Fort Worth council member wants special meeting after arrest and injury of police critic
Fort Worth city council member Chris Nettles wants more information about the arrest of 60-year-old police critic Carolyn Rodriguez in the West 7th district early Sunday morning.
Rodriguez, who regularly posts videos of police encounters on YouTube and frequently criticizes the Fort Worth police at City Council public comment meetings, was arrested just after 3:30 a.m. Sunday on charges of failing to comply with police orders, according to a police press release.
She sustained injuries during the arrest and was transported to a hospital before being booked into jail, the police press release said.
Rodriguez had a blackened eye and cuts on other parts of her face in a booking photo taken by the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office. She was released from jail Monday, according to jail records.
Nettles said he was disturbed by Rodriguez’s live stream of the arrest and called for a special closed-door City Council meeting to be held July 2 along with a special public comment meeting on the same day, according to an emailed statement.
He also called for the public release of the police bodycam footage of the arrest.
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The Fort Worth City Council usually doesn’t meet during the month of July. Nettles noted in his statement that the council won’t meet again until Aug. 6.
“That’s too long and completely unacceptable for this city to wait,” he said.
An executive session has been scheduled for Friday, June 28, a spokesperson for the Mayor’s office said Tuesday.
Representatives for the police department did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment from the Star-Telegram.
Several residents who spoke during Tuesday’s council session were removed from the meeting after they called for the officer who used force against Rodriguez to be fired.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
