Two African-American leaders in Fort Worth on Thursday called for the firing of a police officer who was recorded on video punching a man in the face with no apparent provocation.
Officer Jon Romer was indicted two weeks ago, accused of official oppression and perjury, over an incident that happened at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital in November 2016.
NBC 5 obtained video of the incident Wednesday.
"It's the climate of this city,” said Rev. Michael Bell, one of the police department’s most vocal critics. “What will give a police officer the confidence to go up and just cold cock somebody? That's the climate we're in. Our community is under siege by police."
The department took Officer Romer's badge and gun the day he was indicted.
But he hasn't been fired.
"Why is Romer still a police officer, even on restricted duty?" Bell asked.
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Another activist, Rev. Kyev Tatum, made the same point.
"He definitely deserves to be fired now, but he should have been fired a long time ago,” Tatum said.
The incident happened the month before another video involving Fort Worth police sparked racial tensions -- the controversial arrest of Jacqueline Craig, a mother who reported a neighbor had assaulted her young son.
In the wake of that video, the city started a race and culture task force to take a hard look at race relations in the city. That task force is still meeting.
But Bell, for one, has no confidence that anything will come out of it.
"All that is is just a dog and pony show,” he said. “And they are not going to come up with solutions."
But some, like pastor Tatum, look at Romer's indictment and say the system worked. A special prosecutor was appointed and Romer was charged before anyone knew this video even existed -- even if it took nearly a year and a half.
"In Tarrant County, that's beyond progress, that's a win,” Tatum said.
Bell said city leaders need to speak up.
"There is a sense of relief that the video is out, but what is the city going to do? What is their response?" he said.
Mayor Betsy Price has remained silent on Romer’s indictment.
Police Chief Joel Fitzgerald is off on medical leave.
