Dallas Protest Leader Sentenced to 2 Years in Prison

By CLAUDIA LAUER, ASSOCIATED PRESS DALLAS — Aug 26, 2016, 6:53 PM ET

A leader of the group that organized the protest where a sniper killed five law enforcement officers in Dallas was sentenced Friday to prison for unrelated probation violations.

Dallas County Judge Gracie Lewis revoked probation for Dominique Alexander and sentenced him to two years in prison with credit for time served. Alexander, the 27-year-old founder of the Next Generation Action Network that organized the July 7 rally to protest recent fatal police shootings of black men, had been on probation for a 2009 felony injury to a child conviction.

The hearing Friday was held two weeks after Dallas County District Attorney officials filed a motion to revoke Alexander's probation for multiple violations. Alexander's supporters have said those issues had largely already been addressed by the same judge at previous hearings. They say he is being targeted because of the protest, but the shooter Micah Johnson was not affiliated with their group.

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Prosecutors alleged Alexander violated his probation by missing meetings with his probation officer, leaving the state without notifying his probation officer, failing to complete community service and classes and falling behind on fines and fees. Court records showed Lewis sentenced Alexander to 10 days in jail in December for several missed meetings and added 30 hours of community service after he admitted to leaving the state at a hearing earlier this month.

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