Breaking Dallas News – Page 64 – The Other Side Dallas

August 5, 2020June 12, 2021

Local Jeep Club Officials Accused of Pulling Wool Over Ram

Did North Texas Jeep Club sucker punch Ram? According to one internal document the Texas Ram Club had the wool pulled over its eyes during the Sunday, August 2, 2020 for the Back The Blue car parade which ended at Friendship West Baptist Church. In a document obtained exclusively by Other Side Dallas, Texas Ram Club says North Texas Jeep Club claimed to have permission from Rev. Dr. Frederick D. Haynes, III. They did not.

In the document the Texas Ram Club admits they were initially denied as a rest stop location, but claim they later had permission.

Representatives of the group say they initially did not see the Black Lives Matter sign hanging from the church, entering the parking lot from a different direction, or they would not have entered given the recent interaction between the Dallas Police and members of the African American community.

They also state they noticed one driver who was displaying the confederate flag and asked that driver to remove it which the owner would not so they demanded he leave the lot. A second driver was approached about a Trump flag, but left before leadership could remove him. Accounts on scene indicated that there was more than one driver with either the confederate or Trump campaign flag, but those accounts are not addressed in this document.

Ram Club Comments, Code of Conduct, and Screesnhots

This is the Texas Rams Club Code of Conduct and photos from event.

Dallas Police

It is still unclear what role Dallas Police played at this event. Statements from the department indicate they knew this was a potential hotspot and had stationed undercover officers on site.

We will continue to report on issues with the Dallas Police Department as we did Sunday when this event first occured.

August 3, 2020August 3, 2020

Hensley Field Redevelopment

Hensley Field is located in the Southwestern part of Dallas, adjacent to Mountain Creek Lake and Grand Prairie. It used to be a US Navy Air Station. Now, it mostly serves as a storage unit for the city’s unwanted police vehicles and confederate statues. In the future, the Dallas Economic Development Committee, hopes the field can be transformed into something more useful.

The Field is said to be redeveloped into a “authentic, climate-smart, diverse, mixed-income and walkable community with a mix of jobs, housing, services and amenities.”

Which means its going to be your typical progressive mini-paradise. The council plans to have things such as solar panels, bike lanes, water-based green spaces along Mountain Creek Lake, and more. The goal is to hopefully turn Hensley Filed into a ‘diverse and carbon-neutral community’ that relies more on walking and public transit than driving.

The Designing of a New Hensley Field

Muller, Austin, Texas serves as the model for what Dallas will try and replicate in Hensley Field. In fact, McCann Adams Studio Team, who oversaw the redevelopment of Muller, is listed as the preferred vendor for the redevelopment of Hensley Field.

A draft of what Hensley Filed might look like is shown below.

COVID19 budget concerns for the local economy mean everything is subject to change. The current budget is $2,000,000. This project is in its begging stages and still has 18 months to before any City Action can be taken. For any updates be sure to check out Other Side Dallas.

August 2, 2020June 12, 2021

All Lives Matter Proves They Don’t Believe It

The All Lives Matter movement proved today they did not believe their own moniker. The Dallas Police Department provided a police escort to members of the North Texas Jeep Club and the Texas Ram Club who paraded their vehicles through the parking lot of the Friendship West Baptist Church.

At least two eyewitnesses reported the vehicles were flying both Blue Lives Matter and Confederate flags through the predominantly African American congregation church parking lot. Additional reports state that the police blocked in congregants who were then not able to leave the area.

All Lives Matter Group Escorted By Dallas Police To Terrorize Black Church

It is unclear what role Dallas Police Department played in today’s “protest” or whether or not anyone on Dallas City Council is willing to take on City Manager TC Broadnax or Police Chief Reneé Hall.

“All Lives Matter” Per Dallas Police

According to one regular Black Lives Matter protestor, Lee Daughterty, this fits history.

All Lives Matter To KKK - Some Just Matter More

Daugherty said in a Facebook post that “…the cops and the Klan will always be hand in hand.”

