Dallas streets have been filled with marchers who have been filled with grief and/or outrage at the death of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man killed by police in Minneapolis, Minnesota, May 25.
“America is well on its way to a sixth straight year of a thousand people shot to death by police,” said Collette Flanagan, founder of Mothers Against Police Brutality, whose unarmed son was killed by Dallas police in 2013.
Some activists, enraged by Floyd’s death, said that the incident was the “last straw” as they called out the names of several unarmed Black individuals across America who had been killed by police officers – especially so soon after the deaths of Ahmaud Arbrey, Dreasjon “Sean” Reed and Breonna Taylor.
Upon the arrest of those creating havoc upon the city, Dallas Chief of Police Reneé Hall noted that the majority were from other cities, mostly outside of Dallas County.
As Gov. Greg Abbott declared a state of emergency for the entire state of Texas, activating the National Guard, Johnson signed an emergency declaration that gave City Manager Broadnax and Hall the authority to immediately begin a curfew from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. that includes Oak Lawn, Riverfront, Corinth and Peak, the area includes downtown, Deep Ellum, the Farmers Market, Cedars, Uptown and Victory Park, according to the Dallas Police Department.
