Dallas County Commissioner’s Court recently authorized what amounts to COVID19 Discrimination in their vaccination distribution plan. Commissioners openly stated the decision was based on race in designating eleven zip codes to receive the vaccine on a priority basis.
On February 1, 2021 those eleven zip codes – 75149, 75150, 75210, 75211, 75215, 75216, 75217, 75227, 75228, 75241, and 75243 – will receive the vaccine. Persons outside those zip codes will not.
Judge Clay Jenkins stated this “will stop shots for everyone else for ‘foreseeable future’.”
The decision is based on data from Parkland Hospital and a new layer on top of existing prioritization. Parkland Hospital reported hundreds of tests stolen this summer due to poor security procedures prior to Dallas becoming a pandemic hot zone.
COVID19 Discrimination
Jenkins also said, “I’m sure we’ll hear from the state of Texas and every suburban city in Dallas County as well as parts of the city not in those 10 ZIP codes.”
Can the City of Dallas expect more Economic Development bait and switch from the department led by Dr. Eric Anthony Johnson? It appears so when it comes to offering grants and then making the checks impossible to obtain.
In November, the city launched the BUILD grants program offering $3000 microgrants to small businesses and nonprofits hit hard by COVID19. The notice said checks would be out by December 28, 2020. Until we inquired last week through a Public Information Request no one had received notice.
One education based nonprofit noted they received notification Friday and were then given one businesses day to agree to additional terms and conditions not originally outlined in the program. Their reaction to this bait and switch was outrage.
In an email to Carolyn King Arnold the group noted they are already doing the city and county’s job by providing for homeless students who are not receiving services through City of Dallas.
Bait and Switch – Again
The bait and switch grant issue is particularly hard because the City of Dallas provided $3M to a South Dallas grocer with almost no strings attached. It reeked of the economic devlopment problems of the old South Dallas/Fair Park Trust Fund.
The issue is particularly relevant as six different entities contacted Other Side Dallas to complain about process and response.
One person noted this is another example of the City of Dallas giving away dollars to politically connected friends of city council members. In October, city staff tried to sneak through a proposal to give the Lorenzo Hotel nearly $2M. It was only stopped when Council Member Cara Mendolsohn (D12) asked questions.
To date there has been no response to emails from several city council members including Tennell Atkins who spearheaded the $3M to the now closed Save U More grocer, and has been a major recipient of campaign cash from Save U More’s representatives.
Ditty Mayor Eric Johnson who also received sizeable contributions on the repeated failings of Economic Development.
Ditto Casey Thomas (D3) who also has been silent on the matter.
Ditto Adam Bazaldua (D7) who has ignored several requests to discuss this issue and the South Dallas/Fair Park Opportunity Fund Board from current and former board members.
The issue has not escaped notice though.
Calvin Johnson, a candidate for the D7 city council seat in May said,”When it comes to city programs that help small business we have to be better organized on announcing all the requirements upfront.”
“We must set achievable timetables and follow through effectively on the back end when the assistance is approved and granted,” he continued.
It is unclear why his opponent Bazaldua has not taken this opportunity given his progressive public profile for slashing the police budget in favor of social programs.
Ditto North Dallas. Council Member Lee Kleinman (D11) who has been arguing against the Dallas Police Department’s mounted unit for years – which costs the city roughly $125000 annually – had no comment about either the Save U More issue or bait and switch grant programs. Kleinman is term limited and
Two people were shot Monday afternoon in a Pleasant Grove convenience store incident.
Dallas Police Department officials said it happened Monday afternoon at the Mini Mart on Scyene Road near North St. Augustine Drive.
The two victims are in stable condition at a local hospital and police are not commenting further on motive.
Pleasant Grove Convenience Store Incident – Just One More?
While the shooting was happening, D7 Council Member Adam Bazaldua was tweeting about race issues with COVID19 vaccination sites.
He was a leading voice on defunding Dallas Police Department in summer of 2020, but a campaign insider said he is terrified of Kevin Felder or Tiffinni Young jumping into the D7 council race.
“Adam is dismissing Not My Son’s Tramonica Brown,” said another source.
The final budget partially defunded police overtime, but removed some of the pork projects that had been substituted originally.
The certification hearing on whether Zephi trevino will be tried as an adult will be held today.
Justin Moore is representing the Trevino family.
The focus of the story: 17-year-old Zephaniah “Zephi” Trevino and 19-year-old Philip Baldenegro. Both have been accused in the deadly shooting that happened in August 2019.
The young girl claims she isn’t guilty. Her family has said she was being sex trafficked by Baldenegro.
David Finn, Baldenegro’s attorney called the sex trafficking allegations a “smoke screen.”
Beyond The Certification Hearing
Beyond the certification hearing, Trevino’s case has attracted Hollywood attention from Jamie Lee Curtis, Demi Lovato, and now, Kim Kardashian West.
It has also attracted attention of political activists angry that Dallas District Attorney John Creuzot shared a Facebook post of another defense attorney stating why Trevino should be tried as an adult.
Who made the call to rescind yesterday’s memo about Dallas Police dispatch and who made the call to issue it unsigned? Those are the questions Dallas is asking this morning.
