DALLAS RESIDENTS PROTEST POLICE FIRING

DALLAS - About 50 protesters upset over the firing of Dallas' first black
police chief marched to city hall Friday and demanded the removal of the
mayor and city manager.

Some in the crowd shouted "Amen" as rally organizer Darren Reagan listed
demands, including the recall of Mayor Laura Miller and the removal of City
Manager Ted Benavides.

The protesters accuse the two of orchestrating the dismissal of Chief
Terrell Bolton. His four-year tenure was marked by controversy, including
lawsuits by demoted commanders and a scandal in which officers allegedly
planted fake drugs on innocent people. Benavides has said the chief was
fired because of his performance.

"We're here because of the public lynching of the Dallas' first
African-American police chief," Reagan said.

Reagan, chairman of the Black State Employees Association of Texas, called
on the City Council to negotiate a severance package for Bolton. The ousted
chief, a 23-year veteran of the force, was not offered severance but will
get $68,000 for unused vacation and sick days.

At an emotional news conference at his attorney's office Friday, Bolton
said he was ruined by the firing. "I'll never be able to get a job as a dog
catcher," he said.

Miller plans to meet soon with black leaders to address their concerns over
Bolton's firing, her spokesman Crayton Webb said.

"Today I don't think it would have been productive for the mayor to walk
out in the midst of a heated rally, but there will be a day in the near
future," Webb said.