Clean The Block Initiative is an outreach program that tackles the disproportionate environmental effect on lower income communities.
The main objective is to clean up loose trash/litter, fight illegal dumping, educate community members on urban environmentalism, and reverse the effects of environmental racism that historically effects socioeconomically challenged neighborhoods.
Clean The Block Initiative
The iniative was started by Calvin Johnson, former candidate for D7 City Council in Dallas, and Brian Hesson. That race which attracted endorsements from numerous elected officials and participation by groups such as Keep Dallas Safe.
The area’s socioeconomic status, climate change and increased pollution has had a negative effect on the health, cognitive development, education, economic status, and overall pride in the community in the area. CBI plans to combat several environmental issues that plague local Dallas communities.
Texas Governor Candidate Don Huffines says June rolling blackouts are “ridiculous.”
Huffines has announced for Governor and the gloves have already come off over issues such as border security, government spending, and now what Huffines describes as a “track record of failure.”
Huffines campaign goes on to say “current leadership failed to properly address our power grid issues, and as a result countless lives are at risk once again.”
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has not responded to multiple requests for comment about the situation or Huffines’ comments, but last week claimed that the ERCOT situation was fixed.
June Rolling Blackouts
The news of potential June rolling blackouts came yester day as ERCOT announced it was nearing energy production capacity just days after the Texas legislature adjourned without taking serious action on the February blackouts that led to millions being left in subfreezing temperatures for up to a week.
The event may show the strength of Noble in bringing national attention to Dallas County’s party which has had a recent history of financial problems. Swalwell’s office would not comment on the current allegations or his work supporting local Democrats across the country.
In 2019 Swalwell was a candidate for President.
Rep Swalwell with Dallas County Democratic Party Chairwoman Kristy Noble and Betsy Kleinman.
Eric Swalwell – Security Issue
In late 2020, Swalwell was accused by Axios of having ties to a Chinese spy through local fundraising efforts.
The suspected Chinese intelligence operative developed extensive ties with local and national politicians, including Congressman Swalwell. Officials in the United States believe this was a political intelligence operation run by China’s main civilian spy agency between 2011 and 2015 and resulted in a FBI briefing to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy.
Swalwell serves on the House Special Committee on Intelligence, a position McCarthy says he should be removed from given current allegations.
A Facebook account linked to Danny Defenbaugh had numerous posts linking the local private investigator with QAnon conspiracies and far right attack on President Biden, immigrants, minority Members of Congress, and the former FBI Director James Comey.
Defenbaugh retired as Special Agent in Charge of the Dallas Field Office. The posts come on the heels of a Dallas based QAnon convention where Michael Flynn, the National Security Advisor fired by President Trump, called for a coup at the Omni Hotel.
Defenbaugh is currently a Texas licensed Investigations Security Contractor and runs a security consultant company under his own name out of Kaufman, Texas. His website states their mission is to “provide senior management with comprehensive guidance relative to their security environment to promote and enhance the protection of personnel, assets, information, and business operations.”
Danny Defenbaugh – Chief Oklahoma City Bombing Investigator Hides Foul Ups
Danny Defenbaugh, was the FBI agent at the center of the Oklahoma City bombing investigation and a major foul-up over document production.
In Congressional testimoney, he told lawmakers that he waited for months to alert his superiors because he wanted to ascertain the magnitude of the document problem which could have jeopardized Timothy McVeigh’s execution.
Agent Defenbaugh, the lead investigator of the Oklahoma City bombing case who was in charge of collecting investigative documents per the FBI had an inkling that something was amiss as early as January. This was noted in the summary of a briefing Defenbaugh gave to members of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
McVeigh’s execution, originally set for May 16, 2001, was delayed by the Justice Department until June 11, 2001, after the FBI revealed that investigative records had not been turned over to McVeigh’s lawyers.
Defenbaugh has not returned an inquiry into these posts as of publish.
Candice Quarles is campaigning for Dallas County Democratic Chair just a year past allegations surfaced she took a Disney World vacation – mostly on the taxpayers dime.
Dallas Business Journals recently honored Quarles as a Leader in Diversity, skipping over her ties to a forensic audit showing her family profited over $140,000 from her family’s connection to Desoto city leadership. Her husband, Jeremiah, served as economic development chief previously.
