From: Terry Smith

Date: Friday, January 5, 2018

Subject: Open letter to John Wiley Price

We are living in an age where we can see how powerful men abuse their power. We are seeing men
behaving badly and deplorably. Whether you call it verbal, physical, sexual abuse or verbal, physical
sexual harassment it is all the same. All forms of abuse or harassment leave indelible marks and scars on
each of us and our families. Dealing with people with power trying to intimidate and force their ways
onto those without power. I have stood by while you called me a liar, slandered my name, attempted to
berate me to others and created a hostile work environment for me.

You have attempted to persuade and/or coerce my Juvenile Board to vote your way and their only crime
is they have the temerity to support me. You have attempted to run this department, run my facilities
and run me off.

You have a much bigger platform and voice than I do; you feed your perspective and slanderous remarks
to the newspaper, who publish your side along with misinformed facts before I even have a chance to
inform Commissioner’s Court or my Juvenile Board of actions going on in our department.

I'm not blaming a reporter for wanting to get headlines and by lines; but I do blame them for only
believing one perspective.

I speak for all those who have been afraid to speak out against you, it appears to be the unspoken rule
for those who are against you or stand on their own mission, have felt your wrath. I realize by standing
and speaking out I may feel the full weight of your power going forward, however; I can no longer be
silenced like so many powerful men have tried to do to those who are powerless.

Ephesians 6:13 King James Version (KJV):

Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day,
and having done all, to stand.
While I may be powerless, I do have a voice and I am using my voice to Stand. To stand for all those who
have been afraid to stand, too embarrassed to stand or too trampled upon to stand.

I stand for all of them. My voice is my power and I will use it to stand against men like you who think it is
a male pejorative to victimize and harass those who do not have a voice.

Sincerely,
Dr. Terry Snow Smith

From: John Wiley Price

Date: Tue, Jan 9, 2018 at 12:29 PM
Subject: Response to Dr. Terry Snow Smith
Dr. Terry Snow Smith:

While you’re standing, you should consider standing for the children who were left in your care.
Stand for the children who spent an unimaginable amount of time without being allowed to enjoy
something as simple as the outdoor air. Or safety from sexually predatory acts.

If you could contrast a snapshot of what the Dallas County employee base looked like in 1984
when I arrived, versus this present hour, you would probably faint. Since the day of my swearing
in, my main intent and my initiative have been to make our workforce resemble our
demographic.

But not just in the ranks, I have worked to secure equity and parity in the executive offices. You
were hired, not because you are African American, nor a woman, but because your credentials
reflected a history of commitment to your craft. Had your craft been engineering, then your
errors would not have been so costly. Had your craft been accounting, then your ineptitude could
have been corrected with the swoop of a pen and a statement to assuage the public.

Your inability to perform your craft has humanity as its causality and I will not allow anyone,
without regard to race, gender or heritage harm the children in our care. In most instances, these
children have been victims at home, at school and in far too many places that should have
granted them safety and solace.

Your attempts to cash in on the “MeToo” movement ring hollow. I have never claimed to be
perfect, but my record of inclusion and advocacy for the underdog has never been questioned.

So while you are standing, use your voice to apologize to children who were sexually abused and
misappropriated while in your care. While you stand, use your voice to speak out against a
system that feeds the prison pipeline rather than starving it.

You can’t point to anyone on this court who had anymore regard for you than did I. I used my
voice to support you and when you could no longer meet the demands of your job, and found
fault with your staff without admitting your part in it, I had no choice but be vocal.

And by the way, you stopped at Ephesians 6:13, but you failed to heed the next verse.

Ephesians 6:14 (NLT) “Stand your ground putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of
God’s righteousness.” The truth is that you were not able to stand this ground.

It is obvious, that for you this is personal. Please understand that for me it is not. I have spent a
generation fighting for children who are hurt by this system. I will not allow them to be
mishandled. Not even as a matter of professional courtesy.

John Wiley Price

Dallas County Commissioner, District No. 3
411 Elm Street, 2nd Fl |Dallas, TX 75202
214-653-6671 Main |214-653-6622 Fax

"A lie doesn’t become truth, wrong doesn’t become right, and
evil doesn’t become good, just because it’s accepted by the majority."