We have reported on numerous issues with Dallas Police Department recently including the assignment of an officer to teach field sobriety who himself had refused a field sobriety test and appeared intoxicated in August 2019, an officer arrested for child pornography, and Chief Reneé Hall’s own gaslighting of citizens.

No one from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (representing both Jeep and Ram) has responded to requests for comments about the presence of North Texas Jeep Club .

* UPDATE *

Joyce Foreman, District 7 Trustee for the Dallas Independent School District, posted that a protest will begin tonight at 6:00 PM in front of the police department at 1400 S Lamar Street, Dallas, TX.. We will continue to update details as they become available.

August 1, 2020August 1, 2020

Carpe Noctem: Sieze The Night (For Everyone)

Carpe Noctem is the ethos of 24 Hour Dallas. For too many it comes with strings attached. On Monday, August 3rd, 24 Hour Dallas will be hosting a Zoom conversation about racism and its effects on the Dallas night time economy.

Interested participants can register for the Zoom meeting thru the 24 Hour Dallas website or via this link.

Carpe Noctem - Sieze The Night For All Races

Night Time Dallas Impacted By COVID19

The first U.S. case of coronavirus originating from China was reported in the United States on January 16, 2020. The first COVID19 case in North Texas was March 9th and by March 12, 2020, Dallas County officials declared a local disaster in response to the COVID-19 pandemic after 13 people were infected in North Texas.

Within a week, the City of Dallas and Dallas County ordered all bars, lounges, taverns, gyms, and theaters to close. Restaurants were required to shutter their dining rooms and only provide takeout or drive-thru service. And Dallas County saw its first death due to the highly contagious virus.

By June 3, Dallas County would have 11,000 diagnosed cases of COVID19 and 250 deaths.

The pandemic fired a direct hit into Dallas’ sociable economic drivers — restaurants, hotels, cultural organizations, special events, and tourism. As these industries recover, 24HourDallas will help restore and advance those aspects of urban life that have been most damaged.

Downtown Dallas and Dallas night life has been impacted both by COVID19’s spread and multiple issues with Dallas Police.

Birth of Carpe Noctem

In 2015, a coalition of bars in Dallas’ Uptown social district contacted the Texas Restaurant Association (TRA) in Austin, Texas.

The Uptown commercial corridor had, in recent years, seen rapid residential growth in and next to what had long been a bar and restaurant destination.

Some bars were beginning to face pushback about parking, noise, increased crime and other neighbor complaints. In the absence of a representative association of their own, bar owners inquired with the TRA about any assistance they might be able to provide.

The TRA referred the bar owners to the Dallas-area chapter of the state association, the Greater Dallas Restaurant Association. Bar owners met with the GDRA’s executive director and its recently contracted public affairs consultant.

The GDRA representatives recommended that the bars create “good neighbor agreements” as used in other U.S. markets and take steps to manage noise concerns. Instead, the bar owners decided to organize a business association and help pay for additional security in the district.

July 31, 2020June 12, 2021

Follow Up: Dallas Police Officer Charged With Child Sexual Exploitation

A Dallas Police Officer Charged With Child Sexual Exploitation by the US Attorney for Northern Texas. Officer Daniel Collins has been charged with uploading sexually explicit images of children using the City of Dallas’ employee internet, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox.

As we reported previously, Daniel Lee Collins, a 35-year-old senior corporal assigned to DPD’s Auto Theft Unit, was charged via criminal complaint with one count of transportation of child pornography.

“Law enforcement officers take an oath to protect and serve,” said U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox. “This defendant allegedly undermined that vow, preying upon our most vulnerable. The Department of Justice will not tolerate the exploitation of children – especially by our public servants.”

A complaint is merely an allegation of criminal conduct, not evidence. Like all defendants, Mr. Collins – who has been placed on administrative leave by the police department pending the results of an internal investigation – is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Child Sexual Exploitation Case

According to court documents, Mr. Collins allegedly uploaded sexually explicit photos of prepubescent girls to his various Google accounts via the City of Dallas’ internet network.

Google flagged the images – one uploaded on May 13 to an account tagged “Dan Collins” and two more uploaded on June 29 to an account tagged “John Smith” – to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which filed a Cyber Tipline report with the Dallas Police Department. In the report, they noted that one of the profiles included a photo of a man in a police uniform, later determined to be Mr. Collins.

