Differing Viewpoints With Respect, Without Drama
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.
“…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.
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.
Reneé Hall runs away from her controversial management of Dallas Police Department after we reported on of two subordinate officers accusing her of an inappropriate relationship with Dominique Alexander.
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.
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:
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.”
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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.
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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.
Risqué Reneé Hall may be the new moniker for outgoing Dallas Police Chief Reneé Hall.
Hall who is about to leave as the embattled police chief of Dallas may have more to answer for than just her lack of leadership and supervision during the Dallas George Floyd protests and the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge debacle. Internal reports at the time showed Hall lied about the events around the bridge event.
Those may be minor issues in comparison.
A year and a half ago there were media rumors about her relationship with Dominique Alexander and the conflict of interest it posed in the Dominique Alexander case. She has often publicly put him out front in an advisory role for the Citizens Police Oversight Board.
Additionally, he brags regularly about his close ties to her. It appears those ties are closer than previously known as two current Dallas Police officers noted Hall and Alexander have been intimate and that the relationship has clouded her judgement.
Alexander has multiple arrests to his credit outside his activism. A year ago when he and Hall are reported to have been involved, Alexander was being arrested on a felony assault charge in a domestic violence case involving his girlfriend.
Alexander faced charges of assault causing serious bodily injury and a misdemeanor assault in the cases.
Alexander was convicted of shaking a 2-year-old baby in 2011. He was sentenced to five years but released on probation shortly after his sentencing. Alexander has also been convicted of theft, making a false police report and evading arrest. He’s also been indicted in Denton County for felony theft.
This is one of the people the police chief chooses to spend time with in both official and unofficial capacities.
The behavior in this case calls into question why TC Broadnax is following the same plan as last time.
In the previous search for a new police chief, TC Broadnax used a secret panel to determine who would be selected as Dallas’ new police chief. He is doing the same again – calling into question is he incorporating the assistance of Dominique Alexander or other convicted felons into the process.
Neither Broadnax, nor Jon Fortune, Assistant City Manager for Public Safety, returned emails seeking comment about the police chief’s judgement or these allegations coming from inside the department.
It is clear there is no leadership coming from their offices or Risqué Reneé Hall on the crime rate which is exploding in Dallas where parents are shot on their way to pick up a child from childcare or members of cult groups are allowed to graffiti hate symbols on city parking garages.
The Laura Bush Foundation gave Dallas ISD families a little more to be thankful for. The foundation granted $500,000 to the school district for library materials.
The pre-Thanksgiving break grant allows Dallas ISD to both serve schools hit hard by last year’s tornado and also support schools in South Dallas also.
The donation is meant to help respond to last year’s major disaster. Meanwhile Dallas County and Dallas ISD are still responding to this year’s COVID19 pandemic. The most recent numbers show almost 1700 cases across Dallas ISD.
The former First Lady has been a regular supporter of Dallas ISD, despite former colleagues at the Texas Education Agency withholding dollars from federal CARES Act funds for local school districts.
This weekend there was more school board election gaslighting. Jim Schutze who is writing for D Magazine disclosed a website: www.choosedisd.org is directing to his D Magazine author page.
This would be innocuous enough, but earlier in the week Schutze had accused Nancy Rodriguez of hurting black and brown children’s ability to find equity because another website (www.choosedallasisd.com) redirected to her page. He said at that time that Rodriguez would not return his messages, but Rodroguez offers different facts.
From her Facebook page: “I cannot tell you on what date I acquired it because I never acquired it. You had your facts wrong on the story about my party affiliation and you appear to have your facts wrong here as well.”
Schutze who has made known his affinity for Rodriguez’s opponent appearsa to be working not as opinion writer, but PR person for the pro-reform movement. Like, the Dallas Morning News, which launched its own attacks againsts against Rodriguez following Schutze’s lead has done scant coverage of the auditor report issues from February or why Marshall avoids responding to questions about his federal referral on the matter.
