Unfair Park from p3 Some of the outdated laws, she said, have been on the books for decades and might no longer be applicable, if not harmful, to hous- ing options in Texas. “Dallas and Austin look vastly different than they did in the 1980s, and we’re still us- ing those same laws,” Nosek explained, add- ing that those cities need to “revisit” outdated laws “within a reasonable timeframe.” The way Nosek sees it, incentives are key to ensuring that housing permits stay ahead of potential population growth in the future. As an example, she points to Utah, where the state estimates “how many people are going to come in the coming years, and then they make sure that housing production is being approved on par with growth.” Still, Nosek said, one of the main barriers to having enough housing is time delays, such as waiting months for inspectors or permits, which can add 4–5% to the final costs of rent or housing. According to her estimates, a two-month time reduction can mean a savings of $4,000 per unit for a 135-unit apartment complex. As complex as the housing crisis in Texas is, Nosek believes focusing on the kind of so- lutions her group proposes will help ease the burden on renters and potential buyers. Increasing the housing stock, she said, will also help bring down prices. “The choice is simple,” said Nosek. “If legislators are pro-Texas miracle, pro-Texas worker and pro-Texas middle class, they will prioritize building more homes to cater to our state’s economic growth during the legislative session.” ▼ SPORTS WORLD CHAMP T TEXAN TAMYRA MENSAH-STOCK WON A GOLD MEDAL AT THE WRESTLING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS LAST WEEK. BY PATRICK STRICKLAND exan Tamyra Mensah-Stock won a gold medal at the World Wrestling Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, last Thursday. In the finals match, Mensah-Stock de- feated Japan’s Ami Ishii, winning by pin fall in the first period and becoming a two-time world champion. Last year, Mensah-Stock, who wrestles in the 68 kg weight division (around 149.9 lbs), became the first African American woman to win a gold medal in wrestling at the Olympics. Not long after the Tokyo Olym- pics, she took bronze at the 2021 World Wrestling Championships in Oslo. While still in school, Mensah-Stock won two state championships for Morton Ranch High School in Katy, not far from Houston. She went on to attend Wayland Baptist Uni- versity in Plainview, where she won the Women’s Collegiate Wrestling Association championship tournament in 2014 and 2017. Last Wednesday, the 29-year-old clinched her trip to the gold medal match with a 10-0 semifinal victory over Moldova’s Irina Ringaci, the 2021 world champion at 65 kg (143.3 lbs). In 2019, Mensah-Stock won a gold medal 4 2 in the World Wrestling Championships in Nur Sultan, Kazakhstan. She also placed Wikimedia Commons third in the 2018 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. In an interview with the Austin-based FloWrestling sports outlet after her semifi- nal victory, Mensah-Stock said she was “feeling confident” about her finals match. In the team race, Japan took home first place, while the U.S. came in second. Also last Thursday, three-time world champion and 2016 Olympic gold medalist Helen Maroulis fell in her finals match, tak- ing home a silver medal. Amit Elor, an 18-year-old at her first world tournament, won gold. Last Wednesday, U.S. wrestler Dom Par- rish won a gold medal in Belgrade. Sarah Hildebrandt and Mallory Velte won bronze medals in their weight classes. Earlier in the week, Kayla Miracle won a silver medal. ▼ JUSTICE JAIL’S FUTURE UNCERTAIN with millions of dollars spent keeping the jail up to code over the years, members of the Dallas County Commissioners Court are wondering if it’s time for a new facility. Over the last couple of years, inspections A have found incorrect documentation of sui- cidal inmates, dozens of inoperable doors and inmates smoking synthetic weed called “K2” at the county jail, also known as the Lew Sterrett Justice Center. Inmates and staffers have also complained about the con- ditions inside the jail. Since 2020, inmates and staff have filed lawsuits against the jail over these conditions and over lax measures for preventing the spread of COVID-19. The Dallas County Sheriff’s Office, which oper- ates the jail, did not respond to request for comment. Carvell Bowens, an organizer with Texas Organizing Project, said the topic has come up in the group’s recent discussions Tamyra Mensah-Stock, second from right, became the first African American woman to win an Olympic gold medal last year. about providing polling stations for jail in- mates. “We feel like jail is a last measure in any sort of way, and it’s really something that’s not working in our nation period. With that, we’ve addressed things like jail conditions,” Bowens said. “Within trying to change the system we have now, we want to make sure people who are entering the