Unfair Park from p6 the issues they experience, 26-year-old Chris Tinnon said. Tinnon has been riding the DART buses R since he was a teenager. Before DART’s big bus route change this year, he said people would complain about missed rides or not being able to trust that they’ll get anywhere on time. It’s a problem that persists today with the new routes, but, Tinnon said, the increased fre- quency makes it easier to deal with. “I’ve got mixed feelings about it,” he said. “Having the buses come back to back like that, it’s much more convenient. But if you don’t know where you’re going or know what bus runs in that area, you get lost. So, you have more people complaining about the getting lost part than the convenience part.” He said it’s because the routes have changed so much. Tinnon gave an example. The 526 bus used to be able to take him to Empire Central, Tinnon said. Now, it’s bus 222 that takes him there. If people don’t know that, Tinnon said, “They’ll get mad and confused and be like, ‘This is fucked up because I don’t know where I’m going.’” Since DART rolled out the recent changes in June, Tinnon said, his buses have been more reliable. More adjustments could come. We asked DART how many changes can be implemented to the new system before it begins to look like the old one. DART offi- cials are asking themselves the same ques- tion, said Gordon Shattles, the agency’s spokesperson. Still, the recent changes don’t affect the overall intent or structure of the new system. They’re keeping a close eye to try to ensure DART doesn’t undo all the work of the new design. But this is apparently just the beginning of the changes. “The new bus network is the starting point for future anticipated changes in the system,” Shattles said. “DART and the Jarrett Walker team will soon start work to develop a plan for future service changes in the coming years.” The reliability issues they’ll face in the meantime, Shattles said, “are a direct conse- quence of labor shortages plaguing DART and other transit operators and companies around the country.” “DART has been hiring bus operators and is now aggressively ramping up hiring, but attrition rates are far beyond anticipated levels and have left us short of staffing re- quirements for bus service,” Shattles said “The temporary service adjustments imple- mented June 13 aim to reduce the number of missed trips while the more aggressive hir- ing efforts fill staffing gaps. Our goal is to re- sume normal service levels on the affected routes as soon as possible.” Rider Timothy Reddick isn’t waiting 88 around to see how it all goes. He’s working on getting his car so he can ditch Dallas’ public transit all together. “I’ve got to get a car now because I can’t find nobody some- times to take me to the grocery store and bring me back,” he said. “I used to do that, but I can’t do that any more. So, I’ve got to get me a car to get to work, to get to the gro- cery store and stuff like that.” Jacob Vaughn Maybe then, he’ll be a little freer. ▼ ABORTION LAST WEDNESDAY, HUNDREDS RALLIED IN DALLAS IN RESPONSE TO THE U.S. SUPREME COURT’S DECISION TO OVERTURN ROE V. WADE. BY KATE PEZZULLI ANGER AND CONFUSION H elicopters whirred overhead and the sun beat down on the pavement as hundreds of protesters rallied out- side City Hall last Wednesday to protest the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision denying women the constitutional right to have abortions. Some wore shorts and tank tops and many carried along coolers, kids and signs as a crowd gathered around speakers discuss- ing the court’s decision last month. They de- scribed the ruling as racist, sexist and egregious. “My body, my choice,” many chanted. Natalie Flores and Naomi Dawson came from Tyler to join the rally. The way Flores sees it, everyone deserves the right to choose how to use their own body, and many peo- ple, including some Republicans, agree. “It’s insane how we’re still having to deal with this,” Flores said. “We’ve definitely put our foot down and support what’s happen- ing here.” In the middle of the crowd, some im- promptu storytellers discussed their own experiences with having an abortion. For each speaker, the crowd let out roars, ap- plause and cheers. Ysabelle Enrriquez described the situa- tion as devastating but said restoring access to abortion will take a lot of work. “This is not politics; this is my body. This is my health,” Enrriquez said. On the other side of the plaza a group gathered around a small contingent of anti- abortion activists. Three men stood behind a police barricade, holding signs and chanting religious slogans. In response, reproductive rights demonstrators jeered and shouted. “Fuck the church, fuck the state,” the crowd shot back. “You can’t make us procreate.” The barricade encircled the three men almost all the way around, but not quite. The DART passenger Chris Tinnon appreciates the increase in frequency, but says other problems persist. crowd on the open side started to swell and encroach into the open space where they stood, guarded by police. “Fuck you, go home, three limp dicks and a microphone,” someone shouted. Abortions are still temporarily permitted in Texas, and an overwhelming majority of Texans oppose a