As a part of an effort to strategize on reducing rampant crime in the city, an event was held on Saturday in southern Dallas to allow residents to weigh in on the issue and foster collaboration.
“The community coming out here to talk to us is a precious gift,” said Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia.
The event, titled “Enough is Enough: Stop the Violence,” was held at the Juanita J. Craft Recreation Center and comes after a succession of violent incidents in southern Dallas.
Two significant shootings have occurred in the community. One took place at an Oak Cliff concert in April, leaving one dead and 16 others injured. The other took place at a South Dallas party in March, where 10 victims were shot, one died, and several others were injured.
Last week, three women were shot in a northwest Dallas hair salon. Two people died in another shooting last week, and three others were injured in Deep Ellum.
Three women whose children died in the shootings were among the hundreds of people who filled the center on May 14 to discuss the impact of gun violence in Dallas.
Shalonda Gilmore’s son, 26-year-old Keaton Gilmore, was slain in the mass shooting at the April concert.
Also in attendance was 22-year-old Fernando Enriquez Jr.’s mother, Adriana Vasquez. Enriquez was fatally shot in a drive-by shooting in Far East Dallas in March.
According to Vasquez, her son went out to eat and later stopped to exchange seats with another passenger in the vehicle they were traveling in when he was shot.
“Both of my sons were hit. One didn’t make it, one is still hurt, and my nephew was also shot as well,” said Vasquez.
In March, Chi Ballard’s son, 19-year-old Zuri Goff, was shot and killed at a Raising Cane’s drive-through in Red Bird.
“These last few weeks in our city have been challenging for all of us,” said Garcia. “We are not going to arrest our way out this.”
Chief Garcia said that the department was focusing on the city’s southern area and that the increased police presence resulted in a modest decrease in violent crime.
According to department figures posted on May 13, violent crime is down in the city’s southeast, south-central, and southwest divisions, where there have been 2,205 violent offenses so far this year, 150 less than in 2021.
Still, department statistics revealed that the number of murders in southern Dallas has increased compared to the previous year. So far, there have been 55 homicides in 2022, five more than in the same period of 2021.
Murders in the city overall have risen to 88 from 76 last year. Garcia expressed alarm on Saturday that 90% of those killed in Dallas were black or Latino.
“Even if we reduce violent crime, we shouldn’t be jumping up and down if that disparity still exists,” said Garcia. “We all know we didn’t get into this mess overnight and we’re not going to get out of it overnight. We need to reinvest in not only our community, but in individuals.”
Saturday’s event also included a job fair. Victor Alvelais of Dallas CRED, a national non-profit Youth Advocate Program, said the fair was a great idea, noting a correlation between crime and poverty.
“We have to address it,” Alvelais said. “Nine times out of 10, [crimes] have an economic connection.”
Several people also requested that local businesses offer more recreational activities, summer jobs, and internships for the youth in their communities. Others mentioned job opportunities for those with criminal records to keep them from committing crimes again.
However, Chief Garcia noted that while he acknowledges that poverty is a factor in violent crime, he believes that decreasing poverty will not result in the progress the city requires without additional short-term measures.
