Two-points residents, Dallas police walk the streets to send a message

by Mike Orren

WHITE ROCK HILLS — On Saturday, residents of my neighborhood gathered in the parking lot of our friendly neighborhood Bingo hall for the first in a series of walking tours the Northeast Division of the Dallas Police Department is putting on in an effort to strengthen community crime fighting efforts. The idea is that residents and cops walk the neighborhood to exchange information on trouble spots and to send a message to any crooks who may be milling about that there are people who actually give a damn.

There were more than fifty people in attendance for this walk, which initially thrilled me, as that was a bigger turnout than I expected on a chilly Saturday afternoon. That enthusiasm slightly dampened when I realized that a good fifth were running for office in May. Being busy with the non-journalistic parts of this gig and needing to extract the video from my camera slowed me down on posting this, and I don't remember all who were in attendance, but I do specifically remember seeing Ed Oakley, Carolyn Davis, Sheffie Kadane and a couple others who are slipping my mind. (Somebody who was there want to help out in the comments?)

Still, it was a nice turnout. You can get a flavor by watching the video. There was a little less info swap than I would have liked, and I would rather have walked Dilido -- but that's the next one on the agenda. However, various panhandlers and shady characters about were scared off by the large group. And one unfortunate old gent learned that you shouldn't let your frustration hold sway when a large group of marchers are blocking your egress from Payless Shoes -- A group that big is likely to be accompanied by cops who will take umbrance at a car charging the convoy.

But, in accordance with the upbeat mood, the man was only warned. Deputy Chief Jan Easterling closed the roughly hour-long event with a pep talk and a plug for the next outing.