Hotel Palomar Caught Fire Today

The brand-new, just opened Hotel Palomar development (link) caught fire on the residential side of the project (map)... it looks contained.

I got the scoop via Adam at FrontBurner and Robert Wilonsky at Unfair Park. They were both notified by friends that work near Central Expressway...they have richer friends than I do lol.

This is a sad deal - I like the building and the concept. Hopefully they can get it fixed and ready to go, for their grand opening was just days ago.

We Need FIGHTERS! - My Thoughts on the May 2007 Elections

The Mayor's office may be a position in which you have to do a lot of glad-handing and PR-schtick in addition to the day-to-day tasks. However, the City Council is an entirely different ballgame.

Here's a message to anyone running for Dallas City Council Seats Four, Five, Seven, or Eight:

If you're just running to run... If you're running because you know a lot of people or you have a lot of money and like free banquet tickets and want to see and be seen... or the Citizens Council told you to run... DO US ALL A FAVOR and stay home. Stop wasting our time, we don't need you!

In the Southern Sector, we need Councilpeople that are willing to FIGHT! The ills of these areas must be addressed! We have to take the drug dealers and pimps to war. We have to take the code violators and slumlords to war. We have to clean up the streets so people will want to invest in our side of town. Get it straight, when I say our side of town I'm not referring to any one race of people. I am simply referring to anyone that lives in those Council Districts.

How bad is it? It's bad when your wife goes to the gas station and a woman warns her not to wear her purse while pumping gas in broad daylight. It's bad when prostitutes are walking down the street with no tops on, propositioning people at 2:30 in the afternoon as school kids walk home.

Crime is occurring in the southern sector at an astounding rate. If you don't have a recent record of fighting crime and real community issues, DON'T RUN. If you're not going to get out in the streets YOURSELF and do something about it, then DON'T RUN. Simple as that. You need one of these, not a City Council seat.

When I hear people campaigning, I want to hear specifics. None of that vague garbage that sounds good and tastes great but doesn't get our neighborhoods anywhere closer to being viable. City Council is a serious job that requires serious people.

People that live in Council Districts Four, Five, Seven, and Eight need true leaders and my hope is that the City Council ballots are filled by such people in May 2007.

The Most Important Film You May See this Year

I may be a little late jumping on the bandwagon, but The Boys of Baraka (link) is the best film that I've seen this year. It's now on DVD, and is a must see. This movie should be required viewing for every educator, parent, and politician in Dallas.

The Boys of Baraka chronicles the lives of four middle-school boys from inner-city Baltimore, a city so violent that some call it Bodymore, Murderland. It follows them on their journey to attend the Baraka School, a special all-boys school in Kenya, in hopes of preparing them for high school. Such programs are needed since it is reported that 75% of Baltimore's boys do not graduate high school.

I don't want to give away the movie, but I will say that it is an illustration of the myriad of obstacles that young ghetto children face on a daily basis.

Listen to what Bill Cosby is saying in his commentary on the movie (link). Then listen to it AGAIN. And then apply it to the children you know and the community in which you live.

This movie is THAT important. You must see it.

From the Pimp the Community Collection

I just read about the latest energy drink on the market called ... Cocaine. Seriously, that's the name. It comes in an attractive red can and is marketed toward high schoolers and teenagers. The manufacturer is real proud of himself as seen in these quotes:

"It’s an energy drink, and it’s a fun name. As soon as people look at the can, they smile.”

"Instant Rush. NO Crash!"

It's "the legal alternative" to the white powder drug.

Remember the board game Ghetto-opoly, which was a board game that was based on Monopoly and you won by buying stolen properties, building crack houses and projects? Well this is along those lines. Another irresponsible product for the sake of publicity and profit.

Unlike other websites, I'm not displaying a copy of the can or the website address.

Already available in Los Angeles in New York, the makers claim it will be sold nationwide by the end of the year. I guarantee you they will have a fight on their hands if they come to Dallas.

Angela Hunt Continues to Impress

Whether it's making her own stand against the City Staff Comprehensive Plan, or standing up to the issue of red-light cameras, Angela has continued to make her voice heard and her opinion known whether it's liked or not.

Angela also has her own blog. The address is www.angelahunt.com. Why is this impressive? It's because she doesn't run and hide after the council meeting - she puts her thoughts on major issues out there to be read by everyone.

