Fort Worth Mayor Says City Council Will Take Up Potential Police Reform

Fort Worth Protest
Photo credit Credit: NBCDFW.com

The mayor of Fort Worth says she met this weekend with groups that have been demonstrating downtown since the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

"This was not my first meeting with those protesting and it won’t be my last. Today we discussed calls to action and ways we can make progress in the community," Mayor Betsy Price wrote on Twitter Saturday.

Today I met with members of groups that have been protesting in the recent weeks. This was not my first meeting with those protesting and it won’t be my last. Today we discussed calls to action and ways we can make progress in the community. 1/2

— Betsy Price (@MayorBetsyPrice) June 13, 2020

One group, United My Justice, says it will no longer lead demonstrations and wants to work more closely with the city.

"You can protest all day. That's not going to get it," says United My Justice organizer Donnell Ballard. "You've got to be able to have a plan of action. That's what we're working on right now."

Some protesters have broken away from United My Justice and formed a separate group, Enough Is Enough. Three demonstrators were arrested this weekend.

Fort Worth police say one woman was using a bullhorn and refused to stop. She was issued a citation, then police say she was arrested for giving them false information.

A 21 year old man was arrested when police say he was blocking a police car that had been moving and refused to get out of the way.

The third person was arrested for outstanding warrants.

"“We won’t let that deter us. We won’t let that stop us. We won’t let that frustrate us," says Enough Is Enough President Rod Smith.

Ballard says the difference between the two groups is he does not want demonstrators to go into businesses to cause a disturbance.

"We're going to be outside. That's the only thing that's different about us," he says. "I don't want any of my protesters to get into any kind of trouble."

Price says she will continue discussions and hopes to present ideas to a city council work session, "so that the entire community can hear Council take part in these critical conversations. Let’s keep working, Fort Worth.​"