Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Wet-Dry Petition
Right now I am not writing any posts as I mentioned before. I just wanted to say that I have nothing to do with the forthcoming wet/dry area petition - it is oddly named as a variation of the name of this blog. I do have some concerns which I will outline at a later date.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
RIP Bishop Larry D. McGriff
For those that have not heard, Bishop Larry McGriff had a brain aneurysm and stroke overnight and passed away this morning. He was recently married to Dr. Karen Hollie, the pastor of Lifeway Church and a columnist at the Elite News.
I still can't believe Bishop McGriff is gone. He was a great pastor and love to sing with the choir, but he truly loved doing God’s work “outside the walls.”
From toy giveaways to helping people get jobs, he did so much that people will never know. He was a driving force in rallying the community to help us close multiple hot-sheet hotels, and he brought teens to City Hall to participate in Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine Caraway’s Teen Summits.
If you rode anywhere with him and he hopped out of his car, especially at a store or somewhere like that, people would run up to the car to say hello or ask for some help. It didn’t matter if you were homeless, formerly incarcerated, or just down on your luck, you had a friend in Bishop McGriff.
I always jokingly called him my "surrogate uncle" because he treated me so well and I looked up to him a lot. He never asked me for anything, other than to keep him abreast of what we were trying to clean up in the community.
When you drive down Lancaster and look across from the VA Hospital, you can see Bishop's work. Those motels are dust! Ironically, today, I saw the 3-D model for the development that will go on the land where the Sunset Motel and Southern Comfort Motel once stood and plagued the community.
Notice that the news heading in one of the videos below says "into the sunset." How appropriate.
For the most part no more stories will be done on this blog for a while. I can’t imagine anything meaning more than this right now.
RIP Bishop McGriff. Thank you for everything. I would not be where I am without him. To a pastor that had the guts to step out on behalf of the community, you are already missed.
I’m glad I got to say goodbye. I found a few videos of him and I wanted to share them with you. Please pray for him and his family.
If you ever went to Church of the Living God, you heard this song:
Sunset Motel will be Closed - May 2007 (closed and demolished)
Southern Comfort Motel is on Notice - July 2007 (closed and demolished)
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
UPDATE: Frisco City Council Approves Affordable Housing Support
Last night, Frisco City Council voted 4-1 to support developer applications for affordable housing within the city. This is a follow-up to the story I wrote about a few days ago.
The projects still have be be approved for tax-credits by the State's housing agency.
The projects still have be be approved for tax-credits by the State's housing agency.
Monday, February 15, 2010
NBA All-Star Weekend had Dallas Rocking
Arlington may have hosted the game, but Dallas owned the weekend. Despite the weather, the crowds hit the streets of Downtown and other areas.
On Saturday night, the city center was jam packed from 8pm on. Downtown Dallas was rocking.
Even farther north there were many events filled to capacity. Kenichi, Trece, Go Fish, and Hibashi had daytime events and a couple were closed off by the fire marshal because they were so packed. You heard right, daytime parties. They started at 12, ended around 6pm.
The Erykah Badu/Jamie Foxx concert at the Palladium on Saturday? Filled to capacity.
Northpark was packed like it was Christmas Eve for four days straight. Ditto Galleria.
There was some traffic-related frustration, and yes a couple of Dallas' finest could've been more polite with their requests to our visitors but overall they did a great job. Dallas has never hosted an event like this. Texas-OU and other major events don't compare to All-Star weekend.
By 4am, the streets were clear except for a traffic accident near the Farmers' Market on Saturday.
Everybody was spending money. This is what All-Star Weekend was about. And all of those who predicted Armageddon because it was an urban event, I am more that happy to say you've been disappointed.
I just hope we don't have to wait 24 years to host our next All-Star game.
Friday, February 12, 2010
DART Plans and Security Plans for All-Star Weekend
I hope everyone has a great time in Dallas for NBA All-Star weekend and our city shines like we know it can. I wanted to pass along some items which may be of interest regarding street operations downtown and DART Rail service.
Street Restrictions and Operations
All parking meters on Main Street will be hooded and no meter parking will be allowed through Sunday.
