It's a Friday night in August, and streets in Deep Ellum are about to close.
Yellow barricades that were stacked to the side of Elm Street are moved into place by Dallas police at 10 p.m., shutting down roads north of Main Street — the city of Dallas' response to public safety concerns in the entertainment district following a call to action by concerned business owners over a recent spike in violent crime.
Deep Ellum has typically had street closures during busy seasons — like in the summer. But those have traditionally begun at midnight. The 10 p.m. closures are new, and not everyone is a fan.
Some locals, like Evan Johnson, managing partner at the bar and music venue Three Links, don't see it as a long-term solution.
"The street closures seem very reactionary from the police and not really a well thought out solution," Johnson said.
The closures run from Main Street to Indiana Street, and Good Latimer Expressway to Malcolm X Boulevard, including all connecting streets in between. It's impacted some parking options and has added to the decline in foot traffic the neighborhood has seen on top of an economic downturn and a slow summer season.
"It's almost 9 o'clock on a Friday night and the streets are empty," Johnson said. "Usually by now there's people walking around, people going to dinner."
Johnson, who owns Three Links, told KERA he wants to see more solutions to public safety in the neighborhood, like regulation enforcement and enhanced patrols. Concerns over street safety and the street closures were top of mind at a community meeting Friday, during which city leaders renewed a commitment to safety solutions in Deep Ellum. Those included plans for increased police resources, nighttime code enforcements, and reactivating the Deep Ellum Task Force.
The update, given by Mayor Pro Tem Jesse Moreno, came roughly 30 days after an initial community meeting in July with business owners and landlords who had asked the city to address the spike in crime this summer.
A Dallas police lieutenant said the street closures would remain, but added that Indiana Street would reopen this weekend.
Chris Schrag, security manager at the music venue Trees, said Indiana reopening would be a "game changer." A parking lot in the back of the venue has been blocked off in recent weeks.
"That's when it affected our business and it affected, not only our patrons being able to park and get to our club, but it just completely cut off Elm on that end," she said. "This opening that they're talking about, that's gonna happen this weekend, is exactly what we wanted."
People at Friday’s meeting also said the closure of the bar Rodeo Dallas, which has been at the center of complaints for weeks and was closed pending ongoing litigation, has helped spread out law enforcement resources.
"The past few weekends have proven that DPD can tackle issues, like addressing open containers, public intoxication, and illegal alcohol sales, when they are not forced to babysit problematic clubs," Moreno said.
Rodeo Dallas, which sits on the corner of Elm and Crowdus Streets, has been closed since Aug. 8 dude to a temporary restraining order filed by real estate investment firm Asana Partners. A Dallas County judge is set to rule on whether or not the nightclub can reopen following a nearly seven hour hearing Aug. 14.
The petition for the restraining order cited "well-publicized dangerous and unlawful conduct" and called the nightclub a nuisance to the neighborhood.
Court documents alleged crowd control issues and an environment of "lawlessness and chaos" from Rodeo contributed to the July Fourth weekend fights and shooting, which left one person dead and multiple people injured.
That shooting is what prompted a call to action from local businesses. But now, the earlier closure time has resulted in a misconception that the neighborhood is under a curfew, according to Reno's bartender Clinton Palmer. That's misinformation he said he's had to address on social media.
"I have to do it every weekend to remind people the streets closed at 10 o'clock, the businesses stay open till 2 a.m. So bars and clubs will be open till 2 a.m.," Palmer said. "I will constantly repeat that until everyone understands Deep Ellum is not closing."
Kurt Grayson, a bartender at Elm Street Saloon, said the closures have also led to less foot traffic in the neighborhood.
"It’s killing businesses, it’s killing people who want to come down here and spend money," Grayson said. "It’s making people that want to come down here have to park a country mile away and have to walk."
While public safety has been a concern this summer, locals like Johnson have seen the true character of the neighborhood firsthand.
Deep Ellum is a community rooted in camaraderie, the arts, and entertainment, Johnson said. And safety is part of the effort to keep that alive.
"This neighborhood is super tightknit," Johnson said. "If you’re from here, if you hang out down here it’s hard to walk down the street without shaking the hand of a friend, and giving somebody a hug."
Got a tip? Email Megan Cardona at mcardona@kera.org.
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