Gun violence leaves Deep Ellum wary

By Michael Williams and Claire Ballor

After a raft of gun violence and a public scolding from rapper T-Pain about crime in the neighborhood, Deep Ellum business owners are feeling wary.

Police and business owners are stepping up security ahead of the summer, the peak season for the bars, clubs and restaurants that line Dallas’ main nightlife artery, and have come up with a comprehensive safety plan. Proprietors worry about their safety and that fear of violence could temper the crowds.

At the same time, some veteran bar and restaurant owners say it’s all part of the Deep Ellum mystique. Business owners who experienced past crime waves say Deep Ellum is no more dangerous than other entertainment districts in Dallas, and crime data backs them up.

“I guarantee you that when a group wants to go to Deep Ellum, somebody in that group says, “Should we go down there?” But I think that’s been happening for 20 years,” said Todd Garton, chief operating officer for Deep Ellum pizza restaurant Cane Rosso.

Recent violent incidents include a shooting that killed two and wounded three last weekend, and another in April that left two people injured. Both happened between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. on a Sunday, right as clubs were letting patrons out and the streets got crowded.

So when rapper T-Pain noticed a lull in ticket sales for his Deep Ellum concert, he moved it to Grand Prairie, concluding that fans are avoiding the area because of safety concerns.

Police presence

Neighborhood leaders have been asking police for help, and police agree the area needs more attention. In September, after a shooting in the area killed a teenager and injured five others, Police Chief Eddie García vowed to “take Deep Ellum back” and said “we’re not going to tolerate it.” He said he would add police presence until police and Deep Ellum leaders could come up with a “more holistic plan.”

The Deep Ellum Foundation released a comprehensive community safety plan earlier this month that calls for police to ramp up safety measures earlier in the year ahead of the summer crowds, create a dedicated police force for the entertainment district that can provide specialized crowd and traffic control, and work with other city departments on parking violations and help for homeless people. The plan also calls for Deep Ellum leaders to establish a central neighborhood command to coordinate among police, security guards, caseworkers and traffic enforcement, among other improvements. The foundation and police have committed to ramping up these measures in 2022.

“Like any entertainment district in the country, we have to have constant vigilance in the community. It’s important not just for patrons but for employees too,” said Executive Director Stephanie Hudiburg.

In addition to blocking traffic for pedestrian safety, Dallas police Executive Assistant Chief Albert Martinez said the department added at least 10 officers to patrol Deep Ellum as summer approaches. The goal, he said, is to have high officer visibility to ensure people feel safe and deter criminal behavior.

He said the department has also increased engagement with businesses in the area and organizations like the Deep Ellum Foundation, which he said recently boosted the number of surveillance cameras in place.

“I think it’s important for people to know how invested and committed everyone is to promoting safety in Deep Ellum and making sure it is safe,” Martinez said.

Police will re-evaluate the plan in the fall. “Everything is subject to change as we’re constantly evaluating,” Martinez said. “If things don’t go the way we want it, yes we could increase officers. … A plan is a plan, but we make decisions or we evaluate if the plan is effective. And that’s the goal: Are we being effective with the plan?”

Neighborhood cycles

Uncle Uber’s Sammich Shop, which has been on Commerce Street in Deep Ellum for 12 years, increased security after the recent killings. They used to put their “most imposing” employee at the front door on weekend nights when they have a DJ, said director of operations Dunagin Gaines, but now they’ve hired a security company for high-traffic nights.

Gaines said he and other Deep Ellum restaurant operators have talked about moving their businesses elsewhere, but he believes this is a passing phase in the life cycle of entertainment districts. He thinks more police foot patrols will help.

“I’ve been around long enough to see this happen to all the entertainment areas. Every neighborhood cycles in and out of it and it drives people out for a while,” Gaines said.

Gun violence in a crowded entertainment district surely heightens the public’s sense of danger. But according to the Dallas Police Department’s open data portal, Deep Ellum isn’t any more crime ridden or violent than other Dallas nightlife districts.

So far this year, zip code 75226, which includes all of Deep Ellum but also extends east to Fair Park and a few blocks south of Interstate 30, has experienced 574 total crimes, 46 of which have been violent crimes including aggravated assaults and homicides.

