Before a packed audience of 700 leaders of Dallas Area Interfaith, and on the one-year anniversary of the shooting that took the lives of five police officers, Dallas Area Interfaith continued the public conversation about community relationships with the police in the context of SB4. In response to stories about immigrants fearful of reporting crimes they've witnessed to the police, Dallas Catholic Auxiliary Bishop Greg Kelly announced, "This is evidence of why SB4 is bad."
Assistant Police Chief Gary Tittle was asked to clarify how SB4 could work, given police need for witnesses and victim cooperation and the real fears immigrants have of reporting. Tittle explained that crime victims, witnesses and people calling 911 are exempt from questions about immigration status.
The assembly took place even as Dallas Police Department interviews for a new police chief are underway. Said Minister Jonathan Morrison of Cedar Crest Church of Christ, and DAI representative on the interviewing panel, “I think there is always progress anytime there can be first real dialog and conversation and when communities can begin to share of their struggles and we begin to see commonality in our struggles.”
Religious leaders of DAI are working to develop a relationship of mutual accountability with the Dallas Police Department to address fears faced by all sides.
[Photo Credit: Ron Baselice, Dallas Morning News]
North Texas Religious Leaders Step Up to Speak Out Against State's SB4 Immigration Law, Dallas Morning News
Inmigrantes Buscan Refugio en sus Iglesias Por Temor a Leyes Migratorias Como SB4, Al Dia Dallas
Dallas Police Chief Candidates in Town for Interviews, FOX News
Dallas Police Asst. Chief Gary Tittle Responds to Question About SB4, Diane Solis - Dallas Morning News
DAI Leaders Commit to Working with Police, Allison Harris - FOX 4 News
Video, Judge Brandon Birmingham
Read about what some North #Texas religious leaders are doing to inform their communities about #SB4. ➡️https://t.co/xGByQJTcHC pic.twitter.com/g1VG33oZVK
— Elvia Limón (@elvialimon) July 18, 2017
Discover our latest initiatives and see what’s new in our communities!
[Excerpts] On a Tuesday evening in mid-November, dozens of cars slow-rolled, bumper-to-bumper, along Northwest Highway, queuing to turn onto Hillcrest Road. Temple Emanu-El was this year’s host for Dallas Area...
Read More
“This is our moment to reimagine Dallas—not as it is, but as its residents want it to be.” - Pastor Vincent Parker, Lead Pastor of Golden Gate Missionary Baptist Church...
Read More
For years, Dallas Area Interfaith (DAI) tenant leaders have shone a public light on the hazardous, unbearable apartment conditions they face, and urged city officials to develop solutions to hold...
Read More
In response to changes in immigration law enforcement and the upsurge in ICE detentions and deportations, Dallas Area Interfaith (DAI) is developing a legal representation strategy for people in detention. This...
Read More
Drawing more than 700 institutionally based leaders from across North Texas, Dallas Area Interfaith's 'Cry for Justice and Call to Action' tapped into fresh energy and galvanized new participation from all...
Read More
On the weekend after the election, Dallas Area Interfaith's bilingual parish leadership development training drew 60 ministry leaders from seven parishes and three guest institutions. Bishop Greg Kelly reflected on...
Read More
After Texas legislators passed the anti-immigrant Senate Bill 4, Dallas Area Interfaith (DAI) leaders didn’t lose hope. Instead, they reached out directly to the Dallas Police Department, engaging them in...
Read More
[Excerpts] You have to wonder what would become of the residents of Kendall Villas without advocates like Dallas Area Interfaith pressing the city on their behalf. ....city staffers were aware...
Read More
[Excerpt] When Pope Francis told a group of U.S. community organizers that their work was "atomic," Jorge Montiel said, "I thought, 'Oh, you mean we blow things up?'" But instead,...
Read More
Leaking faucets, holes in the floor, and rats running across children's feet at night. An apartment manager refusing to start repairs without proof of US citizenship. These are just some of...
Read More
[Excerpts] On a Tuesday evening in mid-November, dozens of cars slow-rolled, bumper-to-bumper, along Northwest Highway, queuing to turn onto Hillcrest Road. Temple Emanu-El was this year’s host for Dallas Area...
Read More
“This is our moment to reimagine Dallas—not as it is, but as its residents want it to be.” - Pastor Vincent Parker, Lead Pastor of Golden Gate Missionary Baptist Church...
Read More