12 OctOber 17 - 23, 2024 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents the $25 mark, presumably to avoid the stu- dent feeling embarrassment or shame over the financial matter. But there is nothing discreet about hand- ing a student an alternative meal to the one their peers receive, says Bylander, who de- scribes the cafeteria as a place where stu- dents are “hyper aware” of their surroundings. She added that, according to the Food Research and Action Center’s find- ings, programs like alternative meals or la- beling a student as being in debt can lead to that student avoiding the lunch line during future meals. “Why would a child keep going through the line if they are being shamed at the end?” Bylander said. “We want [students] to have access to healthy, nutritious, ap- pealing food that is going to fuel their bod- ies and minds through the whole school day and support their learning. … [A lunch debt program that signals out individual students] is not a positive experience for the child. And that is something that can stick with them, not just for that lunch pe- riod, but can influence their entire school experience.” ▼ CANNABIS GOOD HEARTED MAN WILLIE NELSON WANTS WEED DECRIMINALIZED IN BIG D. BY KELLY DEARMORE B reaking news: Willie Nelson is in fa- vor of Dallas decriminalizing mari- juana. Election season has brought about its fair share of surprises thus far, but Willie Nelson isn’t here to surprise us. The 91-year-old country music icon is as reliable as his song catalog is illustrious. For those paying atten- tion, Willie will never surprise you when he speaks out about politics and social issues. Or marijuana. According to a Friday press release from cannabis advocacy group Ground Game Texas, the Red-Headed Stranger wants Dal- las voters to say yes to Proposition R, which would decriminalize misdemeanor mari- juana possession within the city of Dallas. “Marijuana is an herb and a flower, not a crime,” Nelson said in the press release. “Proposition R in Dallas is about fairness and freedom. It’s long past time to end the criminalization of weed in Texas, and I’m proud to support Ground Game Texas in their efforts. Vote for Prop R and let’s move forward together.” Ground Game Texas has been behind similar efforts to decriminalize marijuana in other Texas cities including Killeen, Austin and San Marcos. But things haven’t gone smoothly on that front even when the voters agree in some cities. Texas Attorney Gen. Ken Paxton has been vigilant in suing the cities to keep them from enacting the mea- sures, while in Denton, where residents overwhelmingly voted to decriminalize weed in 2022, there has been confusion and conflict over the prop’s enforceability. Outgoing Dallas police Chief Eddie Garcia has publicly stated he is against the prop, pri- marily due to it listing 4 ounces as the decrimi- nalized amount. That’s “113 dime bags” he told the City Council in August, according to Fox 4. Some Dallas council members have also been vocal opponents of Proposition R but, hey, could this none-too-shocking endorsement from arguably the nation’s top marijuana user and advocate change their minds? “We are honored to have Willie Nelson’s support for the Dallas Freedom Act,” Catina Voellinger, executive director of Ground Game Texas, stated in the press release. “Like far too many Texans, Willie knows firsthand how much a weed possession charge can disrupt a life. We’re grateful for his years of advocacy for common sense re- form and we look forward to continuing this work across Texas.” ▼ DART PROGRAM FOR TROUBLED DART RIDERS ENDS LAW ENFORCEMENT ADVOCATES POINT TO NON-POLICE TEAMS OF RESPONDERS AS THE BEST INDIVIDUALS TO HANDLE MENTAL HEALTH CALLS. BY EMMA RUBY L ast month, Dallas City Council mem- ber Jesse Moreno published a sober- ing call to action in The Dallas Morning News opinion section, the thesis of which was that the city’s approach to solv- ing homelessness isn’t working. City leaders need to find new avenues to reach one of Dallas’ most vulnerable populations, urged Moreno, who chairs the council’s housing and homeless solutions board. But it isn’t just the City Council that is struggling to determine how to best serve Dallas’ unhoused. According to a memo filed last week by Dallas Fire Chief Dominique Artis, the Dallas Area Rapid Transit’s pilot community-response program — which de- ployed teams of DART police officers, Park- land behavioral health clinicians and Dallas Fire Rescue paramedics along the DART system to aid individuals experiencing homelessness or mental health conditions — ended on Sept. 27. Artis’ memo states that the program “did not achieve the anticipated level of success that would justify its financial impact.” A spokesperson for DART disputed Artis’ ac- count of the program, stating that, as a pilot program, the Public Transit Multi-Disci- plinary Response Team was planned to be disbanded at the end of the last fiscal year and the program’s success has not yet been evaluated. DART officials are “working to find an alternative” program, the spokesper- son added, which they hope to have in place within the next month. Details of such a program are unclear, but what is certain is that funding could play a factor in who responds to DART riders ex- periencing homelessness or mental health conditions. “Any program like this is an investment, and so we have to be very careful about thinking through what is the biggest return on investment as far as a program, and how do we plan for something that can be put in place to move forward,” the DART spokes- person told the Observer. “It’s difficult to not have that answer of what that looks like, es- pecially given the current financial situation across the board.” Unfair Park from p8 >> p14
