City Leaders Deny Demands From Activists Acting On Behalf Of Atatiana Jefferson
FORT WORTH, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - A Friday deadline for Fort Worth to answer demands from a local coalition following the Atatiana Jefferson murder, passed without the city agreeing to anything on the list.
It wasn't immediately clear Friday how the Tarrant County Coalition for Community Oversight might respond, though an assistant city manager said there was the possibility of renewed protests over the crime.
The demands included unedited body camera video from the crime scene, the names of all officers there and the firing of the city manager. They also listed a commitment to meeting larger scale demands, such as addressing the culture of the police department, and creating a non-police response to welfare checks and mental health calls.
Assistant city manager Fernando Costa said he had a tentative agreement in place earlier this week to meet with the group to discuss the list, but the Coalition reversed course and wanted the demands stand on their own.
The city also pushed back against the groups allegations of cases of unjustified excessive force, citing a records search that showed no such finding from a judge or jury going back the last 30 years.
Pamela Young, a representative for the coalition, said Friday afternoon she had not hear directly from the city about not meeting the deadline. She was unable to say what the groups response might be.