Damir Spanic, Creative Commons (Unsplash) Unfair Park from p8 1,400 people in federal prisons, state prisons and in the free world. Although the bulk of the gang is in Texas, its reach stretches into other states. In Octo- ber 2020, federal authorities announced the prosecution of 24 people, including several Aryan Circle members, on charges related to racketeering conspiracy, violent crimes in aid of racketeering, drug conspiracy and firearms trafficking in Texas and beyond. Although much of the gang’s violence is linked to arms and drugs dealing, the ADL notes that Aryan Circle members have com- mitted a wide range of hate crimes against people of color and members of the LGBTQ community, among others. “Though their main motivations are those of an organized crime group, they live up to the hatred implicit in their white supremacist beliefs as well,” an ADL report explains. ▼ EDUCATION COLLEGIATE CONTROVERSY G Saturday, November 13th • Energy Square Plaza FIESTA WITH YOUR FRIENDS 4 PACK SAVE $40 ON 4 TICKETS! 10 TACOLANDIADALLAS.COM/TICKETS GA TICKETS ONLY • WHILE SUPPLIES LAST 10 Aryan Circle has spent decades growing into one of Texas’ most feared prison gangs. Menchaca has a passion for teaching and has worked at the college’s El Centro cam- pus for 55 years. But after the COVID-19 pandemic hit North Texas, he started notic- ing some serious issues. Some have accused May of using the pan- demic to build a corporate-style governance structure. Many outstanding professors are losing their jobs in the name of consolida- tion, Menchaca said, adding that he’s never met his coordinator and doesn’t know where his dean is housed. May is also accused of creating a fear- based work environment for employees. “It’s a corporate image that he’s creating where the right hand doesn’t know what the left hand’s doing; the head doesn’t know where the body’s going,” Menchaca said. “People can be terminated. If they don’t like you, they can terminate you.” Dallas College leadership’s “malicious” SOME DALLAS COLLEGE FACULTY MEMBERS PASSED A RESOLUTION DECLARING “NO CONFIDENCE” IN THE SCHOOL’S CHANCELLOR. BY SIMONE CARTER rowing up in a violent San Antonio neighborhood, Richard Menchaca, a professor of integrated reading and writing at Dallas College, says he witnessed at least 20 murders. These days, the 81-year-old’s own fight- ing spirit is coming in handy. “I come from the west side of San Anto- nio,” Menchaca said. “If you want to fight, my first reaction would be, ‘Bring it on.’ Whatever it is.” On Oct. 1, led by Menchaca, 31.33% of full-time faculty cast votes for or against a “resolution of no confidence” in Dr. Joe May, chancellor of Dallas College. More than 71% of those voting favored the resolution. Dallas College was once a district com- posed of seven independently accredited colleges. But in 2020, those schools united under one name to provide students “a more streamlined, more convenient experience,” according to Dallas College’s website. attempt to clean house to make room for their “own people” reminds Menchaca of another North Texas institution: Collin Col- lege. There, some faculty say they were fired in violation of their constitutional rights. At both schools, employees have accused leadership of attempting to run education like a private business. In February, Jacobin reported that Collin College’s district Presi- dent Neil Matkin likes using the term “Ama- zonification.” “He’s really proud about the ‘Amazonifi- cation’ of the college, and he wants to streamline treating students as customers,” said professor Audra Heaslip, one of that school’s terminated faculty members. “We’re there to provide services.” On top of not having job security, Menchaca said some have complained that Dallas College’s administration is becoming too top-heavy. His own department is sup- posedly doomed to be “completely wiped out,” he said. Still, Menchaca insists he isn’t merely an “old man that’s disgruntled.” “I have nothing to be disgruntled about,” he said. “What precipitated my actions were the fact and the knowledge that we’re eliminating a lot of jobs that do not need elimination.” >> p12 OCTOBER 14–20, 2021 DALLAS OBSERVER CLASSIFIED | MUSIC | DISH | CULTURE | UNFAIR PARK | CONTENTS dallasobserver.com MONTHXX–MONTHXX, 2014 DALLAS OBSERVER | CLASSIFIED | MUSIC | DISH | MOVIES | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | FEATURE | SCHUTZE | UNFAIR PARK | CONTENTS | dallasobserver.com
