Deep Ellum Takes a Hit

Paul Kix at D Magazine says that Tarantino's in Deep Ellum has closed.
It's a sad day for that area. From what I've heard it was one of the classier establishments in Deep Ellum, and a fine restaurant. I was intrigued by the place, it reminded me of the type of Italian restaurant I would see back home.

Here's to hoping that the restaurant resurfaces.

Oak Cliff Kids Get to Ride the Bus (Again!)

According to Brad Watson at Channel 8 News, the kids that live in the Parkwoods apartments in Oak Cliff will have their school bus service reinstated. I spoke of this travesty last week (link).

I'm glad that the DISD righted a wrong in this case. More importantly, I hope that a little more care is taken to make sure that the children of DISD are safe.

It's Time for Dallas County to Open up the Books

As I walk on this journey of tracking the money behind the message, one thing is strikingly obvious.

Dallas County needs to make its campaign finance reports more accessible. The County needs to follow the lead of the City of Dallas and the State of Texas and put all financial reports online.

So you wonder... how do you make an open records request at the County? Let's go straight to the source - the Dallas County website. Check out this (link).

So... if you want to request information about a specific elected official, the elected official's office is responsible for your request.

Why does Dallas County make it difficult to investigate and acquire campaign finance reports? Unlike the City Of Dallas (who recently brought forth a plan to make even more info readily available), the County has no way to search or inspect information online.

You’d think if they could afford to spend $40 million to renovate the George Allen building, they could afford to put a system in place where finance records could be searched in relative anonymity. Having to submit a written request directly to the official's office puts a bulls-eye on your back.

Since they do have the money, I will surmise that such a task can be completed. But there has to be a push from somewhere. Either from the Dallas County Commissioners or from some other division within the halls of Dallas County.

State Info is available at http://www.ethics.state.tx.us/php/cesearch.html (link)

Dallas City Info is available at http://www.ci.dallas.tx.us/cso/camp-fin/finreports.shtml (link)

The Dallas city secretary’s office has been posting electronic copies of each council member’s contributions and expenditure reports since January 2000.

How long is it going to take for Dallas County to get on board and make campaign finance info readily available to all citizens?

Dallas County residents deserve to know.

UPDATE ON HOT-SHEET MOTELS!

Great news!

The City Attorney's office served papers on The Interstate Motel at 109 W. Overton. They have been hit with a temporary restraining order, and won't be able to operate as soon as the papers are handed to the owner. Brad Watson of Channel 8 covered the issue in a lead story on Thursday. The story featured Dwaine Caraway, who is on a mission to close down cheap motels.

The restraining order is due to the fact that they never followed through and appeal the City Plan Commission's decision to deny their Specific Use Permit (SUP). We reported this on Dallas Progress in July.

In addition, it appears that the American Inn is still shut down!

And more great news! The owner of the Mile High Motel at 2740 Lucky Lane (map) has agreed to demolish the building. The Mile High has been out of operation for some time, but it was still an eyesore after an apparent fire. The HST (Hot-Sheet Terminators) had nothing to do with the Mile High Motel, but are glad that the building will be demolished.

We thought we had a deal in the works to move on the motels next to the Urban League, but the funders of that mission have not moved forward. We are now turning our sights to others including the motel across from Townview High School.

Thanks to Chris Bowers in the Dallas City Attorney's office for heeding our call and shutting down the Interstate motel.

The Dallas Morning News Buyout Saga

No need for me to write a long article about it. All the major blogs have it covered. My favorite is DallasBlog's ongoing post, which has some great comments. Check it out (link). Classic stuff.

I will make this statement. One of the DBlog posts from an insider mentioned that part of the DMN's new "plan"is to not give any pub to people who speak to DallasBlog first. Does the DMN really want to go that route? That would mark a new low in pettiness and bad business judgement.
There are a handful of good writers at the DMN and a few really good reporters at Ch. 8. But I'm sure they feel hindered by the corporate monstrosity that signs their paychecks.

Check out the rest of Dallas Progress. We talk about Dallas in a way most are scared to do. (click here)

I'm not Giving Up on the School Bus Issue

The kids at JT Brashear STILL need a school bus. And we as responsible citizens have to make sure that children can travel to and from school safely.

