I stepped off the sidewalk to document a homeless encampment when a man on a bicycle suddenly cornered me, demanding to know why I was filming. As he reached into his pants near his crotch, he threatened to “smoke me right here in the middle of the street.” I knew I was in immediate danger.
I put my camera down to de-escalate, but I still had to cross the street to get away. He followed me to the median, continuing his threats, then pursued me to the diner’s parking lot, where two more individuals joined him, circling my vehicle. I jumped in my car and got out of there as fast as possible.
I called Dallas police to report the incident. Their response? A dismissive acknowledgment, stating they would notify officers in the area and call me back. It is now the following Monday, and I have received no follow-up.
This isn’t an isolated incident. Jimmy Vergos, owner of the Original Market Diner, has also been assaulted by individuals from the encampment simply for trying to document the issue. Businesses are under siege, harassed, and threatened daily, while the city does nothing.
Dallas leadership has allowed this crisis to spiral out of control. The city’s cycle of clearing encampments only for them to return days later is a complete failure of policy and enforcement. This isn’t about lacking compassion, it’s about failing to protect law-abiding citizens.
It doesn’t have to be this way. We are calling on local business owners to unite and demand real, lasting solutions from City Hall. We will not be intimidated into silence. If the city refuses to act, it is failing in its most basic duty: keeping its residents safe.
Dallas, do something before someone gets killed.