CBS News reports:
“When Mr. Sheffield presented that gun that gave the arresting officer the evidence to charge him with aggravated assault. Instead these officers they charged him with a misdemeanor and he was able to get out on a $1,500 bond. That’s problematic,” said Dominique Alexander of the Next Generation Action Network.
Civil rights groups threatened to “shut down” Deep Ellum Saturday night unless Dallas Police and the Dallas County DA enhance the charges for this assault.
They want to know why the bartender was able to hold a gun and not be charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and also claimed he used a racial slur so it should be considered a hate crime.
Listen, I'm all for shutting down Deep Ellum until this matter gets resolved. First of all, under no circumstances should we or will we allow a man (of ANY race) to viciously attack a woman and stand by idly while the man walks away with a slap on the wrist. Especially when that woman is a Black woman. If we don't stand up for our sisters, who will? Secondly, the racism and discrimination that goes on in Deep Ellum has gone unchecked for too long. While the rest of the country is watching, this would be a perfect opportunity to get these matters corrected.
We will follow this story as closely as possibly and keep you updated as information becomes more available.