,” said Turner.
She said friends received the campaign mailer and showed her.
“She was deeply cherished,” Turner said. “And it’s not OK because I didn’t give anyone consent to use her photo or her name.”
But under Georgia and federal law, it may be perfectly legal to use Secoriea’s photograph in the mailer.
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In a statement, a Jackson campaign spokesperson said, “We cannot imagine the immense pain the Turner family has gone through. They are not a political talking point. They are one of the major reasons why Rick is running, so that another family does not have to experience such a devastating tragedy…”
Turner’s attorney, Mawuli Davis, insists there are no political motivations behind their demand that Jackson remove the photo. He points out that Turner is also in the midst of a lawsuit against Bottoms and the city of Atlanta over its handling of that entire incident.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Bottoms’ campaign said, “The pain that Secoriea’s family lives with every day should never be exploited for political purposes. Not a week goes by that Keisha doesn’t think about Secoriea and her family and the unimaginable loss they continue to carry. Some things should always be bigger than politics.”
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