Austin Shuffield is accused of beating L'Daijohnique Lee in a parking lot. He originally faced misdemeanor charges, but now faces felony charges of unlawfully carrying a weapon and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Thursday night, a group of mostly black men, led by Lee's attorney Lee Merritt, came to march in Deep Ellum in a show of support to Lee specifically and black women in general.
Instead of marching, they walked to a concurrent event of the Black Women's Defense League being held at Red's in Deep Ellum.
"I want him to be a good man," said Dr. Pamela Grayson, who brought her young son to the demonstration. "To respect our culture. Respect our women. Respect himself."
"Imagine being somebody, it's your first time in Deep Ellum, and what happens to her is what happens to you," said Black Women's Defense League organizer, Niecee X.
"Although today it was some coward in Deep Ellum, the number one threat right now to our sisters is us," said Merritt. "That we haven't shown them the proper deference and respect."
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Merritt told the crowd both he and Lee got their license to carry on Thursday, and planned to train to use their guns, if needed, safely and proficiently.
