How can protesters change policy? Arlington leaders call for ‘bottom-up’ change
Local advocates joined relatives of family shot and killed by Arlington Police and urged protesters on Saturday to turn their pain and anger over the killing of George Floyd where it matters: locally.
Gathering under umbrellas, tents and fans at Levitt Pavilion, around 60 listened as affected families, advocates, and organization leaders laid out the policies and actions that needed change — and pointed to elections as a medium to focus their attention. Speakers called on city leaders to replace outgoing police chief Will D. Johnson with someone who will treat their community with care, not violence.
Family of Margarita Brooks, who was killed in 2019 near the Seville Commons shopping district during a welfare check by an Arlington Police officer trying to shoot her dog, told the crowd that the issue is not just affecting black families. Troy Brooks, Arlington Fire Department captain and father of Margarita, told the crowd he is one of them, even though he is a city official.
“I know about them,” he said. “Look at me. I look like one of them, don’t I?” Brooks asked
Troy Brooks said people must call for an end to qualified immunity and police militarization if they are to enact meaningful reform.
“We cannot deal with federal level stuff. It’s too far above our pay grade. We can’t,” he said.
Between choruses of “Get your knee off my neck,” Dee Crane, Tavis Crane’s mother, called for the resignation of county District Attorney Sharen Wilson and justice from local law enforcement for the killing of her son and 13 others in the city over the years.
“There needs to be accountability right here in the Arlington Police Department,” she said.
The event turned into a march as the crowd, which grew to around 80, marched that message to the police station at 620 W. Division St. With signs bearing messages including, “All Black Lives Matter” and “#WeAreDoneDying,” protesters lined the steps of the building and the shaded end of the parking lot.
For nearly an hour, the crowd discussed the importance of voting and sustaining the movement through the upcoming elections in July and November. Speakers included candidates for Arlington City Council and state offices, as well as community members and UTA students. People in the crowd were also able to register to vote both at Levitt Pavilion and in front of APD.
Chris Dobson, a candidate for the city council seat representing at-large District 7, pointed to the fact that only one city council member, Marvin Sutton of District 3, was in attendance as a sign that locals need more leaders who will listen.
“We need to bring it to their faces or we need new faces,” he told the crowd.
Akram Abbadi, president of UTA NAACP, said his organization and the city NAACP put together the event to give residents and families affected a platform to empower the crowd to take their feelings beyond protests and shouting..
“It’s very important for their voices and their stories to be heard,” he said. “Those are the types of things that inspire you to keep fighting.”
Saturday’s protests mark nearly two weeks of marches and events in Arlington following the May 25 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Arlington City Council members voted unanimously on Tuesday to examine racial inequities in the city, starting with the police department. Council members discussed forming a community task force to facilitate discussions, although no decision has been made official.
Sandra Lee, a candidate for Tarrant County constable, said before the event that after nearly two weeks of protesting in Arlington, marchers are beginning to be heard — but cannot stop until leaders either help them enact change or get voted out of office.
“I see that we’re coming out and coming out strong because we realize that unless we come together, nothing’s gonna change,” she said.
This story was originally published June 13, 2020 at 4:55 PM.