system, their rights are not being infringed upon. … A lot of our membership has concerns about Lew Sterrett not passing the jail conditions.” Next month, the Dallas County Commis- sioners Court will name members of a com- mittee that will look into whether a new jail should be built. Once that committee is formed, it could take another year before it hands commissioners a recommendation. The current jail has about 7,200 beds for THE LEW STERRETT JUSTICE CENTER’S TIME IN DALLAS MAY BE UP. BY JACOB VAUGHN fter failing two years in a row, the Dallas County Jail passed an unan- nounced inspection in June. But inmates. According to The Dallas Morning News, the jail is nearing capacity, with 88% of its beds in use as of mid-August. If the population ever reached capacity, the county may have to pay to house additional inmates elsewhere. The new jail, if approved, would be smaller. To make that work, county commis- sioners say the new jail would be used only for violent offenders, instead of those with addiction and mental health issues. Dallas County Commissioner Elba Garcia is chair of the facilities committee, which is respon- sible for helping maintain the county’s facili- ties. Garcia said the county jail is about to be 50 years old. Altogether, the jail’s age, the lawsuits and the two failed inspections got Garcia and the rest of the members of the fa- cilities committee talking. “What has changed?” Garcia said the committee asked itself about the jail. The answer is a lot. The intake process has changed, there are more people in the jail suffering from mental health issues and it’s harder to retain staff, Garcia said. “The cur- rent site is becoming obsolete,” she said. If a new, smaller jail were created solely for violent offenders in place of Lew Ster- rett, there’s still the question of where the rest would go. The commissioners don’t have all the answers yet, but Garcia said some of the other inmates shouldn’t be in a county jail anyway. “How do we change the system so minor offenders are rehabilitated or helped not in a county jail?” Garcia asked. “The county jail is not the place for them to be, not only because it’s not the humane thing, but also because we all know it costs you more to have someone in jail – around $80 a day – versus giving them the services, the treatment and the medications that they need to be part of society and reintegrate the ones that can be reintegrated into society.” The process is still in the early stages, and Garcia hasn’t chosen her appointee yet for the committee that will probe the proposal. Still, she said, “For me, I want to look at how we can change the way it operates, be ahead of the ball, be ahead of jail standards, change the process as it is.” ▼ COURTS T ON OCT. 3, 2020, THEN POLICE OFFICER SHAUN LUCAS SHOT AND KILLED JONATHAN PRICE IN WOLFE CITY. BY PATRICK STRICKLAND COP ON TRIAL he trial of former Wolfe City police officer Shaun Lucas, who fatally shot Jonathan Price nearly two years ago, has gotten underway, according to Hunt County court records. The trial, with Judge Keli Aiken presid- ing in the 354th District Court, began last week. The former policeman, now 24, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Price, a Black man who was 31 years old at the time of the fatal shooting on Oct. 3, 2020, in Wolfe City, around 70 miles northeast of Dallas. Contacted by phone, the Hunt County District Clerk’s office was unable to provide any additional comment on the trial. Lucas is charged with murder, a first-de- gree felony charge that carries a sentence of between five and 99 years in prison and a potential fine of up to $10,000. Toby Shook, one of Lucas’ attorneys, was unavailable for comment. Calls to other at- torneys listed for Lucas went unreturned. According to witnesses, Lucas shot Price after an altercation at a store. Price, who was unarmed, had reportedly broken up the al- tercation, but Lucas thought he was intoxi- cated and tried to arrest him. Then, the officer shot Price four times in his torso. Just days later, the Wolfe City Po- lice Department fired Lucas, saying in a press release that the officer “was termi- nated for his egregious violation of the City’s and police department’s policies.” Investigating the incident, the Texas Rangers have described Lucas’ actions as “not objectivly reasonable.” Speaking to the Observer last year, Price’s family said they hope Lucas is convicted and receives a life sentence. “If Jonathan had to lose his future, his dreams, I feel Mr. Lucas should also suffer that,” his sister Sabrina said at the time. Price’s killing came on the heels of nation- wide protests against police shootings and brutality. After a Minneapolis police officer killed George Floyd in May 2020, rallies and marches erupted in cities across the country and took place throughout the summer. >> p6 MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2014 SEPTEMBER 22–28, 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
