Young was a student at Texas State University before becoming an intern for Macias Strategies. Macias is the name of a firm tied to former state representative Jonathan Stickland.
Stickland, recently invited Nick Fuentes, the far right white supremacist to his Fort Worth offices. That invitation has created an ongoing crisis for state Republican Party leaders.
Barry Young, Young NeoNazi
In addition to his political work, Young reportedly worked for Sherwin Williams.
Sherwin Williams though said Young “is not employed by Sherwin-Williams.”
The corporate media representative also said, “Sherwin-Williams does not in any way support hateful opinions or positions.”
Spooky Halloween safety 2023 tips are here for Dallas families out looking for tricks and treats next week. The list below includes recommendations from Safe Kids nonprofit.
Some tips on getting there safely.
Cross the street at corners, using traffic signals and crosswalks. Look left, right and left again when crossing and keep looking as you cross.
Put electronic devices down, keep heads up and walk, don’t run, across the street.
Teach children to make eye contact with drivers before crossing in front of them.
Always walk on sidewalks or paths. If there are no sidewalks, walk facing traffic as far to
the left as possible. Children should walk on direct routes with the fewest street crossings.
Watch for cars that are turning or backing up. Teach children to never dart out into the street or cross between parked cars.
Join kids under age 12 for trick-or-treating. If kids are mature enough to be out without supervision, tell them to stick to familiar areas that are well lit and trick-or-treat in groups.
Safe costumes are another must for a frighteningly good time.
Decorate costumes and bags with reflective tape or stickers and, if possible, choose light colors.
Choose face paint and makeup whenever possible instead of masks, which can obstruct a child’s vision.
Have kids carry glow sticks or flashlights to help them see and be seen by drivers.
When selecting a costume, make sure it is the right size to prevent trips and falls.
Finally, don’t forget driving safety.
Slow down and be especially alert in residential neighborhoods. Children are excited on Halloween and may move in unpredictable ways.
Take extra time to look for kids at intersections, on medians and on curbs.
Enter and exit driveways and alleys slowly and carefully.
Get rid of any distractions – like your phone – in your car so you can concentrate on the road and your surroundings.
Turn your headlights on earlier in the day to spot children from greater distances.
Popular trick-or-treating hours are 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Be especially alert for kids during those hours.
Spooky Halloween Safety 2023 – Trunk Or Treats
Other Side Dallas is aware of a number of Trunk or Treat events being hosted by businesses, churches, and other nonprofits. These are all options for an additionally safe Halloween this 2023.
Sources cite post pandemic stressors which make operating an arts institution increasingly difficult since COVID19.
“While we have not made these decisions lightly, like many nonprofit arts organizations in Dallas and around the country, the DMA must adjust to new realities in a post-pandemic world, including rising costs, expiration of government funding and audiences.”
DMA Layoffs Announced
In addition to the layoffs, the Dallas Museum of Arts indictaes it is reducing operating hours also.
Other Side Dallas will continue to monitor the arts scene as these stories develop.
DeB Does Dallas Dirty according to party guests who paid hundreds of dollars to be part of the exclusive Saturday event.
Other Side Dallas scored when a female member of the host team was too open about their Saturday party. We broke the story about the “exclusive” dinner at Pacific Plaza.
Other Side Dallas reached out more than a week ago to the international dining group for comment, but received no answers. The guests had the same experience.
One young man who was able to get in last minute said the event was a joke. He asked that we not use his last name, but he goes by Colton.
This party goer tell us quite a bit about the event.
Are You Kidding Me?
First, a private exclusive champagne experience was anything but exclusive. The area was not secure and non-ticket holders and early arrivals ate appetizers and canapes meant for ticketed guests.
A second problem for Diner en Blanc was the champagne event itself. The Belaire Luxe served is available at any Target and wasn’t champagne, but was a sparking, white wine.
“How does a French themed event skimp on champagne,” asked Colton from the Allen area. “Do they think we are not going to notice it isn’t champagne?”
Other party goers said there was also a racial tone that was inappropriate for an inclusive event.
One young woman said the deejay, imported from Houston, kept referring to “white people music” and that he had to “appease” parts of the crowd.
“This is 2023. What is ‘white people music’ and how is that not racist?”
One question Other Side Dallas had for organizers was how would they make this an event that showed grace.
No response to our direct questions, but at the event those seeking grace showed up.
