The Fort Worth Community Center is officially renamed in honor of Atatiana Jefferson.

FORT WORTH (CBSNewsTexas.com) “Three years after her life was cut short by a Fort Worth cop, the city honors the life and legacy of Atatiana Jefferson.

The Hillside Community Center is just three minutes’ walk from where she lived. Today, it has been officially renamed the Atatiana Carr-Jefferson Community Center in Hillside.

For Atatiana’s sister, Ashley Carr, today is a bittersweet day. Their other sister, Amber Carr, died this January after fighting for justice for Jefferson for over three years.

“I kind of cried because that’s what Amber and I talked about,” Ashley said. “We were preparing for this to happen, and…both of my sisters are not here, and neither is my mother. But I think they are happy looking down on this day.”

James Smith was Jefferson’s neighbor. It means a lot to him that she sees her name in this center, permanent in the community.

“I get the feeling she’s saying, ‘Thank you for not forgetting me,’” he said. “Atatiana, in my opinion, will be a catalyst for change in the city of Fort Worth. Not just for the police, but for the city as a whole.”

But not everyone in the community was in favor of renaming the center after Atatiana. Some residents said that renaming the center would strip it of its history.

But in January, the Fort Worth City Council voted unanimously to change the name.

City Councilman Chris Nettles said at the opening, “We need to make sure we as a city take time out and say, ‘We take responsibility for what happened. We take responsibility for what happened.” And so we move forward.”

Present at the ceremony today was Jefferson’s nephew Sion Carr, who was with her when she was killed. Ashley said she hoped one day to bring him to the center.

“He likes to tell me, ‘Oh, can I walk to Hillside Park?'” Ashley said. “So now he’ll be saying, ‘Can I walk to Aunt Tay’s community center?’ And I’ll say yes, no problem.”

His aunt’s name would be engraved on the building for decades to come.

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