Family of man who died in Tarrant County jail urges commissioner to take action
The mother and sisters of a man who died while he was incarcerated in the Tarrant County Jail were back to speak at Tarrant County Commissioners Court on Tuesday. This time, they directed their comments to the commissioner whose precinct they live in: Manny Ramirez.
“Mr Ramirez, you have not yet sent condolences to my family. I’m sure by now you know where we live, since you represent the fourth precinct,” Jacqualyne Johnson, the mother of Anthony Johnson Jr., said during public comments.
Johnson, 31, died at the Tarrant County Jail on April 21, after he had been arrested in Saginaw during what his family says was a schizophrenic episode. A medical examiner has ruled his death a homicide. The autopsy findings cite asphyxia from use of force and pepper spray as the cause of death.
Jacqualyne Johnson also asked Ramirez to join commissioner Alisa Simmons in calling for the release of the full video of Johnson’s death.
The Sheriff’s Office and Texas Rangers in May released the partial video of the struggle that led to Johnson’s death. The footage shows what happened until the moment jailers get off Johnson’s motionless body.
She had one more request for Ramirez for when he views the entire video.
“When you watch that video, envision your child’s face on my son. Then ask yourself if you still support the sheriff, since you think he is doing a wonderful job,” Jacqualyne Johnson said.
After the meeting Ramirez said his heart breaks for Johnson’s family.
“I’ve got three daughters,” he said. “I understand the love for a child and a brother and a sister. I mean, that goes beyond pretty much anything out there. I’ve been praying for their family. And again, I mean, it’s an absolute, absolutely horrible thing what happened to Anthony Johnson.”
At the last commissioners meeting on June 4, County Judge Tim O’Hare ordered Johnson’s sister Janell Johnson to be removed from the room after she yelled and told him to look at her while she spoke. She was allowed to stay Tuesday.
Janell Johnson said she wasn’t interested in an apology from O’Hare — her mother said she deserved one when she spoke — but then shifted her focus to Ramirez, raising her voice occasionally and telling him he should not come knocking on her family’s door when he campaigns. She said she was going to “keep exposing” Tarrant County officials.
“2027 is coming up, Mr Ramirez,” she said referring to the end of his term.
“I can understand the passion, I can understand the anger, obviously,” Ramirez said. “How I view it is, you know, it’s my responsibility to give the resources necessary to make sure this doesn’t happen again, and that another family doesn’t have to go through what the Johnson family is going through.”
Chanell Johnson began her comments by reading Ramirez’s biography listed on his campaign website.
“’No one will work harder than Manny to create a better future for our children and our communities and our country’ that’s in your bio, Mr Ramirez, but what have you done since my brother died?” she said. “You guys have not watched the video, but you’re going to be the ones voting on what my family gets, which is ridiculous, because we shouldn’t be receiving anything. My brother should not have died.”
Ramirez said it was difficult to sit through the comments and hear the family’s pain but said they have yet to reach out to his office, something he hopes will change. He said he would like to meet with them.
“It’s certainly not us versus them,” he said. “It’s us all trying to make our Sheriff’s Department better, and making sure that we have world class training, making sure that this never happens again. My focus is on getting results for Anthony Johnson’s family, and making sure that this never happens again.”
