Assaulting Citizens is not new for Dallas Police. As time goes by victims names become faint memories. One such person is James Harrison.
Dallas Police officers shot Harrison when he walked to his front door carrying a screwdriver in 2015 per video released of the deadly incident.
Harrison, 38, can be seen in the police body-camera video walking to the front door. This is after his mother opens it for the officers and walks outside past them. Harrison, who suffered from bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, was in distress that day and his mother called 9-1-1 for assistance. Family members told reporters from local news station WFAA the’ve had to call the police on Harrison before.
Harrison came to the door fiddling with a screwdriver.
“When you’re dealing with somebody that’s mentally ill, you’re not supposed to agitate, you’re not supposed to move fast, you’re not supposed to inflame,” said Geoff Henley. He was the Harrison family attorney retained in the wrongful death lawsuit against the Dallas Police Department.
The City of Dallas offered a settlement to the Harrison family that was “so humiliating” per an employee with the city who has direct knowledge said is was declined outright.
The video shows officers carrying tasers. The less-lethal weapons were never deployed or considered per the video available.
“They didn’t acknowledge him, they just acknowledged the screwdriver,” said David Harrison, the victim’s brother. “Immediately after [my mother] got out of the way … it went from zero to a hundred.”
Dallas Police Assaulting Citizens Not New
Another tie in to today’s police brutality claims is the lack of assistance by officers. In the video it appears officers were shocked Harrison was still alive.
“He’s alive…he’s alive.”
“Should we cuff him?”
Like in the George Floyd protests, officers seem ready to use violence, but not their first aid training. It is unclear how someone is denied the basic humanity of treatment.