South Dallas will soon see more consistency between highway signs that say Lamar Street and roads named in honor of Botham Jean after City Council approved paying for the changes.
Dallas will pay the Texas Department of Transportation a little over $180,500 to help install 13 street signs at various exits along Interstate 45, State Highway 310 and U.S. 175, according to a measure approved Wednesday.
The city in 2021 approved renaming a section of South Lamar Street in memory of Botham Jean, a 26-year-old who was fatally shot by a former Dallas police officer who mistook his apartment on that street as her own. She was found guilty of murder.
“When driving down Botham Jean Boulevard, we are reminded of the thousands of lives lost across this country each year to senseless violence,” said council member Adam Bazaldua, who represents the South Dallas area. “Most importantly, these signs stand as a reminder that no one is above the law, and that accountability and justice must remain at the center of our priorities in communities across the City of Dallas.”
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South of Interstate 30, neighborhood thoroughfares have reflected the change. However, signs around highway exits in South Dallas and east Oak Cliff have still said Lamar. There is not yet a timeline on when the signs will be installed by TxDOT crews.
The state transportation department and the city will finalize an agreement in the near future, said Tony Hartzel, a TxDOT spokesperson. Once the funds are received, the signs will be ordered for fabrication, he added.
For months, residents have been asking City Council to complete the change and also include the northern portion of Lamar.
Yafeuh Balogun, with Community Movement Builders, spoke at the meeting Wednesday. He said it was a powerful moment when city leaders voted unanimously to rename about 4 miles of Lamar.
“We want to keep that legacy strong, keep it going,” he said, adding that it makes no sense for a change approved so long ago to still be in progress.
Related: Dallas City Council approves renaming street in memory of Botham Jean
Davante Peters, a health store owner who has run for council several times, said in an interview that getting the signs changed will help not confuse people who are visiting the area. However, he wants to see all of Lamar changed to honor Jean.
“It’s imperative that they give their full promise and not just give half of a promise or half of a street,” he said. Peters said he feels the council has been dragging its feet while taking credit for changes that he and other community members advocated for.
“They gave that promise about six years ago, and it’s no telling how long it’s going to take them to do that now,” Peters said, adding, “I don’t think this is finished until they honor the Jean family fully, with the full street of Lamar.”
At the meeting, Bazaldua thanked residents who have continued advocating for the approval of the signs. The renaming goes beyond changing a few street signs, he said.
“It has always been about commemorating a life taken far too soon,” Bazaldua said. “Botham Jean was a son, a brother, and a neighbor whose life mattered deeply to so many.”
This reporting is part of the Future of North Texas, a community-funded journalism initiative supported by the Commit Partnership, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, the Dallas Mavericks, the Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, Lisa and Charles Siegel, the McCune-Losinger Family Fund, The Meadows Foundation, the Perot Foundation, the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas and the University of Texas at Dallas. The News retains full editorial control of this coverage.