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Fellow Northwest Dallas resident Sharon Boyd directs our attention today to some heretofore unreported news involving a significant piece of the neighborhood: On Monday, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage will conduct hearings concerning several bars located at 2900 Walnut Hill Lane, otherwise known as the patch of land where San Souci moved when it left Love Field years ago. Sharon doesn't note the names of the joints in question, but TABC officials tell Unfair Park there are a whole bunch of 'em: El Jardin Billiards, El Cubo, Exclusivo, Billares Puebla, El Rey de Todos, El Taco Grande and Tipplers (which has since closed).
All of them have myriad violations pending, among them: serving booze to minors, serving to the already intoxicated, drug dealing and gambling being allowed on the premises ... and on and on. Hence, Sharon's description of the lot as "trouble makers," the kind state Rep. Rafael Anchía, council members Steve Salazar and Pauline Medrano, and the Dallas police have been trying to shutter for some time -- especially as a Dallas Area Rapid Transit Green Line station is scheduled to open at Walnut Hill Lane and Denton Road in December 2010. A bunch of law-breaking bars ain't exactly good for redevelopment in a part of town in desperate need of ... well, anything.
A Dallas TABC officer tells Unfair Park the hearing, which is handled by the State Office of Administrative Hearings, is scheduled to take place over two days at the J. Erik Jonsson Central Library, where the TABC occasionally moves hearings expected to have capacity crowds. And Carolyn Beck, the agency's public information officer, says the TABC has but a single goal in mind come Monday: "We're going to ask the judge to cancel the permits for cause, because they have violated the law." Judge Richard R. Wilfong will preside.
Sounds like a plan. Alas, Sharon is still incensed. Why? Because of
the attorney who "has stepped out to represent three of the worst bars
in the hell hole center" -- none other than Domingo Garcia, husband of a certain Dallas mayor pro tem.
(Alas, TABC says Garcia is repping but one of the establishments: El
Cubo. Tim Griffith and Paul Rich are representing some of the others.)
Sharon writes that "Garcia's primary defense for his rogue bar clients
is enforcing city laws and TABC regulations is a racial attack on
honest Hispanic businesses by a bunch of old White people." Now, we're
not sure if that's his position -- Unfair Park left a message for him
at his office a while back, and asked his assistant to please phone his
cell and return our call. We will update accordingly.