This week, she has a great take on why Urban Market needed to get more money (newsflash: the market was the City's idea - link) and last week she wrote about the ridiculous red light cameras that are coming (link). I'm still scratching my head as to why ACS got the contract (more expensive, older technology, and the company is under investigation).

The bottom line is that City Hall will have to deal with her. District 14, of which I was previously a resident, provides a lot of the revenue that the city needs.

Everyone has their opinion. But you have to look at the facts. When Angela was elected, one of the first things she did was bond with ALL of the residents of the district.

Before she knew who I was, I called her office and left a voicemail about a concern in the area. It was handled the same morning! Ask yourself, do you get service like that from your councilperson?

Yes, I do consider Angela a friend. But will I agree with every decision she makes? Absolutely not, but who agrees all of the time? However, I do feel she has the City's best interests in mind when she votes. Angela is articulate and prepared - everyone should expect the same out of their City Council representative.

Angela does not 'go along to get along.' That garbage is what has been KILLING our city government. I respect the fact that she has heart and will do what the voters feel is best.

For those of you that don’t get out much and listen to all of the poverty pimps that flood the airwaves, District 14 isn’t all townhouses, condos and mansions. D-14 is the most diverse district in the City. It includes housing projects and lower-income areas as well. For those of you who don’t know, Angela has been an advocate for ALL people in her district.

Last winter, Angela was one of the only council people that held neighborhood listening sessions in ALL areas (twelve meetings). The results of which are shown here, for everyone to see (LINK). Can anyone else produce such a list?

Immediately after her run-off win in June 2005, she visited the Roseland Homes to participate in their Juneteenth celebration. In April 2006, she traveled to Houston to investigate low-income housing and how it works in other cities and then led the charge to support Larry James and CDM with the City Walk @ Akard project. In this article (LINK), it seems like she’s FIGHTING FOR BETTER LOW-INCOME HOUSING OPTIONS! Can anyone else make such claims?

So cut the b.s. And kill the smokescreens.

Because of her stance on the comprehensive plan, as well as other issues, Angela will win the election next year by a landslide. The residents of District 14 will see to it.

One day, Angela will run for Mayor. Unless I'm running, she's got my vote.

"You Have Dialed 911, Please Don't Die..."

My wife and I were driving along Marvin Love freeway yesterday and saw a small grass fire that was growing at a decent clip. It looked like the result of one of those morons who smokes a cigarette and then flicks it out the window. You know the type...the same kind of idiot that started the fire next to the DFW airport toll gate a little while back.

Considering yesterday was a pretty breezy day, we figured we would report it and dial 911.

The first time, it rang for about a minute.

The second time, we were placed on hold (!) with a recorded message that was straight off the Bank of America customer dis-service line.

After 3 more minutes, we were able to report the fire and then wonder why it took so long to report an emergency.

It was a good thing I wasn't shot or running from an angry mob, I'd probably be dead by now.

Slum Motel Owner and Financier in Trouble in Arlington

Chan Patel, who was of the founders of the hot-sheet motel in Dallas, is in hot water. More from Channel 8 here (link).

For those who don't know, Chan Patel went from owning motels to financing them through the bank he founded with his tainted money, the State Bank of Texas.

These places rent hourly, they rent to hookers and johns and drug dealers. He is one of the reasons that Dallas, Fort Worth, and every city in between continues to be stuck with so many of these places. He loans them the money!

For those of you that don't think he encourages prostitution, here's a quote from Chan Patel who once had this to say in a previous Dallas Morning News interview:

“When asked why he was forced to go back to accepting business from prostitutes, Dallas motel-owner Chandrakant Patel said, “After awhile, you say, ‘I can't survive, I've got to go back to hourly rates.’”

I'm sure he has the money in his back pocket, but what else would you expect from the kingpin of the hot-sheet motel?

New Kinky Friedman Doll!

In light of all the recent interviews and information, Blair Lovern at TexasGigs has been busy creating a new Kinky Friedman Doll. It comes complete with all of Kinky's great quotes.

Check it out here.

Voter Fraud

Jack Fink of CBS 11 had a great story last night about voter fraud in the Lancaster election (link). A woman that lost a Lancaster ISD school board race had proof that someone voted a dead person in her race. Jeff Melcher of Lancaster Rackets (link) filed a complaint after saw how the voting process was being handled, and another citizen was shocked when Jack Fink showed him that he (among others) had been voted twice with forged signatures.

