News for North Texas
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

David Brown For President? Twitter Wants Dallas Police Chief To Run

YouTube
Dallas Police Chief David Brown at a news briefing Monday.

Move over Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Dallas Police Chief David Brown has been “nominated” for president by some social media users.

Online, folks have appreciated his conduct in the days following last week's deadly shootings in downtown. From Dallasites to political commentators to Lady Gaga, several took to Twitter Monday during Brown’s press conference -- he fielded reporters’ questions for nearly an hour.

The Washington Post reported: “He gave blunt answers to questions about race: ‘I’ve been black a long time, man.’ And he spoke about his officers living on crummy salaries ($44,000 to start in Dallas) while society placed more and more burdens on them: drug addiction, failures in mental health treatment, even stray dogs.”

 

David Brown is the 28th chief of police for Dallas and a native of South Oak Cliff. Brown has been policing for 30 years, during which he’s developed a unique relationship with the profession. His former partner was shot on the job, his brother was murdered by drug dealers and his own son shot and killed two people, including a suburban cop, and was killed himself, according to NBC News. [The Washington Post, NBC News]

  • President Obama spoke for about 45 minutes on the Dallas police officers, race relations and the path forward during the memorial Tuesday. Other speakers included Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings, Texas Senator John Cornyn, several interfaith prayer leaders, former President George W. Bush and Dallas Police Chief David Brown. About 2,000 law enforcement officers attended the private service, but hundreds of Dallasites watched the simulcast from Klyde Warren Park and even more online. At the conclusion of the two-hour service, the nation’s and state’s leaders held hands on stage during "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" at the conclusion of the service. See full coverage that includes more special moments from the memorial like Brown reciting this Stevie Wonder song for his fallen officers. [KERA News]

https://youtu.be/e","_id":"00000174-20e2-d47e-a1f7-72e778610001","_type":"035d81d3-5be2-3ed2-bc8a-6da208e0d9e2"}">https://youtu.be/e-4mVvMO0oY">https://youtu.be/e","_id":"00000174-20e2-d47e-a1f7-72e778610001","_type":"035d81d3-5be2-3ed2-bc8a-6da208e0d9e2"}">https://youtu.be/e-4mVvMO0oY

 

  • The Dallas Police Association and Clear Channel Outdoor have launched a billboard campaign to promote unity after last week’s shooting in downtown Dallas. The digital billboards, which were developed by Mayes Media Group, will be featured throughout Dallas. “The outpouring of support and appreciation we have received over the past few days has lifted the spirits of Dallas officers who are often frustrated by the negative portrayal of our profession,” said Ron Pinkston, president of the Dallas Police Association. The billboards will look like this:

 

Credit The Dallas Police Association
/
The Dallas Police Association

  • Dr. Brian Williams, the trauma surgeon on duty at Parkland Hospital, said his torn feelings about the police came to a head last Thursday. At a press conference Monday with the doctors and nurses in Parkland Hospital’s trauma unit, Williams said he can’t ignore how race affects him as a doctor. Williams is black. “There’s this dichotomy where I’m standing with law enforcement, but I also personally feel and understand that angst that comes when you cross the paths of an officer in uniform and you’re fearing for your safety,” he said. “I’ve been there. But for me, that does not condone disrespecting or killing police officers.” Other doctors had difficulty putting that racial tension into context. Watch video coverage from the press conference. [KERA News]

  • Two young girls in North Dallas ran a lemonade stand for two days and raised $10,000 to support Dallas Police. Twelve-year-old Lauren Roach and 11-year-old Landry Nelson wanted to help out, but they didn’t expect the stand to such a success. Roach told KXAS (NBC5):  "We felt really bad for all the victims' families. At first we thought we would get about $100, but after we got to about $5,000, we realized we could really get this really high." The Dallas Police Association has yet to tally up all the donations from organizations and individuals since the tragedy, but figures they are well into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Donations can be made here. [KXAS]