DALLAS — Some residents in Dallas will once again get a chance to share their concerns about safety and community policing with Dallas Police Chief Renee Hall. The chief and members of her team are holding their latest listening session Tuesday in District 5, which covers parts of southeast Dallas and Pleasant Grove.
Members of Inspired Vision Church are among the neighbors planning to attend the listening session.
The church recently opened the Inspired Vision Compassion Center at 2019 N. Masters Drive. Families from across the city have been lining up at the center daily for free groceries and other items for their immediate needs.
“It’s a steady flow all day,” Inspired Vision CEO Teadran White said.
The church flipped an old bazaar into a large distribution center. The Compassion Center allows the church’s social service ministry to expand its operation to serve more people.
“We talked about, what would it look like if we could have a room that's just clothes? What would it look like if we had a room of free furniture? What would it look like if we could do classes?” White said.
Inside the Inspired Vision Compassion Center, volunteers are busy serving about 1,000 families a day. Outside, surveillance video shows there is a major problem.
"The cars that are racing come in this area, and they just start spinning," Pastor Karen Belknap said.
Belknap says street racers are invading the center’s parking lot every week, especially on Sunday nights.
"On Monday morning, we clean up big hunks of rubber,” Belknap said. “We clean up beer bottles. Vodka bottles. Empty shells from guns that they've shot up into the air."
Street racing, speeding and stunt shows are common complaints from neighbors across southeast Dallas.
Last week, a spectator in a large crowd outside Omar’s Tires and Wheels was hit and injured by a vehicle burning rubber and performing donuts at what city leaders described as an unauthorized burnout event.
Belknap said cleaning up and maintaining the parking lot from illegal street racing outside the Compassion Center is becoming very expensive.
“We're here to help people,” Belknap said. “And that's very dangerous.”
Illegal street racing and stunt shows are among the hot topics some neighbors and crime watch groups are planning to discuss at Dallas Police Department’s Listening Session, on Tuesday, January 28th, at Eastfield College’s Pleasant Grove campus.
Inspired Vision Church is among neighbors hoping police and city leaders can come up with a strategy to curb the nuisance.
"I'm going to ask them for more help," Belknap said. “We've got to get it stopped, for the safety of our community."
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