Three voices of Dallas reflect on the year since the police ambush that took the lives of five officers on July 7, 2016, and how to attempt to move past an unthinkable tragedy.
At Los Lupe's Cafeteria, "How we doing? Everything good?" asks Marea Teresa Bara of her customers. She has been working there for 42 years.
"I started when I was 12 years old," Bara said with a laugh.
"I love Dallas, come on down," said Dallas native Elizabeth McIver. "Except not too many people, please!"
And over at Odom's Barbecue, "West Dallas is home for us. My family has become a fixture in this community," said Burl Odom.
When asked about the year that's passed since the Dallas ambush shootings, Odom said no matter the hardship, Dallas won't be defeated.
"Dallas is a strong city, Dallas is a respectful city and Dallas has overcome a great deal," Odom said.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
"I was here when Kennedy was killed. And we never got over that, really. It's been a stain. I mean, I've traveled the world, I've always had to like own that my whole life — everywhere in the world. Because then it was so unique, but this thing it's like well, you know, it happens everywhere," McIver said.
And it happened to people that crossed each of our paths and ate in the same restaurants.
"One [of the fallen officers], he used to come over here eat breakfast all the time," Bara said.
"And it only takes just that one guy with that one grudge and firearms to have something like that happen," McIver said.
As for the heated tensions between the police and the public?
"Well, the relationship has gotten better. Because the public as well as the police officers are conscious of one another now. So there's some respect that's given on both sides," Odom said.
To move forward after an unthinkable tragedy, could it be as simple as just keep moving?
"It's something that you just don't want to dwell on, it's something that we have to get past," Odom said.
"Because we gotta live, we got grand babies, we got to keep going," Bara said.
"It's something that we always think about. It's not anything that we just lay aside, there's always a thought," Odom said.
"We're better than this, we can do better, we can help people more," McIver said.
"Things will happen, we just have to deal with it as it comes along, and we deal with it and we continue to go," Odom said.