The second day of the New Year was a communications debacle as an unsigned memo came to light stating several calls with potential for violence would not be dispatched. Among them were burglary of a motor vehicle, runaways, and incidents involving child custody.
Rescind Statement And Investigation
Council Member Jennifer Staubach Gates issued her own statement against the dispatch orders stating the matter was internal and draft in nature. She said it was “premature for DPD to initiate these changes before briefing the Public Safety Committee and before the new Chief begins.”
Chief Garcia is scheduled to start work sometime in February and the next Public Safety Committee meeting is scheduled for January 11, 2021 at 1:00pm.
An internal call diversion memo intended for Dallas Police Department dispatch personnel was rescinded today after social media outrage.
The memo for 911 Call Center staff regarding KPMG’s recommendations to divert certain Priority 4 calls to the Dallas Online Reporting System (DORS) or an Expediter was released to the public on social media.
The memorandum was sent prematurely per Dallas Police. The department is still in the evaluation phase on this item and will have further dialogue on recommendations and next steps. Therefore, the actions set out in the memorandum have been rescinded at this time.
The controversy comes less than a week after Chief Eddie Garcia was introduced to the public in his first press conference.
Call Diversion Memo
The internal memo showed several types of calls which would go undispatch in most cases by Dallas Police.
There are several call types listed for nonresponse including runaways and interference with child custody that propensity for violence.
From everyone at Other Side Dallas we wish you a very Happy New Year 2021 and hope the New Year brings us all closer together.
We hope you will remember the many front line responders (police, fire, EMS) and hospital workers who work today to bring you safety while you spend time during this pandemic, COVID19.
These efforts were made possible through the Texas Department of State Health Services’ allocation of 2,000 Moderna COVID-19 vaccines.
Recent new infections have ranged from 1500 to 2000 per day. During the summer Dallas was a hot zone for COVID19 then with far lower infections per capita.
Dallas First Responder Vaccinations Process
The process consists of a check-in, vaccination stations, made up of strike teams (two paramedics and one documentation officer) specially trained to administer the vaccine, and an evaluation area where members can be monitored for potential side-effects before leaving.
The City expects 250 first responders to be vaccinated per day and expects this first Moderna allocation to be followed in the coming months by additional vaccines to inoculate remaining City of Dallas first responders.
In the weeks leading up to the vaccine allocation, DFR, DPD and the Office of Emergency Management put together a plan for a drive-thru style vaccination process using a parking garage at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center.
In addition to those that will be vaccinated with this allotment, there have been over one hundred DFR members to receive their first round of the vaccine through Parkland Hospital and Dallas County Health and Human Services.
Tracking is being done electronically; first responders will be automatically scheduled for their second round of the vaccine intwenty-eight days.
Dallas held a Chief Eddie Garcia introduction press conference this afternoon as he prepares to take his new position leading Dallas Police Department. Questions he faced immeidately were how to bring down violent crime, the inter-office politics of working with other applicants for his job working in the office, and his focus on the night time economy that 24 Hour Dallas is working on.
He noted Dallas reminded him of San Jose – particularly its diversity. In a question about using relationship-based policing model Chief Garcia stated “we are open to any ideas that we can have to ensure residents and visitors are safe, but also businesses thrive.”
He stated that it is important to “ensure businesses are successful” and that in San Jose he had been contacted by the Chamber of Commerce to find out what they could do for San Jose police. His response was “what can the police do for them.”
Garcia also stated that his focus will be violent crime, but that he did not like the term petty crime. What is petty to one, isn’t to another.
Eddie Garcia Introduction
Chief Garcia said it is important that the police community acknowledge that their badges did not always shine as brightly as it should.
He specifically mentioned mistakes being made in a number of cities related to this summer’s protests. He mentioned specific goals of keeping the community, protestors, and officers safe. He did not make specific mention of the issues with the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge events or the accountability issues surrounding it.
A David Finn post on Boxing Day – December 26 – has people angry, but Dallas District Attorney John Creuzot sharing it has them ready to rumble on social media.
Finn is representing Philip Baldenegro in the criminal trial related to the robbery and murder of Carlos Arajeni-Arriaza Morillo. The case against co-defendant Zephi Trevino recently had Jamie Lee Curtis take out a full page ad in the Dallas Morning News.
Finn accuses Trevino of engineering the robbery despite her family protests she is a victim of sexual trafficking.
Finn’s post appears to be defending his client on the court steps as opposed to court chambers, but the real outrage came when DA Creuzot shared the David Finn post on his personal Facebook account page.
Texas code forbids prosecutors from speaking about cases against minors so how close this skirts this prohibition is yet to be determined. This case does appear to be tarnishing the Hollywood reputation of Creuzot who has won national ink for ‘prosecution reform’.
Several members of the group or supporters attacked and questioned Creuzot. One went so far as to say his career was “over.”
Trevino is scheduled to have a certification hearing next week on January 4, 2021 to determine if she can stand trial as an adult.
The David Finn Post
The full David Finn posts are below. While he has openly disclosed his home address, we have redacted that over threats of violence Mr. Finn has received.
