But then there have been some problems. The spot has become the focus of a violent summer in Deep Ellum that has involved several shootings. Twenty-one-year-old Jonathon Santos was shot and killed just outside the bar one night after attempting to break up a fight that had started in the bar. Dallas cops have testified about lax door policies that lead to underage drinking and fights inside the bar.
However, in one hearing, the bar's neighbor, Club Dada, said they have a good relationship with the bar and feel it's being blamed for a larger neighborhood problem.
We've talked to Deep Ellum bar owners who want to see the bar shut down; some want cops to do a better job patrolling the area, while others say it's going to take a whole neighborhood effort to fix the ongoing chaos.
How We Got Here
In July, the Dallas city attorney's office issued a written warning accusing the bar of "criminal activity and frequent disturbance." At the time, JD Ybanez told The Dallas Morning News the city was scapegoating his bar for other problems in the neighborhood. The warning cited 16 instances of criminal activity, including cocaine sale or possession and 11 cases of disorderly conduct. Then, by noon on Tuesday, Aug. 5, Rodeo's landlords, Westdale Real Estate, locked the doors of the bar for "Tenant's default(s)." The next day, a judge granted a temporary injunction to Rodeo Dallas, and the bar reopened.
That was a short-lived revival, as that Friday, another Deep Ellum property owner, Asana Partners, filed for its own temporary restraining order against Rodeo Dallas for "wrongful activities" that included violence, drug use, display of firearms, underage drinking and even murder.
On Aug. 14, there was a six-hour evidentiary hearing during which a detective cited two shootings and a stabbing this year that started with a fight inside Rodeo that spilled onto the streets. Another officer testified that she's been injured on two different occasions trying to break up fights in and outside Rodeo.
The Current Status of Rodeo Dallas
This week Judge Veretta Frazier granted the request for the TRO and ordered the club to stay closed until a hearing, which will be scheduled in the coming months. Frazier concluded that the bar does not operate its premises as a reasonable bar owner would and interferes with the business of other nearby properties. Dave Wishnew, an attorney for Rodeo Dallas, said in a statement after the ruling that Rodeo’s ownership and employees have worked tirelessly and dedicated substantial resources to improving safety and security in and around its business. They have also openly communicated and provided detailed evidence of these efforts and improved measures to the court, Asana Partners, the city and its landlord.
Ybanez's Message to Dallas: 'I'm fucking disgusted'
Ybanez took to Instagram on Wednesday to defend his bar and to express his clear disgust with how it has all been handled. "They've [Asana Partners] told so many lies about my business and myself that it's kind of time that I tell the truth about them," Yabanez says in the video. "They've created this narrative that we are the cause of the crime. When the streets are the issue, everything that they cite happens outside our building. It happens on the sidewalk and happens in the streets. It happens in the parking lots."
The bar owner doesn't mince his words when it comes to what he thinks the commercial firms really want:
"They want their investment to increase in value. And how do they do that in their minds? Get rid of the Blacks and Mexicans, get rid of the clubs and the bars and the restaurants that they go to," he says.
Ybanez says that during court hearings, "the city and these groups" propose ideas like dress codes and when his team has asked what that means, they suggest things like "no chains, no face tattoos, no white T-shirts, no Jordans."
Ybanaez also takes issue with City Council member Jesse Moreno.
"And if you look at the contributions to councilman Moreno, you'll notice that the vast majority are real estate development firms. Just like the ones that are pursuing this lawsuit against Rodeo Dallas," he says.
We've reached out to Asana Partners and Moreno's office for comment and will update if we hear back.
