Trump in Town
Donald Trump finally finds a location for Dallas rally
Presidential candidate Donald Trump has finally found a port in the storm in Dallas. Trump's campaign announced it will hold a campaign rally on June 16, at Gilley’s South Side Ballroom in downtown Dallas.
Trump, who's touring Texas with three stops in Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio, had struggled to find a location. He was turned down both by the city of Irving and Grand Prairie.
The rally was originally planned for the Verizon Theatre in Grand Prairie, but the city turned it down because of traffic concerns, stating that there are other events nearby.
As for Irving, according to a statement from a city spokesperson, the police department claimed that it didn't have enough notice to prepare for the event.
The Trump campaign inquired about Gexa Pavilion but then decided against it based on cost. Trump is no stranger to North Texas: He held a rally in Fort Worth in February 2016, and one in Dallas in September 2015, at the American Airlines Center. Gilley's has a capacity of 3,800, which is considerably smaller than Gexa, AAC, or Verizon. The rally will be at 7 pm.
Protests are already being organized, including one at Highland Park Village, owned by Ray Washburne, who is vice-chairman of Trump's "victory committee." Organizer Domingo Garcia said that the protestors will march from the shopping center to Washburne's home.
According to WFAA, Dallas police are calling in "hundreds of extra officers," including officers with riot gear, and they will be using narcotics and gang-unit officers undercover in the crowds.