A Dallas IT specialist traced the IP addresses used for the uploads to the City of Dallas internet network. Investigators determined that the same Google accounts were also accessed from Mr. Collin’s residence.

In an interview with federal agents, Mr. Collins allegedly admitted to accessing the Google accounts and saving child pornography.

If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in federal prison.

Homeland Security Investigations’ Dallas Field Office conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Dallas Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney A. Saleem is prosecuting the case.

July 29, 2020July 29, 2020

DPA President Mata Cleared

DPA President Mata has been cleared by a grand jury. They have decided not to indict Dallas Police Association President Mike Mata on a charge of tampering with evidence in the September 2018 Botham Jean murder investigation.

DPA President Mata and The Botham Jean/Amanda Guyger Case

The issue in question related to Mata’s actions during the investigation of the Botham Jean murder. Immediately after the shooting, Mata asked that a dash cam be turned off while talking to then-Officer Amber Guyger in a patrol car outside the apartment where it happened.

Mata attorney Robert Rodgers said in a statement, “It is a tremendous relief that things like the constitution, law and facts still matter. Mike Mata did absolutely nothing wrong in protecting an officer’s rights.”

During the Amber Guyger murder trial, prosecutors used security camera video to suggest the Dallas Police Association acted improperly when Mata arrived on the scene after the shooting. He is seen leaning into a patrol car Guyger was sitting in the back of and told another officer to turn off a dash cam while Guyger was on the phone with her attorney.

The Texas Fraternal Order Of Police President Steve Stribley said in a statement back in October 2019, they support Mata, saying he responded to the Guyger shooting in his capacity as President of the Dallas Police Association and he had a legal responsibility to request recording devices in a squad car to be turned off as Guyger was going to talk to her attorney on the phone.

The DPA website has no comments on the Mata matter or other recent stories about Lieutenant Brian William Deininger or Senior Corporal Daniel Collins.

July 28, 2020July 28, 2020

The Chef Behind The Chef

The chef behind the chef has died of COVID19. Luis Dominguez, a career chef who lived in Dallas the past two decades, died from COVID19 last week after spending nearly three weeks in the hospital and almost a week on a ventilator. He is the latest victim of Dallas COVID19 casualties.

He was from Veracruz, Mexico and is a sad example of both the disproportionate effects of COVID9 on the Hispanic community and the foundational nature of immigrant labor and entrepreneurship on our local economy.

The chef, described as hard-working and reliable in his roles at more than a half-dozen kitchens in Dallas, had been working most recently as executive sous chef at HG Sply Co. in Dallas. Dominguez was 38.

The Chef Behind The Chef…At Smoke, HG Sply Co., More…

Luis Dominguez came to Dallas with his cousin Eric Dominguez. They started as dishwashers at the Wyndham Hotel. He went on to work at Cosmo Rouge, Hattie’s, as a line cook at Tillman’s Bishop Arts.

He was also recruited into the kitchen at the NYLO, and from there, Smoke, and HG Sply Co.

Dominguez is survived by his wife; his parents, Jesus Dominguez Mata and Josefa Garrido Andrade; and siblings Jesus Dominguez and Jessica Dominguez.

July 28, 2020June 12, 2021

STAAR Scheduled, Meaningless, Not Forgotten

The STAAR scheduled tests are on for the 20-21 school year, but Governor Greg Abbott announced that the grade promotion requirement related to the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) test has been waived. This waiver for tests gives to fifth and eighth graders is only for the upcoming school year.

Typically, school systems must take into account a student’s score on the STAAR test to determine whether the student can be promoted to the next grade level. The traditional A-F rating system will remain in place, albeit with certain adjustments due to COVID19.

STAAR Scheduled, Meaningless, Not Forgotten

Students enrolled in grades 5 and 8 are required to re-take a STAAR test late in the school year, and sometimes again in the summer, if they do not meet grade level when taken during the spring. With this waiver, there will only be one administration of the STAAR grades 5 and 8 mathematics and reading assessments for the 2020–21 school year. The test will be administered in May to coincide with the administration of other STAAR grades 3-8 assessments.

