The current event is not the first at Harry Stone Montessori. Approximately ten years ago another victim came forward to District and school administration with a report of sexual assault in the school’s bathrooms.
Other Side Dallas will be following and updating this story as details emerge.
An unsealed letter went home to parents a Chapel Hill Preparatory School was found in possession of a student at their bus stop. The student had a gun At Marshall Prep, but there was “no danger” to students at Chapel Hill Prep. The letter came from Dallas Independent School District’s principal, Zenaida Martinez.
The letter above was circulated on social media and was verified by multiple parents who expressed concern that it was in a “tend home” folder, usually reserved for PTA fundraising literature or class assignment notices.
One parent called it a “casual letter. Normalizing it.” Other Side Dallas has been unable to locate a similar letter to Marsh Preparatory Academy parents and Dallas schools staff does not respond to requests for comment.
Gun At Marshall Prep
The latest incident is one of a growing number. Earlier in the year, multiple reports stated there were individuals on campus at Dealey Montessori with firearms during a COVID9 mask mandate protest.
Prior to that protest the organizer’s business had tweeted out the question which is better the AK47 or M16 in a blog post which seemed unrelated to the men’s salon business and fully related to the school protest.
Alexandra Guio is not missing – she is just ghosting Paula Blackmon and city staff – after her appointment to the Dallas Redistricting Commission and recent decision to launch a campaign for House District 114.
Guio was appointed to the Redistricting Commission in early March 2021. Local city rules prohibit city council appointees from being candidates or treasurers for political campaigns.
Guio’s news comes after Paul Ridley demanded the removal of former D14 City Council Member David Blewett’s appointee to the Redistricting Commission.
Alexandra Guio
Guio did not respond to a call from Other Side Dallas, but at least one other candidate was not surprised.
“Alex thinks she is going to roll into progressive HD114 as a former Republican with a commitment problem and we’re going to let that slide,” said a local Democratic activist.
Currently, there are four announced candidates in the race for HD114: Charlie Gearing, Chris Leal, and Kendall Scudder. There is the possibility of a fifth candidate entering the race shortly.
Students, staff, and community members gathered on campus for the announcement despite a Dallas ISD prohibition in most schools on visitors.
The new campus is expected to be completed in 2024.
Social Justice In South Dallas Academy Named After John Lewis
“I’m happy to announce that O.W. Holmes will now be the John Lewis Social Justice Academy at O.W. Holmes,” Dallas ISD Trustee Maxie Johnson told those assembled. Johnson is also pastor at New Morning Star Baptist Church.
The school is currently named for Oliver Wendell Holmes, the Supreme Court Justice, who has been the third-most cited American legal scholar of the 20th century.
It is unclear Trustee Johnson’s commitment to social justice though. In the summer, Johnson accused white and Latino parents at Harry Stone of being racist after they raised concerns about school funds being misappropriated. The meeting revealed that staff has been assaulted by a family member of another school employee.
Early in the school year, Johnson also returned to calling parents racist after they expressed concern over hidden COVID19 numbers at Harry Stone that have now risen to fifty total cases out of a student population of approximately three hundred.
There were no protests arranged at Harry Stone Montessori over these numbers, unlike Dealey Montessori in North Dallas – which is predominantly white. Trustee Johnson has yet to return email requests for comment on his actions on any of these topics.
Dallas ISD Transportation is continuing its Thanksgiving holiday with reports of multiple riders missing rides to school this morning, particularly to the Townview Magnet Complex. Riders at the Hillcrest High School location numbered multiple dozen and waited for at least an hour.
It is not clear how many total schools are being affected, but Other Side Dallas has been on hold for forty-five minutes as of this writing.
Dallas Independent School District has generally been credited with a strong turnaround of the transportation system this year after decades of corruption with the Dallas County Schools scandal. Last December, attorney Richard Reynolds was sentenced for his role in that corruption.
Dallas ISD Transportation Contacts
The student transportation call center is staffed from 6:00AM to 6:00PM Monday thru Friday, excluding school holidays. Parents can call either (972) 925-4BUS or (972) 925-4287.
Future crime data will be limited by a move by Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia.
The otherwise public information is used by both news outlets including Other Side Dallas and by neighborhood groups to monitor community based crime will be harder to access in Dallas based on the secretive police chief’s decisions.
In recent weeks, Garcia has been said to be living on Eddie Garcia Island, by his own staff members. They allude to him being out of touch with both citizens and officers.
Crime Data Accountability
This move puts Garcia squarely at odds with groups seeking police accountability after incidents like the George Floyd protest and lack of responsibility taken by the department after its officers injured bystanders and protestors alike. The city and the department have both been quiet about the Dallas data breach which endangered thousands of prosecutions locally.
It also does not reflect recent actions by Dallas police officers who were caught beating civilians on the streets of Deep Ellum without cause or the recent detention of a family, who were in their own home, in an incident that reminds us of the Botham Jean murder.
Damon Finney, a former Dallas jailer, was not protected by Sheriff Marian Brown when it came to exposure to COVID19 in Dallas jails. His widow wants to know why she is being denied a state death benefit for first responders.
Finney died August 14, 2021 after he was one of many county correctional deputies on mandatory sixteen hour overtime shifts at the height of the COVID19 pandemic.
Per a report in Dallas Observer, the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office General Orders state that “any Dallas Sheriff’s Department employee…. Killed in the Line of Duty, will receive Full Honors Service,” which includes casket guards from the department, a detail of federal and state law enforcement officials standing guard, plus a spread of other ceremonial personnel honoring the fallen officer. None of this ever happened for Finney.
