Brisketgate has come to Texas thanks to senior US SenatorJohn Cornyn who has demonstated he has no idea about brisket or Texas traditions.
Brisket’s big business in Texas and it is surprising to see Cornyn advertise an important export so poorly. His photo looks nothing like Terry Black’s or Pecan Lodge in Deep Ellum.
Brisketgate Politics
Some surmised Cornyn would have lost the election if he had posted this picture prior to November 3rd, 2020.
Others took him to task for talking about food when so many are in food bank lines because Congress has not extended unemployment and disaster benefits for millions.
Garcia beat out nearly forty other candidates, including current Dallas commanders. He will be tasked with leading a department that has seen a visible rise in violent crime and a lack of trust from members of the black community.
Tramonica Brown is the founder of Not My Son, a nonprofit group aimed at addressing racial injustice.
She said she wants open communication and says, “I want somebody that’s not afraid to have a dialogue with the community. We’ve lost trust.” Brown said.
“My hope is that this chief is going to come in and really do some things that I know he probably said in those interviews,” she continued. Brown is a candidate for Dallas City Council D7 against incumbent Adam Bazaldua.
Bazaldua meanwhile has had defunding DPD as his chief campaign issue since late May. He was part of the group that promised sweeping reform and a plan to defund DPD, but never attempted to get accountability from Chief Hall for her lack of leadership during the June George Floyd protests or specifically for the use of tear gas during the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge incident where Hall stated no tear gas was used.
In September, Bazaldua and others only defund action was to re-allocate $7M from overtime into other projects like bike lanes and solar panels.
Additionally, Bazaldua’s appointee to the Community Police Oversight Board posted in a social media post, “I’m confident he will serve and protect the residents of Dallas, while remaining open to reasonable and responsible police reforms that benefit the residents of Dallas and our police officers. I am supportive of those balanced goals. Doing > Talking.” He did not reference who was doing versus who was just talking, but this could be a hint of where things will go if public safety is the chief campaign issue across the city and not just D7.
Chief Campaign For New Police Chief: BLM and Race Relations
National headlines regularly highlight the strained relationships between big-city police forces and persons of color, but the San Jose/Silicon Valley NAACP branch has recognized Chief Eddie Garcia with its annual Cesar Chavez Award for his visibility and accessibility in the city’s neighborhoods.
Jesuorobo Enobakhare is chairman of the Dallas Police Oversight Board. Some critics suggest Enobakhare worked too closely with Chief Hall – interfering in his ability to provide proper oversight. Similar internal allegations came from officers within the department about Chief Hall and Dominique Alexander. It is unclear where Chief Garcia will draw the line.
Enobakhare said, “We can’t just think that a new police chief is going to come in and magically wave a wand and fix things that are wrong in the city,” he said. “It’s going to take leadership from the city council. It’s going to take the leadership of a lot of other entities in order to work together to solve some of these problems.”
Meanwhile D Magazine played grammar police to Chief Garcia’s statement noting he was “humbled by the thought of wearing the DPD uniform.” They described his statement as false modesty and suggested different emotions he should have used, but had no suggestions on lowering the crime rate.
Chief Campaign Issue for Mayor Johnson?
Mayor Eric Johnson’s office issued the statement below. While public safety was not a chief campaign issue prior to his election, he has re-focused attention after winning office.
“I spoke this afternoon with our new police chief, Eddie Garcia, and congratulated him on his selection by the city manager. I hope the people of Dallas will join me in giving him and his family a warm welcome. He will join us after spending four years as the police chief in the 10th-largest city in the country, and he was highly regarded by my counterpart in San Jose, Mayor Sam Liccardo.
“We should celebrate the fact that Chief Garcia will become our first Hispanic police chief. This truly is an historic moment for Dallas.
“But we both understand that what truly matters now is the work ahead of us: making our communities safer and stronger. I expect that he will immediately begin developing plans to fight the unacceptable violent crime increases we have seen in Dallas. We will need our communities’ help in those efforts. Too many lives have been taken in our city. Too many families have been devastated by violence. And too many people in our neighborhoods feel unsafe.
