But with the ongoing surge of newcomers to North Texas, social media has become obsessed with reminding Dallas that Harry Hines exists. Whether it’s a joke advising tourists or new Dallasites to check the street after hours, or an incident surfacing on the news, the street remains a part of the city’s history and culture.
Recently, Harry Hines Boulevard has received more attention online following YouTube videos that highlight the red-light district area in documentary-style videos. There are also a multitude of TikToks, Instagram Reels and short YouTube videos advertising the neighborhood's prostitutes, whether intentionally or not.
One YouTube channel was ahead of the rest and has been documenting prostitutes in Dallas since April 2024 under the name DALLAS HOOKERS. Without any dialogue, the videos on the channel feature a vehicle dashcam point-of-view cruising through Harry Hines Boulevard, where women dressed in revealing outfits linger. A recent video, “Harry Hines Blvd/HOOKERS on the BLADE! Episode #14,” published on Nov. 30, accrued over 149,000 views. Comments included praise for the filmmakers, questions about the location, sympathy toward the women and observations regarding gas station prices.
“They're spread all over the metroplex now,” YouTube commentator maxpinson5002 wrote. “I didn't realize that there were some in the neighborhood until 2 police officers pointed them out, and showed me how to spot them. They'll get in your passenger door at a stopped intersection if you don't keep your doors locked.”
Another YouTube channel, Dallas Hood House City, shares videos uploaded to other channels, each bearing a warning of “COPYRIGHT” followed by exclamation marks. YouTube channel Certified Trap Chasers offers similar videos with the dashcam point-of-view style; all but one have achieved more than 10,000 views.
A TikTok video uploaded on Dec. 17 by the user twinspyder jokingly advertised the red light district to men. The video racked up over 2 million views on the platform and was reposted on YouTube. It was also posted in the Reform Dallas Facebook group, but has since been removed for unknown reasons.
Twinspyder responded to some of the comments by uploading five additional videos, each reaching over 15,000 views.@twinspyder It be so packed some nights causing traffic jams #afterhours #dallas #dtx ♬ original sound - twinspyder
A YouTube video titled “Dallas Red Light District - Life on Harry Hines, Texas” was published on Dec. 18 by the channel The Taboo Room With Aaron S and amounted to over 100,000 within its first day. The video took a documentary-style approach with its host, Aaron S, interviewing prostitutes and other figures in the scene.
The video is now set to private. The Observer reached out to the channel asking if the video would be set to public or be uploaded again, but we have not received a response.
Another YouTube Channel, Affluent Blacks, took notice of the video by The Taboo Room With Aaron S and a week later posted a video titled “Culture Vultures Profit from Dallas Blacks’ Pain? The Business of DFW Street Life." In the video, John D. Conley III, CEO of Affluent Blacks of Dallas, critiques outsiders profiting from Dallas’ urban lifestyle narratives and urges the local community to take control by creating their own media and businesses to promote positive cultural representation.
“My challenge to our people in the Dallas videos is to make sure if they profit from your pimping, we'll pimp them back,” Conley III said in the video. “I'm not judging the lifestyle or condoning, but if you're out there in the blade and other groups swoop in and put you on their videos that get millions of views, negotiate a win-win deal with them.”
Affluent Blacks is one of the content makers addressing the problematic responses to this trend. On Oct. 27, the video of a fire on Harry Hines Boulevard shared on Instagram by Dallas TX Tv, prompted a slew of misogynistic comments about sex workers. Not a single day goes by on innocuous Facebook groups such as "Stuff To Do in Dallas" without someone suggesting Harry Hines as a location for a good party space, a place to take the kids or some other witty recommendation.
The joke is so tired that members regularly complain by making separate posts asking members to stop snickering about Harry Hines through childish comments.
A YouTube video titled “The Red Light District of Dallas, TX - Inside Harry Hines,” published on Dec. 22 by Hector Alejandro Guerrero, known on his channel as Tiger Teeth, offers a daytime tour of the Harry Hines area. It highlights local businesses alongside illegal activities such as human trafficking and prostitution.
“With the pimping that's going on [and] with the illegal trafficking, a lot of money is being made,” Guerrero says in the video. “Nothing's regulated. The judicial system is not helping too much with keeping this area intact. It is truly a wild thing to see."
In a video titled Blood Money: Inside Dallas' Underground Economy, popular YouTuber Tommy G allegedly interviewed hitmen and sex workers. The video has 2.4. million views.
The Dallas Police Department’s Administrative Crime Report counts a total of 97,614 temporal crimes related to prostitution recorded this year, including the act of assisting prostitution, purchasing prostitution and performing prostitution. In December, the report counted 5,461 cases, which is fewer than previous months this year.
Last year, a judge ruled that Dallas’ prostitution ordinance was unconstitutional, leading the city to revise it. The updated version, approved on Oct. 11, 2023, is now being enforced, allowing citations for behaviors such as attempting to engage others or to stop vehicles, with fines up to $500. Officers must give individuals a chance to explain before making arrests.
This year in DPD's Northwest Division, which includes Harry Hines Boulevard, the Administrative Crime Report counts 14,235 recorded temporal prostitution crimes from all three categories. As of the same date last year, the total was 15,597.
And for those who prefer to avoid human contact, Harry Hines is also noted for its adult video stores.