Anyone that thinks the kids should walk, should try to travel the route themselves.

I remain optimistic that the issue will be resolved very quickly.

We want Real Retail in Southwest Oak Cliff!

That was the message sent loud and clear today at City Council.

I thank all of the Councilpeople that spoke in support of our efforts. Even Councilpeople that I give a hard time to about other issues spoke against granting this permit, and I appreciate the support.

Trey Garrison's piece on DallasBlog sums it up (link). I don't like to self-promote; I just want developers to heed our call for real stores on this side of I-30.

Will DISD get the Poor Kids a School Bus?

Brad Watson at Channel 8 did a great piece about kids at the new JT Brashear elementary school. (Story and video here)

For those that aren't familiar with the area, Brashear is next to the brand new Hampton-Illinois Library branch across from Kiest Park.

These kids used to attend Daniel Webster, but when the new Brashear school opened the kids' bus service got cancelled.

Brad is right - there are many sex offenders along the kids walking routes. The light blue and dark blue illustrate the two possible walking routes. Each dot in this map represents a sex offender. The red 'X' is the new school; the star is the Parkwoods apartment complex. (Click to enlarge)



There are also several other large apartments complexes next to Parkwoods.

Since the kids don't have a school bus, they have to "face it" like one kid said in the news clip.

It's bad enough that some complex residents were fire victims earlier this year; now they have to worry about their kids making it past a bunch of sex offenders.


If that wasn't bad enough, some parts of these routes don't have sidewalks. Exactly how dangerous does a route have to get before somebody does something?!

We just got a new DISD School Board Trustee - here's hoping she steps up and makes her presence felt in a big way. Dr. Hinojosa talks big - but hopefully he feels as strongly about kids' safety as he does other issues and finds these kids a bus immediately!

I was not encouraged by the lukewarm answer that Brad got from the DISD:

After News 8 inquired, the Dallas Independent School District said, "The district will review the data and reassess the situation and add a new bus for that route if needed."

Let's see what happens.

Aggtownz Fights Update

This just in:

The next setting is 9-5-06 at 10:30am in the 396th District Court.

Michael Jackson (the one who allegedly videotaped the fights), was put in jail last Monday at the request of the DA's office for violation of his bond conditions. Jackson was just released yesterday. Judge George Gallagher put Jackson in jail for a week after evidence was presented that despite being ordered not to participate or promote any videotaped fight sessions (as a condition of his bond), he continued to promote Agg Town Fights via his MySpace page.

11,000 Visitors!

In the first two months, Dallas Progress has had more than 11,000 visitors.

I talked with a local assistant editor for a major publication, and he said that Dallas is unique in Texas in that blogs are very prominent and highly visible.

People read the blogs more than they read the newspaper.

The blogs in Dallas often scoop the newspapers for major stories. I predict that trend will continue.

I thank all of you for your continued support. Please keep reading and tell your friends about our little space on the web!

Expect More from Your Community

We have to expect more. We have to expect more of ourselves, our businesses, and our community.

Take our grocery stores, for example. Our supermarkets, especially the Wal-Mart at 67 & Wheatland, are unclean and have trashed parking lots. The Albertson’s at Hampton and Ledbetter is quite overpriced compared to other places. I have also noticed that the selection is lacking compared to other markets north of I-30. With the exception of Minyard’s, those are the only two supermarkets in SW Oak Cliff. Newsflash to store owners: Black folks like to have choices too!

But it’s not all on the storeowners. In addition, WE have to step our game up. We have to let storeowners know that dirty stores are not acceptable, and that stale food is also unacceptable.

We have to expect more of the people that own businesses in the Southern Sector. Since moving to Oak Cliff I have noticed it more and more. The shopping centers are trashy, have poorly maintained parking lots, and allow undesirables to congregate in the parking lot and along the storefronts. Most of the shopping center owners South of I-30 also own property in North Dallas. The environment that persists in Southern Dallas wouldn't last two seconds anywhere else, and the shopping center operators know it. But WE let it happen.

How do we accomplish this change in mentality and get real estate operators to act right? I am not sure. But I do know it is a problem.