“Law enforcement alone cannot solve the challenges we face, but the hardworking men and women of the Dallas Police Department are integral to combating violence, which disproportionately affects people of color in our city. As policymakers, we must give Chief Garcia the tools that his officers need to keep people safe and continue to push for solutions — such as the programs recommended by the Mayor’s Task Force on Safe Communities — that can prevent crime without placing additional burdens on the police department. The people of Dallas deserve a city government that puts public safety first.
“I want to thank all the candidates who embraced the challenge of working for the City of Dallas. I look forward to seeing Chief Garcia’s new strategies in action in the months ahead. Working together, we will strive to make Dallas the safest major city in the United States.”
From everyone at Other Side Dallas we wish you a very Merry Christmas 2020 and hope the New Year brings us all closer together. We wanted to share the quote below from one of our favorite holiday stories in hopes that we all find these days to be filled with charity, mercy, and general good acts of kindness. These are the same traits that brought America together in difficult times past and together we accomplish so much more than apart.
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.
An Old Quote For Christmas 2020
“…and it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God bless Us, Every One!” – Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol
Eddie Garcia is the new chief of the Dallas Police Department per a city press release. Chief Garcia has been police chief for the San Jose (CA) Police Department.
City Manager T.C. Broadnax Wednesday announced that Eddie Garcia will become Dallas’ 30th Chief of Police, making him the first Latino to preside over the ninth largest police department in the country. Garcia began his career with the San Jose Police Department in 1992 and has served as its Chief since 2016.
“My story began as a young boy moving to a new city, learning to speak English in a community that promoted me to Chief. It’s an honor to be welcomed into one of America’s greatest cities for the second time as Chief.” said Garcia. “I’m truly humbled by the thought of wearing the DPD uniform and working alongside such an amazing group of committed men and women. Together in partnership and collaboration with the Dallas community, we will meet the challenges of today and beyond.”
Chief Garcia holds a bachelor’s degree from Union Institute and University. Since he started as an officer in February 1992 in San Jose, the nation’s 10th most populous city, he worked in the Patrol, Narcotics, Special Operations – M.E.R.G.E (Mobile Emergency Response Group and Equipment) unit; was a patrol sergeant, night detective and homicide investigator; and commanded the Community Services Division and the Special Investigations Unit.
During Chief Garcia’s tenure in San Jose he led initiatives to help build community trust; increase transparency; and embrace fair, impartial, and constitutional policing. Among the department’s successes they implemented basic Spanish in the police academy, launched a Spanish language Facebook page and significantly increased minority recruiting.
Zephi Trevino, is a Texas teen is accused of Capital Murder in connection with the fatal shooting of a man that occurred when she was 16. Dallas District Attorney John Creuzot intends to charge her as an adult pending a January 4, 2021 hearing.
Her mother and other advocates, including Jamie Lee Curtis and Kim Kardashian West, say she is a victim of sex trafficking, not a killer.
Zephaniah Trevino, now 17, is one of three people charged with capital murder in the fatal shooting of Carlos Arajeni-Arriaza Morillo, 24. He was killed in a Grand Prarie apartment in August 2019.
Murder victim Carlos Arajeni-Arriaza Morillo
Another defendant, Philip Baldenegro, then 18, admitted to fatally shooting Morillo and shooting and injuring another man as part of a robbery attempt. He and Jesse Martinez, then 19, are all charged in the case.
“She brought the guys to the apartment and set the whole thing up,” said Finn.
Zephi Trevino’s parents and Baldenegro’s attorney agree the men were there to have sex with Zephi, but Zephi’s parents claim Baldenegro was forcing their daughter to have sex for money.
Baldenegro’s attorney says his client admits he pulled the trigger, but he is not a pimp.
“She is no victim. My client Philip Baldenegro is 19 and I think she was 16 at the time. They had a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship that is born out on my client’s cellphone,” said Finn.
“She engineered, organized, executed the entire plan,” Finn said.
Murder suspects Philip Baldenegro and Jesse Martinez
Zephi Trevino Background
Zephaniah, or “Zephi” as she’s known to friends and family, was a typical teenager in her Grand Prairie, Texas community. Kind, outgoing, and the youngest of four siblings raised in a loving home, she was involved in activities from her church worship team to pitching for her high school softball team.
