Thread: Dallas prepares for 200,000 protestors

Look at all the preparation going into this invader tantrum planned tommorrow in Dallas. Elaborate preparations for police, crowd control and WHO pays for this tantrum but the taxpayers .. again!

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent ... ca2ef.html

City prepares for immigration rally
Dallas: Safety a priority as crowd estimates reach 200,000
12:00 AM CDT on Saturday, April 8, 2006
By DAVE LEVINTHAL and JASON TRAHAN / The Dallas Morning News


Most everyone involved expects that Sunday's immigration rally in downtown Dallas will be massive and disruptive – but peaceful.

Estimates of how many protesters will attend continue to vary wildly. Organizers say they expect more than 20,000 people – their official city parade permit pegs the number between 20,000 and 50,000 – and city government officials say they're preparing for as many as 200,000 marchers.

But even the low end of that range would probably make the march the largest single civil rights gathering in city history.

Police and city officials say they're ready for just about anything.

"It will create huge problems going in and getting out of downtown," Police Chief David Kunkle said. "But I believe it'll be a safe event, a peaceful event, but we'll be in position to deal with all concerns that come up."

When asked if Dallas is ready to accommodate more than 100,000 marchers, Mayor Laura Miller said: "We will be prepared for that many people."

Sunday's march is scheduled to begin at Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe at Ross Avenue and Pearl Street. It will end at Dallas City Hall after snaking through downtown.

Regardless of its size, the rally is bound to be expensive.

Chief Kunkle said about 500 to 600 officers will be assigned to work the event, billed as "Megamarch Dallas: For American Values and Justice." That's twice the number typically deployed during the Texas-OU game, he said.

Many officers will be paid overtime, Chief Kunkle said, to prevent pulling police resources from other parts of the city. Overtime costs could reach $400,000, he said.

Dozens of other city officials from numerous departments – Fire-Rescue, Street Services, Sanitation, and Public Works and Transportation among them – will also staff the event, City Manager Mary Suhm said. In all, city officials speculated that the extra staffing may cost the city several hundred thousand dollars.


More DART trains

Dallas Area Rapid Transit is preparing to run extra trains downtown, and City Hall's armed security force will also work the event, officials said.

To handle the expected crowds trying to get to the march, DART will add more cars to each midday light-rail train. The agency will run mostly three-car trains around the time of the march. Trains will run every 20 minutes.

With massive crowds expected and each train able to hold 500 people, passengers may have to wait after the march, DART spokesman Morgan Lyons said.

Rail passengers also can use any station to begin their journey home. Since the march is expected to end at City Hall, rail patrons could board trains at Union Station, the Dallas Convention Center station or the Cedars station.

"Folks need to take advantage of all the stations downtown – and pack their patience," Mr. Lyons said.

DART officials emphasized that the agency will have extra police and fare inspectors on hand Sunday.

While the Police Department has heard rumblings about the Mexican border-patrolling Minutemen, Ku Klux Klan and neo-Nazi groups possibly staging counter-rallies in order to disrupt Sunday's march, commanders explained they have no specific information on whether these, or any other groups, will show up.

"If they do show up, we'll handle them accordingly," said Lt. Rick Watson, a police spokesman.

"We aren't expecting any counter-demonstrations at this stage," said former state Rep. Domingo Garcia, who is organizing the march.

SWAT team members, and members from other specialized units, including mounted police, motorcycle officers and intelligence, will staff Sunday's protest. Two department helicopters will monitor the crowd.

"People are going to be able to exercise their rights," Deputy Chief Jesse Reyes said. "Our concern will be if people break the law."

If people are hurt, Dallas Fire-Rescue will set up a triage section behind City Hall, police said.

In case of mass arrests, the Dallas County Sheriff's Department is prepared to open the Decker Detention Center, which serves as the overflow jail, said Sgt. Don Peritz, sheriff's spokesman. Deputies on horseback will be among those helping Dallas police monitor the protest, he said.

The League of United Latin American Citizens will provide 200 portable toilets and two trash trucks, Mr. Garcia said.

He also noted that a team of 20 volunteer lawyers will be on call if any legal issues arise.

"Everything is very organized, and the authorities, they've been very cordial," Mr. Garcia said.


Bring water

Lydia Gonzalez Welch, a member of the executive board for Texas LULAC and spokeswoman for the Megamarch, said that a group of paleteros – vendors who sell cold drinks and popsicles – will be selling water on Sunday.

"We are not able to provide free water," she said. "We tried, but we couldn't get anyone to donate that. We have no budget and are doing this all-volunteer. We're asking everyone to bring water, given the length of time that everyone will be out there. It's going to be a high of 73 degrees, which is perfect."

She said that folks can bring strollers but should leave skateboards and scooters at home.

There will be no designated rally parking downtown. Participants are being urged to use DART or park at lots set aside for the protest at Fair Park, near the Smirnoff Music Centre, 1818 First Ave.; Townview Center, 1201 E. Eighth St.; and Stemmons Towers on Stemmons Freeway near Motor St. Buses will begin shuttling people to the rally at 10 a.m.

After the event, buses will be on Canton behind City Hall to take people back to parking lots.

Ms. Welch said that organizers hope to attract 20,000 people. She said she's unsure where others are getting larger crowd estimates of 100,000 to 200,000.

"That's never come from us," she said. "If the police are preparing for that many, that's great."

The downtown library will be closed Sunday. Most other downtown businesses said they would operate normally.

Police don't have firm plans to close specific downtown roads.

But "that might dictate itself," Lt. Watson said. "Our objective is to keep the traffic flowing once the march has moved on."

The police command post will be at the Jack Evans headquarters just south of downtown on Lamar Street, but officers will be deployed at City Hall and elsewhere.

In Fort Worth, police expect a crowd of about 10,000 for a downtown march.

Staff writer Tony Hartzel contributed to this report.

E-mail dlevinthal@dallasnews.com

and jtrahan@dallasnews.com

Where will ICE be in all this? With orders from above to keep their hands tied?

Why don't they send in the troops and, surround the group and check papers, oh that's right, the troops are in Iraq....securing Iraq???

Iraq is more important than Texas.