Surprised much?

I have heard that this has been happening in Dallas for years. With the fortunes of many people that have contracts and others with jobs that need to be protected, along with nine-figure bond elections coming into play, the stakes are higher than ever.

I bet it hasn't been fully exposed because, as in Lancaster, the people who have been wronged don't have the money to file an all-out complaint or request an inspection of the ballots.

I'm most worried about the May 2007 elections in Dallas. Anyone who has asked my opinions about running for City Council or any other seat has heard the same thing from me...you better have the money to hire poll-sitters for EVERY precinct in your race. If not, don't bother running.

Any local reporter that wants to make a name for themselves could have a field day by following this issue in November 2006 and May 2007.

The Dallas Morning News also had some interesting stories on voting machine issues (link) and (link).

Hopefully, these stories will cause a greater light to be shone on the election process.

Valet's Suck!

Shannon Wynne of TexasGigs wrote a great article on the growing contingent of awful valets (link). There's not much more for me to say about this subject, he's covered all the bases.

This reminds me of the time my Dad and I went to Uptown Manhattan when I was a kid. The guy on the corner asked "Do you need insurance?" We said asked for what, exactly... He said, in so many words, "for $20, I can insure that your car will be in one piece when you get back." According to Shannon and some of the commenters on TexasGigs our enterprising friend in the Big Apple is one step ahead of Dallas valets.

Extortion is all the same, especially when it comes to valets.

A Family Affair

OK, this story is about a restaurant in Philly, not Dallas (yet). But when a restaurant that my brother runs is reviewed nationally, you'll read about it here.

If you ever go to Philadelphia, and want to know what great shrimp are all about then visit Sid Booker’s Stinger La Pointe at 4600 N. Broad Street. Wherever you go for what passes as fried shrimp in DFW can't hold a candle to this place. Trust me. You'll find out why they get almost $20 bucks for one dozen shrimp.

Click this link and scroll halfway down the page to read about a little family place with the best shrimp in the world (pics included).

The article is entitled, North Philadelphia: The Search For Extravagant Shrimp (and more).

The Answer is No

I did not pay for Google to have me ranked #1 under the search "Dallas Political Blogs" Dumb luck, I guess.

I'm not that rich.

Welcome to Our New Visitors!

Please visit the various articles and the archives. We thank you for checking out Dallas Progress!

We cover stories that affect the City of Dallas, with a focus on issues in the Southern Sector.

Subscribe to Dallas Progress (link).
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Dwaine Caraway is running for Dallas City Council District 4, which covers parts of Oak Cliff and Pleasant Grove. Dwaine and I have worked together in the closing of all the motels mentioned in today's news stories. Dwaine has been a tireless fighter for the citizens of his District. Please check out his website (link) and newsletter (link).

Classic Motel aka Townview Motel - TIME TO GO

As you may have heard, Dwaine Caraway (link) and I began the process to close the Classic Motel (map) by filing the papers against the motel with the City of Dallas. It is the motel directly across from Townview High School and a half-block from NW Harllee Elementary School. We are using the same process that was applied to the American Inn on Scyene near Fair Park.

Here is the coverage from the various news outlets:

NBC 5: link
Channel 11: link
Channel 8: link
Dallas Morning News: link

Despite the owners claims, the Classic/Townview Motel has long been a breeding ground for prostitution, drugs, and violence. I know that I don't have to convince any of you of the type of crime that the Classic Motel allows; you've seen it for yourself at some point in time.

We appreciate the coverage by all news outlets involved.

Bexar Street Project

Julie Lyons from the Dallas Observer has a great take on the Bexar Street Redevelopment Project. It's worth a read (link). I'd love to hear from people in the community regarding their thoughts on this project.

What's New in the Hood?

If you want the answer to that question, you're in the right place. Let me be clear: Dallas Progress is not against development; we just want the right development in the right places.

While all eyes are on the Calatrava bridges, don't lose sight of what's going on elsewhere in Dallas.