On Friday night from 6pm-3am, access to Main Street will be restricted to residents needing access to their homes, limos, and taxi drivers. Drivers may be asked to show IDs or resident parking passes.
There will be no parking allowed on Main St. Please use Elm or Commerce.
DPD is prepared to shut down Main Street as needed over the weekend. It is recommended that you avoid Main Street if at all possible.
DART and All-Star Weekend Train Service
I'm sure I wasn't the only person working on this issue, but from the media exposure, concerned council people and others DART will be run trains from downtown until 3am-325am depending on the line. A week ago they were going to stop at 12:30am, which would have caused headaches for Downtown Dallas.
A lot of progress was made and now we have a more reasonable service plan for this weekend.
A special shout goes to Councilwoman Linda Koop, the head of the City Council's Transportation Committee for her assistance, as well as various officials at DART.
As I mentioned to fellow city officials and other interested parties, we also need things to run smoothly for reasons larger than this event. As Dallas is trying to attract larger events, good PR from our train service would go a long way. Conversely, no one wants the opposite to happen. The eyes of the tourism and business worlds will all be on Dallas for a weekend, and we all want to see the city shine like we know it can and will with everyone's help.
Low-Income People can Live in Frisco, too
The fantastic Candy Evans at D Magazine's Dallas Dirt brings us a story about opposition to a mixed-income housing development in Frisco because some of the residents will use Section 8 vouchers.
Like Candy writes, "working folks need to live somewhere and Frisco businesses complain they can’t find enough employees who want to drive in from more affordable areas." Stacy Brown (Frisco's Housing and Grants administrator) states in the clip, "to grow with our businesses, we need those workers. We need them to be able to come here. Otherwise, we can't staff our restaurants, hotels, retail."
I couldn't agree with them more.
In addition, it's not a low-income housing community. It's mixed income with some of the residents using Section 8 vouchers.
For the gentleman in opposition in the news clip: the people that you're so scared of are already in the city. There the ones working in the Target and other stores near Stonebriar. Keep worrying about pre-conceived fears you've read about, your precious suburb will be just fine. However, I think this might be more of a threat to your property values in Frisco.
Like Candy writes, "working folks need to live somewhere and Frisco businesses complain they can’t find enough employees who want to drive in from more affordable areas." Stacy Brown (Frisco's Housing and Grants administrator) states in the clip, "to grow with our businesses, we need those workers. We need them to be able to come here. Otherwise, we can't staff our restaurants, hotels, retail."
I couldn't agree with them more.
In addition, it's not a low-income housing community. It's mixed income with some of the residents using Section 8 vouchers.
For the gentleman in opposition in the news clip: the people that you're so scared of are already in the city. There the ones working in the Target and other stores near Stonebriar. Keep worrying about pre-conceived fears you've read about, your precious suburb will be just fine. However, I think this might be more of a threat to your property values in Frisco.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Towing & Booting Revisions are a Good Idea
Because of the way parking lot operators and tow truck companies have been running their businesses, I have started a practice of only parking at meters. As much as I dislike nighttime parking meters, at least I know that I won't return to my car with a boot on it (or towed and missing altogether).
In my opinion, this should have been done the first time; I didn't see the reason for changing the law in Deep Ellum and giving Downtown lot owners an additional six months. It didn't take too much deductive reasoning to figure out that the next move would be to take the shady practices a few blocks west of Deep Ellum, a practice which was outlined extensively in recent weeks.
Apparently, the owner of Hawkeye Towing came to speak at City Council. He claimed that his business would be in jeopardy and that he's a good operator; in my opinion what he calls a business should be in jeopardy. Fortunately his crocodile tears didn't sway anyone. Here's their BBB listing (h/t to Travis from Pegasus). I didn't see the video, so I can't confirm if it was this this guy from Hawkeye or not.
I've been in lots "attended to" by Hawkeye Towing. After a friend's car was booted after a show in Deep Ellum we decided to turn the tables on this company. The boot guy tried to talk tough in the beginning, but once a couple of us whipped out our cell phone cameras and recorded the shady event everything got real polite and calm. The boot was removed from my friend's car.
To this day, I haven't figured out why lots in the West End have receipt machines but it is oh-so-difficult for these same owners to install such machines downtown and in Deep Ellum. But that's an argument for another day.
Today was a victory for businesses and patrons, and a tear jerker for the ripoff artists. We must continue to stay vigilant and keep a watchful eye out for and shady practices. Keep those cell phone cameras charged. On to the next one.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Love Field, New Children's Aquarium, and more
There are several interesting briefings coming to City Council this week.
There are a few things that stand out from reading these briefings.
Dallas Love Field Capital Development Program - Public Information Initiative
There is a $500 million modernization of Love Field currently underway. This briefing talks about the Public Information Approach that the city is using.
FY2009-10 Community Development Block Grant Extensions and Reprogramming
According to page 13 of the FY2009-10 Community Development Block Grant Extensions and Reprogramming briefing, there is still a good amount of money in the Minor Home repair program for the South Dallas/Fair Park area. Here is the info on how to apply.
OneDAY Dallas
We are one month away from citywide implementation of OneDAY Dallas. OneDAY Dallas is the name of the initiative to collect garbage and recycles on the same day. This is a great idea, and it will save the city money. Most trash consists of recyclable materials, and landfill space is a finite resource.
One thing that was interesting in the briefing is the Southern Dallas council districts are requesting a recycling roll carts at a much lower rate
Districts that are primarily southern are in bold
District 1 41% District 6 40%* District 11 74%
District 2 51% District 7 32% District 12 79%
District 3 46% District 8 27% District 13 75%
District 4 29% District 9 65% District 14 78%
*District 6 has a large portion of area in Northwest Dallas.
Children’s Aquarium at Fair Park
This briefing discusess the effort underway during which the Aquarium at Fair Park was closed and is being repurposed as the Children’s Aquarium at Fair Park. It will be open for a sneak preview during this year's State Fair, and open for good in 2011.
There are a few things that stand out from reading these briefings.
Dallas Love Field Capital Development Program - Public Information Initiative
There is a $500 million modernization of Love Field currently underway. This briefing talks about the Public Information Approach that the city is using.
FY2009-10 Community Development Block Grant Extensions and Reprogramming
According to page 13 of the FY2009-10 Community Development Block Grant Extensions and Reprogramming briefing, there is still a good amount of money in the Minor Home repair program for the South Dallas/Fair Park area. Here is the info on how to apply.
OneDAY Dallas
We are one month away from citywide implementation of OneDAY Dallas. OneDAY Dallas is the name of the initiative to collect garbage and recycles on the same day. This is a great idea, and it will save the city money. Most trash consists of recyclable materials, and landfill space is a finite resource.
One thing that was interesting in the briefing is the Southern Dallas council districts are requesting a recycling roll carts at a much lower rate
Districts that are primarily southern are in bold
District 1 41% District 6 40%* District 11 74%
District 2 51% District 7 32% District 12 79%
District 3 46% District 8 27% District 13 75%
District 4 29% District 9 65% District 14 78%
*District 6 has a large portion of area in Northwest Dallas.
Children’s Aquarium at Fair Park
This briefing discusess the effort underway during which the Aquarium at Fair Park was closed and is being repurposed as the Children’s Aquarium at Fair Park. It will be open for a sneak preview during this year's State Fair, and open for good in 2011.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Public Meetings to Discuss the DPD Police Chief Search
There are two neighborhood meetings left at which the City of Dallas will be gathering input from residents and business owners for the process of selecting a new police chief. Residents and business owners can also take an on-line survey.
The link to the survey is here.
The last two meetings are listed below:
February 2, 2010
Friday, January 15, 2010
Two More Southern Dallas Motels Set to Close
In Council District Four, two more hot-sheet motels are set to close. Both are in the Piedmont neighborhood in Dallas. The motels are:
Sundial Motel at Buckner & Ricardo (map)
Luxury Inn Motel near Buckner & Scyene (map) - pictured below
Both motels were magnets for prostitution and other crimes.
The motels are set to close in January 2011. In addition, regulations requiring landscaping and displays to be much closer to the storefronts (e.g. racks of tires and rims) and not along the streets and sidewalks.
Other motels will be announced in the coming months.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Farewell Lt. Carlton Marshall
Tomorrow, DPD Lt. Carlton Marshall is retiring from the Police Department. His story has been chronicled on this blog as well as all over the country. Here is a Channel 8 story covering the LT's retirement. We thank you for your service and dedication, and for your wife who has stood by you every step of the way.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
An Eye Opener - Downtown is not as Dead as You Think
Whenever someone talks positively about Downtown Dallas, there are always people that claim that downtown is dead (or that it closes at 5pm, etc).
Such a claim couldn't be further from the truth. Even on a Tuesday night, several places were popping. I went to PM Lounge in the basement of the Joule for a party. At 9pm, it was already full. People were lounging on the patio of Charlie Palmer. A few student-aged kids were walking around taking pictures and surveying the scene.
I left PM to go to a friend's informal birthday party at Ten Sports Lounge. By the time I left a few hours later, it was full. I walked past City Tavern, and it was 3/4 full inside the bar the patio was full. People were hanging out on the sidewalk chatting in front of the tavern. Again, this is on a Tuesday night.
Other than the French Quarter and Midtown Manhattan, there aren't many places that are teeming with people 24/7. But Dallas has made great strides, and to claim that it's the same downtown from five years ago is not looking at the big picture. Take a walk with me in my new hood, and I'll tell you all about it.
Such a claim couldn't be further from the truth. Even on a Tuesday night, several places were popping. I went to PM Lounge in the basement of the Joule for a party. At 9pm, it was already full. People were lounging on the patio of Charlie Palmer. A few student-aged kids were walking around taking pictures and surveying the scene.I left PM to go to a friend's informal birthday party at Ten Sports Lounge. By the time I left a few hours later, it was full. I walked past City Tavern, and it was 3/4 full inside the bar the patio was full. People were hanging out on the sidewalk chatting in front of the tavern. Again, this is on a Tuesday night.
Other than the French Quarter and Midtown Manhattan, there aren't many places that are teeming with people 24/7. But Dallas has made great strides, and to claim that it's the same downtown from five years ago is not looking at the big picture. Take a walk with me in my new hood, and I'll tell you all about it.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Transformation has No Limits
I remember reading the story about a small block in the Fishtown neighborhood of Philadelphia some years ago. The story detailed the 2500 block of East Gordon Street, once called "The Skid Row of Fishtown." It was a block so dangerous, it is the only block in the area without a Google Maps Street View image. It was essentially an alley with houses.
I remember reading the first article like it was yesterday. The block reminded me of the the one that held my late Grandmother's house, a street so small you had to park your car 3/4 on the curb so cars could get through. Now, according to the new story, the Lost Block has been awarded Philadelphia's Most Beautiful.
This can be done in any city. It didn't require one politician. It took a group of determined neighbors that said "enough is enough."
There's not much I can add, but I hope that this story will inspire you to work to clean up your own neighborhood. It may take years (eight years in the case of Gordon Street), but it can be done.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
The Dallas Lone Star Classic is this Weekend
This is from the the founders of the Lone Star Classic:
Get ready to kick off this the 2nd Annual Dallas Lone Star Classic Weekend November 27-29th, as the University Of Arkansas At Pine Bluff Golden Lions take on the Texas Southern University Tigers at the historic Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas, TX on November 28th. Kickoff time is 1:00pm!
Be in the crowd and watch the bands as they rock the stadum at halftime! The Arkansas-Pine Bluff "Marching Musical machine of the mid-south" will go up against Texas Southern's “Ocean of Soul”!
Tickets are on sale now at Concord Church, Two Podners, Catfish Floyd's and all Ticketmaster locations.
We are calling out all Black College Football fans, HBCU alumni, fraternities, and sororities to come out and enjoy this fun-filled weekend at the Dallas Lone Star Classic and kick it with family and friends and celebrate the black college experience
For more info visit www.dallaslonestarclassic.com!
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