complete ban on the proce- dure according to surveys. Reproductive rights groups and other advocates warn that outlawing abortion will traumatize people and put some at risk of serious injury or even death. The U.S. already has one of the highest rates of pregnancy-related deaths in the de- veloped world, and Black women are three times more likely to die of pregnancy compli- cations than their white counterparts. The American Psychological Association says those who want but are denied access to abortions experience more anxiety and stress, lower self-esteem and lower life satisfaction than people who are able to receive the proce- dure. Being denied access to an abortion can worsen economic hardship, leading to poorer credit scores, more bankruptcies and evictions and a greater chance of living in poverty. (Women are also more likely to stay in a rela- tionship with a violent partner.) District attorneys in several counties, Dal- las included, have vowed to not prosecute abortion-related offenses. But Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has claimed that pre-Roe laws are enforceable again, arguing that they were never officially repealed. “Some prosecutors may choose to imme- diately pursue criminal prosecutions based on violations of Texas abortion prohibitions predating Roe that were never repealed by the Texas Legislature,” said Paxton in an ad- visory earlier last week. “Although these statutes were unenforceable while Roe was on the books, they are still Texas law. Under these pre-Roe statutes, abortion providers could be criminally liable for providing abortions starting today.” State District Judge Christine Weems in Harris County disagreed and last week is- sued a temporary restraining order blocking enforcement of a pre-Roe law banning ban- iders on the ground feel the bus driver shortage, but the recent ad- justments have improved some of ning abortions in the state. Regardless, amid the post-Roe confusion, many clinics and re- productive rights groups have already shut- tered or paused their services, unsure of what’s legally permissible. Based in Austin, Jane’s Due Process is an abortion resource providing information to teens. On their website, they recently an- nounced they have paused all services and support related to abortion care “because of the uncertainty of the current state of the laws in Texas.” Texas Equal Access Fund, an organiza- tion primarily run by Black, indigenous and other people of color that focuses on repro- ductive access, paused their helpline and other services. “We don’t know what Roe being over- turned is going to do and what kind of legal risks it will put us in,” said TEA Fund Com- munications Manager Denise Rodriguez. “Now that Roe is overturned and Ken Pax- ton has given the green light for DAs to go ahead and start prosecuting people, even though the trigger ban itself isn’t going to be active for 30 days … [pre-Roe laws] could still put people at legal risk. “We’re frozen right now … [and] this is what they wanted. We don’t want to be put at risk for getting involved in our racist criminal justice system.” Meanwhile, Texas Republicans want stricter penalties for those who target anti- abortion organizations and religious institu- tions. Last month, U.S. Rep. Brian Babin, who represents Texas’ 36th Congressional district, introduced a bill urging federal authorities to “swiftly prosecute” what he described as “at- tacks by pro-abortion extremists.” In his press release, he described such incidents as “domestic terrorism,” claiming: “The Demo- crats are silent about this violence, and the DOJ is ignoring it. We must enforce our laws and protect the organizations being terror- ized by these anti-life extremists.” Although anti-abortion groups in Texas have celebrated the Supreme Court’s deci- sion, some say they’re only just getting started. “Today marks a monumental vic- tory,” Texas Right to Life said in a recent statement. “But our fight is not over. “...Pro-Lifers must remain active and bold in defending the most innocent and vulnerable members of our society. As Tex- ans, we must take unapologetic action to build not just an abortion-free state but a fully Pro-Life Texas.” As the Dallas rally continued, the crowd around the counter-protesters grew. The po- lice eventually started to escort the men out of the barricade and away from the crowd. But the crowd followed. Demonstrators walked behind the men, out of the plaza and up the street. “Abortion access is a human right,” they chanted as they followed. “My body, my choice.” Then, the rally turned into a march. Hun- dreds marched up Akard Street and weaved through downtown, shouting all the while and carrying placards. People watched from restaurants and balconies. Drivers honked their horns. “Fuck Greg Abbott,” the crowd roared again. Sydney Oxner, another demonstrator, spoke about why she showed up. “I don’t see MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2014 JULY 7–13, 2022 DALLAS OBSERVER DALLAS OBSERVER | CLASSIFIED | MUSIC | DISH | MOVIES | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | FEATURE | SCHUTZE | UNFAIR PARK | CONTENTS | CLASSIFIED | MUSIC | DISH | CULTURE | UNFAIR PARK | CONTENTS dallasobserver.com dallasobserver.com
