Williams is also assigned to the Special Weapons and Tactics unit, or SWAT.
Dallas Police are investigating him for possible use of excessive force during the recent arrest in Deep Ellum. The investigation comes after Dallas Texas TV shows an officer pushing the man into a light post. The officer then punches him at least six times while he was on the ground before two other officers intervene and remove the attacking officer.
Eddie Garcia’s department has not been forthcoming about either Williams’ name or his involvement in the prior two cases. While Garcia himself praised the officers for removing Williams from the subject, two police sources say they did not self report the issue to superiors or Internal Affairs.
Last week Monacelli did an article for the Observer noting a flyer from a group reportedly from Dallas Justice Now. The article stated that the flyer urged parents in Dallas’ wealthy — and largely white — Highland Park and University Park suburbs to not send their kids to Ivy League schools. The parents needed to make space for students of color, the statement said.
The article insinuated it was a false flag operation put up by Keep Dallas Safe (KDS).
Yesterday a correction went up on the Observer website noting KDS was not connected to the Dallas Justice Now campaign.
As information becomes available we will update this story about Monacelli and the Dallas Justice Now story.
Rising numbers of COVID19 cases has the restaurant owner with a sign on his door informing his patrons to mask up or shut up.
Groves’ restaurant started mandating masks for its patrons last Thursday, July 29. Many, including Groves say they expect and are prepaing for the worst.
Here We Go Again Locally And Nationally
Locally, coronavirus numbers have returned to the same numbers as February 2021, similar to other parts of the country. In San Francisco though local bar and restaurant industry leaders acted similarly to Ellen’s: No Proof of Vaccination/No Service.
The San Francisco group represents five hundred bars who came together to say patrons must get a vaccine or skip going out to the bars represented by the group.
Beyond Groves, no organization has taken on the question of mandating masks or vaccination as strongly or as unified as the San Francisco example.
Currently, Governor Abbott has stopped localities from implementing government enforced requirements for masks or vaccinations.
Or at least they said you can not unfurl a banner saying Trump won the election.
The same people who attended June’s QAnon Rally in Dallas apparently think it is appropriate to advertise Trump’s “win” at Globe Life Field.
Video shows a man identified as conspiracy theorist Owen Shroyer demanding his banner back after the security personnel removed it. Shroyer has previously been removed from Congressional hearings for outbursts.
It is unclear if this was intended as entertainment or actual political posturing.
John Blake of the Rangers has not returned an email seeking comment on whether or not Mr. Shroyer will be banned from future Rangers or Major League Baseball games as others have been for similar stunts.
Dion Cini, unfurled a similar banner previously, resulting in a strongly worded letter from MLB.
In Cini’s case, MLB said, “this activity is prohibited at each of these stadiums, and your fan code of conduct violations resulted in your ejection from each of them. A review of your public statements indicates that you intend to continue this behavior at other Major League Baseball stadiums, and that you are encouraging others to conduct themselves likewise,” per a letter circulating on social media.
Trump Lost Dallas
Dallas County Elections reported a 66% turnout. That equaled 924,000 ballots cast.
Biden won the majority of the vote by a margin of almost two to one. Sixty-five percent of voters supported President Joe Biden over President Donald Trump.
Dallas County reported 1,400,730 registered voters.
A Dallas firefighter paid to not work for COVID19 is now being paid to not work while on adminstrative leave. William Carter, a Dallas Fire Rescue firefighter at Engine 7, was arrested by Dallas Police Department (DPD) officers for felony theft.
The warrant for Carter’s arrest alleges he lied about a positive virus diagnoses for himself, his spouse, and his child. As a result, Carter received more than $12,000 in paid sick leave from the Dallas Fire Rescue.
Firefighters in Dallas exposed to or diagnosed with COVID19 are given paid time off without having to use their own sick leave bank per Dallas policy. This benefit is also extended to a firefighter with family members who test positive for coronavirus.
Court documents show Carter received $12,548.86 in three payroll cycless over the course of his leave. The funds were coded as “COVID leave,” and were paid from the City of Dallas General Funds. This number does not account for the overtime paid to others to cover his shift requirements.
There has been no comment from IAFF Local 58, the union association, that represents Dallas Fire Rescue firefighters.
Dallas Firefighter Paid To Not Work, But Is He Exception?
Dallas firefighters started having the option to receive the COVID19 vaccination in December 2020, but there are still many who have not taken up the opportunity to be protected against COVID19.
Nationally, firefighters have avoided taking the vaccine at a rate of almost fifty percent in some jurisdictions, despite being on the front lines of the epidemic.
DPD is investigating an officer for possible use of excessive force during a recent arrest in Deep Ellum. The investigation comes after Dallas Texas TV shows an officer pushing a man into a light post. The officer then punches him repeatedly while he was on the ground before two other officers intervene and remove the attacking officer.
There is no word on the condition of the man assaulted or what prompted the actions by what appears to be a police sergeant, i.e. a front line supervisor who would be expected to set the standard for behavior in uniform.
This assault comes almost fourteen months after another video shows DPD officers beating a prone subject during the George Floyd protests. It is still unknown if those officers ever faced disciplinary action for their behavior.
It is not clear how this incident will be seen by City Council who last year was working to defund the police.
Keep Dallas Safe which is launching a podcast today has called on 2000 new officers.
DPD Assault In Deep Ellum Applauded By Chief Garcia
DPD released a statement on the incident:
“The Dallas Police Department is aware of the video on social media showing a Dallas officer using force in the Deep Ellum area of downtown Dallas. The officer has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an Internal Affairs administrative investigation. A criminal inquiry is also being reviewed by the department. Chief Garcia would like to commend those officers who recognize their duty to intervene in this incident and deescalated the situation.”