Am I the only one that’s disappointed? Surely I am not the only one that sees this in our community.

WE WON!

The case of the Marsalis Avenue townhomes was finally voted on by the City Plan Commission.

Dwaine Caraway and I, along with neighbors in the Summit Ridge/Marsalis Park Neighborhood Association, successfully argued against the zoning change to allow townhomes.

We finally got to hear from applicant Patricia Hawkins and her representative Michael Coker. They spoke of the ailments of the neighborhood. In my opinion, these ailments can be solved by increasing funding and support for Police, Code Enforcement, and other City functions not by building overpriced townhomes.

They were busted once it was revealed that all of the neighbors were not consulted. There are at least two neighborhood associations near Marsalis & Ann Arbor, and the plan was only presented to the Glendale neighborhood association.

At first, Ms. Hawkins wanted to saturate the area with more multifamily. Then, it morphed into a townhome development. She spoke of a home she had on Exeter in Oak Cliff and said it was broken into more than 10 times. However, the only property I saw on Exeter in her name was a vacant lot. That being said...

This was a major blow against possible gentrification. If the majority of the neighborhood wanted the townhomes, Dwaine and I will get out of their way. But they told us they wanted our help to fight the development, and we were glad to oblige.

In addition, the paperwork has been completed so that these neighbors will be notified far in advance about any development plans or proposed zoning changes. Never again will someone be able to sneak something under the radar in this area.

A lesson to developers: you can't pick a random street and try to call it transit-oriented development. The only place that townhomes should be built in South Oak Cliff are along the rail lines. And in this day and time, that might be a stretch.

But this day belongs to the members of the Summit Ridge and Marsalis Neighborhood Association. Their courage and determination allowed them to save their neighborhood from predatory development.

That's what Dallas Progress is all about.

Fantroy saves Pleasant Grove from Unwanted Club!

Last week I wrote a teaser about a potential zoning fiasco that was going down at City Hall.

On Wednesday August 9th in case number Z056-231, the owners of What's Hot Fun World (a roller skating rink) were applying for a specific use permit (SUP) that would allow the establishment to turn into a liquor-serving club. This area, near CF Hawn Freeway & Buckner (map), is already overcrowded with clubs, liquor stores, and other problem businesses. This area is in District 5, represented by Don Hill. What's Hot Fun World is owned by Robert Milligan.

The majority of the neighbors (including those from Pleasant Grove ACORN and others) did not want this business to become a club, citing problems with crimes and other quality of life issues. Some said that it doesn't "lend to the quality of life in Pleasant Grove," and "they ought to have representatives that respect the desires (of constituents) in that area."

Almost all of the applicant's supporters spoke about the man himself, but not to the project.

Councilman Hill moved to approve the permit, saying something like (paraphrased) “young couples need some place to go and have a drink.” Maxine Reese also supported the permit, stating that since the skating rink was losing money we should let him change the business. Reese tried to call this club “economic development.”

What Mr. Milligan needs is a business consultant, not a favor from the City of Dallas. Actually, he already got a favor from the City of Dallas in the form of a tax abatement to open the skating rink.

Then Councilman Fantroy came to the rescue.

Councilman Fantroy said it best when he said that (paraphrased) “often the applicants win because they are more smooth and composed" and that's why they often get what they want.

The owner's representative claimed that if an establishment becomes a nuisance the SUP can be revoked. Fantroy called up City Planner David Cossum and asked how many SUPs have been revoked in his memory. Cossum said that he, “isn’t aware of any SUP that has been cancelled.” And that's the point; once these permits are approved the neighborhood is essentially stuck with these changes.

Councilman Fantroy said he wouldn’t go back on his word to bring anymore alcohol-related businesses into Pleasant Grove when he co-chaired the SE Dallas Land Use Study.

Councilman Rasansky came out against it. He stated that he rarely votes against the wishes of councilmembers in other districts except in cases like these. Under Rasansky's questioning, Cossum agreed that it does not meet any of the standards that are required to get an SUP, in terms of it being adjacent to residential property.

Councilmen Blaydes and Chaney also came out strongly against the club, citing problems in their own districts with similar clubs. Blaydes stated correctly that "the city put $200,000 in tax abatements into a roller skating rink, not a bar."

