Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot is among district attorneys and prosecutors nationwide who've formed FAFO — "Fight Against Federal Overreach."
Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza also is a founders of the coalition, which was created to push back against federal over reach following the deaths of two people shot by ICE agents in Minneapolis.
Creuzot said he signed on to lend support for a thorough investigation and, if necessary, litigation.
"And also to communicate, hopefully, to federal agents, whether they be ICE agents or otherwise, that you do not have absolute immunity," he said. "You still can be prosecuted in a state court."
Videos shared online and in the news recently show border patrol agents shooting and killing Alex Pretti, a 37-year old Veterans Affairs intensive care nurse, on Jan. 24.
Weeks before that, footage circulated of Renée Good, a 37-year old mother and wife, being shot and killed by an ICE agent.
Creuzot said that regardless of what videos show, everyone is presumed innocent and that Americans deserve the justice of a full and thorough investigation.
"What I was able to see was exactly contrary to what the [Trump] administration was saying happened," he said.
"To me, the administration is not being fair with the American people on their assessment of what happened and why it happened."
Creuzot said that before joining the FAFO project, he verified that money raised was not tied to any campaign or political purpose making money off of tragedies.
He did not realize the acronym had another colloquial connotation. It's also been used online as shorthand for "F- - - - Around and Find Out."
“If I had known that it probably would’ve given me pause. My purpose is not to be cute, but to be helpful.”
“It does give me pause knowing what the other meaning is because this is serious stuff. It's not play-around business.”
Other founding district attorneys include Mary Moriarty of Minneapolis, Larry Krasner of Philadelphia, Steve Descano of Fairfax, Va., Parisa Dehghani-Tafti of Falls Church and Arlington, Va., Stephanie Morales from Portsmouth, Va., Ramin Fatehi representing Norfolk, Va. and Laura Conover of Pima County, Ariz.
Got a tip? Email Marina Trahan Martinez at mmartinez@kera.org. You can follow Marina at @HisGirlHildy.
KERA News is made possible through the generosity of our members. If you find this reporting valuable, consider making a tax-deductible gift today. Thank you.