Here are a few of the cases that I'm following in South of I-30:

SOUTH DALLAS

*A group is trying to build a brand-new AutoZone on vacant land DIRECTLY ACROSS from Fair Park (in between the McDonald's and Two Podners on RB Cullum - map). AutoZone has leased the land from owner David Gregson of Argyle, Texas. I bet the residents and stakeholders in South Dallas can't wait for another out-of-place land use across from one of the jewels of Dallas (NOT). Normally for an auto service shop in that area you would need a Specific Use Permit (SUP), but they may try to get slick and call it retail to get over on everyone.

*Plano-based development group Pegasus Urban Development Group, LLC is trying to build cheap duplexes by applying to change zoning from single family to duplex in scattered sites along Colonial Avenue (map). The staff recommends denial, the City Plan Commission's bus tour is on Thursday, and the case will be heard by the CPC on October 5th. I might attend to watch the bloodletting.

OAK CLIFF:

*The Red Bird area rapist is still on the loose! He is responsible for three rapes near SW Center Mall and two rapes in the Skillman/Audelia area. Can we get a composite sketch please? We'll be glad to publish it. (Two articles on the subject are here and here)

* Sphinx Development strikes again! Yet another group of tax-credit townhomes is going up on Ewing avenue just south of the Dallas Zoo. The project has two names that I've heard. One is SDC Ewing Court, the other is Reese Court Villas (map). It's just a 2 blocks south from another SDC development. Another waste of 5 acres in the Cliff.

Larry James of CDM and the CityWalk Project - My Thoughts

DallasBlog has an video interview (link) with Larry James of Central Dallas Ministries (CDM). CDM is currently raising money for CityWalk at Akard. Upon completion, CityWalk will be permanent housing facility for homeless citizens. Details about the project can be found here.

In the interview, Larry James made some interesting points. He seems to be a genuine individual that cares about the City. He should've been the homeless czar.

One of the champions of CityWalk is Dallas District 14 Councilwoman Angela Hunt. Angela visited Houston to inspect a similar project (article).

Many people say that (true or not) homeless people are an issue downtown, but act like these people can be swept under the rug (for lack of a better term). I can't see how people can be mad about CityWalk. Face it, Dallas has homeless people. It takes a certain level of courage and compassion to work with them, and they should have somewhere to live.

In my interactions with homeless people, I have found some of them to be highly intelligent and capable of surviving on their own. They just need a place to stay to stabilize themselves. How can you get a job if you have no address? There are street people that can't get their veterans' checks or SSI checks because of this.

Miami-Dade County (Florida) is cited for having one of the best homeless programs in the country. Miami realized that the homeless situation (which I hear was much worse than Dallas') had to be addressed before the city could recover.

Here is a quote I read on povertysolutions.org

Miami provides perhaps the best example of thoughtful planning. Their plan to get people off the street was chosen by HUD as a 1998 National Best Practice. The plan creates a multi-year coordinated effort that centers around a three-stage continuum of care strategy designed to move people into permanent housing. The plan was a result of a dialogue between business leaders, government representatives, service providers and homeless people. According to HUD, what sets Miami apart is that their projects focus "on long-term solutions to homelessness, not 'Band-Aid' fixes."

If Dallas is going to have a world-class downtown, we are going have to fund permanent housing for the homeless. CityWalk is a big step in the right direction.

If we can give Lucy Billingsley money for One Arts Plaza and Forest City for the Merc, then we can spot CDM some cash to help our less fortunate citizens.

Downtown residents are going to have to grow up that and realize that nobody's coming with a paddy wagon to clear out undesirables just because your zip code is now 75201 or 75202. For people that are repulsed by the harsh realities of big-city life, I suggest one of our lovely suburbs.

I wish Larry and CDM the best of success with their endeavor.

Horse Slaughter on its Way Out! (or is it?)

Today, the House of Representatives, passed The American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (H.R. 503), a bill to end the slaughter of horses for human consumption, has just passed the U.S. House of Representatives with a final vote of 263 to 146.

They support a filthy and absurd business which has brought nuisances and health problems to the residents of several cities, including Kaufman, Texas. Kaufman's plight has been aptly covered by Matt Pulle at the Dallas Observer (here, here, and here).

How much did Bush support the bill? Well, not so much (link).

The Big Dogs are Giving Pub to Dallas Progress

MyDD.com (Direct Democracy), one of the biggest democratic blogs in the nation, mentioned Dallas Progress as a site to watch.

Thanks to Matt Stoller for shining a light on our tiny space on the web.