Other Side Dallas had multiple people tell us that numerous homeless people showed up seeking a handout.
Pacific Plaza Park is home to several homeless normally so the city fencing plan was hopeful at best.
Deb Does Dallas Dirty – The Basics
Other issues brought up are the absence of any sparklers and the napkin wave.
In years past cloth napkins were a gift for guests and provided by an event sponsor.
Reports indicate DeB Dallas had no direct sponsors and that some businesses may have been uncomfortable.
Others say they did not understand some of the messaging.
“The Diner en Blanc team came out hard on all white clothing and then allowed outfits with heavy cream, silver, and gold” per one attendee.
Another attendee mentioned the constant lack of bathroom facilities which have plagued DeB events in Dallas.
“This group told the city they were planning on 1200 people, but their follow up email said they invited 1500.”
“It’s no surprise they don’t have bathroom facilities. They weren’t honest about how many people were coming.”
City officials confirmed this estimate.
Transportation and Mobility
City officials were also surprised when buses could not park in their designated drop off locations also.
DeB planners did not inform the city that cars parked along the way would need to be moved prior to the event.
Dinner At Pacific Plaza is only six days away for Diner en Blanc participants.
The usually secret location was discovered this weekend by accident. An unnamed Diner en Blanc host accidentally revealed the spot in conversation in public.
The female stopped by a local bakery and was speaking too loudly on her cellular for a secret location.
In May, Other Side Dallas asked can you keep a secret after volunteer training in downtown Dallas.
Additionally, Other Side Dallas readers should not just show up. This event requires a ticket for admission so showing up will not help you become a member or gain entrance.
Diner en Blanc’s Dallas Dinner At Pacific Plaza
Diner en Blanc started in Paris in 1988 when François Pasquier and a handful of friends chose to meet up for an elegant picnic. They chose to show up in all white since they did not all know one another.
Now, thirty-five years later, the experience has become a world wide phenomenon.
In June 2018, Le Diner en Blanc de Paris marked its 30th anniversary. A record 17,000 guests from Paris and around the world gathered at the Esplanade des Invalides.
Under the helm of Dîner en Blanc International this secret posh picnic has been celebrated in over 120 cities in 40 countries around the world.
The principle fueling this fantastic event is simple: guests dressed in all white gather at a secret location. The sole purpose of sharing a gourmet meal with good friends in one of their city’s most beautiful public spaces.
Can you keep a secret and are you ready for the hottest ticket in town this fall? Then you need to register for the experience on the Diner en Blanc page today.
Diner en Blanc started in Paris in 1988 when François Pasquier and a handful of friends chose to meet up for an elegant picnic. They chose to show up in all white since they did not all know one another.
Now, thirty-five years later, the experience has become a world wide phenomenon.
In June 2018, Le Diner en Blanc de Paris marked its 30th anniversary. A record 17,000 guests from Paris and around the world gathered at the Esplanade des Invalides.
Under the helm of Dîner en Blanc International this secret posh picnic has been celebrated in over 120 cities in 40 countries around the world.
The principle fueling this fantastic event is simple: guests dressed in all white gather at a secret location. The sole purpose of sharing a gourmet meal with good friends in one of their city’s most beautiful public spaces.
Can You Keep A Secret – The Details
Details are still quiet, but an insider confirms that this year’s event will return sometime early this fall.
The host team has already assembled a group of forty plus volunteers.
Rumor has it that these volunteers were interviewed and selected after the host team sorted through hundreds of applications. Other Side Dallas is told volunteers are already undergoing training to make this event great.
Previous locations have included the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, the Dallas Arboretum, and South Fork Ranch.
This year’s location of course is a secret, but Other Side Dallas hopes for an invite to what promises to be a great night.
The Dallas Opera unstable on many fronts is the song sung by insiders at The Winspear Opera House. This comes after several recent issues. The Dallas Opera in celebrating its 65th anniversary this year. It is showing signs and symptoms of old age and in need of adult supervision.
Tonight, The Dallas Opera will present its latest production tonight, Das Rheingold. Some media organizations have already pronounced it a success. Insiders tell a very different story.
This week several cast left the production after TDO chose not to corral a wayward employee. The was doubling as a production extra. The employee was acting threatening towards other cast and crew.
Other Side Dallas has reached out to the reported victims in this case who will not return calls or emails.
Cast and crew describe walking on eggshells around a trans male Facility Manager. The employee works from the Karayanis Rehearsal Production Center.
