6 January 15 - 21, 2026 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents Those opposed to The Meadow have claimed that EPIC will allow only Muslims to own homes in the development, which would be a blatant violation of the Fair Housing Act that prohibits discrimination in home sales, rentals and lending. EPIC and Community Capital Partners say that hasn’t been the case and will not be true moving forward. “The plan allows for multiple houses of worship, reflecting the community’s open and inclusive design,” the statement says. “From the outset, the project has been open to anyone who chooses to live there and is being developed in full compliance with all local, state, and federal laws.” Following Abbott’s vocal opposition to the EPIC housing development, groups of Christian and far-right protesters began ap- pearing weekly at the mosque’s entrance. Through shouts and bullhorns, people at- tempting to enter the mosque’s grounds were routinely told to “repent and turn to Jesus Christ,” among many other things. “They want us to do something,” said an EPIC member who spoke to the Observer in October. “They’re trying to make us do something. Maybe we’re going to get mad at them and start fighting them, and then they’ll post something like, ‘Oh, these are how bad Muslims are.’ Luckily, so far, noth- ing has happened. But I’m afraid that some- one will do something, some kid will get mad at them and fight them or something, and then the entire community will be painted a picture.” EPIC’s announcement this week comes less than a month after Abbott noted the de- velopment’s name change on social media. As one might guess, he wasn’t impressed. “‘The Meadow’” will remain just that — an empty meadow,” he posted on X. “EPIC can change its name, but can’t change the le- gality of the flawed structure they seek to impose. They delete social media posts & re- write contracts. But it’s just a disguise to im- pose sharia on a community they create. At least 4 state agencies continue to investigate this misguided mission.” No word yet on when construction might begin, but that is unlikely to keep the focus on EPIC from lessening anytime soon. “It is important to note that The Meadow remains in very early stages of development still, with formal plans only now being sub- mitted for routine county review,” says the statement. “While the intensity of public at- tention at this stage is uncommon for a de- velopment of this type, Community Capital Partners remains focused on moving the project forward through established, trans- parent processes and in full compliance with the law.” ▼ OPINION WHY BOTHER? DPD SAYS GUNFIRE, FIREWORKS CALLS WERE DOWN ON NEW YEAR’S EVE. WE KNOW WHY. BY EMMA RUBY T here comes a time in every person’s life when they realize that they have become the old man shaking his fist at the sky. That moment, for me, was New Year’s Eve. At 26 years old, I’m starting 2026 as a spiritually disgruntled person. A Karen. A “get off my lawn” type. The issue in question that has blackened my heart is Dallas’ obses- sion with New Year’s Eve fireworks and cel- ebratory gunfire, a problem that seems to get worse with each passing New Year as I grow older and grumpier. According to the Dallas Police Depart- ment, 759 calls for celebratory gunfire were made to 911 on Dec. 31. Firework distur- bance calls were in the 270s. And on the sur- face, that looks to be an improvement from Dec. 31, 2024, when 865 gunfire calls were made, according to department data. I, for one, however, am not convinced that the lower call volume is a sign of any tangible progress made in addressing the loons who believe shooting their firearm into the sky is the proper way to celebrate the New Year. “I think a lot of people aren’t calling it in anymore,” said Dallas City Council member Cara Mendelsohn on Dec. 8, during a Public Safety Committee briefing on random gun- fire across Dallas. Mendelsohn’s prediction was correct for at least one Dallasite: myself. Firecrackers — big ones, not the smoke bombs and party snaps of my suburban youth — and gunshots surrounded my Dal- las home into the wee hours of Jan. 1, irritat- ing all. My dogs spent the evening on the verge of a nervous breakdown, and my part- ner stood with his hands on his hips, mutter- ing about how we hadn’t had rain in a while, each time a particularly impressive pyro- technic display was launched over our home by our enthusiastic neighbors. At one point, I considered calling the Dallas Police De- partment as I watched my neighbors’ teen- age son nearly start a grass fire. I quickly realized that was a ridiculous thought. I imagined that I’d dial 911 and be greeted by the weary voice of a dispatcher who knew, just as I knew, that nothing was going to be done about the booms and blasts shaking my home. “Where is it coming from?” This grave- yard shift sounding board would ask. “Everywhere?” I would respond, under- standing that this is not a helpful thing to say. “We’ll look into it,” they’d say, forced by circumstance to start the new year a liar. The police department did not respond to the Observer’s request regarding