Trevino’s mom, Crystal Trevino, told local media her daughter was offered a plea deal that would give her 10 years in prison, but declined.
Crystal said her daughter played sports and was involved in her church before she fell in with the wrong crowd, saying the plight of her daughter Zephi Trevino is “a mother’s worst nightmare.”
Zephi Trevino Case
Crystal Trevino says her daughter was offered a ten year plea deal, which she declined. She faces up to 40 years in prison. Trevino’s case has caught the attention of numerous celebrities.
Civil rights lawyer Justin Moore is helping the family and helped get the attention of Jason Flom, a founding board member of The Innocence Project.
Flom says he thinks Dallas District Attorney John Creuzot should take a closer look at the case.
“On what planet does it make sense that we are going to charge her with capital murder? It’s a disastrously failed social policy,” Flom said.
The Innocence Project, has helped secure the release of hundreds of wrongfully convicted people.
Zephi Trevino, John Creuzot, and Dominque Alexander
The case also presents an interesting challenge for Creuzot.
Recently, former Chief of Police Reneé Hall was reported to be in an inappropriate relationship with convicted felon and local activist Dominique Alexander. The public report hastened Hall’s exit as police chief and her depature was announced less than twenty-four hours after the report.
Creuzot has not been seen out front on sex trafficking issues unlike the local US Attorney’s Office who recently arrested a local man for sex trafficking. Additionally, like Reneé Hall, Creuzot is known to be friendly with Dominque Alexander and there are multiple sources who indicate Creuzot made a nonprosecution with Alexander and Next Generation Action Network in return for not endangering his election campaign with Alexander’s activism in certain neighborhoods.
John Creuzot and his office are prohibited from speaking about the Trevino case, but he is noticable silent on relationships with both Alexander and Judge Audrey Moorehead, recently arrested for DWI.
Per a local school site, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) is interfering in local direction again. COVID19 response plans have been shot down by Commissioner Mike Morath. He has rejected a proposal submitted by dozens of South Texas superintendents earlier this week that would have given districts the ability to continue a mostly remote instruction curriculum should COVID19 numbers surge over the winter break. While this decision does not impact Dallas now, it could if COVID19 numbers continue to rise.
South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley has faced a disproportionate number of COVID19 numbers. The Rio Grande Valley is just 4.7% of the entire Texas population, but accounts for 17% of deaths throughout Texas.
At a press conference Tuesday, Cortez and McAllen Superintendent J.A. Gonzalez outlined the plan, which would have included a waiver allowing districts to continue online instruction for 100% of families in areas with a hospitalization rate greater than 15% without having district funding affected. It also requested rapid COVID-19 tests be made available for priority students who do choose to attend on campus, with Cortez and Gonzalez citing potential superspreader events over the holidays as a chief motivator for the proposal.
TEA COVID19 Response and Funding
TEA has a long standing problem on the COVID19 question.
Dallas ISD Trustees Mackey and Michiche have previously both publicly stated it is better if students stay home and learn virtually. COVID19 continues to hit school after school including shutting down two campuses and numerous classrooms.
Dallas City Council Member Tennell Atkins reports the Shingle Mountain fix is starting. Per a statement by Atkins issued regarding removal of shingles at 9505 S. Central Expressway: “The removal of shingle material at 9505 S. Central Expressway today marks a new era in Southern Dallas.”
The City’s contractor, Roberts Trucking, will move the shingle material to McCommas Bluff Landfill. The landfill is prepared to receive this type of material, and plans to recycle it. The contractor anticipates the removal process will be complete by the end of March 2021.
The removal process is being supervised by Modern Geosciences to address environmental concerns associated with the removal. Air monitoring will occur on and off site to ensure air quality meets appropriate standards to protect human health.
Shingle Mountain Fix Is Still A Legal Issue
The city statement goes on saying,“While the City has settled with one of the property owners, the City remains in litigation with the remaining defendants.
“We are nearly at the end of a two year journey, involving the tireless work of the City’s legal team and various City departments. We are hopeful this process will alleviate concerns from surrounding community members and emphasizes the City’s commitment to a clean environment.”