I have had meetings with several of the current Deputy Police Chiefs about various crime issues. They all seem to agree that these types of establishments are a problem, especially in areas in which there is a preponderance of such clubs.

Proposals like this case, although somewhat under the radar, are the ones that destroy the fabric of neighborhoods and areas that are already under duress. Usually, these establishments suddenly appear and the neighborhood is left wondering how a particular business got approved. But not this time.

The motion FAILED 8-6 (Miller absent).

Pleasant Grove won, for once. The rich folks won’t get richer at the expense of the safety of the people.

Townhomes Case is Back (AGAIN!)

For the fifth time, the case of the Marsalis Avenue Townhomes is back in front of the City Plan Commission. Hopefully, Thursday August 17th will be the day that this case finally receives an up or down vote.

The truth will be exposed about this case. I will have more to say after tomorrow; no need to tip off anyone about what will be presented.

Maybe this time (unlike last time), the developer and her representative will actually show up to present their case instead of having the District 4 CPC representative do their bidding.
Here is the background information on this case (here) and (here).

Cheryl Lydick Shooting Update

According to Channel 8's Brad Hawkins, Cheryl Lydick remains in a coma and in intensive care at Baylor University Medical Center (link to story and video).

The $10,000 reward is still available. If anyone has tips, please call 214-671-3584.

Copper Theft is a Problem everywhere


My buddy Robert Wilonsky over at Dallas Observer has a great post regarding the epidemic of copper theft (link)

Robert's telling statement is sad, but true:

Well, everything that doesn’t move in South Dallas gets stripped for copper at some point.

I'd like to add (unfortunately), the morons that stole copper from two schools in South Dallas. The Rice Learning Center on Pine Street (map) and the Billy Dade School (map) were the victims. The DISD is now paying for chillers at a substantial cost to the district.

How in the world can you have development in South Dallas, Oak Cliff, or anywhere else south of I-20 if thieves are stripping the entire neighborhood clean of copper?

We're Still Here

My apologies to the devoted readers of Dallas Progress. I haven't posted any articles in the last few days. That's for good reason.

Major moves have been made!

In an attempt to get closer to the issues that most concern me, I have moved from Uptown Dallas to Oak Cliff. There's much more work to be done.

You will also see slight changes to the Dallas Progress over the next few weeks; we strive to stay ahead of the competition.

The establishment should be concerned.

Is an Unwanted Club being Shoved Down a Neighborhood's Throat?

Question: How do you get 90+ people to come to City Hall to protest and still get railroaded? You will find out over the next few days.

There was a heated debate at Wednesday's Council Meeting regarding this issue ... more to come.

You're about to learn why some people hate the fact that I write.

Developing.

Forbes' Best Cities for Singles List is Out

Shouts to my homie Adam at D Magazine for the scoop on the Forbes Magazine piece. Dallas dropped to 29th (out of 40 cities), from a ranking of 20th in 2005. The cities ahead of Dallas include Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Columbus, and Sacramento.

Here is the list (link).

The list ranks cities according to several categories: Singles, Nightlife, Culture, Coolness, Online Dating, Cost of Living, and Job Growth.

Such ratings may seem silly to some people, but a lot of people read this list.

Dallas scored decently in the areas of job growth and cost of living. Which means that Dallas has a good story but no one is getting the story out to the rest of the county.

Maybe if they read my article on retaining top talent (link), we'd fare a little better.

Electoral Candidates could be Making a Serious Mistake

A lot of different names are being bantered about as possible candidates. Some are intriguing, and some have no shot at winning. But it sells papers, and it's fun to read.

Any candidate that does not court the younger vote, and by that I am referring to the under 35-vote, will be committing a serious blunder in their campaign strategy.

At a recent function that some friends of mine held recently, a bunch a people asked me if I was running for Mayor. I thought they were joking; they weren't.


My answer: a resounding "No, not yet!" But they are serious. We want people that will represent our interests, and include us in the process.

A lot of elected officials have been getting by because the people in their age bracket continue to vote for them. There's no need to include us, unless of course you want to volunteer for their campaigns or “drink their Kool-Aid.” Some parade around our city with an air of pomposity, wizardry, and entitlement, but there are some ugly things below the surface.

