Attention Media: WE THE PEOPLE, who knew and loved Botham Shem Jean will not stand for the defamation of his name

Before the last hymn could be sung, or the last amen could be uttered at the Memorial Service held for Botham Shem Jean yesterday in Dallas, Texas, at the Greenville Avenue Chruch of Christ, the media began to release tidbits of information obtained through an affidavit by the Dallas Police department alleging that marijuana had been found in Jean’s apartment.  Most believe the information was released in an effort for the police to discredit the stellar life that Botham Shem Jean lived. Jean had a reputation for being a good Christian young man, who brightened the lives of all he touched. He worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers in Dallas, he was a graduate of Harding University and attended the Dallas West Church of Christ. So it’s fair to say that once the media began releasing information on the day of the Memorial Service held for Jean, friends, and family were outraged, rightfully so.

But here is why we are not going to allow the media to control the narrative of Botham Shem Jean’s life. It is because it is clear without a shadow of a doubt that the events that led up to the death of  Jean speak for themselves. Regardless of the affidavit released by the DPD, it is clear that Jean was murdered by an off-duty police officer while in his home where he should have been safe. After all, should we not all feel safe in the privacy of our own homes, without fear that those who are trained to protect us, do just that…protect us? We’d be naive to not take note of the black men and women who are losing their lives throughout the country at an alarming rate at the hands of law enforcement. We’ve watched as officers involved in crimes such as these not be held accountable for their actions, or not receive adequate punishment. But this is not a story about all police officers being bad, because we do know this is not the case. What we are witnessing, is an unfortunate series of events that involved an individual making a terrible decision that ultimately resulted in the death of another person.

These are the only facts that matter and that we the people need to know about this case, other than Amber Guygers true motive.

• While off duty, Amber Guyger a Dallas Police officer shot and killed Jean in his apartment last week.
• She alleges that she believed she was in her own apartment at the time of the shooting and thought that Botham was an intruder.
• He was not an intruder.
• He was in his own apartment.
• She was not in her own apartment.
•  Jean should be alive today.

These are the facts based on Guygers initial account of that night. These accounts are taken from her story, there are no allegations here, only facts, according to Amber. No other information pertaining to what was found in his home after his untimely death gives merit to the cause of his death, and we don’t care to hear about it.

I do find it to be a tragedy that it is an ongoing trend in this country to immediately try to discredit the life of someone who no longer has a voice to speak for themselves. And while this may have been the case in previous incidents such as this, WE THE PEOPLE, who knew and loved Botham Shem Jean will not stand for this. We will be his voice and with God, on our side, his family will receive the justice they deserve.

If I could get one message across to the journalist tasked with writing and sharing stories related to this incident, outlets such as  USA TODAY; WFAA-TV, Dallas-Fort Worth; The Associated Press, while I understand that you are doing your job by releasing relevant information pertaining to this incident, but please make sure that the information that you are sharing is indeed relevant. We never tend to think about how the things we say have the ability to affect the lives of others, in this case, the legacy of a man who lived a life worthy of praise. You have the ability to be the voice of a young man who senselessly lost his life. And while this may be a little bit foreign to some of you, I implore you to ask yourself in moments such as these… What Would Jesus Do (WWJD)? Not every story is a good story.

To Amber Guyger, perhaps you made a mistake, a horrible mistake that night, but someone died. A father, a mother, a sister, a brother, family, and friends are hurting over this tragic event. Not one life was ruined that night, but many, including yours. There is no doubt in my mind that right now if you could go back in time and redo that night over again… you would….but it can’t be redone, that’s the funny thing about life sometimes, not all of us will get a second chance, Botham won’t….but you will. I know that your lawyers are giving you guidance to enhance your story to try to make things “look better”, as a matter of fact, you probably don’t even have control over the information being released to the media, but you know this is wrong. Do the right thing…I’m praying for you.

-Gigi Powers