Protesters gathered again Thursday afternoon to demand the release of the full video of Anthony Johnson Jr.鈥檚 death inside the Tarrant County Jail and the resignation of county officials.
The demonstration was held outside the Tarrant County Corrections Center and was organized by the Brotherhood Awareness Network and Fight for Justice 鈥� Tarrant County.
Earlier this month, the Tarrant County Medical Examiner鈥檚 Office ruled that Johnson鈥檚 death was a homicide, a reason that fueled Thursday鈥檚 protest.
Six incarcerated people have died in county custody this year, including Johnson, and 65 deaths have been reported since Sheriff Bill Waybourn took office in 2017.
In the group of about a dozen people was Angela Luckey, president of the Grand Prairie NAACP.
鈥淧eople are hurt,鈥� said Luckey. 鈥淪ix people this year have already died. That is a lot of people dying in custody. This is about a system that's been broken for decades, and nobody wants to challenge it.鈥�
Tarrant County Judge Tim O鈥橦are was criticized after ejecting Johnson鈥檚 sister, Janell Johnson, during last week鈥檚 commissioners court meeting.
This action did not sit well with several protesters, including Payton Jackson, candidate for Texas' 33rd Congressional District.
鈥淗er first amendment right was silenced just because she was speaking on the death of her brother,鈥� said Jackson. 鈥淭hey will not even give us enough respect to look us in the eye when we come down and voice our opinion.鈥�
Alongside Jackson at the protest was her son who has autism. She worries that, as her son grows up, law enforcement officers lack sufficient training to deal with those with developmental disorders, especially those in marginalized communities.
鈥淚t is scary for me,鈥� said Jackson. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think our officers are trained to deal with people who battle with autism. He鈥檚 semiverbal, and they may take that as noncompliance.鈥�
Calls for a Department of Justice investigation have also been requested, including by D-Fort Worth, and County Commissioner Alisa Simmons.
Jackson also believes that the DOJ should investigate the jail and Waybourn.
鈥淪omebody has to do something,鈥� said Jackson. 鈥淭he sheriff isn't doing anything. The sheriff didn't even bother to show this past week at the county commissioner鈥檚 meeting.鈥�
Fight for Justice member Liz Badgley also called for a federal investigation.
鈥淲e want the DOJ to investigate,鈥� said Badgley. 鈥淲e need a federal investigation because they have proven to be incompetent. We are demanding an immediate resignation from Sheriff Bill Waybourn, who we feel is incompetent because of the deaths that have occurred under his watch since he took office. We are the people, we are the constituents, and we hold the power.鈥�
四虎影院 contacted the Sheriff鈥檚 Office seeking comment.
Emmanuel Rivas Valenzuela is 四虎影院's summer 2024 SPJ news intern. Got a tip? Email Emmanuel Rivas Valenzuela at erivas@kera.org.
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