The way some of these groups campaign is no secret. It requires neither a degree in political science nor a finely tuned strategy.

I sometimes wonder if donors know what they are really paying for. I wonder if they know that their donations pay to have thugs on the payroll, to have people drive around the Southern Sector at night and tear up campaign signs just because someone has a different set of beliefs or ideals.

And while we’re at it, can someone tell me if it’s legal to have one campaign bring lunch and dinner to precinct chairs at the polling place on election night?

How can you get a fair vote count after that display of chicanery? That’s like expecting a fair trial when the prosecutor gives the jurors football tickets in the middle of the trial (the latter didn’t happen, but the former did).

I remember working a campaign earlier this year, and a competitor’s sign was beat up and on the ground at a polling place (the Oak Cliff Sub-Courthouse, to be specific). When I hammered my candidate’s sign in the ground, I thought nothing of picking up the other sign and fixing it as well. I distinctly remember someone (from a third campaign) looking at me like I was crazy. Contrary to public belief, everyone doesn’t work like that in campaigns; you can have class and win at the same time.

The powers that be will deny that such tactics exist time and time again, but no one’s buying.
Ride through the Southern Sector during an election period. You'll see trashed signs and other obvious attempts to beat up on people who are not “with the program.”

Getting an invitation to a fund-raiser or some banquet is not inclusion; we’ve been getting those for years. And duh, who wouldn’t shake your hand or invite you to a function if you’re giving out a campaign check?

Just as my age bracket sets trends in fashion, consumer products, and music, we have made our minds up to make our presence felt in the upcoming elections. We have been working for years, on our own, to get to this point. And we work together as minorities, not just African-Americans but also Asians, Hispanics, and all others. We have never been separated - we are the first generation that has grown up together and are comfortable being among other races. We don’t have to call it coalition-building or any other buzzword; we’ve been doing it all our lives.

We are street-hardened and corporately comfortable. We speak English, Spanish, and Ebonics. We wear suits and ties and white tees. Some of us sport Bruno Maglis and others wear Nike Air Force Ones and grillz. But we’re all comfortable with each other, and I believe we are united to make wholesale changes in the local political structure.

No one group owns any election. I’m not the only young African-American writer or blogger in Dallas, there are many others. For example, there’s Dallas South and Blue Island just to name a couple of my peers.

If a candidate feels that they have the southern sector vote wrapped up because they talk to the usual groups that they have relied on in the past, they will be making a huge mistake. And that mistake may not be apparent until Election Night, when it will be too late.

Community Announcements

Following are community announcements, courtesy of The Dallas Morning News.

QUICKBOOKS TRAINING: The League of United Latin American Citizens' (LULAC) National Educational Service Center will host a free technology training session on QuickBooks at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the center, 345 S. Edgefield Ave. Small-business owners, students and the general public are invited to register for the session on the financial management software. The free service is offered as part of a $1.5 million AT&T Foundation grant award. Call 214-943-2528.

SUPPORT GROUP: Delivered Out Ministries will offer a support group, beginning Aug. 18, for women who have experienced domestic violence and sexual assault. Meetings will be in South Dallas. Preregistration is preferred. Call 817-874-0749 or 214- 207-7648, or e-mail deliveredoutministries@yahoo.com.

Do you See what I See?

(Since Dallas Progress has a lot more readers than when we first started this blog, I figured that I would re-publish this particular piece.)

People ask me why I write what I write. Do you know why? It's because our communities have a LONG way to go.

I have seen prostitutes with no upper-body clothing walking up and down the street in the daytime, while school kids walk home.

I have seen grocery stores that look like a bomb hit them. Overpriced dated meats sold by understaffed stores that take your money only because they have no choice.

I see shopping center owners (of all races) getting rich while they allow thugs to congregate and harass working people, kids, and seniors.

I see motel owners that allow full-scale prostitution, dope dealing, you name it.

I get pissed every time I hear about a kid caught in the crossfire. Why? Because my 5-year old sister was killed in a gang crossfire when my Mother was 8 months pregnant with me. That was in 1973 and NOTHING HAS CHANGED!

