Days ago, we were so close...so close to planting a fresh seed of faith in the judicial system among some of its staunchest critics.
Remember, the murder conviction of fired police officer Roy Oliver in the death of Jordan Edwards? That was just 2 weeks ago…everywhere talk of a new day!
Now, that seed has been shattered…a different officer…a different unarmed victim... this one shot in the peace and quiet of his own home by an off-duty officer who thought that home was hers.
No one disputes Botham Jean’s innocence, his character, or the fact the officer’s mistake cost him his life. And yet intervention, by politicians, promising transparency, did little more than gin up tension and confusion.
As did tweets spread by the internet lynch mob…release of details about items found in Botham’s apartment on the same day as his funeral, and the suggestion by some in the media that had Botham had his own gun and used it, he might be alive today.
Most frustrating: Dallas has been here before. Thirty years ago, a nasty Council meeting…the subject: the need for a Citizen’s Police Review Board to investigate incidents just like this one.
The truth is with all the whispers, rumors and half-truths still floating in social media, no one who’s pronounced judgment on this case knows what happened.
Yes, Amber Guyger now faces a manslaughter charge, but even Dallas DA Faith Johnson says her investigation is nowhere near complete.
We know only that the person who did the shooting, admits it, the one person without any fault is dead.
And his family wants answers based on facts. A good man is gone.
The tragedy that took his life must not result in more politics or half-baked tweets but justice… justice and a reaffirmation of our belief that when sitting quietly in our own home, minding our own business, we all have the right to be safe from harm.