DEEP ELLUM, Texas – After recent violent crimes in the Deep Ellum district of Dallas, business owners in the area are weighing in about what needs to be done to protect the historic spot.
Deep Ellum preservation
The business owner FOX 4 spoke to Saturday said there’s been some confusion about the new safety measures in Deep Ellum.
Allen Falkner’s dance club, The Nines, opened in 2014. He joins other Deep Ellum business owners in their frustration about the recent violence.
There is not a curfew for the Entertainment District and there are new street closures that start at 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, meaning no vehicles can get through but people can still walk there.
This is the latest effort to curb the recent violence in the area.
What they’re saying:
“Over the last 10, 11 years, I’ve seen it fluctuate for sure. Right now, it’s probably worse than I’ve seen,” said Falkner.
“Unfortunately, we have this bad reputation that is not really well earned and that is that most of the people that come down here to cause violence, they’re just down here to cause violence.”
Some of that violence is shown in videos making the rounds on social media.
In response, Dallas police will enforce new street closures that will start at 10 p.m.
Street closures are already in place for Main Street and Elm Street, but those began at midnight.
Falkner says the closures will now extend to Indiana Street.
There will also be increased police patrolling the area.
“I think that is going to be the biggest change, that once people realize that they can’t get with what they used to,” Falkner said.
The executive director for the Deep Ellum foundation sent FOX 4 a statement saying they are working on a Deep Ellum community safety plan 2.0. It says in part:
“We are working with stakeholders across our community and partnering with the city to address recent challenges and adjust our plan to meet today’s and tomorrow’s biggest needs.”
One need Falkner sees near his business on Main Street is loitering.
“I grew up here. It hurts my heart to be the fun police and say we shouldn’t let people hang out in the streets, but when I was a kid, the worst problems that we had was a fist fight. Now we have much bigger problems,” Falkner said.
And to tackle those problems, Falkner wants to see more collaboration from the city, landlords, and operators.
“They also need to shut down problematic businesses. The landlords need to deal with problematic businesses; they need to diversify who leases down here. The operators down here need to hire better security, they need to update their security protocols,” Falkner said.
But he hasn’t lost hope that Deep Ellum can change.
“We have to fight for Deep Ellum. We want Deep Ellum to survive, and the people that down here are extremely passionate about Deep Ellum, so through thick and thin we’re going to stick around and make Deep Ellum work,” said Falkner.
What’s next:
The executive director of the Deep Ellum foundation says they are encouraging people to take a community safety plan survey.
Her statement says this will help get the community’s input to figure out the next steps in Deep Ellum.
The Source: FOX 4 spoke with Allen Falkner, a business owner in Deep Ellum.