Thanks to you, we've collected 1,350 signatures in less than 48 hours. The media coverage is continuing, the call for more transparency in Denton city govenment is growing. Your support is already making a difference for democracy, fairness, and the grieving family and friends of Darius Tarver, who feel less alone and more hopeful now because of your positive action.
Please keep sharing the petition and spreading the word to support the request of McKinney Police Chaplain Kevin Tarver for the public release of the unedited body camera footage of his son Darius Tarver's fatal shooting. Darius's reputation and the integrity of the ongoing investigations and future grand jury trial have already been tarnished by an official government narrative that paints this model student, citizen, and aspiring law enforcement official, as an unstoppable meat-cleaver-wielding attacker of police. If that is what really happened, then publicly releasing the bodycam video seen by Darius's father will show it and end the doubt once and for all. Until that video is released, the public is faced with two mutually exclusive narratives, each told by police, and each horrifying and tragic in their own way:
-one narrative, circulated by the Denton Police Department immediately following the shooting, tells the story of the justified shooting of an unstoppable, meat-cleaver-wielding attacker whom deescalation and even repeated tasings failed to prevent from charging officers with dangerous weapons.
-the other narrative, from McKinney Police Chaplain Kevin Tarver (who was privately shown the bodycam video by Texas Rangers), tells the story of the unjustified shooting of a nonviolent, non-attacking, mental health crisis sufferer, who never charged police, who posed no apparent violent threat to anyone, and on whom no meat cleaver was found and no deescalation practices were applied.
We don't know which of these two conflicting narratives is true, but only one of them can be correct, and the cause for reasonable doubt is undeniable. All we want, and all the family wants, is for the same video and audio that was privately shown to Kevin Tarver to be made public, no matter which narrative it confirms or debunks, and no matter which uncomfortable truths it reveals. It's a simple and undeniable fact that body cameras are intended for transparency and for the greater public good. They are public record, and should be released upon request, especially in matters of public interest and when the victim's family demands it. We want the unvarnished documentary audio-visual truth, released promptly and without narrative spin --for the public trust, for the integrity of the internal and external investigations underway, and for the integrity of the future grand jury trial.
The truth might be complicated, but our request is the simplest thing ever, and should not be controversial in a democracy. Our collective request is going to the following decision-makers:
-Paul Johnson, Denton County DA: Paul.Johnson@dentoncounty.com
-Texas Rangers: Rangers@dps.texas.gov
-Frank Dixon, City of Denton Police Chief: Frank.Dixon@cityofdenton.com
If they publicly release the video before the grand jury trial, as McKinney Police Chaplain Tarver requests, these city, county, and state decision makers can salvage the internal and external investigations underway, the future grand jury trial before it happens, and the public trust before it is irreparably broken. The law might not require them to release the video before the trial, but it unambiguously gives them the opportunity and discretion to do so for the right reasons. Kevin Tarver's request shouldn't be controversial. It is common sense, and the right thing to do. History will remember these decision-makers well if they grant it. Until that happens, we the people won't stop insisting on the transparency and unvarnished truth that all taxpayers should expect from their government in a democracy.
Thank you for standing up and speaking out for the greater public good in support of the simple, just, and reasonable request of a Police Chaplain and grieving father.
Keep following and spreading the word.