DALLAS — A group of concerned residents gathered in Dallas City Hall on Monday and demanded a meeting with City Manager T.C. Broadnax.
The group wanted to talk about a controversial video the Dallas Police Department recently released linked to last year’s arrest and in-custody death of Diamond S. Ross.
Members of the group chanted, "What do we want?" Others replied, "Justice!"
Ross’s family, activists, and other concerned women also made their way to City Council offices to demand a meeting with city leaders.
"We really need justice for my auntie,” said Ross’s niece Kiatenai Thomas.
The video released by DPD is hard to watch. The police department claims it released the video out of transparency. It was revealed nearly one year and three months after Ross’s arrest and death.
In the video, the 34-year-old woman appears to be unconscious. Her limp body is tossed in a wheelchair as her head and neck jerks back. She is pushed into a caged area and left there for a significant amount of time, as several law enforcement officers walk by.
“They dragged her in like a dog,” said Dr. Pamela Grayson.
Police say Ross died the next day, due to an accidental overdose. An Internal Affairs investigation also determined the arresting officer failed to put Ross in a seat belt and failed to get her medical attention. That officer was issued a written reprimand.
Dominique Alexander of the Next Generation Action Network said, "At the end of the day, somebody suppressed this information."
The group’s demonstration at City Hall and their demand for answers comes on the eve of the second official Community Police Oversight Board meeting.
The board’s first meeting in October 2019 got upstaged in chaos, due to city staff leaving off time for public comment on the agenda.
Critics say police chief Renee Hall only escalated things by calling in her department’s extraction team, after one man’s outburst against some residents raising concerns over wanting to be heard.
Dr. Grayson explained, “You've indicated that you were going to operate with transparency. You withhold video and try to cover it up. Then you don't practice transparency. That tells me that you are not going to even be genuine with the Board that you’ve helped to create.”
The agenda for the Tuesday, Nov. 12 Community Police Oversight Board meeting does include time for public comment.
The meeting will be held in Dallas City Hall’s auditorium at 1500 Marilla Street, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
The family of Diamond Ross is planning to speak about their concerns over DPD’s investigation and handling of their loved one’s arrest.