Special to The Dallas Examiner
In the wake of Tyre Nichols and his death at the hands of the police, Project Unity is hosting a town hall Monday Feb. 13 at 6 p.m. at St. Luke Community UMC located at 5710 E R L Thornton Freeway. In partnership with the Dallas Police Department, Dallas County Sheriff’s Office and the Dallas Office of Community Police Oversight, the community is invited to hear from police voices and the public in a timely conversation about police-community relations.
Chief Eddie Garcia of the Dallas Police Department, Dallas County Sheriff Marian Brown, and Police Monitor Tonya McClary will participate in the town hall to share the measures that local law enforcement are taking to respond to the recent events in Memphis.
“The death of Tyre Nichols is another tragic encounter with police that we cannot ignore,” said Richie Butler, founder of Project Unity and Senior Pastor of St. Luke Community UMC. “We need a space where we can engage in constructive dialogue and have a cathartic moment with one another. This is a moment when the community is eager to hear from law enforcement and to understand what they are doing to prevent incidents like these from occurring in the future. We also want to hear from the community and how they are processing this tragedy.”
Chief Garcia will discuss what the Dallas Police Department is doing to improve policing and community relations in the city. Tonya McClary will share her analysis of how far policing in Dallas has come and what it needs to improve, and Dallas County Sheriff Marian Brown will share her perspective from the county Sheriff’s Office. The town hall will then open up the floor to members of the community.
“Our biggest goal is to bridge a divide through understanding and accountability, because police-community relations is not an either/or,” said Butler. “We need police officers who are able to do a very difficult job while recognizing and overcoming unconscious bias to make our communities a safer place for everyone.”