The following statement is from Terrance “TK” Koontz of BlackTOP, in response to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott pushing to pardon Daniel Perry, a man convicted Friday of murdering Garrett Foster at a Black Lives Matter protest in Austin in 2020:

“While Gov. Abbott disregards the treatment of Black and Latino Texans who demand justice by exercising their right to protest, bold Texans continue to call for an end to police brutality, discriminatory housing practices, and a healthcare system based in racism. Through his latest actions, Abbott is submitting to the will of far-right radicals at the expense of everyday working Texans. This latest ploy by Abbott is a message to all who fight for justice that their lives have no value in the eyes of Republican state leaders. Abbott’s words and behavior epitomize poor leadership, and show his lack of vision for making Texas into a state where all can thrive, a Texas4All.”

“His call to invalidate a guilty verdict reached by a jury of Daniel Perry’s peers only a day after being goaded on-air by shameless bigot Tucker Carlson proves how unfit he is to lead Texas. It underscores his inability to champion humane solutions to matters that impact our daily lives. Abbott is blinded by his decades of prejudice against historically marginalized people in our state – Black Texans in particular.”

“We are keeping in our thoughts the loved ones of Garrett Foster, including his fiancée Whitney Mitchell who Garrett was helping protest that fateful day, as they are having any shred of justice cruelly taken away from them.” 

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BlackTOP was built on the premise that the future of Texas rests in organizing Black folks across the state and getting US to the polls. With offices in Houston, Dallas and San Antonio, BlackTOP launched canvassing programs across multiple Texas counties to talk to, organize, and mobilize Black voters ahead of the 2022 election. For more information, visit blacktoptexas.org.

This statement was sent out April 11, 2023.