Relief and calm remains in Downtown Dallas after Derek Chauvin guilty verdict

There were no demonstrations Tuesday night and nobody to take advantage of them.

The Dallas Police Department barricaded its perimeter outside its headquarters.

Some downtown businesses, like the flagship store of Dallas-based Neiman Marcus, boarded up its windows.

Protests and riots were a possibility considering the violence in the streets of Dallas last year over George Floyd’s death. Neiman Marcus was looted then.

But instead of protests or riots Tuesday, the reaction to the Derek Chauvin guilty verdicts for Dallas organizers was celebratory.

“There is a lot left to be done, but I stand in solidarity with this family and overjoyed by the verdict,” said Dominique Alexander.

Next Generation Action Network organizers protested throughout last summer.

“George Floyd’s murder was just a tipping point,” said Jesuorobo Enobakhare, chairman of the Dallas Police Oversight Board.

Enobakhare watched the verdict from home. Moving forward, he hopes Floyd’s death helps reshape policing procedures in North Texas and across the country.

“We have to work on equity in policing. We have to work on procedural justice,” he said. “We have to look at these low-level offenses.”

Dallas Police Association President Mike Mata hopes Floyd’s death and Chauvin’s conviction lead to constructive conversations and change.

“The police department and that police officer definitely could have done things different,” he said. “But also, we need the citizens’ help so that these incidents don’t get to this level. We can only do that by communication and understanding each other’s role.”

Organizers we spoke with say there are no immediate plans for demonstrations following the guilty verdicts, but they still seek change.

“A real conversation that has to be made going from this,” Alexander said. “I’m ready to see these laws say that Black Lives Matter. I’m ready to see these ordinances.”