In comparison, zip code 75206, which includes Lower Greenville, with 1,037 total crimes, 48 of them violent. 75201, which includes the southern half of Uptown and also stretches through the City Center and Main Street districts, recorded 54 violent crimes, and 75204, which includes the northern half of Uptown and Old East Dallas, recorded 117 violent crimes.

By far the most common crimes recorded in Deep Ellum are thefts from vehicles. The area has recorded 25 aggravated assaults this year, which include shootings and stabbings.

To many people, Deep Ellum just doesn’t feel safe these days.

“On a personal level, as someone who has haunted Deep Ellum since the ‘80s and seen crime wax and wane, I’m deeply disturbed,” said Doug Davis, who has owned Murray Street Coffee Shop with his wife, Elizabeth, since 2005.

The crime hasn’t affected his daytime coffee shop business, which mostly serves neighborhood residents, but he said this crime wave feels different.

“I feel like there is much more gun violence than there has been in the past,” he said. “Too many people seem to have guns, and too many people seem ready to use them.”

Deep Ellum Blues

Deep Ellum has a long reputation for entertainment with a whiff of danger. The neighborhood was the home of such musical legends as Blind Lemon Jefferson, Blind Willie Johnson and Lead Belly. And it gave birth to the 1920s blues anthem, “Deep Ellum Blues,” which warns revelers to hide their money and be wary of the women they meet in Deep Ellum. Versions of the song were later recorded by Jerry Lee Lewis and the Grateful Dead.

“Deep Ellum has a folklore going back to the Depression era, of it being like a dangerous part of town. That’s not anything new. It’s just part of its identity,” said Jeffrey Liles, artistic director of the Kessler Theater in Oak Cliff. Liles booked shows in Deep Ellum clubs from 1985 to 1993.

Many current business owners recall a more recent crime wave that resulted in the city council in 2007 requiring every bar to gain a fresh city permit to continue operating.

Liles calls the Great Recession of 2008 and 2009 “the low point” for Deep Ellum, when “all the clubs closed.” Part of the reason Deep Ellum came back, he contends, is because of Uber and other ride-sharing services — which he credits with greatly curtailing DUI offenses.

Soon after, Deep Ellum experienced a rebirth, with a surge of new restaurants and bars.

The new Deep Ellum

“Deep Ellum is one of those areas of Dallas that has gone through so many different waves over the past 20 or so years: People thought it was not safe, then safe, then not safe, then safe. It has been through more high points and low points than any other area in Dallas,” said Garton with Cane Rosso, one of the early entrants in the new Deep Ellum.

Company leaders at Cane Rosso say the restaurant hasn’t seen a dip in sales related to crime. And crime fears haven’t deterred developers from continuing to invest in the neighborhood. A new office building on Commerce called The Stack has experienced strong leasing, and more office towers are in various stages of completion, though the area took a hit when Uber halted plans to create a 3,000-employee hub in Deep Ellum.

“Thousands upon thousands of people safely visit, work from and reside in Deep Ellum — one of our city’s most vibrant and unique neighborhoods — every day and night,” Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson said in a statement. But success requires addressing the public’s concerns about safety, he said, which the police are doing.

When T-Pain tweeted his concerns about performing in Deep Ellum, Johnson responded in defense of Dallas. Johnson, a fan of the rapper, assured him Dallas is safe.

Some people wonder if T-Pain’s beef with Dallas was entirely about safety.

Frank Campagna’s art gallery is a block away from The Factory, the venue T-Pain deserted to stage his show in Grand Prairie. Campagna opened the Kettle Art Gallery in 2005, and he might easily be called the artist laureate of Deep Ellum, after painting hundreds of murals on buildings since 1989.

“I think the neighborhood has always had a bad reputation,” Campagna said, but it’s not as dangerous as many people seem to think. “It’s kind of hilarious. Come on, it’s been 100 years since it deserved a bad reputation.”

Campagna is skeptical of T-Pain’s motives for taking his show out of Deep Ellum, calling it “a publicity move” designed to land a larger venue where he could sell more tickets. The Factory fits 4,300. Texas Trust CU Theatre holds 6,350.

“If anything, he upgraded for more space,” Campagna said.

Staff writers Kelli Smith, Michael Granberry, Sarah Blaskovich, Dan Singer and Tommy Cummings contributed to this report.