One source noted that while Chief Eddie Garcia commends the officers who intervened, it took a social media post, not self reporting of the incident by officers to bring the issue to light.
COVID19 Numbers highest since February 2021 per Dallas County Health and Human Services with almost 1000 new cases report including several deaths. One of those deaths was a fifteen year old girl.
This time last year, Dallas was considered a medical hot zone for its COVID19 case load. Last week, UTSouthwestern pandemic modeling predicted six hundred new daily cases by August 9. Yesterday’s numbers top that by 60%.
Judge Jenkins released data about the new virus infections.
Locally, it is reported that Collin County and Tarrant both had hundreds of new infections reported also and that Denton County is down to ten ICU beds – the same issue driving restrictions earlier in the pandemic.
COVID19 Numbers Highest Since February – But Back To Normal?
Earlier in the week, Governor Abbott stated local governments and schools could not require a mask or vaccine mandate and it was a personal choice.
Dallas ISD has already said school will open under normal conditions with almost no option for virtual students.
The recent K-12 CDC Mask recommendation is being ignored by Governor Greg Abbott per statements reinforcing his May Executive Order.
The CDC has recommended everyone in the K-12 setting wear a mask indoors, regardless of vaccination status. Children under 12 are not yet eligible for FDA authorized vaccinations.
When asked by a KXAN reporter about whether Texas would be allowed to enforce mask wearing his press secretary responded: “the time for government mandating of masks is over…”
The spokesperson goes on, “vaccines are the most effective defense against contracting COVID and becoming seriously ill, and we continue to urge all eligible Texans to get the vaccine. The COVID vaccine will always remain voluntary and never forced in Texas.”
K-12 CDC Mask Recommendation or Donald Trump?
It is not clear if the current course of action is due to the election calendar.
Governor Abbott is in a fierce primary contest for the Republican nomination for Governor. One of his opponents, Don Huffines, has already hit out at Abbott over the rolling blackouts and freezeout earlier in the year.
Abbott has soought the support of former President Donald Trump – despite a clear move away from Trump in many suburbs, including Dallas – over the infiltration of the Republican Party by QAnon.
Former Richardson Mayor Laura Jordan, and her developer husband Mark Jordan, were found guilty Friday, July 23 of bribery and tax evasion.
Prosecutors said the former mayor accepted cash, vacations, and home renovations from Jordan and had sex with him in exchange for her votes to change the city’s zoning on land fronting Central Expressway. She also voted to approve hundreds of apartments that Jordan wanted to build there.
Early in the trial, prosecutors told jurors that the Jordans “corruptly convinced the city of Richardson to approve a multi-million dollar real estate deal.” Prosecutors also said that they “used their adulterous affair and subsequent marriage to cover up corruption and get away with this.”
But the Jordans’ attorneys told the jury that the former mayor voted for the project because it was in the best interest of the city, and that a majority of council members approved the project too.
The conviction comes just weeks after the conviction of Ruel Hamilton on similar charges.
Laura Jordan
Laura Jordan was the Mayor of Richardson, Texas from 2013 to 2015. She had previously become the first woman elected to the post of Mayor Pro Tem in the City’s 57-year history as a home rule city.
Laura Jordan, then Laura Maczka, was initially elected to the Richardson City Council, Place 4 in May 2011, defeating Karl Voigtsberger by 74.97% to 25.03%. She is believed to be only the 6th woman elected to the city council in the last forty years.
In 2013, Maczka was elected mayor in the first direct election of the mayor since the city became a home rule city in 1956.
Candida Auris (C. auris) is in Dallas per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today. They have evidence that the untreatable fungus is spreading at two Dallas-area hospitals and a Washington, D.C, nursing home.
Several patients have been diagnozed with the invasive fungal infections. The infection is impervious to all three major classes of medications, according to the CDC.
“This is really the first time we’ve started seeing clustering of resistance” in which patients seemed to be getting the infections from each other, said the CDC’s Dr. Meghan Lyman.
The new infections come as Dallas is still responding to the COVID19 pandemic and the recent diagnosis of monkeypox in Dallas.
The fungus, Candida auris, is a harmful form of yeast. It is dangerous to hospital and nursing home patients with serious medical problems.
It is most deadly when it enters the bloodstream, heart, or brain.
Health officials have sounded alarms for years about superbugs like Candida auris. In particular, they have found commonly used drugs having little to no effect.
In those cases, there was no evidence the infections had spread from patient to patient – scientists concluded the resistance to the drugs formed during treatment.
The new cases did spread, the CDC concluded.
In Washington, D.C., a cluster of 101 C. auris cases at a nursing home dedicated to very sick patients included three that were resistant to all three kinds of antifungal medications. A cluster of 22 in two Dallas-area hospitals included two with that level of resistance. The facilities weren’t identified, but the cases occured between January and April.
Lyman said both are ongoing outbreaks and that additional infections have been identified since April. But those added numbers were not reported.
Investigators reviewed medical records and found no evidence of previous antifungal use among the patients in those clusters. Health officials say that means they spread from person to person.
Candida auris Background
Per the CDC, Candida auris is an emerging fungus that can cause outbreaks of severe infections in healthcare facilities.
In the United States, it has most commonly spread in long-term care facilities caring for people with severe medical conditions.
However, since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, outbreaks of C. auris have been reported in COVID-19 units of acute care hospitals. These outbreaks may be related to changes in routine infection control practices during the COVID-19 pandemic, including limited availability of gloves and gowns, or reuse of these items, and changes in cleaning and disinfection practices.
New C. auris cases without links to known cases or healthcare abroad have been identified recently in multiple states, suggesting an increase in undetected transmission. Screening for C. auris colonization, an important part of containment efforts, has been more limited as resources of healthcare facilities and health departments have been diverted to respond to COVID-19.
