The Dallas Police Department’s Latino Law Enforcement Association and Black Police Association hosted a rally Friday called “Blue for Black Lives Matter” to show solidarity with protesters.
In a sea of faces and signs demanding justice and real change, this time the protester is the police officer.
“Because my profession doesn't get it right all the time,” said Terrance Hopkins, president of the Black Police Association in Dallas. “We make mistakes. We need to come out and admit that when it happens and have corrective action following it.”
Black and Latino Dallas police unions held a rally condemning George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis and vowing change in their department.
“We watched it (Floyd’s death). We have to own it. We have to acknowledge it. We have to fix it in our respective police departments,” Dallas police Chief Renee Hall said
Hall admitted publicly that those injured during Dallas week-long protests should not have been hurt.
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“We are committed to sitting down and looking at how we do things,” she said.
Men and women in blue joined Dallas Mavericks leaders and top city officials in marching peacefully toward Dallas City Hall.
The group stopped at Botham Jean’s apartment complex and chanted his name too.
Once at city hall, demonstrators in and out of police uniform took a knee and remained silent for 8 minutes and 46 seconds.
An officer recited the words Floyd told police in his final moments of life.
“Please, I can’t breathe,” he yelled. “Momma! Momma!”
Tears flowed as the man called for his mother.
And as his voice went silent, Dallas PD’s top cop whispered, “I apologize. I apologize.”
“What I hope this says is, ‘This is the beginning of a new conversation. This is that one step toward change that has been needing to happen for the longest,’” Det. Arturo Martinez said. “I can’t answer why it hasn’t, but here we are, we’re trying and I’m sorry.”
“It’s time for us to take that stand against oppression, racism, systemic racism,” Martinez said.
