There are many suburban towns along Interstate 35 on the outskirts of Dallas like Farmers Branch where many immigrants and undocumented workers live. But two events set Farmers Branch apart.
First, Farmers Branch is unique due to its 2007 law, the first in the U.S. to make it illegal to rent to undocumented workers. The town spent over $6 million to defend this racist, anti-immigrant law, which was finally defeated when the Supreme Court decided not to hear their final appeal.
The other thing that sets Farmers Branch apart occurred at the May 17 City Council meeting, when more than 200 people, mostly Latino (the town is one-third Latino), began chanting “Jose Cruz”—the name of the 16 year-old who was killed by off-duty cop Ken Johnson in March. The people of the town wanted answers from Mayor Bob Phelps who quickly adjourned the meeting when the people arrived.
But the people of Farmers Branch would not take no for an answer and decided to accelerate the struggle against police brutality, telling the mayor if he would not meet with them there, they would go to his house.
The cops quickly ran to protect the mayor who the crowd then chased out into the parking lot. People marched forward to push through the line of the cops to gain access to the mayor.
Officer Johnson is being charged with murder and aggravated assault; however, the people of Farmers Branch, like those in so many other towns and cities across the U.S. have ceased to believe that justice can come from the very system that perpetuates violence.
“It kind of scares you,” Mayor Phelps told a local television station. People tired of case after case of police murder are starting to rely on their own efforts to achieve justice. Those who defend police murder ought to be scared as people around the country are gaining hope in the struggle to end police terror.
