Out of the frying pan: I found your story "Cold as ICE" (by Matt Pulle, January 4) most disturbing. The whole time I was reading the article I had to remind myself that I was not reading a national tabloid.
Mr. Dupree states that he was merely looking out for the youth's "interests and his safety and his well-being." Well, a quick Internet search on Honduras gay rights indicates that Angel Martinez, identified as Dupree's ex-lover, could be in danger. Our very own State Department Country Reports on Human Rights Practices lists many human rights violations in Honduras, with "discrimination against persons based on sexual orientation" being one of many. Amnesty International states, "Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people have been subjected to grave human rights violations in Honduras for many years, including killings and discrimination in the exercise of their civil, political, social and economic rights." So Mr. Dupree saying he was looking out for the youth is pendejo (stupid) thinking.
I have been an activist in the GLBT Latino community since 1980 and also had a radio show, Sin Fronteras, where I met many undocumented GLBT Latinos, and rarely did I meet someone that wanted to get deported home! In all my years of being around undocumented GLBT Latinos, many did not want to go home again because of the oppression the GLBT community must endure. And those that did go home went by bus. If they did not have the money to get home, friends would contribute to the cause, but it sounds like Mr. Dupree made sure his ex-lover had a non-refundable one-way ticket home.
The way it looks now, Mr. Dupree brings a lot of disrespect to his badge and that of being a role model to the GLBT community. One would think that the abuse of political power could only happen in Farmers Branch, but no, it happened in Dallas, and in a large Latino community at that.
Jesús Chaírez
Dallas
Abuse of power: Thank you for the very candid and open article on Constable Mike Dupree.
It is unacceptable for any officeholder to abuse his or her power or authority. As a community leader, I, for one, was shocked and appalled to read about this issue. I can assure you that Latino and GLBT community leaders will be having frank discussions with Dupree over the next several days. I do not care if you are a Democrat, Republican, gay or straight. Wrong is wrong. Mr. Dupree, for lack of a better word, was thinking and acting out of jealous spite instead of acting as an elected official. The people of Dallas demand more of our officials. Particularly elected officials that are supposed to serve and protect the community. Dupree's actions play into stereotypes, fear and misconceptions. His actions are a major setback for justice and equality.
On behalf of the Dallas Gay & Lesbian Alliance, I look forward to hearing Mr. Dupree's explanation and community apology. However, an apology alone will not be enough to satisfy the greater community. Actions speak louder than words. Dupree's actions will speak volumes about the sincerity of any apology. Remember, people re-elected Dupree based on his record. We voted him into office. It is just as easy to vote him out of office the next election cycle.
The mission of DGLA is to advocate full civil rights, dignity and self-respect for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals by educating, creating social and political change and fighting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity and expression, in order to achieve the full participation of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people in society.
Pete Webb
President, Dallas Gay & Lesbian Alliance
Recipe for a Resurrection
Think Firewater: Very well-written and very true ("Missing From the Dallas Scene: You," by Jonanna Widner, January 4). The Dallas music scene in the '90s was high volume! The streets were packed with hundreds of people. Why is this scene dead? Deep Ellum caught a bad rep for being dangerous, so the police stepped in and started arresting people jumping from bar to bar, which leads to people not coming down. The trickle effect did not stop there.
In the '90s, the clubs in Deep Ellum fought to get the highly sought-after bands. They advertised their upcoming shows on the radio, as well as drink specials, cheap admission for coming early, Deep Fridays, etc. There are many things that can be done to bring the crowds down to Deep Ellum. I have personally gone to shows that were supposed to be packed, only to look around at 10 p.m. and see maybe 50 people total in the bar. Crazy!
So the question remains: Is it a lack of good music? NO! There are lots of bands that are full of talent that are just starting out, which means they have no fan base. This is the core problem; if the clubs want to revive the life that Deep Ellum had 15 years ago, maybe they should look back at what worked then. Firewater has a clue, offering a premier venue at an affordable cost, with drink specials, food and an incredibly comfortable environment. I saw the Deaf Pedestrians there on Saturday, and I must say that if I had to choose between it and Deep Ellum, Firewater wins hands-down.
Now in saying that, I would prefer to go to Deep Ellum because it is closer, but not if they offer no crowd, no specials and very few bands that are rock and not SCREAMO. I hope that people will see the untapped music scene as a challenge and somebody somewhere will be willing to figure out what can be done before it is too late.
Sherry Whaples
Mesquite
