Overview
- Video of a June 27 confrontation outside Trinity Pride Fest shows a Fort Worth officer saying speech that offends others could be cited, and the clips racked up tens of millions of views on social media.
- The department issued a disorderly conduct citation for amplified noise to preacher David Grisham and said officers told the men they could continue speaking without a bullhorn.
- Fort Worth Police Chief Eddie Garcia acknowledged officers described lawful speech inaccurately and has launched First Amendment refresher training for command staff, supervisors and officers.
- Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon’s July 13 letter asked the city for FWPD policies, training materials and complaint records back to 2015 under 34 U.S.C. § 12601 and gave the city 30 days to respond.
- Preachers’ lawyers say the noise charge is baseless and allege a pattern of misconduct tied to at least one officer, and DOJ review could lead to no action, remedial measures, formal investigation or litigation depending on the records.