He is asking for more police oversight and an investment in city dollars to social services that help communities of color. This colliding with months of protests in the city of Dallas following the death of George Floyd. The news came on the day officials began voting on the Dallas city budget. KERA News Protesters line up to block the intersection in front of the Dallas Police Department following the news of the indictment of an officer in Breonna Taylor’s case, on Wednesday, Sept. "And the reality is that when I look at 2016 to now, a lot hasn't changed." "The reality is that, man, people are tired," Alexander said.
Protests against police brutality surged after the death of George Floyd. "It was definitely hard to see something like that happened." Years later, Alexander says tension between activists and police continues. "Some of the most horrible situations."Īlexander has led protests in Dallas for more than seven years and co-founded Next Generation Action Network (NGAN), a social justice group that’s become the face of the Black Lives Matter movement in the city. "So I had to deal with some of the most racist bigotry," he said. “We have to make this city uncomfortable,” Alexander said. He also criticized the Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson and the Dallas city budget. KERA In September 2020, social justice activist Dominique Alexander with Next Generation Action Network, made a speech about bringing justice to Breonna Taylor. He said the event created a sharper divide between organizers and the police department because he feels Black activists were blamed by city leaders for the shooting that collided with the protest. For This Activist, The Fight For Police Reform Continuesĭominique Alexander was the key organizer of that July 7 protest. DPD struggled with staffing shortages and los t hundreds of officers in less than a year after the shooting. There are many reasons police officers left, Hopkins said. Then you get the fact that hey, my life is on the line," said Hopkins. And of course, we can just keep going on and on. "I mean, it's affected by pay, it's affected by benefits. But Hopkins said despite best efforts, morale within the police department reached an all-time low. In the days and years after, DPD officers received mental health resources and counseling. “Just because you get some type of mental health assistance doesn't necessarily mean you're going to be okay,” he said. Hopkins, who’s the current president of the Black Police Association of Dallas, said the tragedy and trauma left the police department with deep scars.
KERA News The faces of the fallen police officers are engraved at the memorial site in front of the Dallas Police Department. On that night, five law enforcement officers, Lorne Ahrens, Michael Krol, Michael Smith, Brent Thompson and Patrick Zamarippa, were killed and many were injured, including civilians. What's At Stake For Law Enforcement In Dallas, Five Years Later He said he remembered the echo of gunshots vibrating through the downtown buildings that made it difficult to identify the shooter's exact location. Hopkins led police officers on the ground through what he calls a “bird’s eye view.” He was at a command post trying to locate the active shooter as people ran throughout the streets that night in panic. “Now you start just going down that line of how do we find this person? Who is this person? Is it more than just one?” Hopkins said as he remembered the details of that day. Dallasites - both police and civilian - came together to show support for the victims and each other. KERA's Courtney Collins and Elizabeth Myong were there when the officers killed in the July 7 shooting were honored at a memorial service in 2016.
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