SAINT ANDREWS UMC FTW

Beloved Broadway,

The Broadway Justice Committee is encouraging Broadway member participation at a rally for families impacted by neglect, abuse, and ongoing ICE detention at the Tarrant County Jail. The rally will take place on Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Tarrant County Courthouse, 100 W. Weatherford St., in Fort Worth. It is sponsored by United Fort Worth and Families United for Accountability and Transparency at Tarrant County Jail.

Among the speakers at the rally will be Anthony Johnson Sr., whose son Anthony Johnson Jr. was killed after being beaten, chemically sprayed, and then kneeled on for over a minute in an altercation with Tarrant County Jail detention officers. Captured on partially released video footage of the event, Mr. Johnson Jr.'s last words were "I can't breathe."

It was in the immediate aftermath of Mr. Johnson Jr.'s death that I was banned from the Tarrant County Commissioners Court after exceeding my allotted public comment time by eight seconds. I was speaking of Mr. Johnson's death and comparing it to the earlier death of Robert Miller, who was also beaten and chemically sprayed while in custody at the Tarrant County Jail in 2019. The County initially listed Mr. Miller's death as "natural cause," though journalists' reporting and activists' outcry led the county to reconsider and later change the official report of the manner of death to "undetermined." Both Mr. Johnson's and Mr. Miller's deaths took place during a steep rise in the rate of deaths at Tarrant County Jail from 2017 to 2024.

Public spotlight on the Tarrant County Jail led to the abrupt retirement of its former Chief Administrator in 2024 and a reduction in the rate of deaths in the Jail since. There is still much work to be done, however. In litigation, the County has refused accountability for many of the most disconcerting and questionable deaths. This includes the County's refusal to accept responsibility for and fully release the video of Mr. Johnson's death, as requested by his family. Additionally, the Jail's ongoing relationship with ICE continues to do harm to undocumented persons and their families.

The truth about what has happened in our County Jail has never been told. The harm is still ongoing. It will not stop until accountability and transparency are achieved.

The great Jewish rabbi and civil rights leader Abraham Joshua Heschel said, "In a free society, some are guilty, but all are responsible."

As the Tarrant County Commissioner's Court continues to undemocratically and drastically reduce the number of opportunities residents have to seek government redress of wrongs through public comments at Court meetings, we the people must let our voices be heard in other ways.

What takes place in the Tarrant County Jail takes place in our name. We may not all be guilty, but we are all responsible. We must demand accountability and transparency.

I ask you to join me on Sunday in showing up for these families, continuing to shine a light in a dark place, and letting the voice of justice be heard in the public square.

In solidarity,

Ryon