(Editor’s note: This article has been updated to correct the profession of panelist Tonya Winston.)
AMARILLO, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) – The Amarillo Branch NAACP announced it will hold a town hall panel discussion focused on community safety Thursday, Jan. 15 at St. John’s Baptist Church, located at 2301 NW 14th St.
The town hall panel is set to be held at 6 p.m., according to organizers, and will include several panelists who will give opening statements and respond to public questions, including submitted written questions.
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Panelists are expected to include:
- Amarillo Police Department Interim Chief Jimmy Johnson;
- Civil Rights Attorney Ryan Brown, JD;
- Potter County Judge Thomas Jones;
- Potter County Judge Nancy Tanner;
- Former Amarillo ISD Superintendent Doug Loomis;
- Potter County Sheriff Brian Thomas;
- Community activist Tonya Winston; and
- Amarillo Branch NAACP Vice President David Lovejoy, as moderator.
Organizers noted the topics intended for the town hall panel include:
- Policing practices and accountability;
- Crime prevention and community-based safety;
- Youth, schools and public safety;
- Emergency response and crisis intervention; and
- Trust, transparency and community relations.
Organizers said the panelists will give opening statements before hearing and responding to public questions, with the hope community members “can provide emerging or unaddressed issues.” At the end of the town hall, panelists will offer a key takeaway for attendees from the discussion and information regarding community resources.
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“There have been some shootings and fatalities in the area with young people involved at very late hours, so we want to make the community aware of the problem with our young people and the consequences to their lives,” said Lovejoy…