The school board runoff election is Tuesday, December 8, 2020. The race pits Dustin Marshall – the incumbent – behind Rodriguez who only raised $27000 going into the general election, but who took nearly 28,000 votes to marshall’s 24,775.
While the races are officially nonpartisan, Marshall has received large support from Empower Texans and other hard right interests. The campaign season has been noticably bereft of any serious discussion as to why students are failing in Dallas despite a decade of pro-business reform movement policies.
Mark Cuban Heroes Basketball Center is providing Thanksgiving meals for 400 in South Dallas at the Mark Cuban Heroes Basketball Center. This will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.
After a successful kick off last month, the Center Table Fall Harvest series – presented by The Mark Cuban Foundation, The Dirk Nowitzki Foundation, The Heroes Foundation and North Texas Food Bank – will continue Thursday, November 19, from 9 am-noon at the Mark Cuban Heroes Basketball Center. The center is located at 1800 Bonnie View Road, Dallas, TX 75216.
With many families facing tough times, the drive-up event will offer free food boxes for 400 families. The event is open to people who reside in the surrounding neighborhoods of the Mark Cuban Heroes Basketball Center including Cedar Crest, south Oak Cliff, southern Dallas County and Joppa.
Food boxes are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis to 400 families. Pre-registration is not required. Volunteers and staff from the Mark Cuban Heroes Basketball Center will wear masks and gloves and will practice social distancing.
In addition, as part of the Center Table Fall Harvest efforts, free chef-prepared meals for four will be delivered to senior citizens and grandparents in the Center’s surrounding neighborhoods in advance of Thanksgiving week (November 21-23). Made by The Bearded Chef and Chef Joslyn of Sankofa, the meal packs include a turkey, two sides, dessert and tea. Also, free meal packs for homeless high school and college students will be delivered to schools or available for pick up.
“The true heroes are all of our neighbors who have been impacted by the pandemic. Many of them are and have been essential workers. They are hardworking women and men who have and continue to make significant sacrifices and contributions to our city and society. And to that end, we owe them a debt of gratitude. This is one way to express our gratitude,” said Trina Terrell-Andrews, CEO of the Mark Cuban Heroes Basketball Center. “While we all are experiencing a challenging season, we must do all we can to support one another.”
Center Table Fall Harvest will continue in December (date forthcoming).
The Mark Cuban Heroes Basketball Center is a multi-purpose facility for neighborhood youth and families providing sports and leadership programs.
For more info, go to markcubanheroescenter.org or call 214-379-7451.
Joe Biden is supported by an Electoral College nominee – Terri Hodge – previously convicted of felony tax fraud after being caught in a bribery scandal. This news comes on the first day of early voting in Texas. She is listed as a representative of the Democratic Party per Texas Secretary of State records.
On the same day Dr. Jill Biden comes to Dallas we learned that Terri Hodge, the former state representative for HD100, is an Electoral College member designate for the Texas Democrats.
In July we noted both the momentum for Democrats – and the challenges – across the board in Texas to flip Texas blue. This incident along with the recent ethics issues surrounding Congressman Colin Allred and the public spat between MJ Hegar and Senator Royce West seem to be spoiling potential victories.
Terri Hodge pleaded guilty to fraud and false statements on a tax return in February 2010 and was sentenced to a year in prison. Hodge was to go on trial March of that year on charges outlined in a 31-count indictment charging 14 public officials and their associates with various offenses related to a bribery and extortion scheme involving affordable housing developments in Dallas, but her plea agreement avoided trial.
As a condition of her plea with the government, Hodge, who was elected to the Texas House of Representatives, District 100, in 1996, and had been re-elected until her conviction, has agreed to resign her office and never seek or hold future public office.
It is not clear if Ms. Hodge has had her voting rights restored for elections, but she has worked as a community outreach and constituent services representative for Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson.