This week throughout the city of Dallas, several events are taking place with the goal of bridging the gap between police and the community.
On Thursday, at the Thurgood Marshall Rec Center in Oak Cliff, several people met at the table for important, and difficult conversations.
It was called a “Night of Community Healing” and was put on by Dallas’ Office of Community Police Oversight along with Councilman Casey Thomas, the Dallas Black Police Association, and other organizations.
Dallas Police Monitor Tonya McClary says the event was meant to honor victims of police violence and create a safe space for processing the trauma.
Get DFW local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC DFW newsletters.
“We have to have everybody here to try to help us figure out how to move forward,” McClary said.
She said she felt the emotional impact of watching Trye Nichols beaten by five Memphis police officers in January. Nichols died three days after the beating.
According to Mapping Police Violence, Black people are nearly three times more likely to be killed by police than white people in the United States.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
“I cried just as a Black person, as a Black woman,” said McClary. “And I felt hopeless. But it’s evenings like tonight that give me more hope.”
Thomas said he wanted participants from the community to feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and concerns.
“You have officers in circles with community members, and in those circles, they’re just humans,” Thomas said. “They’re just people and they get a chance to talk on equal footing.”
This meeting happened on the heels of another event in Dallas on Thursday where Police Chief Edie Garcia partnered with former gang member Antong Lucky to acknowledge families impacted by violence.
“By working together with police, clergy, community leaders and with the help of our neighborhoods, we will decrease crime and increase quality of life,” said Garcia.
McClary said, in the face of doubt and skepticism, she still has hope for change.
“It’s going to take us time,” she said. “It’s going to take us being methodical and thinking about the best ways to impact our city positively.”
The meeting Thursday was the first of a three-part series of events happening over the next several weeks to address policing. A candlelight vigil is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 19 at 6 p.m. City Hall Plaza. The third event will take place on March 2. A community conversation will take place at 6 p.m. at the Thurgood Marshall Recreation Center.
