4 June 19 - 25, 2025 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents ‘We Were Set Up’ Immigration off the table as new DPD chief meets police oversight board. BY EMMA RUBY T he Dallas Community Police Over- sight Board was left flummoxed and frustrated on June 10 as their first meeting with Dallas’ new police Chief, Dan- iel Comeaux, ended with the chief saying very little. The meeting was the first opportunity the board has had to meet face-to-face with the new chief, and in advance of the meet- ing, board members said they sent six pages of questions to Comeaux’s office outlining topics they planned to discuss. Those topics included clarification on the chief’s stance on immigration enforcement, the board’s ability to access policing data for reviews, public safety response times and the voter- approved Dallas HERO hiring mandate. But as board member Brandon Friedman started to ask a question about the Dallas Po- lice Department’s role in immigration en- forcement, a Dallas city attorney interrupted him. “Mr. Friedman, if I may. This was noticed as an introduction for the chief,” the attor- ney stated. “Getting into specific policies, federal, state or local, is beyond the scope of what was noticed on the agenda.” The agenda listed “Chief Daniel D. Co- meaux Introduction to CPOB” as the first item. The attorney went on to say that if board members planned to ask policy-related ques- tions of the police chief, those topics needed to be given public notice on the agenda. “I’m sorry, this is part of an introduc- tion. This is information we need to find out as part of an introduction,” Friedman pushed back. “I would like to continue by addressing the chief, to maybe generally ask him if he could respond to the letter that we sent him.” That wasn’t listed on the agenda either, the attorney warned. Comeaux sat silently across from the horseshoe during this ex- change. “Can you tell us what topics he can talk about tonight specifically?’ Friedman asked. “You can talk about introductory, broad umbrella [topics],” the city attorney re- sponded. “You know, general stuff that you would do in an introduction, such as how long have you been a cop?” As Friedman would point out, Comeaux’s biographical information has already been well distributed across Dallas. What has been harder to learn is the chief’s stance on policy issues, a trend dating back to his first day in office. On April 23, Dallas offered the media five-minute increments for interviews with the chief on his first day on the job. Repeat- edly, city communications officials blocked the chief from answering questions related to immigration and Dallas HERO. Since then, there has been confusion on the immigration front, specifically. Comeaux faced pushback two weeks ago after appearing on Fox News, when he seemed to say, “Pick another city. Don’t come to Dallas, you are not welcome,” when discussing migrants. The chief then back- tracked and claimed that the comment was taken out of context and was a response to a question about violent felons. Still, early in his tenure, Comeaux told the Dallas Morning News his officers would assist federal immigration officials if asked. His predecessor, interim Chief Michael Igo, had previously expressed that Dallas police officials would not aid federal departments in immigration-related issues. It is perhaps worth mentioning that the city attorney did allow Comeaux to discuss his pride regarding the department’s han- dling of the recent anti-ICE protest at the Margaret Hunt Hill bridge, despite the topic not being listed on the agenda. Attorneys also allowed Comeaux’s introduction to be moved to the top of the meeting despite public comment being listed first on the agenda. Comeaux did not stay to hear public comments, and several individuals ex- pressed having come to the meeting to speak to the chief. Dallas resident Scott McWil- liams made a point to say he “received no- tice” that immigration topics would be on the table at the meeting and had hoped to urge the chief not to allow DPD officers to be deployed on immigration raids. “Our immigrant community, regardless of where they are in their journey to citizen- ship, is invaluable in our city, in my opinion,” McWilliams told the board. “But they’re frightened because this isn’t business as usual. … Remember, the getaway driver is just as responsible as the person robbing the bank, and the DPD, I believe, will be held just as responsible in our community for the actions of ICE.” The oversight board became increasingly frustrated after Comeaux left the chamber, with several stating they felt they had been “set up to fail” by city attorneys who knew the board planned to ask tough questions during the meeting and did not advise them to update the agenda