DALLAS (1080 KRLD) - An on-line petition to re-name a street in Dallas after Botham Jean has gathered more than 40,000 signatures.
Former Dallas Police Officer Amber Guyger was recently convicted of murder for shooting Jean at an apartment complex on Lamar Street in Dallas where both of them lived.
The petition on Change.org calls for re-naming Lamar Street as Botham Jean Way. It was started by Chris Norman of Dallas, who says he followed Guyger's trial closely but was unable to attend any of the demonstrations following the verdict.
"I had watched pretty much every day of the trial, and we had the guilty verdict and then they had the sentencing," Norman said. "Immediately following that, I just kind of felt like...what can I do?" Norman was also inspired by remarks made by Police Chief Renee Hall after the verdict. "They want to make a change in the City of Dallas and I think this is something this something that can honor the legacy of Mr. Jean, whose life was cut short."
Norman is surprised by the number of signatures the petition has generated. "The response has been tremendous. The response has been overwhelming," he said. "I never thought that anyone to this magnitude would be signing a petition that I started."
Re-naming a street requires an application to the City of Dallas. The city's normal process for considering those requests includes a hearing before a city commission and a vote by the City Council.