Dallas Police Again Shut Down An Area Record Store Celebration

Less than a month after noise complaints eventually led to Good Records' annual birthday bash/National Record Store Day celebration getting shut down by the police, the Dallas Police Department again shut down a record store customer appreciation party on Lower Greenville, this time taking to task the four-year-old, DJ- and skateboard-centric Rec Shop, located just down the street, south of Ross Avenue.

And what a shame, too: It was quite the summertime vibe at the store and in the parking lot it took over behind Pizza Patron and other Ross Avenue establishments yesterday. Hundreds of spectators gathered to check out the scene as skaters blew up and down the lot trying out new tricks, breakdancers took turns headspinning and outdoing each other on the mat the store had laid out for them to use, graffiti artists tagged the store-placed plywood planks placed throughout the lot and DJs Big J and Phooka blasted old-school hip-hop (A Tribe Called Quest, Paperboy, others) as the soundtrack to it all. It was a scene unlike any other I've experienced during my time in Dallas (I'm told the store runs these events about twice a year, but this was by far the biggest turnout it had yet seen), and one I was pretty proud about happening, if only because of the positive spirits and youthful energy abounding in and around the store.

But, alas, another cool event, another round of questions. Why it was all shut down is something we're still trying to figure out. But arrests were made and the event was shut down. We'll have more on this story--hopefully with answers--as the week goes on, but in the meantime, take a look at the photos from the event, courtesy Gloria Levario.