to reflect that planned questioning. Other board members brought up the idea that an oversight board being le- gally advised by city attorneys could be a conflict of interest, and outside counsel may be appropriate moving forward. The oversight board is not slated to meet again until August, although several board members discussed the possibility of calling an emergency meeting to get answers from Comeaux. “He might as well have not even shown up,” said board member Jonathan Maples. “We may not even see him for the rest of 2025. This is very, very disappointing, and to be honest with you, I’m pissed off to no means.” ▼ PROTESTS NOT LIKE 2020 ONE ARREST OUT OF THOUSANDS PROTESTING ICE IN DALLAS. BY EMMA RUBY T he scene was eerily similar to one Dallas has seen unfold before. Around 9:30 p.m. on June 9, hun- dreds of protesters marched towards the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, which connects West Dallas to downtown. Police wearing masks and holding shields and batons blocked their way. Red and blue sirens glowed behind the line of officers, and the lights of downtown’s skyline slowly faded be- tween green and purple behind the bridge. Five years ago, protests that followed the killing of George Floyd culminated with the Dallas Police detaining more than 600 dem- onstrators on that same bridge, in front of that same backdrop. Police corralled the protesters onto the bridge, a technique known as kettling, before shooting rubber bullets, tear gas and smoke. Hundreds were handcuffed and loaded onto buses, where they were taken to the Frank Crowley Courthouse and told to go home. The department received dozens of use- of-force complaints following the protest. Dallas Police Chief U. Renee Hall resigned amid the fallout from that night, but not be- fore releasing an after-action report detail- ing communication failures and an unclear chain of command. In response, the depart- ment pledged to train officers in protest re- sponse better and tighten up protocols for who in the department can approve the use of less-than-lethal force. The handling of that protest has been a stain for Dallas for five years, and is un- doubtedly what was running through the heads of officers as they blocked the bridge from protesters last night. Five hundred protesters began gathering at the park next to the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge on June 9 for a rally to denounce the Trump administration and federal immigra- tion enforcement, and to show solidarity for protesters in Los Angeles. President Donald Trump has deployed the National Guard and Marines to LA to handle the unrest. The Dallas gathering was peaceful and relaxed, with fewer than a dozen police officers standing around the park’s outskirts to mon- itor. One woman, Michelle J., stood alongside Singleton Boulevard in the red cape and white bonnet made famous by The Hand- maid’s Tale, waving a rainbow flag that read “equality.” She asked that her last name be omitted from this report because of law en- forcement surveillance of demonstrators. “[The escalation of the Los Angeles pro- tests] actually motivated me to come out more. I told my family that I will try not to get arrested today—no promises,” another protestor, Michelle W., a Mesquite resident, told the Observer. “I’m kind of a loner, and so being around this many people really kicks up the anxiety. It’s not my comfort zone, but I feel like I have a responsibility to be here.” As the sun began to set, the protesters moved onto Singleton Boulevard despite po- lice warning them to stay off the street. That was the first moment it felt like tensions flared, as the meager police force held up their shields to block off the road and were largely overpowered and ignored. At least one protester was arrested during this skir- mish, with several others reporting being pepper-sprayed. The Observer did not wit- ness the events leading up to the arrest. Video shared with the Observer by pro- tester Victor Macias shows eight officers at- tempting to detain a man and hold the protesters at bay while doing so. At least one individual can be seen aggressively shoving officers in an attempt to free the detainee, and chants of “Let him go,” and “Do not en- gage” can be heard. When reached for comment regarding the arrest, a DPD spokesperson provided the following statement. “One arrest was made during the demon- stration. 27-year-old Gerardo Velasquez was arrested and charged with Assault on a Public Servant – Bodily Injury and [Taking] a Weapon from a Peace Officer. He was | UNFAIR PARK | Adobe Some members of Dallas’ police oversight board want it to have outside counsel, frustrated that city attorneys did not advise the committee to adjust its agenda to fit the board’s needs. >> p6