On June 14, 2021 the Texas Legislature passed a bill stating correctional officers were among the first responders included in Line of Duty death benefits for coronavirus. Family member benefits are included in the state legislative action.
Damon Finney Not Only Problem For Sheriff Brown
Marian Brown’s administration is accused of threatening her deputies.
Dallas County Sheriff Marian Brown is rumored to be using her Jail Internal Affairs team to launch investigations into employees who would not work sixteen hour shifts. These assignments sometimes lasted for up to five consecutive days.
These threats against her own staff are only the start of Brown’s troubles.
In addition, Brown’s office is being sued by both jailers and inmates in a federal lawsuit over her administration of the jail during COVID19.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Texas, the lawsuit accuses Dallas County Sheriff Marian Brown of neglecting to protect detainees from the virus, placing them at serious risk of infection or death.
Her office is also in the middle of an investigation into the loss of $600,000 in inmate commissary funds.
Brown is expected to face a primary opponent in 2024 when she is up for re-election.
Damon Finney Life
On October 6, 1970, Damon Keith Finney was born in Pontiac, Michigan to the proud parents of William and Mrs. L.T. Finney. He attended Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church where he accepted Christ at an early age.
He obtained his early years of education in the Pontiac School District. In 1988 he graduated and received his diploma from Pontiac Northern High School and furthered his education at Oakland Community College for an additional 2 years. Damon lived most of his life in Pontiac until he relocated to the Dallas Ft. Worth area in the mid 1990s.
After eleven years of love and friendship he married the love of his life, Tiffany Toussaint on July 9, 2021. Together they made Arlington, Texas their home until his passing.
Damon Finney gained several years of experience in the security industry which inspired his interest in the Correctional Department. In 2006 he began his employment for the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department where he diligently served 15 years of service as a Detention Service Officer and made and influenced many lifelong friendships.
He often referred to his coworkers as his second family whom he fearlessly helped and assisted throughout his career.
Per an obituary Finney was a witty, fun loving, caring and compassionate individual with a big heart. He was a wonderful husband, father figure, brother-in-law, brother, and uncle. He was also a wonderful, father to our adopted companion “Spring”.
The obituary continues, Damon was a selfless person who put other’s needs before own and always provided an ear to those seeking advice. He enjoyed working out at the gym and loved traveling whether it was to the beach or his favorite place Las Vegas.
On multiple occassions in the past three weeks, Other Side Dallas staff has watched as DFW Terminal Link busses pass by minority riders at the correct location at the airport terminal for a pick up.
Every Tuesday including yesterday and the two weeks prior Other Side Dallas staff have gone to the airport to watch Terminal Link bus operations and regularly there are drivers that will bypass minorities at Terminal Link locations in Terminals A, C, and D.
DFW Airport Media Relations did not respond to request for comment by email.
DFW Terminal Link One Of Many Challenges
In recent weeks airlines at DFW Airport have had to battle changing mask mandate standards between the federal and state governments and there have been numerous assaults including between passengers and a apassenger assaulting a member of the flight crew.
Airport parking has been a long term issue in Dallas and new parking garages have been built to respond to the area’s growing needs.
American Airlines had a drunk first officer call out from a flight to Texas per allegations by multiple passengers.
The passengers state that flight crew on board the New York to Texas flight, number 2813, stated no one could locate the First Officer, but that he had been drinking the night before.
Per Curtis Blessing with American, “We have no reports that intoxication of any team members played a role in this flight being delayed.”
In follow up emails, American Airlines called the situation a routine call out and denied the allegations. They have previously dealt with drunk crew members harshly.
Drunk First Officer One Of Many Problems
This summer has been a hard one for the airlines and American has shared in those problems. Earlier this summer, there was a fist fight between passengers and more recently in October a flight crew member was assaulted by a passenger.
These incidents are on top of ping pong mask mandate standards that are bouncing between the federal government and Texas, where Governor Abbott has opposed mask mandates.
Per Dealey Principal Beth Wing inappropriate casting caused a school play cancellation. The issue was not a surprise to Wing who waited to act.
The cancellation comes hours before showtime. Parents seem outraged the Dallas Independent School District‘s premier campuses continues in disarray.
The underlying issue is the casting of an African American student as a slave in a school play. The same play has run between fifteen and seventeen previous years without problem.
One parent posted on social media “Do wish that there was a better explanation besides alluding a parent wasn’t happy with the roles their child was given.” Communication has been a frequent criticism for Wing throughout her tenure at Dealey.
Other parents asked if the issue was school leadership and what happened to “the show must go on.”
Dallas ISD would not comment to Other Side Dallas about the issue beyond Wing’s email. The email did not go to all parents, but only those involved with the production.
It is unclear if students will have the opportunity to perform in a different show later.
It is also unclear the staff perspective on the issue either. Both parents and staff confirmed this production has run without problem for years.
More Beth Wing Inappropriate Casting
One parent said Ms. Wing received notification on the issue six weeks ago. The parent said Wing would not consider a conversation on the topic.
Wing has been criticized for her response to professional protestors on campus over the district mask mandate. Since she has allowed unmasked children on campus, several new cases have occurred.
She has also muzzled parent activism in support of the mask mandate. In at least one case she threatened parents over participation in a counter protest.
Generally, confusion has led parents to feeling frustrated. A few parents said Dallas ISD is guilty of inappropriate casting of Beth Wing as a principal and leader.
