Thursday night: Five officers killed in the line of duty in Downtown Dallas.
Friday: A city knocked down after violence the night before.
Saturday: A memorial grows at Dallas Police Headquarters where a false alarm caused a brief scare that night after a suspicious person was reported in a garage nearby.
Then Sunday came.
It was quiet when all of a sudden my cell phone blew up again – this time alerting of an impromptu protest outside NorthPark Center. Then another alert of a counter protest.
The last thing I wanted was another eruption of violence in the already extremely tense atmosphere over Dallas since Thursday night’s tragedy.
Then, nothing. No phone call from the boss calling me in again. No secondary alerts of violence. Back to absolute quiet.
Then came a news report of what actually happened when those two groups of protesters got together.
A handshake. A hug. And finally a prayer involving everyone including a police officer who was there to keep the peace.
That was the first step in a change for the better in this country.
We protest in this country when we disagree with the status quo. We call for change because in the United States it is our right to do that.
Unfortunately, it sometimes takes a horrific act of violence to bring people together but that might be what we are finally seeing.
Dallas Police Senior Corporal Lorne B. Ahrens, Officer Michael Krol, Sergeant Michael Smith, Officer Patricio Zamarripa and Dallas Area Rapid Transit Officer Brent Thompson.
Names to never forget. Heroes who gave the ultimate sacrifice. Men who on July 7th, 2016 did not get a chance to go home.
This city has been knocked down before. It picked itself back up.
From the Kennedy Assassination to Delta 1141 and an Ebola scare less than two years ago.
Dallas powers through tragedy and the city will do it again.
#DallasStrong
-Eric Bushman
