Protest News

Dallas Police Department takes steps to quell racism and unrest

There'll be a rally at DPD HQ today.

Courtesy photo

There'll be another rally in Dallas but this one is at Dallas Police Headquarters. Called "Blue for Black Lives Matter," it's a march for solidarity hosted by the Dallas Police Department's Latino Law Enforcement Association and Black Police Association.

The march, which takes place June 5, from 11 am-12:30 pm, has the support of department leadership and will take place outside DPD headquarters. Around 100 officers are expected to take part. The community is welcomed to join.

Det. Arturo Martinez tells NBC that he hopes it's "the beginning of a new conversation," and a step towards change.

Other changes in the DPD include a new general order from Dallas Police Chief Reneé Hall on new ways to respond to situations where force is involved.

The new general order states that members of the police department must intervene when they see a fellow officer applying force inappropriately or for too long.

The new policy is driven by the action of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who kept his knee on George Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes and ended up suffocating him to death. "His fellow co-workers either assisted or stood by and watched Mr. Floyd take his last breath," says a DPD release. "Had the officer’s partners intervened, the outcome might have been different. The revision was developed to create a culture where what happened to Floyd does not happen again."

The new General Order 901.00 – Response Continuum states: "Members of the Dallas Police Department (both sworn and non-sworn) have an obligation to protect the public and other employees. It shall be the duty of every employee present at any scene where physical force is being applied to either stop, or attempt to stop, another employee when force is being inappropriately applied or is no longer required."

It's part of a new program by the city of Dallas called "R.E.A.L. Change," designed to restore trust and build relationships with the Dallas Police Department; R.E.A.L. stands for "responsible, equitable, accountable, and legitimate."

Other steps include an official ban on chokeholds and a new "Warning Before Shooting" policy to be instituted on June 12.

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Turkey Day news

Dallas eats up top-5 rank on list of best cities for Thanksgiving

Photo courtesy of Razzoo's

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Dallas is sitting at the head of the table as one of the best places in the country to celebrate Thanksgiving this year, a new study has revealed.

Dallas ranked No. 5 out of 100 of the largest U.S. cities in WalletHub's annual "Best Places to Go for Thanksgiving" report, published November 12. The city made a huge leap over its 2023 ranking as No. 17, and remains the highest-ranking Texas city.

The study analyzed each city based on 18 metrics to determine the best places for Thanksgiving, such as the number of pumpkin patches per capita, the average cost of a Thanksgiving dinner, the number of volunteer opportunities, the average weather forecast, and more. The metrics were then organized into five overall categories to determine the rankings.

The category that Dallas ranked the highest in was the number of celebrations and traditions (No. 2), and the average weather forecast during the holiday period (No. 9), while the lowest-ranked category was for safety and accessibility (No. 82). Other categories that determined Dallas' overall ranking were affordability (No. 60), and a "giving thanks" rank (No. 26).

Dallas restaurants are getting prepared for their big Turkey Day feasts, and CultureMap has rounded up a thorough list of all of the local restaurants hosting holiday feasts, from brunch to dinner.

"The best cities for celebrating Thanksgiving all have an abundance of high-quality restaurants and places to buy festive decorations, and their residents get very excited for the holiday based on their Google search history," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo.

By Thanksgiving on November 28, Dallas will be fully decked for the December holidays. Dallasites who will have extended family in town during Thanksgiving weekend can take in of all the marvelous Christmas lights brightening the city. Dallas-Fort Worth goes all out for the most wonderful time of year.

Across North Texas, three Dallas-area cities also made big improvements from their 2023 rankings. Irving moved up 10 spots to claim No. 19 this year, and Garland jumped up 21 spots on the list as No. 34. Arlington made the biggest improvement in the region, moving from No. 78 last year to No. 55 this year.

Meanwhile, Plano and Fort Worth slipped in the rankings, falling into No. 44 and No. 45 in 2024, respectively. Plano previously ranked No. 38 in 2023, and Fort Worth was No. 36.

San Diego, California (No. 1) topped the overall list of best places to go for Thanksgiving this year, followed by its Golden State neighbors San Francisco (No. 3) and San Jose (No. 4). Atlanta, Georgia (No. 2) rounds out the top five.

dallas fort worth thanksgiving wallethub rankings