Where I'm from, I'm used to elected officials in the 'hood being outraged enough to hit the streets themselves and lead protests and put real laws on the books ... not to cry about 'the man' and 'the media', but against the knuckleheads and thugs that treat the community like its personal toilet.

A lot of people in power treat the community in the same fashion.

I am optimistic. I KNOW it can change, but only if some major changes go down. Who cares if we have a shiny new building if Grandma is scared to walk down the street to go check it out?

I'm sick of everyone saying it's North Dallas vs. South Dallas, this group vs. that group. It's the media....it's the police chief... it's about everybody but the person in mirror. Good grief - it's about right and wrong. Open your eyes! Do you see what I see?

And that's why I write what I write.

Primer on Bama Pie by Dallas Progress

Robert Wilonsky just wrote a fabulous follow-up article on the Bama Pie Fiasco (link). Robert even talked to the man in charge of project, Derrick Mitchem.

The City should give him a medal for all the legwork that Robert did for this piece; this is investigative journalism. Kudos to the City Officials that are concerned about what happens to our tax dollars.

Here is my articles on the subject... including the infamous pictures in question.

"Bama Pie Building Still not Open - Chaney Promised Holiday 2005 opening" (link). Check out the comments below the article as well.

And for the record, no one said Mitchem stole the money. We just want an accounting of what was spent. And how could Chaney promise that is would be "Done by Christmas (2005!)" when clearly the guy is having some issues.

My goal was to have it heard at the Council level and to make people accountable for our City's money - MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.

Dallas Progress Review of City Secretary Plan to Upgrade Office Quality

I have reviewed the plan put forth by Ms. Deborah Watkins, recently appointed Dallas City Secretary.

I have to say that I am very impressed with the plan.

Among the highlights of the plan:



*Making Campaign Finance information more searchable will allow less campaigns donors to hide and bring all contributors to light.

She is also going to upgrade the systems used to verify a candidate's ability to run for office or serve on a city board or commission.

Such a system would have prevented Leo Chaney and Maxine Thornton Reese from being eligible to run for office in 2005 due to having tax liens on property because the City of Dallas had to mow high weeds and clean property that they owned.

*Another highlight is an improvement of the voter registration verification process. Anyone that has ever applied to a board or commission knows that it can be a tedious process to get approved. We now learn that it was because the Secretary staff had to drive to the county to verify information. Not anymore, under the new plan.

Now, if only the County would have such a plan. Campaign finance records for Dallas County candidates are still not available online (If I'm wrong on this, please reply to this article).

According to Dave Levinthal of the Dallas Morning News, she wants to have video streams of the Council Meetings. Do you realize how much fun Dallas Progress is going to be once we get videos of some of these meetings?!

* Cross-training of City Secretary staff. Another great idea, which will allow employees to be knowledgeable about several different jobs within that office.

And she's doesn't just want City money, it appears that she also wants to seek grants (!) to supplement the City's funding to complete the project.

If Ms. Watkins plan is approved and put into place, the City Secretary's staff will have the technology and support that they need to support the hard work that they do on a daily basis.

Some things are right with the City of Dallas, and this plan is one of them.

Ms. Watkins is proving to be a person that is not going to sit back and rest because she's finally "made it" to the top spot. She is moving forward and putting forth a true PLAN to make Dallas a better city.

A copy of the plan (in PDF format) is available here.

TXU Still Making Money on the Backs of Seniors and Low-Income People

According to Channel 11, the company made more money in the second quarter than last year due largely to higher electricity prices. The Dallas power company earned $497 million. More on this story here.

Aggtownz Fights DVD Makers Indicted

According to USA Today, the makers of the Aggtownz Fights DVD were officially indicted.



On Thursday, Jackson and three other adult defendants were indicted for aggravated assault on Walker and engaging in organized criminal activity, both felonies, says Jennifer Tourje, assistant district attorney for Tarrant County. They face possible penalties of two years' probation to 20 years in a state penitentiary if convicted of aggravated assault and five years' probation to 99 years in prison if convicted of engaging in organized criminal activity. Both charges also carry possible fines of $10,000, she adds.

The USA Today article also has some excellent tips for parents on how to detect signs of children being involved in 'fight club' activities (link). It's a must read.