After more than a year of waiting and grief, the family of Botham Jean finally got justice when former police officer Amber Guyger was convicted of his murder. Although the jury was allowed to consider the “castle doctrine” and “stand your ground” before reaching a verdict, they (rightly) didn’t buy either of those excuses, which are mostly used as justifications for shooting people of color. They saw the shooting for what it was—an overly aggressive cop, who was not in immediate danger, and made a conscious decision to kill an innocent, unarmed man. See the “Mini-Rant” below for more discussion about the significance of the verdict. (WFAA)
The dumpster fire that is the Trump administration has awarded three contracts for 65 new miles of border fencing in South Texas. The Donnie’s Folly project, which we can almost guarantee will be a perfect storm of pork barrel politics and governments waste, is estimated to cost between $385 million and $800 million. Next step: find Texans in Cameron, Hidalgo, and Starr counties willing to sell their land for low-ball offers based on substandard estimates of their property values. Yeah, good luck with that. (The Texas Tribune)
The “Texodus” in Washington D.C. continues with the retirement of Mac Thornberry. Although his Super Red district (meaning is was Red before the illegal gerrymandering) will probably go to another Republican, the big spenders in the Defense Department will miss uber-hawk Thornberry’s presence on the House Armed Services Committee. Defense contractor Honeywell will especially miss the power to write bills with absurdly high costs and expanded loopholes that Thornberry would push through Congress. (Texas Observer)
The Orange Occupant is planning a cult meeting in Dallas later this month and the city is already worrying about getting stuck with the bill. At least 10 city governments are owed more than $864,000 for public-safety costs related to Trump appearances. Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor at the University of Houston, warned cities to “be more cautious in extending services they might not get reimbursed for.” (Fort Worth Star-Telegram)
Providing more proof that members of the GOP Cult are truth-challenged and easily hoaxed, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller almost wet himself while praising the Orange Occupant on Facebook for removing a Muslim judge who wanted to implement Sharia law in the United States. Of course, we all know the outcome—the story that claimed to be about the 22nd Court of Appeals NEVER HAPPENED. The “22nd Court of Appeals” doesn’t even exist. Miller admitted to being duped but wouldn’t agree to check Snopes.com next time because “the truth is well known to have a liberal bias.” (OK, I made that last part up.) (Houston Chronicle)
Mini-Rant – Thank the Maker Amber Guyger Was Convicted of Murder
As I’m putting the finishing touches on this diary, the jury is deciding what penalty Amber Guyger’s should face for the murder of Botham Jean. Under the law, the sentence must be between 5 and 99 years. Since the prosecution is being allowed to introduce Guyger’s history of racist/violent texts and social media comments—and the fact that the jury brought in a verdict of guilty in less than 2 days of deliberation—there’s a good chance she will get a long sentence. The prosecution has recommended a minimum of 28 years—the age of Botham Jean would have been today if he was still alive.
[Updated at 4:06 PM CT — The jury has sentenced Amber Guyger to 10 years in prison. More than the defense wanted but less than the prosecution asked for.]
During the trial, many people who watched thought the evidence for a conviction of murder was overwhelming. Sadly, most of us also expected an acquittal, given the history of white cops shooting unarmed people of color. We all breathed a sigh of relief when Guyger was convicted—not just because justice had been served, but because of the message we hope the conviction sends to police officers across the country.
Besides Amber Guyger, three other Dallas area police officers have been charged with the killings of unarmed civilians. Two have already been convicted and the third, Michael Dunn, is still awaiting trial. But the Amber Guyger case was particularly egregious because no crime was taking place at the time of the shooting. She literally walked into an innocent man’s home and shot him while he was eating ice cream and getting ready to watch a football game.
If Amber Guyger had been allowed to get away with this monstrous act, think about the precedent it could have set. So many police officers around the United States already believe they have the right to shoot anyone, no matter how small the petty crime or traffic violation might be, and get away with it. And they all use the same excuse: “I thought my life was in danger.” With the murder of Botham Jean, this argument could be expanded to include anyone a police officer might decide to shoot. It could have shown police officers how to walk into anyone’s house, with no warrant or reasonable cause, kill the person inside and argue “Oops, I made a mistake, but I still felt like my life was in danger.” It could have been a template for a license to kill with impunity. Terrifying.
Thankfully, juries like the ones in Dallas are beginning to say “Enough!” Hopefully even more juries will follow their lead in the future.
[P.S. For people concerned that Amber Guyger might be allowed to go free while she appeals her conviction, don’t worry. She’s not eligible for an appeal bond. She’ll stay in jail from now until the end of her sentence.]