HOW TO THINK ABOUT IT

One step forward, two steps back. While Dean’s swift charges may indicate changes in how police shootings are handled, some things were eerily similar to the Guyger case. After Jean’s death (mother pictured), authorities swiftly released information about small amounts of marijuana found in his apartment. After Jefferson’s shooting, they informed the press that a gun had been found in her house, though there’s no indication she was holding or using it while playing video games with her 8-year-old nephew at around 2:25 a.m. On another note, Dean is already out on bail.

A history of violence. Guyger’s sentencing made her the third officer convicted of murder in Dallas County since 2017. But neighboring Tarrant County, which includes Fort Worth, has its own history of police shooting people on their own property. In 2013, officers responding to a burglary call went to the wrong address and shot 72-year-old Jerry Waller in his garage. While a grand jury declined to indict the officer in that case, Waller’s family has filed a lawsuit against the Fort Worth Police, and a judge has ruled it can move forward.

Who you gonna call? Not the police. The neighbor who called for a wellness check on Jefferson expressed sadness to reporters and was one of many voices questioning who Black people can call for help, when police encounters so often leave innocent people dead. In fact, research released this summer from Rutgers University found that for Black men in their late 20s, encounters with police cause more deaths than diabetes.

WHAT TO READ

A Black Woman Was Shot and Killed in Her House. We Need Real Justice, by Derecka Purnell in The Guardian
“People understandably want police officers to be punished for killing black people. They also hope that prison will send a warning message to other officers that they cannot get away with murder. But that’s not how policing works.”

Deaths of Atatiana Jefferson, Botham Jean Show How Police Training Emphasizes Danger to Cops over Community, by Jennifer Emily and Cassandra Jaramillo in the Dallas Morning News
“The National Black Police Association in a statement Monday criticized the Fort Worth police department and Dean. The association also called for law enforcement to improve its hiring and training tactics.”

WHAT TO WATCH