6 May 30 - June 5, 2024 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents ‘Atrocious Actions’ City Council committee condemns SB4 immi- gration protocol. BY EMMA RUBY A controversial state law that would make illegally crossing the southern border a misde- meanor crime enforced by local police officers was con- demned by some members of the Dallas City Council last week, marking the first official stance the city has taken against the pending state law. Senate Bill 4 was signed by Gov. Greg Ab- bott in December 2023, but has since been in legal limbo while the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decides on the bill’s constitution- ality. If the law goes into effect, those sus- pected of illegally crossing the Texas-Mexico border could be charged by local police with a Class C misdemeanor and face up to six months in jail. A resolution filed by council member Adam Bazaldua cited the strain on public safety officers the bill would cause as one reason for the opposition. Dallas has a “shortage” of uniformed police officers, and the city is not equipped to handle the “strain on police resources” that enforcing the bill would unnecessarily cause, the resolution says. “[Senate Bill 4] creates a system whereby Texas state and local magistrates have the power to remove individuals from the United States,” the resolution reads. “The U.S. Supreme Court has long held that enforcement of immigration law is the pur- view of the federal government.” Bazaldua’s resolution also stated that im- plementing SB4 would negatively affect re- lationships with the “nearly one quarter of Dallas residents” who are from a country other than the U.S. and who contribute to public services, local diversity and the city’s economy. The document urges the state Legislature to prioritize finding a solution to the law that would take into account “con- cerns raised by the city” and public safety while “[respecting] the diverse communi- ties” within Dallas. Bazaldua, who chairs the Quality of Life, Arts and Culture Committee, told the Ob- server he was “extremely proud” that the resolution was unanimously passed. “There are so many better ways for our police to use their time and resources than to target residents who serve no threat,” Ba- zaldua said. “I hope residents understand this resolution is meant to convey what we are committed to as a body: ensuring this city is inclusive, welcoming and embraces those of different backgrounds.” Prior to the committee’s vote, council member Paul Ridley said he supported the resolution and believes the law is “patently unconstitutional” but does not think Dallas taking a stand on the SB4 debate will influ- ence the Legislature. Council member Zarin Gracey said passing the resolution could be a necessary show of support for community members who feel threatened by SB4. “It just puts our place in history, on which side and where we stand,” Gracey said. The resolution will go before the full City Council on June 12, where Bazaldua said he “has faith” the stance against SB4’s “atro- cious actions” will be continued. Council member Paula Blackmon said she is “saving her questions” about the document for that full council conversation. In March, after two state courts released split decisions on the law’s legitimacy, Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia told the Observer that the department was “aware” of the bill’s passage. “We understand this law is a cause for concern for some in our community. The Dallas Police Department understands these concerns and will continue to enforce the existing state law that prohibits racial profil- ing,” Garcia wrote in an email. “The Depart- ment cannot prohibit or limit the enforcement of immigration laws; however, residents of Dallas, victims and witnesses should continue to feel confident in working with the Dallas Police Department.” ▼ COMMUNITY NO LIGHTS ON WHO SHOULD TAKE OVER WEST DALLAS’ BATAAN COMMUNITY CENTER? BY JACOB VAUGHN I n the heart of West Dallas, the Bataan Community Center has been known as a gathering place in the La Bajada commu- nity where residents could seek medical and dental services and hold community events. Lately, however, the place seems abandoned. No lights appeared to be on inside when we went by. The basketball court, soccer field and playground behind the center were all empty as kids played at Pueblo Park just down the road on a recent Tuesday. The center has been consumed by legal troubles in recent years. There have been lawsuits and complaints made to the attor- ney general’s office over alleged neglect and mismanagement. The place was initially run by West Dallas Community Centers, which later changed its name to the Lucious L. Williams Foundation. Now, some in West Dallas want the city to take it over. In 2016, the organization tried to evict one of its tenants, the nonprofit Beyond Baseball Youth Association Inc., over payments owed for rent and utilities. The baseball nonprofit is owned by a former professional baseball player in the New York Yankees minor league system named John Darjean, who played at Dallas Baptist University before being drafted by the Yankees in 1997. Darjean said at the time that the organi- zation, then called West Dallas Community Centers, simply refused to accept his pay- ments and wanted him out. “They are trying to get out of this 10-year lease because they are trying to sell the property,” Darjean’s at- torney Dana Hamilton told a judge at the time, according to The Dallas Morning News. Lucious Williams, longtime board mem- ber of WDCC, told the News in 2016 that there were no plans to sell the property. The judge ultimately ruled in Dar- jean’s favor after he showed copies of dated money orders that he said his landlord refused to take. But that legal battle didn’t wrap up until 2019, after WDCC changed its name to the Lucious L. Williams Foundation. That year, the foundation agreed to honor the rest of Beyond Baseball’s 10- year lease at the center. Earlier that year, the cen- ter was put up for sale for $10 million, according to the News. Around the same time, West Dallas resident Monica Lozada Garcia and the La Bajada Neighbor- hood Community Association filed a com- plaint against the Lucious L. Williams Foundation with the office of the Texas attor- ney general, claiming that the foundation should not be entrusted with the community center any longer, according to WFAA. In 2020, the attorney general’s office brought a case against Lucious L. Williams, WDCC and several of its board directors for breach of fiduciary duty in their handling of the Bataan Community Center. While the organization was going by a different name at the time, it was referred to as West Dallas Community Centers, Inc., in the attorney general’s court filing. The attorney general’s initial court filing explained that West Dal- las Community Centers, Inc., is a nonprofit organized under the IRS and incorporated in 1935, with the stated purpose to operate and conduct a charitable institution. Namely, it was supposed to operate a free medical and dental clinic, gather and dissem- inate information to the community, provide free classes in elementary subjects to adults, give aid and advice in public improvements and public health, and provide a public meet- ing center in the West Dallas area where none is provided by the city of Dallas. In 2011, the organization began to lose funding. “Consequently, [West Dallas Com- munity Centers]’s charitable services were reduced, and charitable assets were wasted as a result of mismanagement and negli- gence,” the attorney general said in court documents. The organization eventually had to sell off other properties to help con- tinue operations and pay property taxes at the Bataan Community Center. “From hosting community events and cultural celebrations to providing vital health services and resources, the Bataan Community Center has played a pivotal role in shaping the identity of our community,” Mestas said in his letter. “We recognize the challenges involve[d] in maintain[ing] his- torical structures, that is why we firmly be- lieve that the city of Dallas, District 6, is the most capable entity of ensuring that the Bataan Community Center remains in a per- petual state of continuity and stability.” The center was built in the 1930s and was a social space for the community | UNFAIR PARK | Sara Button A Dallas City Council committee approve a resolution condemning SB 4. >> p8 Jacob Vaughn The Bataan Community Center playground is quiet.
