(WFAA) — On Sunday, the Dallas mayor announced #BeLikeBo day on Sept. 29, in honor of Botham Jean who was killed two years ago inside his own apartment by a Mk Dallas police officer.
Jean, 26, had been eating ice cream on his couch on Sept. 6, 2018, when Amber Guyger opened his door and shot him.
Guyger was off duty but still in uniform. She testified during her trial that she believed she was walking into her own apartment and believed Jean was an intruder.
Guyger was convicted of murder last year and sentenced to 10 years in prison.
She lived one floor below Jean at the Southside Flats apartments in Dallas. She was fired from the Dallas Police Department after the shooting.
Sept. 29 would have been Jean’s 29th birthday.
“Perform an act of kindness because that’s what Botham would’ve done,” Alissa Findley, Jean’s sister, said.
Earlier Sunday, which marked two years since Jean’s death, a community service event provided barbecue, free COVID-19 antibody tests and safety kits to Dallasites.
Findley said she’s trying to change what the day means to her.
“Today is still hard for me,” she said. “I look at it as the second anniversary of the last time I spoke to my brother. The last time I heard him laugh.”
The movement for change wasn’t just local.
Sunday, state lawmakers made a push for “Bo’s Law” which makes the castle doctrine more protective of homeowners, clarifies language related to “mistake of fact” and punishes officers who turn off body and dashcam videos during investigations.
“This is right versus righteousness,” Rep. Carl Sherman, a Democrat representing DeSoto, said. “This is transparency vs unclear. This is about establishing and consistency in how the law is practiced.”
“This is reasonable legislation that we should pass hopefully get the leadership of the state of Texas behind us in doing it,” Sen. Royce West said.
“I want laws to protect from those who are hired to serve and protect us,” Findley said.
Jean, better known as Bo, was born in Saint Lucia. He moved to the United States for college and then to Dallas to work as an accountant.
He was a song leader at Dallas West Church of Christ.
“Botham’s voice was silenced too soon, but the day of service is a way for us to remember what he stood for: love, service, sharing, and giving,” the church Minister Sammie L. Berry said in a written statement.
The Dallas mayor proclaimed Sept. 29 as a day of service to honor Jean’s memory.
In the mayor’s proclamation says “the world is a better place because Botham Jean lived in it.”
“By giving back to his community, he set an example that all Dallasites can live by. I encourage everyone to Be Like Bo on his birthday this year and let the legacy of his short, bright life transcend the tragedy of his death,” said Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson in a written statement.
Some Texas lawmakers plan to propose police reform legislation named for Jean. His alma mater, Harding University, started a scholarship in his memory.
In the evening, an artist revealed a new mural for Jean on S. Lamar St. with a “Botham Jean Boulevard” street sign included.
Dallas City Council members have called for Lamar Street to be renamed in Jean’s honor.
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