By Lucas Franco de Siqueira, NDG Special Contributor
Last night, Aug. 10, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. The Citizens Involvement Town Hall Forum met at the Bill J. Priest Institute in Downtown Dallas. As a response to national attention on injustice in communities and misrepresentation of minorities, the event focused on educating citizens to serve on various political systems. Organizers brought experts that clarified how any citizen regardless of levels of experience can help and make a difference in their communities.
Dallas/Ft. Worth District Small Business Administration spokesman, Ahmad Goree, was the organizer and town hall host. The forum featured key leaders such as Heath Harris, former Dallas County First Assistant District Attorney, Thomas Glover, the President of the Black Police Association of Greater Dallas, among other local officials.
Nearly 30 attended forum including interested citizens, community activists, and civil servants. The willingness to learn more about city and state political systems was strong, and citizens were engaged and peppered the speakers with questions throughout the event. Attendees appeared to find the forum informative and motivating.
The night began with the community activist Joe Tave calling attention to the importance of understanding political systems. Before introducing Goree, he discussed the relevance of comprehending how to be part of grand juries in Dallas.
“Grand Juries determine if there is enough evidence for a case to go forward,” Heath Harris shared. “For more public trust and transparency, get to know the judges and demand from them your right to be involved. We need more people to serve the grand juries.”
City Boards and Commissions Manager, Jesus J. Salazar, followed Harris with an overview for the audience regarding serving on local boards and commissions. District Director, Daniel Clayton, followed with instructions on serving state boards and commissions.
Clayton said, “We need people to serve because without everyday people becoming a part of the system, you have a gap in knowledge of how the system is impacting the people.”
Tre Black, a board member of the Workforce Solutions Greater Dallas, gave tips on how to develop relationships with local officials. Vernesha Cathey, the Executive Secretary to Dallas City Councilman Adam Medrano, followed him on the program. Cathey called attention to the need of having younger people getting involved in their communities.
“We need some young blood out there; we need to think about the next generations,” Cathey said and then also shared the basics on how to run for a position on the Dallas City Council.
The evening closed with the President of the Black Police Association of Greater Dallas and Dallas Police Department (DPD) Lieutenant, Thomas Glover, discussing his career as a police officer. He spotlighted how to become a police officer and the requirements involved. DPD Lieutenant Ed Jones also shared how to become a volunteer law enforcer in Dallas, and the impact a person can have in a community by becoming a member of the police department.
More information
If you are willing to serve in a city or state level, here are the websites for you to get more information:
http://www.dallaspolice.net/division/southeast/welcome – Dallas Police Department
http://www.dallascounty.org/department/juryservices/contactus.php – Grand Juries
http://citysecretary.dallascityhall.com/index.html – Local Boards and Commissions
https://www.txdirectory.com/online/abc/ – State Boards and Commissions
Good point
To me; this “meeting” sounds like another milk toast/half hearted effort to co-op and neutralize opposition to the “powers that be”. It sounds like this was set up as a local response to the direct action/marches/demonstrations/attacks on police that have been happening in the country due to publicised police misconduct. These types of cool’em down efforts will not work.
What will work is an effort that inseeks to include all of the people – especially the ones that are in opposition to the powers that be. And these efforts must seek to inform people of the whole picture – not just pieces of the picture. By this, I mean; the role of ALL of the different political tactics in changing things have to be explored. Positive change can be motivated by activity outside or inside the system.
Recently, the Dallas police chief “invited” the folk who were demonstrating against police misconduct to join the system and be a part of the solution instead of being a “part of the problem”. He obviously does not understand that demonstrating and marching, etc. are often the first steps in establishing a solution to a problem. Comments like that by officials like the Chief will mislead the ignorant and alienate many folks who might otherwise work toward positive change.
In the article, why is there no mention of the community groups which were involved? Were members of any change oriented groups involved? What about the Mothers Against Police Brutality or Dallas Communities Organizing for Change or The Next Generation Action Group or Black Lives Matter or the NAACP or…Was anybody from the folk who have been marching in the streets there? What did they have to say?
To answer your last questions – they were not.