Dallas City Councilman Don Hicks plans to file
a complaint with the Justice Department
over this incident that landed him in jail Saturday.
He claims the officers violated his civil rights.
Hicks says he was at the Southeast substation
protest to help keep peace
when officers refused to check with higher
police officials
after ticketing him for crossing a barricade.
He says he was arrested by officers bent on
making an example out of him
because Police Chief Bill Rathburn ordered the
release of a protester arrested the week before.
Today, Hicks calls their actions mutiny.
Now, you can have a stack of captains and chiefs,
but if the lower-ranking officers cut
themselves off with their troops,
they can do what they want to do.
They're renegades.
Hicks claims he also plans to name some city
officials in the complaint,
including Councilmember Glenn Box,
who thwarted his efforts to get a public
hearing on the police issue last week.
Box, who heads the Public Safety Committee,
says he held a briefing,
but he could not get a quorum on the day Hicks
wanted a public meeting.
That's the kind of irresponsibility that I
really am disappointed in my fellow councilmembers
for going to the press and creating headlines
over these idiotic, nonsensical side issues.
Meanwhile, Larry Duncan and two other council members
have called for an emergency meeting of the
full council for Tuesday.
Duncan says with both citizens and police
protesting, something must be done.
We have seen what neglect, we have seen what
not doing something risks.
Each week, each day almost, the situation escalates.
Another war on words is expected at the
Emergency City Council meeting on Tuesday,
but it is hoped that this will be a better
arena to help solve the problem.
Ramona Logan, Texas News 5.