“As always, our goal is to provide a high quality education for every Texas student,” said Governor Abbott. “This will be a uniquely challenging school year, therefore, this year is about providing students every opportunity to overcome the disruptions caused by COVID-19. By waiving these promotion requirements, we are providing greater flexibility for students and teachers, while at the same time ensuring that Texas students continue to receive a great education — which we will continue to measure with high quality assessments.”

Some will argue with Abbott’s assertion that STAAR provides a “high quality assessment.” There are vast differences between scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress test and the Texas STAAR testing bringing into question the test’s overall reliability and validity.

“Parents deserve to know how well their children have learned grade level knowledge and skills in reading and math, especially in a time when education has been substantially disrupted,” said Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath. “And educators use this valuable information to make adjustments to support students the following year. But there is no benefit to our children by requiring them to repeat a year based on a single test score given the disruptions of COVID, so we are waiving the grade promotion requirements from STAAR this year for our students.”

If the test can be exempted in the 2020-2021 school year the natural follow up question is why not do away with it altogether as a promotion mechanism? Governor Abbott and Mike Morath seem to want it both ways – they want the expensive test – but are not using its findings due to the “challenging school year.”

The new standard may offer Dallas ISD Calendar some added flexibility if the focus is not on high stakes testing. Locally though it brings into question, the Dallas Texas Excellence Initiative which ties teacher salaries to test scores in part.

Lori Kirkpatrick has several webpages about TEI on her website which may provide useful information opposing Dallas ISD’s viewpoint.

STAAR Scheduled Dates

All of the information on STAAR Testing dates is available via the Texas Education Agency website or below.

STAAR Calendar Updated Download

July 27, 2020July 27, 2020

Opening Day Warning: Baseball Brushback For COVID19 Classrooms?

An Opening Day warning for schools? Tonight’s Baltimore versus Miami Opening Day game for the Miami Marlins has been cancelled. How does this relate to the Dallas ISD Calendar? Quarantine cleaning.

This weekend fourteen players and two coaches from the Miami Marlins developed positive tests for COVID19 while playing in Philadelphia. If sixteen adults out of forty can get COVID19 while sequestered from other community members after testing negative prior to the series there is either a cleaning issue or community spread.

While possible, the former seems unlikely, as Major League Baseball is performing daily COVID19 screenings and has access to the best envornmental cleaning companies in the world. That would leave community spread as the primary culprit due to a person or persons not adhering to the strict guidelines for maintaining social distancing and these are adults. How will schools mandate safe practices of children?

As we have noted, COVID19 cases are surging, but Dallas ISD Trustees seem confident that they have the answers with their latest schedule.

Opening Day Warning For Schools

While the Dallas ISD Calendar is currently ready to go for the 20-21 school year, administration has also put out guidelines for entrance into schools on a daily basis.

DISD Arrival Instructions To Avoid Opening Day Warnings

Some school observers have questioned whether or not this is realistic and will remain reality once the school year begins.

July 27, 2020July 27, 2020

DPD Officer Arrested In Fort Worth…Again

A DPD Officer arrested in Fort Worth has an interesting history. Dallas police officer, Senior Corporal Daniel Collins, was arrested Thursday on a charge of transportation of child pornography, officials said. According to his Facebook page he appears to also be a self avowed “ISIS hunter.”

DPD Officer Arrested By Homeland Security Investigations

Senior Corporal Daniel Collins was arrested by Homeland Security Investigations and was booked into the Tarrant County Jail.

Collins has worked with the Dallas Police Department since July 2007 and was assigned to the auto theft unit.

Dallas police officials say Collins is on administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal affairs administrative investigation.

Another DPD Officer Arrested

This is another officer being arrested in Tarrant County giving rise to the question why Dallas does not require its employees to be part of the community they are employed to serve.

His Facebook page has references to being both an ISIS Hunter and a photo of an officer caring for a child. These images of being a protector when possibly being a danger to children are disturbing on multiple levels.