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Dallas City Hall
District 12
Enews
June 8, 2020
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Connecting You With City Information, News, and Resources
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Protests, COVID-19, Property Taxes
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Councilmember Cara Mendelsohn
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Hello District 12,
There is so much going on these days. I know it can be confusing and some people are experiencing tough times. Please feel free to reach out for help.
Below is an update and announcements of some more city services that are opening.
Navaz, Elysia, and I continue to work from home, but are working on a partial return to city hall in July. In the meantime, please continue reaching out by email.
Thank you, Cara
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The news and attention of the nation has been focused on the civil rights protests happening all over. In Dallas, we've been through 10 days straight of multiple protests. There are multiple protests planned within the City of Dallas every day through Saturday, and city resources, staff, and police officers are stretched thin.
To all the people who have shared their thoughts by signing up to speak at public meetings, posted their thoughts on social media, called, emailed (5,000+ emails this week), and participated in virtual forums, thank you for sharing your stories and voice.
Justice, justice, shall you pursue. Deuteronomy 16:18. I hope justice will be served in the murder of Mr. Floyd. My faith teaches every person has dignity and value and every life is sacred.
As a Councilmember, what I saw last Friday and early Saturday, was Dallas spinning out of control. So, I went to the Emergency Operations Center Saturday night, Sunday night, and Monday night to learn what DPD sees and how it responds. It was riveting, but also concerning.
It is sad that it took the murder of Mr. Floyd for us to be able to talk about discrimination in a public way, but how fortunate that we are finally able to have this necessary national discussion.
At this moment, when COVID-19 has forced us to reconsider every detail about how we live our lives, it is fitting that we urgently make the policy changes needed so every Black man, woman and child can live a life with dignity and opportunity.
I have chosen public service. Our city staff has also chosen public service, and that includes our police officers. They’ve gone further by pledging to serve and protect. Policing is an honorable and noble career and it is the most essential service we offer as a city. It is clear there are some issues at DPD, but my main concern is about leadership, strategy, and policy. I should note, our DPD officers, who unlike forces in many other cities, have a higher percent of African American officers (27%) than our Dallas general population (25%).
This week there was a shoot-out in the parking lot of a south Dallas church, hitting a 15 year old girl. In our district last week, a black woman was found shot to death in a field near Rosemeade and the Tollway and it didn’t even make the news. My sweet friend Leslie Baker was randomly murdered in her driveway a week and a half ago. Violent crime in our city, especially in South Dallas, has increased significantly this year, and last year, and it can’t be ignored. When we had less officers and no support from DPS, we had a record murder rate and sky-high aggravated assault increase.
Of the people I have listened to, the voice that has been absent is that of the people impacted by crime. I have heard the calls to dismantle, de-fund, and close the police department. These are not well-reasoned policy suggestions, but I agree there is a need for adjustments at DPD. The overwhelming issue articulated publicly centers on poverty and lack of opportunity. But in my private conversations, it is the outright discrimination and suspicion of black people that takes a toll on lives. I hope you have heard this also. I look forward to finding a way to help address all of those.
I attended the Mourning of Prayer at City Hall this week and have stopped by to visit with and listen to the protesters in our district. There are several protests and events scheduled every day throughout the city. I am not attending most of them, as a member of my family has asthma and I am limiting my time outside the home. It isn't front page news anymore, but COVID-19 is still active in our community. Meetings for city council, standing committees, and ad hoc committees continue on a virtual basis.
For both the civil rights conversation and COVID-19 response, there will be specific policy initiatives that I support, including training of officers, ending choke holds, duty to intervene, standardized use of body cameras, background checks, data reviews of civilian interactions, expanded mental health response teams (RIGHT care), and a quicker turnaround for Internal Affairs investigations. There will be some initiatives I do not support, like de-funding the police department and required sign-in and contact information to access city facilities (except libraries). For DPD, my biggest concerns are about strategy, policy, and leadership.
If you have input, please know I am open to hearing your thoughts and suggestions. If you are a person who prays, I ask you to remember Dallas and all of her residents.
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Photos from the daily protests in District 12. These young people are exercising their first amendment right of free speech to peacefully speak up for justice and equality. I applaud them for standing up for what they believe in and putting in the "sweat equity" to get their message out. If you want to drive by and honk some encouragement or drop off some cold drinks, they are across from the Kroger on Frankford and Midway.
