Botham Jean Blvd: New Street Name Unveiled In Dallas
A newly named street has been unveiled in Dallas to honor Botham Jean, a 26-year-old Black man who was shot and killed by former police officer Amber Guyer.
On Saturday (March 27) an intimate street naming ceremony was held to unveil Botham Jean Boulevard. The day has also been declared “Botham Shem Jean Day” in Dallas by Mayor Eric Johnson, CBS News reports. Jean, the mayor said, “embodies the very spirit of what this city is supposed to be about.”
"Somebody who was not from here… could have gone anywhere he wanted to but chose to make Dallas, Texas, his home," Johnson said. "And didn't just live here quietly ... he contributed to this city. He found a church home ... and contributed to making Dallas a better city," Johnson continued, according to CBS Dallas.
"The city of Dallas mourns with you," Johnson added. "We honor your son's legacy, and hopefully this is just a small demonstration of how we feel about the contributions that your son made in the very short period of time that we had him here."
Jean’s mother Allison shared during the ceremony that the new street name is not only a powerful tribute but marks that her son is never forgotten.
"Every single Dallas police officer has to say his name. 'Yeah? Where do you work? What's your address? 555 Botham Jean Blvd.' They will say his name," she said.
Guyger, who had claimed she mistakenly entered Jean’s apartment thinking it was her own, is serving a 10-year sentence after being convicted for the murder of Botham Jean in 2019.