Good night, and good luck.

Sustainable Development

If you've been reading great online publications like DallasBlog, FrontBurner, or Dallas Observer's Unfair Park, you probably recognize the term.

There are many detailed definitions of the term as witnessed here. To me, it occurs when developers go the extra mile to use environmentally friendly materials and processes that may cost a little more money but benefit the quality of our natural resources - air, water, and land.

Dallas has had some great achievements in this field, although we are ranked in the middle of the road on a nationwide basis. As Dallas evolves it is quite necessary that our citizens and governing bodies find more ways to encourage and support sustainable development.

Jetson Green, to me, is the one of the best locally-based repositories of sustainable development. You can find the blog here (link). I encourage you to check it out.

Whether you're a so-called tree hugger or you over water you lawn every night (ugh!), you need to learn about sustainable development.

In my opinion, sustainable development is necessary so we can best maintain the natural resources that we still have. Sacrifice a little bit of profit for the good of everyone. It's what Dallas Progress is all about.

Mixed Feelings about Minyard's

As I read article after article praising the new Carnival store in Oak Cliff, my feeling vary from excitement to melancholic. Carnival is owned by Minyards.

I walked through the new Carnival store over the weekend. I saw the aisles and aisles of clean produce, wide selection, and even a juice bar. They even have good security in the parking lot and a person at the door that hands you a circular (!) and offers you a cart if you need it.

The new Carnival has some specials, but some of the merchandise is overpriced to make up the difference. Business is business.

At first thought of the new Carnival, I hated and resented Minyard's. Minyard stores such as the one near Fair Park on MLK Blvd tend to be a nightmare, because they are understaffed. I have heard about the hour plus wait on certain days due to the lack of checkers. The lack of retail in that area was the focus of a Dallas Morning News article earlier this year. I sometimes tell people that the only time I go into Minyard's is to buy flowers for my annual trip to the gravesite of my Grandmother at Laureland.

I wanted to be happy about a new supermarket opening up in the Southern Sector. Still I felt...envious. Envious at the fact that other races have new, clean, well-stocked grocery stores that cater to their needs and wants as consumers. Silently, I wished that we had such a store anywhere in the Southern Sector.

Before you mention the Albertson's at Hampton & Ledbetter, let me stop you. This discussion only includes clean stores that don't treat their customers like criminals by putting basic items like batteries behind lock and key and charging extortionist prices for essential groceries. But I digress.

A couple of weeks ago at City Council, I was part of a group that fought against a company that wanted to turn one of Oak Cliff's best potential retail corners into a mini-storage site even though there were plenty such businesses in our area (link).

In other areas, developers dream up plans out of thin air to turn industrial sites (like the new Carnival location) into shopping centers which will benefit the surrounding neighborhood for decades.

Minyard's does have some issues, which will be addressed after next year's Council elections. Overall, I can't be mad at Minyard's. They have at least opened a store in 1999 at Camp Wisdom and Polk and a store at Ledbetter & Lancaster in 1996.

If only monied African-Americans in Dallas would follow their lead and open such a store. They could be heralded, and the community would win.

Football or Voting...

What's more important?

Last night, fans packed DISD's Kincaide Stadium to watch the "Oak Cliff Super Bowl." This game is between Carter High School and Kimball High School. Although there are other high schools in Oak Cliff, this is the name that has stuck over the years.

The crowd was said to be 20,000 people. They watched Carter survive a last-minute comeback from Kimball and win 22-20.

Conversely, in the DISD District 6 School Board Trustee runoff in June 2006, the Trustee election was decided with just over 1,900 votes. For the record the May 2006 election drew about 1,900 voters as well.

Carter High and Kimball High are both in DISD District 6.

Now let's look at those numbers for a moment.

Even if half of the fans were students, a football game can draw five times as many people as an election.

And that doesn't include the area of District 6 that is covered by Molina High School.

And this is just for one night. Between early and regular voting you have 2 weeks to vote.

If you live in Oak Cliff near I-20, you know that during Friday Night Lights you can't even exit onto Polk off of I-20 because of the stadium traffic.

So parents, do you care if your kid's school wins a football game or do you care if your kid wins in the classroom?

Sometimes, it is the fault of elected officials or the people in charge. But this time, blame can be placed squarely at the feet of the adults.

What's your excuse?