11 OctOber 12 - 18, 2023 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents Lisa Sievers, a board member for the DS- TRA and a resident who owns a pair of STRs in Dallas, touched on another primary point her group has repeatedly raised. “By the city’s own statistics, and we’ve done three separate studies, all of them have said the same thing,” Sievers said. “That 80% of short-term rentals have zero 311 or 911 calls. There’s problems with a few, and what really needs to happen is we need to have good code enforcement, not a ban.” The lawsuit means the DSTRA is relying on a judge being more receptive to its argu- ment than the City Council was over the course of more than three years and multi- ple committees, briefings and masterplans. The city and city attorney declined to com- ment, citing the pending litigation. Group such as the Dallas Neighborhood Coalition successfully got across the notion that if a homeowner is paying hotel occu- pancy tax, then it is a hotel and not a home, nor is it simply a business one is running out of their house. But the code enforcement is- sue Sievers mentioned is one that people on her side of the argument and the other side can agree on. The party houses and most of the properties that have caused disturbances typically do so on nights and weekends when the city’s code enforcement employees are not on duty. Dallas police consider calls for loud and overcrowded house parties a low-priority call, which often results in long delays. An unruly party that spilled out onto an otherwise quiet residential street in North Dallas just before the pivotal council vote is an instance that’s too common, STR critics say. On June 5, gunshots hit nearby homes while families were inside. Video from the scene shows the sort of chaos that few, if any, homeowners would tolerate in their neighborhood. Sievers understands that, but does not see eye-to-eye with how the city has re- sponded to the problems of party houses. “The reason we’re at a lawsuit right now is because this has been so unfair,” Sievers said. “We don’t want party houses either. I don’t want to live next to one, you don’t want to live next to one, nobody does. But the problem is there is a small, vocal contingent of people who get very angry and upset, and they’re an- swer is to get rid of all of them [STRs].” ▼ LGBTQ+ ‘IDEOLOGICAL STUNTS’ STATE REP ASKS DALLAS CITY COUNCIL TO INVESTIGATE PRIDE EVENT. BY JACOB VAUGHN T exas Latinx Pride Fest, an annual all- ages pride event in Dallas hosted drag performances last month at Reverchon Park. Now, Texas Rep. Matt Sha- heen, a Plano Republican, is asking the Dal- las City Council to investigate the event, claiming obscene material was on display in front of children. “I believe children were harmed at this event in violation of the Texas Penal Code,” Shaheen wrote in a letter to City Council. As first reported in the Dallas Voice, Shaheen also included Dallas Police Chief Eddie Gar- cia and Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot in the letter. He said children were present at the event and witnessed “disgusting, obscene content.” The all-ages event, put on by a group called Texas Latino Pride, presented drag performers, and that’s what got Shaheen riled up. The Plano representative does not say how he became familiar with the the events. Shaheen pointed out that under the pe- nal code it is a state jail felony if a person “knowing its content and character, whole- sale promotes or possesses with intent to wholesale promote any obscene material.” He said it’s also a Class A misdemeanor for a person to promote obscene material or pro- duce, present or direct obscene perfor- mances. “In this case, it is clear that the event or- ganizers knew exactly what children would see and that they meant to promote it to children fulfilling both elements of the crime,” Shaheen wrote. Harmful material is defined in the statute as “material whose dominant theme taken as a whole (1) appeals to the prurient interest of a minor in sex … (2) is patently offensive to prevailing standards in the adult community and (3) is utterly without redeeming social value for minors.” “In this case, all three ele- ments have been met,” Shaheen wrote. “Sim- ply glancing at one of the many images of the event shows that the event appealed to the sexual, prurient interest of a minor.” Images of the event simply seem to show performers dressed in drag. “Lastly, there is zero social value that mi- nors can possibly receive watching grown men parade around in BDSM underwear,” he said. Shaheen also accused the group that hosted the event of grooming children. We reached out to Shaheen for comment but he did not respond before publication. Shaheen noted that if any laws were bro- ken, the people who coordinate these events “that specifically target children” should be criminally prosecuted. Chad West, an LGBTQ member of the Dallas City Council, told the Observer he wouldn’t entertain Shaheen’s demands for an investigation. He said as a father of two, he knows there are real dangers out there that keep parents like him awake at night. “An arts and culture event in a city park by LGBT performers is not one of them,” he said. “Dallas Police resources should not be wasted on ideological stunts aimed at ha- rassing people because of their skin color and who they love.” “As a gay man, I would like the LGBT people, especially Latino LGBT folks, of Plano, Frisco, McKinney, Prosper, and Ce- lina to know you will always be welcome and loved in the city of Dallas,” West said. “Your talents and full, authentic selves are welcome here anytime.” The Texas Latinx Pride Festival is an an- nual event in Dallas. In an emailed state- ment, the group behind the event told the Observer that the festival is an all-ages event for LGBTQ people, families and al- lies. “Together, our community celebrated queer joy and united for the safety and freedom of LGBTQ Texans and our allies,” the group said. “Pride is something to be celebrated by every Texan. LGBTQ people are also parents and parents of LGBTQ youth. We are proud of the annual festival and look forward to contributing to the community in the future.” West Village 214-750-5667 • www.avalon-salon.com BEST SPA DALLAS OBSERVER BEST IN THE USA HARPER’S BAZAAR BEST EXPERIENCE D MAGAZINE BEST COLOR SALON ALLURE MAGAZINE BEST HAIR SALON DALLAS OBSERVER 19-TIME WINNER Thank you for voTing us Best of Dallas 19 times We bring sophistication with a twist to the metaphysical and holistic markets with products, classes and services. 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