Former Tradewind Apartments resident Fredia Willis poses for a photo Sept. 24, 2026, in front of her unit at the apartment complex that has closed down, in Mesquite. A reader is glad to see tenants prevail in getting justice.
Chitose Suzuki/The Dallas Morning News
Oppressed renters prevail
Re: “Tenants prevail in battle over complex — 150 tenants awarded $500,000 to relocate from trouble apartments with help from the city, advocates,” Monday news story.
Thank you, Mesquite! It’s about time something like this happened. The way our laws and bureaucratic processes are set up, the scales of justice typically favor landlords by far.
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It’s still this way, but at least this victory for oppressed renters is a positive sign. Is there any hope for Dallas to get on board this train?
Daniel Siculan, Royse City
Vote “no” on Prop A
Re: “We Recommend — Vote for Dallas public safety bonds,” Monday editorial.
I want a new police academy. Our officers deserve one. But asking voters to trust City Hall with another $443 million in debt is a hard sell — especially when The Dallas Morning News’ own editorial acknowledges the city’s “spotty track record” with real estate and project management.
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Dallas approved bond money related to the police academy in 2003 and 2006. Voters approved another $50 million in 2024. More than two decades later, we’re still being asked for more.
Proposition A doesn’t give voters a clean choice. The academy is bundled with moving 911 and other projects into one $443 million package. Want the academy? You have to buy everything else, too.
And debt isn’t free. Dallas homeowners already shoulder a substantial property tax burden. Borrowing another $443 million means taxpayers ultimately have to pay the principal and interest.
We’ve seen this movie before. Promises are made, taxpayers approve the money, costs grow, and years later, City Hall comes back for more.
Put the academy on the ballot by itself. Tell us what it costs and bind the money to it.
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Dallas taxpayers should vote no on Proposition A.
Steven L. Nordseth, Far North Dallas
No more blank checks
Dallas voters keep telling City Hall what they want. The problem is getting City Hall to listen.
Residents consistently rank public safety and fixing our crumbling streets among their highest priorities. Yet, we watch the City Council spend endless hours on other issues while potholes linger, police staffing remains a challenge and residents pack City Hall to fight zoning cases they believe will damage their neighborhoods.
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Eventually, voters got so frustrated with public safety that they took matters into their own hands. They petitioned to put Proposition U on the ballot and amended the city charter to require City Hall to prioritize police staffing and compensation.
Think about that: Dallas voters had to change the city charter to force their elected officials to address one of their biggest priorities.
And now The Dallas Morning News wants those same taxpayers to authorize this City Council to borrow another $443 million?
Before giving City Hall more debt to manage, I’d like to see it demonstrate that it can listen to the people paying the bills.
Dallas doesn’t need to write City Hall another blank check. On Proposition A, taxpayers should keep the checkbook closed.
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Joe Coffman, North Dallas
Reverse SNAP cuts
Re: “Map shows dearth of grocers in S. Dallas — Distribution falls mostly to north of Interstate 30, forcing residents to travel for food,” Monday news story.
Anga Sanders is right to call it “food apartheid.” In southern Dallas, more than 85% of shops selling food are gas stations, pharmacies or dollar stores.
Fewer grocers is only half the problem. Texas leads the nation in food insecurity, and one in four North Texas children faces hunger. Yet, last year’s budget law cut SNAP and shifts costs onto states like Texas. The farm bill now advancing in Congress does nothing to fix that.
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SNAP is our most effective defense against hunger, keeping millions of Americans above the poverty line. Every SNAP dollar spent at local stores also gives grocers a reason to open and stay open in neighborhoods like southern Dallas.
Texans should call Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz and demand that any farm bill reverse these SNAP cuts. A map can show where the stores are; SNAP decides whether families can afford what’s inside.
Bukekile Dube, Dallas/Turtle Creek
Congress must act now
Re: “Texas’ Medicaid request backlog surges as new rules start,” Monday Metro story.
Imagine putting your children to bed hungry because your family could not get SNAP benefits on time. For many Texans, this is a real problem.
SNAP helps families, children and seniors in need buy food. Delays can leave people waiting for help while they go hungry. They have to wait for paperwork and government delays.
Congress must act now. No family should go hungry because of delays that should be addressed. Urge your member of Congress to make sure SNAP benefits reach people on time.
The bedrock is eroding
Our First Amendment rights continue to erode. It started with the president attacking universities with diverse curricula. Somehow allowing students access to diverse opinions was deemed a threat to democracy.
Further erosion came when legitimate press was removed from Pentagon briefings. Add the ongoing lawsuits against major news networks and newspapers that do not present this administration in a glorified light.
Then there are the threats to shut down networks that fact check the repeated mistruths (read lies) that come from the White House. And, of course, there is the president’s continual denigration of reporters who ask legitimate questions that he doesn’t want to answer.
And now, the banning of CNN (and previously MS Now and Politico) from White House briefings is unconscionable and further proof of our slide toward a dictatorship.
A citizen’s right to free speech and the freedom of the press are the bedrock of a democracy. This bedrock is quickly eroding.
Vote in November like your freedoms depend on it.