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Virtual Town Hall Meetings
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PLEASE NOTE: THIS WEEK'S TOWN HALL IS CANCELED DUE TO THE PROTESTS. OUR DALLAS POLICE DEPARTMENT GUESTS WILL BE RESCHEDULED.
The virtual town halls have been a great way to hear from people in the community and stay in touch. If you have any questions or input, or just want to hear the conversation, we welcome you! Thank you to Jandis Price, D12 Library Commissioner, who was my special guest last week, as well as Tammy Richards, PISD School Board President, and Kim Caston, RISD Trustee, who joined me in prior weeks.
The format is simple, we say hi, welcome our special guest who speaks for 5-10 minutes, I give a quick update about city hall happenings, and we answer your questions or hear your input and suggestions. It's your meeting.
To RSVP for a town hall, please email Elysia.Martin@DallasCityHall.com.
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Property Taxes Protest DEADLINE
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Reminder - the last day to file a protest to your home value is June 15 for Dallas and Collin counties. Denton county deadline was May 29.
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Times are tough, but taking a few minutes to show our thanks to essential worker reminds us of the goodness of our neighbors and the people around us. So on Thursday at 7 pm, take a step outside and make some noise to thank our health care workers, first responders, code compliance, sanitation workers, teachers, grocery workers, truck drivers, and all the people that have kept us going while they have been on the front lines.
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In the News - Dallas City Hall
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POLICE REFORMS/SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING
Council member Cara Mendelsohn questioned why the department had not acted sooner to reform police procedures in line with the Obama administration's
21st Century Policing recommendations
from years before.
PROPERTY TAX - RESOLUTION MAKING IT POSSIBLE FOR 8% INCREASE REJECTED
“We would be creating the next disaster for the city of Dallas,” warned District 12 councilwoman Cara Mendelsohn.
ETHICS/SOCCER FIELDS UNDER HiGHWAY I-345
Council member Cara Mendelsohn, who represents Far North Dallas, said the project is clearly "an insider deal” that involved “money, and power, and influence.”
“I’m astonished that this proposal even made it on the agenda,” Mendelsohn said. “Whether it’s today or in August, I’m a no.”
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Tomorrow, Tuesday, June 9, curbside library service will begin at Timberglen Library (Midway @ Timberglen, just north of Frankford) and Fretz Park Library (Hillcrest @ Beltline). If you've been holding on to books since March and can't wait to get them out of our house, the library is ready to take them back. They will put them in a holding area for 48 hours, then re-shelve them.
Friday, the outdoor amenities at parks (bathrooms, benches, water faucets), basketball courts, volleyball courts, partner summer camps (first tee, rowing, tennis), Indoor reservation facilities (Winfrey point, Arlington Hall, etc...) will open.
Next up, the Park Board will consider opening the spray grounds, playgrounds, and limited aquatics summer camps at their next meeting.
Already open: golf courses, tennis centers, gun range, dog parks, skate park, disk golf, park pavilion reservations, small outdoor events, rowing clubs, and waste transfer stations.
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DART/Cotton Belt Construction Plans
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Thank you to all who were able to join the virtual town hall to talk about the latest with DART and the Cotton Belt. The next edition of the enews will have a detailed update.
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Frankford Road - Repaving is Coming!
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If those terrible pavement cuts and potholes on Frankford are driving you crazy, there is good news! The City of Dallas applied for a transportation grant in partnership with Collin County and received it. That means the city prioritized some transportation dollars to match the grant and will be sending out a bid to repave Frankford from Coit to Preston.
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There are so many different reports about how COVID-19 is showing up in the area. Above is a map of Dallas cases. As you hear a large number of new positive cases over the past week and a half, please know that a special effort has been made to get all senior facility residents and all homeless shelter residents tested, so it is no surprise that these two very vulnerable groups are showing new positives at a higher rate than the general population.
Please continue to seek medically accurate information and make decisions for yourself about the level of interaction you have in public based on your own health and family considerations. Here are two sites for your review:
City of Dallas Dashboard:
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It is so quick and easy... just go to www.2020census.gov or call (844) 330-2020 for English, (844) 468-2020 for Spanish. Many other languages are also available.
It's required by law to complete the census AND you'll be helping your community get dollars to fix roads, provide food stamps, etc... Please do it today!
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Need help, got a question, or want to give input?
Email: Cara.Mendelsohn@DallasCityHall.com
Office phone: (214) 670-4067
Text phone: (214) 490-1036
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