At the invitation of Mayor Rawlings, President Barack Obama will travel to Dallas on July 12 to attend an interfaith memorial service at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center. The service will honor the families of the fallen police officers and members of the Dallas community who were personally affected by the July 7 shooting following a protest in downtown Dallas.
Five officers were killed: Patrick Zamarripa, Michael Krol, Michael Smith, and Lorne Ahrens, all of the Dallas Police Department; and Brent Thompson, an officer from DART. Funeral services have been arranged; details are posted here.
President Obama will deliver remarks. He'll also meet privately with the families of the fallen police officers and those who were injured, to express the nation's support and gratitude for their service and sacrifice. Vice President Joseph Biden will attend, as will President and Mrs. George W. Bush.
The President's remarks at Meyerson Symphony Center will be open to family and media, but closed to the public.There'll be street closures near the Meyerson, which are not being identified for security reasons. Drivers should expect significant delays until July 13.
Dallas will also get a visit from Nevada Senator Aaron Ford, who will visit City Hall on Monday, July 11, to offer his condolences. Senator Ford, a Dallas native, says this proclamation is to show that Nevada stands with Dallas.
On July 11 at 8 pm, there'll be a candlelight vigil open to the public at Dallas City Hall Plaza, at 1500 Marilla St. Up to 600 guests can park at the Dallas Convention Center. DART will provide free shuttle service to the vigil from the Dallas Convention Center starting at 6 pm, continuing one-hour post vigil. A map with details can be seen here.
In addition, a public memorial concert, Dallas Sing/Dallas Strong, will be held on July 14, also at Meyerson Symphony Center. It will include appearances by Dallas singers Denise Lee, Paul Mason, and Liz Mikel, local opera star Ava Pine, and several religious and lay speakers, among others.
The downtown area is still in recovery mode. The city blocks where the shooting occurred remain closed to the public. A map on the city's website shows the areas that are shut down: Elm, Main, and Commerce streets, between Record and Griffin.
The Bank of America building at 900 Main St. is not expected to be open.
Investigators are working diligently to restore access to the remainder of the crime scene. The city anticipates that access will be restored by Wednesday, July 13, if not sooner.
Dallas County buildings that were closed on Friday — including George L. Allen Sr. Civil Courts Building, Old Red Museum, Dallas County Records Building, and the Dallas County Administration Building — will be open for business on Monday.
UPDATE: Beginning at 5 am on Tuesday July 12, Elm, Lamar, and Market Streets will be open to normal traffic. In addition, the West End Dart Station will resume normal operations.
Main Street will remain closed between Market and Lamar; Austin Street will remain closed between Commerce and Main. The Texas Club Parking garage and the El Centro College campus will remain closed until further notice.
Parts of downtown Dallas are still closed to the public. Citizens should check with their respective employers to see if their offices are open.
