Protect and Serve the Badge: The Dallas County Sheriff\u2019s Department Lied<\/em><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
On August 3, we held a huge rally that brought out a broad diversity of people. Person after person shouted into the bullhorn, \u201cSay his name!\u201d To which the crowd thundered back, \u201cJoseph Hutcheson.\u201d We marched right up to the lobby where Hutcheson got a knee to the throat and shook the foundations of the place.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
At the end of the first week, Dominique Alexander and I set up a small press conference to call for the release of the tape and an investigation of the Sheriff\u2019s Department by the Texas Legislature. We pushed and pushed.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
The next morning, exactly one week after Hutcheson\u2019s death, I stood in the exact spot of the jail lobby where Hutcheson died, lowered my head and prayed.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
After our actions, I thought for sure the Dallas Sheriff would make a statement of condolence or something. We didn\u2019t hear anything.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
When Hutcheson\u2019s family contacted me and asked for my help, I didn\u2019t hesitate. We immediately set up a press conference and rally for the following Friday. The emotional press conference moved me deeply. Compounding pain upon pain, Nicole Hutcheson revealed that her husband\u2019s neck organs were not returned. The Hutcheson\u2019s pain and anguish couldn\u2019t be ignored. I prayed that God would grant swift justice to this family. For the first time, we got a direct response. The Sheriff argued that she couldn\u2019t release the tape until the investigation was finished. That wasn\u2019t enough for me.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
The rally was electric. I had never seen so many white people show up to fight police brutality before. After the speeches, we marched right into the lobby to demand justice. The Sheriff responded by sending out deputies in riot gear. Facing them down and screaming her son\u2019s name, was Ruth Boatner in her wheelchair.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Throughout the day, Joseph Hutcheson was the top story on every major news outlet in Dallas.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
We also learned that all six deputies involved in the incident were placed on restricted duty. I couldn\u2019t believe it took so long.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
We waited another week for the tape. Nothing.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
On August 22, we gathered for another prayer vigil. This time there were close to 30 people who joined me in my sojourn up to the spot, including the Hutcheson family. I wore my robe and led the procession. The Spirit was with us.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just last Tuesday, I spoke before the Dallas County Commission to demand the tape. Clutching the podium, I could feel the anger rising within. Why was it taking all of this to see a tape that belonged to the people anyway? After the meeting, Eddie Hutcheson and I had a direct confrontation with the Sheriff. Again, she made the excuse of needing more time to investigate. I didn\u2019t buy it. I consistently kept asking for the tape.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Three days later.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
I was just told part of the tape is about to be released.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Amen.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u00a0 Desperate for help, Joseph Hutcheson parked his truck on the curb of the Lew Sterrett Justice Center in Dallas and ran inside. Upon entering, Hutcheson screamed, \u201cDon\u2019t hurt me, I just need some help.\u201d The deputies tackled him. As Hutcheson screamed that he couldn\u2019t breathe, a witness described one deputy restraining Hutcheson with \u201ca […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2509,"featured_media":3501,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,10],"tags":[773,782,1033,1872,3066,3184,3222,3595],"class_list":["post-3500","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-freshwritings","category-thoughts","tag-dallas-county-commission","tag-dallas-sheriff","tag-eddie-hutcheson","tag-joseph-hutcheson","tag-ruth-boatner","tag-sheriff-lupe-valdez","tag-six-deputies","tag-the-tape"],"yoast_head":"\n
Fighting for Joseph Hutcheson: The Battle for the Tape<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\" Desperate for help, Joseph Hutcheson parked his truck on the curb of the Lew Sterrett Justice Center in Dallas and ran inside. Upon entering,\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jeffhood\/fighting-for-joseph-hutcheson-the-battle-for-the-tape\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Fighting for Joseph Hutcheson: The Battle for the Tape\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\" Desperate for help, Joseph Hutcheson parked his truck on the curb of the Lew Sterrett Justice Center in Dallas and ran inside. Upon entering,\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jeffhood\/fighting-for-joseph-hutcheson-the-battle-for-the-tape\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Jeff Hood\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-08-28T08:19:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jeff Hood\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jeff Hood\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jeffhood\/fighting-for-joseph-hutcheson-the-battle-for-the-tape\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jeffhood\/fighting-for-joseph-hutcheson-the-battle-for-the-tape\/\",\"name\":\"Fighting for Joseph Hutcheson: The Battle for the Tape\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jeffhood\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2015-08-28T08:19:38+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2015-08-28T08:19:38+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jeffhood\/#\/schema\/person\/7520c1e5a6c2879d78536396c58007de\"},\"description\":\" Desperate for help, Joseph Hutcheson parked his truck on the curb of the Lew Sterrett Justice Center in Dallas and ran inside. 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Dr. Jeff Hood is a Catholic priest (Old Catholic), theologian, and nationally recognized activist based in North Little Rock, Arkansas. A spiritual advisor to death row inmates across the country, Dr. Hood has accompanied more people to their executions than any other advisor in the U.S., including the first-ever nitrogen hypoxia execution in 2024. His work sits at the intersection of justice, radical compassion, and public theology. Dr. Hood holds advanced degrees from Auburn, Emory, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, University of Alabama, Creighton, and Brite Divinity School, among others. He also earned a PhD in metaphysical theology and founded The New Theology School, where he serves as Dean and Professor of Prophetic Theology. Author of over 100 books\u2014including the award-winning The Courage to Be Queer\u2014Dr. Hood\u2019s writings and activism have been featured in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, NPR, CNN, and more. 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<\/a><\/p>\n