More than 7,000 individuals braved the rain yesterday in Fort Worth for the third installment of the No Kings protest, held at General Worth Square in the heart of downtown. This event was part of a nationwide movement aimed at opposing fascism, targeting both local issues and the current administration.
Among the speakers was Jacqualyne Johnson, the mother of Anthony Johnson Jr., a 31-year-old Marine veteran who tragically died in Tarrant County Jail during a routine cell search on April 21, 2024. He had informed jail staff that he was unable to breathe before succumbing after being restrained and pepper-sprayed. Johnson expressed her outrage to the crowd, stating, “Tarrant County has already spent over 600,000 dollars — and counting — of my taxpayer money and yours to defend the jailers involved in my son’s death, and we haven’t even been to trial. I’m not only a victim. I’m a taxpayer paying for the people who murdered my son.”
Another notable speaker, Amanda Arizola, COO and co-founder of CoAct, a community-focused design studio, addressed the troubling cycle of deaths within the jail system. She highlighted the grim reality that individuals often enter the facility in poor health, are subsequently transferred to JPS Health Network, and many do not survive. “When someone moves from the county jail to a county hospital and does not survive, that is not two separate failures. That’s one system failing in two places, and we owe this community better,” she asserted.
Since the election of Sheriff Bill Waybourn in 2017, over 70 individuals have died in custody, many suffering from untreated mental health issues and ultimately succumbing to medical neglect within the jail.
This protest notably included Latino and Indigenous dance troupes, symbolizing Fort Worth’s commitment to embracing diverse cultures amid rising systemic bigotry. Signs representing those arrested during protests at the Prairieland ICE Detention Center were prominently displayed throughout the gathering.
While local concerns took center stage, speakers and participants also voiced their demands for national accountability, including justice for those implicated in the Epstein scandal, a cessation of unconstitutional activities by ICE, and a comprehensive reform of the economic system that enables the wealthy to hoard resources without facing legal repercussions.
