The Texas Organizing Project is asking for an independent investigation of last week’s shooting death of Nicolas Chavez by Houston police officers.The shooting was captured by a bystander’s video, and shows a man on his knees getting shot by police.
“The investigation announced by Houston Police and the district attorney’s office is not good enough,” said Angela Johnson, a TOP leader from Houston. “Frankly, the community will not have faith in the integrity of an investigation conducted by the police and the DA that exonerates the police officers. We ask the police and the DA to show that they have nothing to hide by bringing in an independent investigator.”
TOP also asks that all video of the shooting be released to the public as soon as possible.
“The people of Houston need to be reassured that the police will be completely transparent about this shooting, that they care about earning the community’s trust,” said Carmen Ivonne, a TOP leader from Houston’s East End. “We’re willing to give the police the benefit of the doubt, but they need to trust us too by giving us access to all the investigative materials. The police shot this man in our name, and we deserve to know if it was justified.”
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Texas Organizing Project organizes Black and Latino communities in Dallas, Harris and Bexar counties with the goal of transforming Texas into a state where working people of color have the power and representation they deserve. For more information, visit organizetexas.org.
This press release was sent out May 1, 2020.