the aver- age response time for the nearly 1,000 calls made on New Year’s Eve, nor did it provide information on how many of those calls re- sulted in warnings, citations or arrests. But looking at the department’s average re- sponse times suggests that calling in your New Year’s Eve grievances was likely futile. DPD ranks 911 calls into a four-tier prior- ity system that helps determine the response time the department aims to have for those types of calls. Priority one calls are for the most severe incidents, while priority four calls are the least severe. The department is struggling to maintain response times across the board. Random gunfire is coded as a priority three call, which, in November 2025, re- sulted in an average wait time of 2.6 hours for a police response. That doesn’t really work, because, as DPD Major Yancey Nel- son noted on Dec. 8, people don’t tend to stick around after shooting off their weapon. “A gunshot, there has to be a pretty quick response to it. You’re talking about some- body driving through a neighborhood and maybe firing shots from a car or somebody stepping outside and shooting,” he said. When it comes to gunfire specifically, New Year’s Eve seems to be the crescendo of a problem that plagues DPD year-round. In 2024, the department launched a pilot pro- gram for a gunshot detection system that of- ficers hoped would help identify when and where random gunfire took place. The de- partment purchased 24 sensors for $330,000 (the city also pays an annual $1,800 subscription fee per sensor) to cover one square mile. The system uses AI analysis of sounds in the area to determine when a gun has been fired. The problem, Nelson told the Public Safety Committee, is that the process still relies on an officer being dispatched to find the person responsible. At the meeting, DPD stated that it would like to explore al- ternative options for a gunshot detection program that integrates the department’s technologies to better address the issue. For example, in a drone system, once a gun- shot is registered, a drone would be acti- vated to find a suspect, or license plate readers in an area would be engaged. Nel- son predicted that using drones as a re- sponse tool could bring response times down to as little as 30 seconds. Council members seemed surprised by how lackluster the initial gunshot detection program turned out to be. District 2’s Jesse Moreno said he was “glad” the department only invested in a few dozen sensors. Others at the horseshoe seemed worried that, as the problem continues to flourish across Dallas, residents are growing disillusioned. “My expectation is that any technology we deploy must truly improve the situation. Not just detect gunfire, but help reduce it,” said council member Jaime Resendez. “Our residents deserve to know that the city is do- ing everything it can to respond quickly and effectively when gunfire occurs.” Nelson suggested that whatever program the department tries next would likely be deployed in an area where 911 calls about gunfire are concentrated. Some council members warned that their residents no longer bother to call, so the data may not be truly representative. I believe those council members be- cause I am one of those residents. I don’t understand what the point of calling about gunfire (or fireworks, a priority four 911 call with an average 3.1-hour wait time) really is. If my thoughts and feelings on this mat- ter are shared with even a sliver of Dallas- ites, the police department finds itself in a Catch-22. For a new system to eventually work, DPD will need community buy-in to help determine where the needs are great- est. But until some progress is made on ac- tually addressing random gunfire across town, residents are unlikely to feel their voice means anything. With New Year’s Eve now behind us, I can acknowledge that I was being a bit of a grump about the whole fireworks and gun- shots thing. Being kept up until 3 a.m. will do that to a gal. Still, I think most of Dallas would agree that the DPD now has 12 months to figure out how to make this prob- lem just a little bit better going into 2027, and we’d like to see it improve. Here’s to hoping. ▼ HOUSING RUSH TO JUDGMENT THOUSANDS OF DALLASITES FACE EVICTION EACH MONTH. MOST NEED ‘JUST A LITTLE MORE TIME.’ BY EMMA RUBY W hen Mark Melton traveled to Austin last year to testify about the need for tenants’ rights and legal aid, the response he heard was, “Aren’t you just delaying the inevitable?” The Dallas Eviction Advocacy Center, which Melton founded, represents thou- sands of Dallasites facing eviction in court each year. A majority of cases that the center wins are won on technical grounds, whether because a landlord failed to properly notify a tenant or due to some other procedural er- ror. While Melton feels strongly about the necessity of due process in eviction proceed- ings, he also understands why skeptics jump to that “inevitability” conclusion. “That’s a pretty natural assumption to Adobe Stock Fireworks in Dallas neighborhoods made a lot of noise, whether the police knew about it or not. Unfair Park from p4
