This story is part of The Dallas Morning News Homicide Project was focused on sharing the stories of all the people murdered in Dallas in 2024..
Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Carolyn King Arnold took what she called a “death walk” after a 30-year-old woman was shot and killed inside her car in the parking lot of an East Oak Cliff strip mall.
It was only then, as she followed Shaquetta Johnson's bloodstains on the sidewalks in her neighborhood, that she realized the gravity of what had happened in her district on the morning of April 13th.
“It just breaks my heart to think she was here, she was.” here” Arnold said. “This is where she took her last breath.”
Arnold joined 50 people who gathered at the Paul Laurence Dunbar Lancaster Kiest Branch Library on Thursday night for a community engagement meeting after officials said residents were “disturbed by the weekend's violence.” I told this story to a larger crowd.
Less than nine hours after Johnson was killed, 20-year-old Mavion Goldman was killed and a teenager was killed in a shooting near the intersection of Overhill Lane and Easter Avenue, also east of Oak Cliff. Two young people were injured.
Across the city of Dallas, at least 63 people were killed in violence in the first quarter of 2024. This is a 27.6% decrease compared to the same period last year. But Arnold echoed a sentiment often shared by law enforcement officials, telling voters that even one life is too many.
According to Dallas police statistics Arnold shared, 13 of this year's victims were killed in her district. Of the 13 victims, 11 were black and two were Hispanic, Arnold said.
A similar trend was observed many years ago. Of the 75 homicides in the 4th District since 2022, 57 victims were black, 16 were Hispanic, 1 was white, and 1 was unidentified. Arrests made in connection with the killings identified 27 suspects as black, nine as Hispanic and two as white, Arnold said.
“We're losing tradition,” Arnold said. “We are losing power.”
She stressed that the community needs to decide whether it cares enough about the situation. Residents either want to work together to stay safe or they don't, she said.
“We can do more to give our communities a better chance of survival,” Arnold said. “What do we want?”
look inside from outside
Antruan Grant, 46, tried to see the violence from the perspective of shooting victims and their families. He says that's a different dynamic than someone from the outside commenting on it and saying, “We need to stop this.”
“The area itself…is a jungle,” Grant said. “Not in the neighborhood. This area is a trauma zone. When you live in the jungle, what's your survival kit? And what's in it?”
He said people between the ages of 13 and 17 own guns because of their environment. He noted that there were no young people or teenagers present at Thursday night's meeting, but residents identified themselves with those most affected by the violence and asked: He said it was good. Well, how can I help??
“Once we start seeing that, we can change,” Grant said. “Am I still attached to young people? Have I become detached from myself? If we start to become attached to them, we can support them, we can help them, We can use our lived experiences to help them overcome their trauma.”
“Where does the energy go?”
Luther Young, 56, recalled his childhood in Dallas, when he could release energy by playing sports and practicing karate. He went to the gym for free every day.
Young said she is currently unable to go to the recreation center because of the high membership fees. There are also not many aftercare programs available to students after school, he added.
“So what are they doing? Where is the energy going?” Young asked as other residents applauded in support. “Their energy is focused on learning from others.”
In many cases, children “are not raised by their parents, they are raised on the streets,” he said. dallas morning news After the meeting. Young said adults need to find out what children want to do, talk to them on their level rather than “directly,” and “co-parent” them.
beyond words
Stacey Kelly, 51, said the community has more ties than police or politicians.
“You all are doing a great job, but it's bigger than you,” Kelly told law enforcement officials who attended the meeting. “We're here to do a job. We're not just here for a show.”
he said news The meeting was needed to take into account “everything that's going on.”
“We're not going to coat the surface,” Kelly said. “Just like with the police, each individual cannot do his or her own thing. They are doing their own thing. But we are strong in numbers. If we work together, we can definitely make a difference.
“Beyond what's said internally, networking continues outside the company. It's beyond words. Now it's a call to action.”
me vs us
Maxie Johnson, a Dallas Independent School District board member, said when families fight, children are forced to make a choice: jump off someone at school or fight all night at home.
Students may choose to fight at school instead, hoping someone will quickly break up the fight, he said.
“I want you to think about what these kids are going through,” he said.
Johnson said the violence occurring in schools is also a result of funding issues across the state. Under a bill passed last legislative session, the state gave each campus $10 per student and an additional $15,000 for safety costs, but Johnson said that's not enough.
Johnson cited the April 12 shooting that left one student injured at Wilmar Hutchins High School in southeast Oak Cliff, saying teachers need a raise and that safety should be a higher priority. , said schools need more resources. The student's classmate, Jakerian Rose Ewing, 17, was jailed shortly after on charges of aggravated assault and illegal possession of a weapon.
Students staged a strike on Monday, demanding authorities do more to keep them safe.
“There's no silver bullet for this,” Johnson said.
So what is Johnson going to do? “What I’ve done is work with the community,” he said.
“This is not a 'me' issue. This is a “we” issue. ”
