‘More grotesque day by day.’ Fort Worth City Council reacts to George Floyd killing.
The image of George Floyd on the ground with a Minneapolis police officer’s knee against his neck may be forever in the mind of Fort Worth City Councilwoman Gyna Bivens.
Bivens, a black City Council member who has focused on inequity, posted a somewhat emotional and faith-focused video on her official council Facebook page this weekend voicing support for protests Floyd’s death sparked around the country and in Fort Worth. Other city council members have also denounced police brutality during a week of demonstrations.
Local protests Friday and Saturday focused on the October death of Atatiana Jefferson, a 28-year-old black woman. Jefferson was shot in her home by a white officer, Aaron Dean, who resigned. Dean was indicted on a murder charge in December.
More demonstrations were planned Sunday.
In her video, Bivens repeatedly called protests important and said without local demonstrations Fort Worth may never have hired a police monitor. The independent position designed to review police policies and actions came about through the city’s Race and Culture Task Force after significant citywide outrage following the 2016 arrest of Jacqueline Craig. The arrest sparked calls of excessive force and racism.
“We are making progress in Fort Worth, Texas,” Bivens said. “It will never be enough for some people, but I can tell you, your voices are heard.”
Kim Neal, who investigated police misconduct in Cincinnati, was hired for the police monitor position in January. The coronavirus-related shutdown has stalled plans for her to host public meetings to hear about policing concerns. City officials have said she will play a role in forming an police review board. That process has also been delayed by the COVID-19 outbreak, though she has been reviewing police procedures and complaints, the city said in a statement Sunday.
For those not able to demonstrate, Bivens said there are other ways to seek justice. She urged people to vote and fill out the U.S. Census.
She also said people could sign a petition demanding officers involved with Floyd’s death be charged with murder by texting “Floyd” to 55156. Former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin was arrested Friday after being charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Chauvin was fired along with three other officers who were at the scene. Floyd died May 25.
Bivens directly addressed parents of children of color, urging them to educate themselves and their kids about their rights. Parents should talk to their children about how to interact with police, and what to do if they witness an altercation at school, she said.
“I know everybody is angry and hurting and wondering if and and when the killing of black men across this entire nation will ever stop,” she said. “I don’t know what to say to that, because it gets more grotesque day by day by day by day by day.”
The widespread protests did not surprise Councilwoman Kelly Allen Gray, who said an undercurrent has been growing for years that becomes more intense each time a black American is killed unjustly. Mentioning Trayvon Martin, the Florida teenager killed in 2012, and Ahmaud Arbery, the jogger killed by two white men in Georgia earlier this year, Gray said it is difficult to explain the fear black communities have that their loved ones “may not make it home.”
“This time of ‘stay at home’ has been the most comfort I’ve had for my son because he couldn’t go anywhere,” Gray said. “There is a different kind of fear.”
Earlier in the week she changed the header photo of her personal Facebook profile to read “I can’t breathe” and told the Star-Telegram in a phone interview Sunday evening the sentence was “the most powerful statement that can be made.” The sentence has been a rallying cry for protests against police brutality and racism.
Gray said felt “the same things” as protesters she and her son saw in downtown Saturday night near West Lancaster Avenue and Commerce Street.
“I understand their feelings,” Gray said. “There comes a time when you just get really tired of talking.”
Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price invoked Jefferson’s death in a statement Saturday saying she would continue to “root out racism, inequities and disparities at a systemic and policy level.”
“This is just one instance that gained national attention, but it occurs far too often in cities and towns all over America,” Price said in the statement on her Twitter page, referring to Jefferson’s killing.
A spokeswoman said Sunday afternoon Price did not intend to issue another statement.
Price and Police Chief Ed Kraus Saturday participated in a call with mayors and chiefs from around the country regarding how cities were handling local demonstrations. Separately, Price spoke to Kraus about the police department’s response to Fort Worth protests. According to the spokeswoman, the mayor was pleased with a plan Kraus and police command staff outlined that would “ensure the safety and health of our community while honoring first amendment rights.”
Other City Council members also took to social media to voice anger with the killing of Floyd and support for Fort Worth’s communities of color.
On his personal Facebook profile, Councilman Brian Byrd on Wednesday shared the now infamous photo of Floyd on the ground with Chauvin’s knee pressed into his neck. Byrd called the actions of the officer in Minneapolis “brutal and unthinkable.”
“I stand with my black friends and condemn this despicable act,” he wrote. “Why is it that these killings seem to be increasing? We should all speak up and express our outrage.”
In the post, Byrd said he spoke with a Fort Worth police officer who was “as sickened about it as I am.” He called on people to honor officers who protect while denouncing those involved in the killing of Floyd.
He ended the post with “#icantbreate,” a social media hashtag used to bring attention to police brutality.
On his official council Facebook page, Councilman Carlos Flores shared the mayor’s first statement Saturday with a quote from Martin Luther King Jr. about nonviolent protest.
“In Fort Worth, your elected leaders and police department continue listening to better understand and act to remove disparities facing our diverse communities,” Flores wrote.
This story was originally published May 31, 2020 at 3:17 PM.
