Police Across Texas Report an Outpouring of Support After Dallas Ambush

Across the Lone Star State, Texans are showing love and support for law enforcement officers. The support is coming from spontaneous random acts of kindness towards police to fund raising benefits on behalf of police groups.

Shortly after the murder of Harris County Deputy Sheriff Darren Goforth, people in Houston began anonymously picking up the checks for police officers in restaurants around the county. That gesture of support has picked up again following the murders of five Dallas-area police officers on July 7, KTRK ABC13 in Houston is reporting.

Houston Senior Police Officer Tim Whitaker and Sergeants Dan Brown and Jon Golemon, and Shane Harvey got together for dinner at George’s Pastaria in west Houston. The officers told ABC13’s Steve Campion they were shocked when they learned that complete strangers had picked up their check:

“Even while we were sitting there, a couple of people acknowledged us. One of the guys, there was an older guy that kind of shuffled over to our table and he was crying as he walked towards the table. As he got to our table, he tried to say something but he couldn’t say anything so he touched one of us, turned around, and walked off … We got ready to pay. We got ready to leave. They reminded us again that several tables had offered to pay for our meal. When we got up to leave, one guy started clapping, and as we got closer to the door, I looked to my left as I was getting ready to leave. I saw most of the restaurant was standing up and giving us a standing ovation as we were walking out.”

In Fort Worth, a group of county & western dancers gathered to show support by wearing blue and raising money for a police organization. “Guitars & Cadillacs hosted a #BackTheBlue night on Friday night,” dance instructor Terri Bordeaux told Breitbart Texas. “The place was packed out. We had so many people we couldn’t fit them all in the photo.”

Bordeaux said that many in her community where buying blue light bulbs to put in their home’s exterior lighting to show support for officers. “Blue light bulbs are hard to find now, so I ordered mine online.” She said the event was organized by Jessica Bond and the night club’s owners.

On the Guitars and Cadillacs Facebook page, the owners said nearly $400 was raised during the evening’s event.

Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Major Chad Norvell reported stories from deputies who experienced people walking up to them and expressing gratitude for their service. “People have just randomly stopped them, hugged them, thanked them, and bought lunches for them,” he told Campion. “It’s happening quite a bit all over the community.”

The Jersey Village Police Department in northwest Harris County reported numerous cases where citizens of the community brought food and flowers to show their support.

In the days following the ambush of the Dallas-area police officers, Breitbart Texas reported Governor Greg Abbott lit the Governor’s Mansion in blue. Others across the state followed suit, including Houston City Hall.

The Governor’s Mansion is lit blue to honor the police officers killed in Dallas. #BackTheBlue #txlege pic.twitter.com/kwA0RJHxiQ

— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) July 9, 2016

Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas and is a member of the original Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX.