Jennifer Myers – Page 7 – The Other Side Dallas

September 9, 2020September 9, 2020

City Council To Defund DPD Overtime?

Defund DPD looks like it is becoming an election issue afterall.

Several members of Dallas City Council, including Adam Baladua and Chad West, are circulating the graphic below showing the reallocation of Dallas Police overtime to other focus areas. The argument they make is that crime prevention dollars are better spent than crime response.

It is not clear how some of these measures are anything except for pet projects in the city. Bike infrastructure and new solar panels have not been linked towards crime prevention in any way and arts funding, useful to the community at large, has little to nothing to do with crime prevention either.

One recent social media post noted it appears some members of city council are trying to balance the budget deficit on the backs of cops after the city council voted to waste millions on Visit Dallas earlier this summer.

Another poster noted that city council knows overtime is hard to budget for and with COVID19 and ongoing George Floyd protests these dollars are being used more quickly than usual.

Defund DPD – Not Really

One issue that is being raised very lightly is the total budget cut from the police force. Despite multiple city council members saying their budget priority was to Defund DPD in June the current reallocation argument amounts to only 0.8%. Where is the real ‘Defund’ movement and will these same members of city council continue to buy armored vehicles for the police as they did earlier this year.

September 8, 2020September 8, 2020

Resignation Renee

Reneé Hall resigns from Dallas Police effective November 10, 2020. Hall’s tenure has been marred by an explosion in Dallas crime over the past two years that is breaking a decades’ old record for violent crime.

Hall has also pushed back against city council critics who want to defund the police budget.

Resignation Reneé Hall Tenure

Hall was cited in the city council’s August Public Safety Committee meeting where it appears she was caught lying about the response to the George Floyd protests in late May and early June, particularly the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge incident.

September 3, 2020September 3, 2020

No Spanish Speakers Need Apply

Carter Bloodcare denied two Spanish speakers the ability to donate earlier this week per multiple witnesses. The two potential donors had made an appointment for earlier this week in Spanish, but upon arrival at the Dallas donor center were told they would not be accomodated.

Carter Bloodcare Denies Spanish Speakers Ability To Donate Blood

On a regular basis Carter Bloodcare reminds the public that the blood supply is inadequate for ongoing needs while they sell donated blood products to hospitals throughout the region.

We asked Carter Bloodcare about these issues more than twenty-four hours ago. They have not responded to a request for comment other than it is accurate two donors were denied the ability to donate without being screened.

The American Red Cross also collects blood locally.

Information for Spanish Speakers

Three federal laws require that providers who receive federal funds provide oral interpreters and written translated materials to Limited English Proficiency and Deaf and Hard of Hearing patients. Those laws include Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

Many systems including nonprofits will use language lines which are telephone systems where a qualified translator can provide medical translation for hundreds of languages between medical staff and patient.

In addition to the above Newly adopted changes to Section 1557 of the ACA in 2016 brought about two key changes.

First, providers must now use qualified medical interpreters when treating LEP and Deaf
and HOH patients.

Second, LEP patients, for the first time, were granted the right to sue providers for language access violations. It was not clear if the Spanish speaking donors had sought counsel.

September 3, 2020September 3, 2020

Have You Seen Our Missing Mayor?

Eric Johnson was a Missing Mayor at yesterday’s budget markup after approximately 1:30 PM when Mayor Pro Tem Adam Medrano took over the gavel and Eric Johnson was nowhere to be found.

Dallas City Council was to take up eighty-four budget amendments and did so in many cases without the Mayor. Mayor Johnson left proceedings when his amendments were defeated.

The city currently has a $3.8B budget with numerous holes given the loss of tax revenue from COVID19. During that time the City Council nearly unaimously gave Visit Dallas a new five year contract despite no evidence of actually succeeding in bringing convention or visitors to Dallas and a long history of marketing suburban hotels and events.

Missing Mayor – Again

Eric Johnson’s tenures as Mayor and as a State Representative have been marred by a frequent absenteeism. He was named to Pepperdine University’s Board of Regents further fueling speculation about his focus on Dallas.

September 2, 2020September 2, 2020

Wick Allison – In Memoriam

Wick Allison, birth name Lodowick Brodie Cobb Allison (born March 17, 1948), was a Dallas, Texan magazine publisher and author. He was owner of Dallas’ D Magazine, a monthly magazine covering Dallas-Fort Worth, which he co-founded in 1974. He was also principal owner of People Newspapers, which he purchased in 2003.

Allison was born in Dallas, Texas, and is a sixth-generation Texan. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 1971. He served as editor of the student humor magazine The Texas Ranger and earned a degree in American Studies. Upon graduation, he served in The White House on the President’s Commission on Campus Unrest.

In 1983, he married the former Christine Peterson and has four daughters.

Wick Allison And D Magazine

Allison co-founded D Magazine — a monthly magazine covering Dallas — in 1974. In 1985, Allison was asked by William F. Buckley, Jr. to join the board of directors of the National Review, and in 1980 he became its publisher, succeeding William A. Rusher.

In February 2013, Allison launched “D: The Broadcast,” a two-hour daily morning talk show, on local Dallas independent station KTXD, but the magazine ended its affiliation with the show in August of the same year.

He also serves as president of the non-profit American Ideas Institute, publisher of The American Conservative.

September 1, 2020September 1, 2020

TEA Takeover For Desoto Sinking Schools?

The Texas Education Agency appears to be ready to take over Desoto Independent School District’s due to multiple questions of financial problems.

The school board accepted Dr. D’Andre Weaver’s resignation during an emergency meeting Sunday night. The reason for his resignation was not made public.

Weaver’s term started with investigations into unethical practices including more than $300,000 in travel expenses. Former board member Jerry Hall said the school board refused to do anything about inappropriate spending.

The 18-page TEA report indicates former administration employees could face a criminal investigation for fifty fraudulent credit card purchases to fictitious vendors. His efforts met resistance from some board members who had the ultimate say over him.

Texas Education Agency Plans To Take Over Desoto ISD

Texas Education Agency Next Steps

The TEA is now recommending the troubled district be taken out of the hands of the divided school board. The Desoto ISD Board of Trustees accepted Weaver’s resignation after ninety minutes in executive session.

The Desoto ISD example may be a warning of things to come given Dallas’ own sudden departures. The auditor scandal has still not been explained and may effect the bond vote. There have also been recent accusations that Dallas ISD was trying to box out minority contractors – first inferred by Trustee Maxie Johnson and then seconded by Next Generation Action Network’s Dominique Alexander.

August 29, 2020August 29, 2020

Deep Ellum Fire Overnight: Pecan Lodge Damaged

A Deep Ellum fire broke out early Saturday morning at Pecan Lodge. Dallas Fire Rescue is currently investigating the cause of the fire.

Pecan Lodge had a similar early morning fire in 2016 due to what was described as a grease choked smokestack.

Pecan Lodge opened in spring 2010 and has won the praise of barbecue aficionados and has been named one of the city’s better restaurants. It has also been feature on the Food Network‘s Guy Fieri featured it on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.

Pecan Lodge Not Only Deep Ellum Action

Dallas Police also responded to a shooting leaving one dead and five injured overnight in Deep Ellum.

Dallas murder rate is ahead of last year’s which broke a ten year record.

August 21, 2020August 21, 2020

D2 Candidate Told To Get Back In the Kitchen

The female D2 candidate in the Dallas Independent School District race, Nancy Rodriguez, has been told to get out of the race just two days after the anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment providing women the right to vote.

Alex Enriquez was asked for comment and confirmation he made the statement. He has yet to respond, but that has not stopped the fireworks on Facebook pages and other social media.

D2 Candidates

The three candidates in District 2 will have their hands full once elected. Those candidates are Alex Enriquez, Dustin Marshall, and Nancy Rodriguez.

Their election has been moved to coincide with the November general election due to concerns about COVID19.

Not only will they contend with the ongoing COVID19 pandemic, but the results of the November bond election.

August 18, 2020August 18, 2020

Alarming After Action Report Misses Accountability

The After Action Report – long awaited from the Dallas Police Department – is being presented to the Dallas City Council Public Safety Committee this afternoon.

As of this writing, the presentation has included a single admission of error – a memorandum issue – clearly missingthe point of the After Action Report’s reasons for being written.

An interesting note, Dallas Police claim that “some protestors left” the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge when asked. They also admit they didn’t use the Incident Command System which has been used widely by public safety since the 70s.

Dallas Police Command staff also stated that Dominque Alexander of the Next Generation Action Network was their informant on crowd movement.

Chief Hall also states she is happy about After Action Report because it shows Dallas is transparent in response to a question from Council Member Adam Bazaldua.

Council Member Carolyn King Arnold was the only person to openly support the Chief of Police – citing her race and sex as reasons for support. She made no mention of the attacks against Persons of Color by Dallas Police officers multiple times.

After Action Report Revisited

As reported by Scott Calvillo this morning, this is the Dallas Police Department’s first public response to city council since June.

It is not clear if police staff will address the assaults that occurred by police against bystanders or the lies told about the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge event.

Dallas Police have also been quiet about why officers are assigned inappropriately or why police do not respond to events in the city more proactively.

August 17, 2020August 29, 2020

Huge #TX24 News: Independent Steve Kuzmich On Ballot

Independent Steve Kuzmich has made the November ballot for the #TX24 House seat being vacated by Rep. Kenny Marchant per sources in the Texas Secretary of State office.

Kuzmich will face off against Darren Hamilton (Lib), Candace Valenzuela (Dem), and Beth Van Duyne (GOP) on the November 3 ballot as Democrats try to flip Texas.

Unlike the other independent in the race, Kuzmich has raised tens of thousands of dollars. While that is one tenth the amount raised by Valenzuela and Van Duyne it is unusual for independent candidates to close in on $100,000 campaign hauls.

Texas’s 24th congressional district of the United States House of Representatives covers much of the suburban area in between Fort Worth and Dallas in the state of Texas, north of Texas 33rd. The district centers along the Dallas-Tarrant county line, and includes the southeastern corner of Denton County as well.

Steve Kuzmich Background

Steve has lived in the D/FW Metroplex for over 40 years. He graduated from Marcus High School in Flower Mound, TX in 1988. He received his Bachelor of Science degree with a double major in economics and political science from Texas A&M University in 1991 and his doctorate of jurisprudence from Baylor University’s School of Law in 1994. Steve is married and has three children.

He began practicing law in 1994 and, over a 25 year legal career, has represented thousands of clients as both Defendants and Plaintiffs in most every type of civil litigation, including complex business disputes, tort law, and family law. As an insurance defense attorney and when representing corporate America, Steve utilized his skills to navigate the complexity of business and difficult legal issues. As an attorney representing individuals during some of their most trying and emotional times, Steve immersed himself in the triumphs and hardships of average Americans.

Steve is a past president of the Denton County A&M Club, served 12 years on the board of Denton County Court Appointed Special Advocates Board of Directors (CASA), including 2 years as chairman, and has been a soccer coach for 15 years with Greater Area Lewisville Soccer Association (GLASA). Steve is also a certified mediator.