Minutes into Monday night’s CEC Meeting, Dallas Democrats Audit showed major problems and no mention of the recent DWI arrest of Judge Audrey Moorehead.
A recent audit showed a quarter million dollars had not been accounted for when transferred to the Coordinated Campaign committee. Those funds were unaccounted for block walkers, literature, and other campaign expenses.
One Precinct Chair who provided us with information about the audit report noted the block walkers expense was particularly interesting since the committee had gotten away from block walking due to COVID19.
Additionally, Philip Courtney Hogan who oversaw the audit process noted a major risk for embezzelment which he desribed as “room for people to steal” that the Dallas Democrats allowed the Director of Finance to both write checks and reconcile monthly bank statements.
Reportedly, additional problems were listed including no Director and Officer insurance, problems with payroll taxes not matching – i.e. W-2 and 941 payment mismatches, and IRS 1099 Forms not being submitted to the IRS for paid block walking employees.
Dallas Democrats Audit Report
Other Side Dallas is working to get a copy of the audit report. If we are able to get a copy of these issues we will publish immediately.
Joanna Cattanach To Lead Development
Another interesting development is the appointment of Joanna Cattanach to be the Dallas County Democratic Party’s Development Director. In October, Cattanach returned a contribution to the staffer of a primary opponent in her own race she lost against Morgan Meyer.
Dallas appears to be repeating the Reneé Hall errors by naming RaShall M. Brackney a finalist for Dallas Police Chief. Hall has officially left her duties as police chief under a cloud of questions from her own officers. She accelerated her departure timeline after we reported on inappropriate behavior between she and convicted felon Dominique Alexander.
In October, the Interim Minister and Board for the Unitarian Universalists of Charlottesville wrote a letter to Brackney – a reported “expert on harm reduction, procedural and restorative justice practices, and community-police relations” about what appears on its face to be a case of racial profiling by her officers. Her response was a press conference where she called for the termination of both the church pastor and the entire board.
Brackney’s full press conference can be seen here.
Brackney comes to Dallas as local neo nazis act with impunity vandalizing city property and Dallas City Council can not decide if they will hold police accountable or just defund them in line with social-justice activists’ wishes.
Meanwhile Brackney is considered a finalist for our top cop role – coming from a department that has a bad history of dealing with protests and counter protests.
Dallas has a long history of protests and Dallas Police in responding, but the thinking of TC Broadnax on this one is confusing – especially given the recent problems with Reneé Hall.
As a person on social media noted “of all the people in the world to go to war with, I feel like “the reverend at the unitarian church” was a bad choice for the Charlottesville Police Department.”
Brackney History
Brackney’s Charlottesville biography states prior to her appointment as the Chief of Police she retired as a 30-year veteran from the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police and served as the former Chief of Police of the George Washington University.
Comment was sough from Charlottesville Police public information unit, but there has been no response as of time of publish.
A source in Austin reports State Representative Terry Meza‘s Texas HB196 will be a focus for the Texas legislature in the upcoming session starting in January 2021. One Republican said it was “better than Christmas.”
Meza seen here with Beto O’Rourke – the former candidate who said Hell yes, we‘re going to take away your guns.
Meza sparked a backlash when she proposed changes to the state’s “castle doctrine,” through Texas HB196, which allows the use of deadly force to protect property.
Facebook has numerous posts attributed to Meza regarding HB196. Calls and emails to her office were not returned so these statements have not been validated.
Privately Republicans are rejoicing saying Democrats have stepped in the muck again.
The point to rising crime numbers throughout Dallas and other cities including officers being attacked and the Democrats filing a bill to stop citizens and home owners from protecting their own property.
One legislative staffer said Denton County had to arrest Dallas’ serial killer because their police chief is in a relationship with a BLM activist with a felony record. Instead of protecting the public, they are filing HB196 which looks to protect criminals.
Some Democrats complain too continuing a pattern of infighting since Election Day when Democrats failed in their expectations to be leading the state house in 2021.
We just lost every winnable seat possible and we have state reps thinking HB196 will bring the suburbs back to voting for us. Democrats continue to say ‘we did it‘ while losing winnable races.