During that time, Quarles had thousands of dollars in local memberships and sponsorships paid for by a city credit card. These include the Urban League of Greater Dallas Young Professionals, a group Candice Quarles led.
Desoto Independent School District has also had recent issues with credit card spending by leadership leading to takeover talk early last school year.
One Dallas Democratic Party Precinct Chair exasperated said, “this is more of the same.”
The South Dallas representative continued, “While the party should be winning races across the board, we give too many away with pie in the sky candidates or we elect grifters.”
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.
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
Dallas County criminal court judge Audrey Moorehead was arrested Tuesday night on a charge of driving under the influence, according to Farmers Branch police records.
About 10:43 p.m., Farmers Branch Police officers were called to the 13500 block of Midway Road. Upon arriving on scene they found a white Cadillac had struck a light pole. Judge Audrey Faye Moorehead was placed under arrest on a DWI charge and taken to the Farmers Branch jail.
Moorehead was released on bond the following day. It has not been determined if Judge Moorehead presided over other criminal cases in the days that followed.
Audrey Moorehead
Moorehead assumed office in Dallas County in 2018. She presides over County Criminal Court 3 and is also listed as member of the Dallas Bar Association Board of Directors.
Moorehead did not face opposition in the 2018 Democratic Party primary, but looks to have insider status. Earlier in the year statewide Democrats nominated Terri Hodge to be a representative of the Democratic Party in the Electoral College.
Hodge had previously served a year in prison for felony tax evasion secondary to bribery.
Despite pledging to serve the remainder of 2020, her resignation was announced earlier today with Lonzo Anderson, appointed Interim Chief of Police starting December 15, 2020.
City officials from the Mayor’s Office and City Manager’s Office continue to avoid questions about her tenure or the most recent allegations.
Reneé Hall Runs Away Again
Hall has been under heavy criticism since it was learned she was not providing proper supervision to officers during the June Gorge Floyd protests and lied about the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge events both at the time and later in official After Action Reports.
Hall’s resignation has led to thirty-six applicants for the Chief of Police position.
City Manager T.C. Broadnax invited the group of seven candidates chosen from a pool of thirty-six applicants from across the U.S. The candidates named finalists are:
Albert Martinez – Director of Security for Dallas Catholic Dioceses/Former DPD Deputy Chief
Avery Moore – Assistant Police Chief, Dallas Police Department
Eddie Garcia – Chief of Police, San Jose, California
Jeff Spivey – Chief of Police, City of Irving, Texas
Malik Aziz – Major, Dallas Police Department
Reuben Ramirez – Deputy Chief, Dallas Police Department
RaShall Brackney – Chief of Police, Charlottesville, Virginia
Interviews between candidates and council members will be pre-recorded and published on the city’s social media and cable TV next week.
An additional fifty-five organizations ranging from police unions to neighborhood nonprofits will participate in stakeholder panel interviews with the candidates beginning December 15, 2020.
Broadnax says he expects to select and appoint the next chief before the end of the year.
Mayor Johnson has recently emphasized public safety including his state of the city address: “We need more robust law enforcement strategies,” Johnson said in his speech at Fair Park, in South Dallas. “The violent crime reduction plan that I asked for last year simply has not worked. … It is my expectation that whoever becomes the next police chief will be accountable to you and will work with you to make our city safer.”
Other Side Dallas appreciates its readers, but we want you to continue to help us inform the larger Dallas community about problems within our borders.
We all know Dallas can be a culture of backroom handshakes and certain neighborhoods making policy for their neighbors less well off. Our goal remains to have a debate about these issues and require accountability and transparency from local city, county, and school officials. These issues may be about the Dallas City Council, Dallas Police, or Dallas Independent School District.
Contact Other Side Dallas’ Writing Team
Our writing team uses ProtonMail for secure messaging with those providing information to OSD. Email us at OtherSideDallas [at] protonmail.com. We will get back in touch as soon as we can.
You can provide details about issues you are aware of without fear we will make whistleblowers public. We intend to write about corruption in city hall and force local officials to be accountable to their citizens.
