THE OFFICER EDGAR FLORES MEMORIAL LEARNING GARDEN
How Community advocate SOFIA MARIE AUN created THE FIRST MEMORIAL TO A FALLEN LATINx POLICE OFFICER IN GEORGIA
The Hon. Felicia Moore, DeKalb County COO Public Safety Joseph Lumpkin, Officer Flores’ fianceé Lizandra Mora, Officer Flores’ mother Laura Flores, The Hon. Dustin Hillis at the debut of the Officer Edgar Flores Memorial Garden, October 2019. This is the first memorial to a fallen Latinx police officer in Georgia. Officer Flores is featured in the framed photo.
DeKalb County Police Officer Edgar Flores was shot and killed in the line of duty at 24-years-old, a few days before his twenty-fifth birthday. He was the first Latino officer shot and killed in the line of duty in Georgia. Sara J. González Park founder Isabel González Whitaker and the park’s Community Engagement Director Sofia Marie Aun worked to honor Officer Flores, whose last name translates to flowers in English, through the creation of this official memorial garden, the first memorial in Georgia to commemorate the life of a Latino/a/x/e officer.
Officer Flores, who grew up in North Georgia, was a devoted and selfless police officer who valued the force, education, faith and family. In addition to the park, his life and legacy have been memorialized with state legislation honoring his contributions, his life of service and his sacrifice.
Working closely with the Flores family, his fianceé, the DeKalb County Police, and Honorable Dustin Hillis, Aun led the legislation needed to honor Officer Flores with the creation of this historic garden.
Aun, who grew up on a farm in North Georgia, is a prominent community leader in Atlanta, and was the recipient of the 50 Most Influential Latinos in Georgia Award in 2019. She has been recognized for her service on behalf of the Latino/a/x/e community as well as her investment in sustainability and greenspace development.
To create the first Latin ethnobotanical community garden in an Atlanta park, Aun assembled a garden committee including landscape designer Patrick Hand, community advocates Alan Holmes and Johanna Garcia, neighbor Lisa Jones, master gardener Cory Mosser of Natural Born Tillers, and Prof. Paul Duncan of the University of Georgia’s Latin American and Caribbean Studies Institute who guided the selection of the Latin American native species planted in the garden. Each plant is identified with a marker indicating its history and uses in Latin American.
The Officer Edgar Flores Memorial Garden debuted with an official ceremony in October, 2019, and featured the participation of Officer Flores’s family and fianceé, Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields and DeKalb County COO of Public Safety Joseph Lumpkin among other civic and city notables. More than 100 police officers from both forces came out to support the memorial to Officer Flores.
Since then, Aun has led twice-annual plantings with the family and community, and more recently has introduced community advocate Sandy Feliciano to spearhead the effort. In 2022, we debuted in partnership with Emory University’s Urban Health Initiative, Agape Youth and Family Center, and Bolton Academy, the Sprouting Readers Program using the Officer Edgar Flores Memorial Garden as a the anchor for this program. Sprouting Readers is a bilingual program and dedicated to improving literacy and nutrition outcomes for 2nd and 3rd graders through reading and garden-oriented STEM curriculum. We are grateful to Elizabeth Wickland, Emory University, Agape, and Bolton Academy for their support and partnership!
PRESS LINKS
Stay up to date with Officer Edgar Flores Memorial Garden developments on Facebook here.
Officer Edgar Flores Memorial Garden leader Sofia Marie Aun, fourth from left, with, from left: Patrick Hand, Alan Holmes, Lisa Jones. Cory Mosser, Paul Duncan, Dan Calvert, John Ahern at the inaugural planting, May, 2019.
The memorial plaque in Spanish and English debuted October, 2019.
Officer Flores’ mother, Laura Flores, included this memento with one of the plantings.
Segment on Telemundo featuring Officer Edgar Flores Memorial Garden community leader and gardener, Sofia Marie Aun. January, 2020
The 2022 Sprouting Readers Program: Children at Agape advancing their reading skills while learning about nutrition, gardening and the plants of the Officer Edgar Flores Memorial Learning Garden thanks to Emory University’s Urban Health Initiative, the Sara J. González Memorial Park, and Bolton Academy.
Sandy Feliciano, far left, with family and loved ones of Officer Edgar Flores at the 2023 spring planting at the garden.