Other Side Dallas was able to speak to a few cast and crew about Das Rheingold and this employee.
There is “too much testosterone” and he has a “hormonal imbalance” was a familar refrain.
A person with the production said senior staff know the situation is unsafe. They refuse to provide the adult supervision he needs.
One other person said, “no one wants to deal with the problem out of fear of violence.”
This is a problem given the production has several youth extras, or supernumeraries.
Safety: Children
Despite working with minors, the opera does not provide any safety guard rails. There are no provisions for their own staff or volunteers.
This is one area of oversight that the opera appears guilty of from a management standpoint. There are no background checks and no training for working with children.
These basic safety measures have come about from decades of abuse scandals. involving nonprofit groups.
One firm noted every forty-three hours a registered sex offender tries working for a nonprofit. Those persons are caught by organizations undertaking basic precautions. The Dallas Opera skips these basic steps in providing a measure of protection.
There is a notation from Josh Martin, Artistic Services Coordinator, that seems problematic. The memo reads the opera does “not employ a “child wrangler.”
He appears to mean children should be seen and not heard. He also seems to indicate they’re not doing anything to protect children.
Other Side Dallas has also seen the submission of a related Child Protective Services report. The report was made Monday morning by a school counselor.
The report details an adult improperly brushing a teenage girl. It names the Winspear Opera House as the location of the incident. We are working to confirm that these issues are related.
We do know that both the employee and the underage girl were co-located in a cramped substage crawl area.
Other Side Dallas has reached out to The Dallas Opera more than six times for comment. So far no one from their organization has responded.
Safety: Adults
Other Side Dallas also found that another employee, Mark Wagenhurst, died during production. This happened at Karayanis Rehearsal Production Center a few weeks ago.
He was found dead by other employees, but no attempts were made to help him. This comes despite the opera employing a medical safety officer.
The Dallas Opera Unstable Costumes, Set, and Stage
Finally, the production has many problems. TDO got a positive review from the Dallas Morning News before the show ever got to The Winspear Opera House. It seems
Invited audience members on Tuesday night noted a few problems.
At one point, the the orchestra stopped playing during a transition. This occurred when a lighting issue arose causing the several minute delay.
Additionally, several cast members have had wardrobe malfunctions. “Grand” costumes caught on set design pieces like a scaffolding set up. There have also been issues with elevators and lifts.
One crew member said, “you have elaborate transitions so some designer can prove who they are, but they don’t go together.”
The costumes are getting caught on “modern set designs” and everyone is at risk.
The Dallas Opera was the first to return to the stage last year after coronavirus. Their production of Madame Butterfly received good reviews at the time. Since then they seem off track.
The Dallas opera company seems less focused on quality now than pre COVID19.
The current quantity over quality production makes a company unstable for future audiences.
Dallas Zoo Groundhog Day has come three weeks early, but it’s here – again. The Dallas Zoo has lost a clouded leopard from its enclosure at the South Dallas zoo.
The zoo is closed while authorities work to locate the animal.
Dallas Police are currently assisting in locating the animal. Due to restrictions by Chief Garcia it is unclear how many officers are involved.
Zoo keepers are the zoo discovered damage to her enclosure. They believe the clouded leopard, named Nova, escaped. There has been some discussion she was stolen from the zoo.
Harrison Edell, the zoo’s vice president of animal care and conservation, delivered a statement. This came after the zoo initiated a “Code Blue.”
Edell said, “the cat that we’re looking for is about 20 pounds – between 20 and 25 pounds. She does not pose a danger to humans. And more likely than not, when she’s scared, she’s going to climb a tree, stay out of our way, hunt some squirrels and birds and hope not to be noticed.”
Dallas Zoo Groundhog Day – Another Embarrassment For Dallas
Since 2013 nearly hundreds of animals have died in the hands of Dallas Zoo staff. This includes multiple giraffes – leading to a SNL skit, a Silverback gorilla, and a zebra.
It is unclear if other local media will give another pass to continuing issues at our zoo or if they will sit on the sidelines criticizing questions of accountability.
In 2009, Dallas City Council members voted unanimously to turn management of zoo.
At the time the move was hailed for saving he city $1.5 M per year. Supporters said it would lead to increased donation, but there were concerns at the time over the speed the plan was presented and advanced.
Additionally, the public’s access to the zoo and zoo records was curtailed.
