Response from Maureen on Lone Star Towing

I have been in contact with the owner and attorney for Lone Star regarding code compliance issues at the property and am actively working the case.

I’ve also talked to the general manager in the past about the tow trucks speeding through residential streets. The general manager told me that he has told his drivers that they will be fired if they receive a speeding ticket in a residential area.

I’ll contact Chief Paulhill to see if traffic enforcement could be increased along Beeman.

New Code Inspectors

The City has apparently once again realigned the code inspection service.

Apparently, our new code inspector is:

Marilyn Ford 214-670-1955

Supervisor:

Eric Pierce 214-670-1981

Lone Star Towing - Illegal AND Dangerous

Lone Star Towing is getting more justified bad press lately since their illegal activities after towing hundreds of cars belonging to Texas-OU fans while attending the game at the Cotton Bowl. People stood in lines for hours to retrieve their cars from this company, and were charged and illegal “government entity” fee of $43 on top of their already high fees.

There are many articles on this illegal fee and the fact that the city nor any other government entity charges (let alone receives) this fee. There are also many articles on how Lone Star Towing is a renegade company that has been a huge problem in our city for many years. I could post links, but truly, this company is so notorious that you can find them quite easily by doing a simple google search.

But I offer more to the story that the city should consider as I live in their neighborhood. It's not uncommon for some of the most unsavory people to work for such companies — especially tow companies that commit so many illegal activities. A company is only as good as its owners and employees.

Lone Star Towing located on Beeman Avenue is notorious for breaking not only city towing ordinances, but driving laws as well. It is often — if not many times in any given day — that their drivers are flying up and down the small, residential Beeman Avenue at speeds in excess of 50 mph (over 20 mph over the legal limit), but they also run nearly every stop sign at every corner. Further, I have watched their large trucks run red lights at Winsow and I-30 quite often. Their illegal driving activities don't stop there. I have also witnessed them bullying other drivers by blowing horns and running cars off of the street to get by them.

Personally, I have been a victim of their bullying on more than one occassion. In one case, I was driving 10 miles over the speed limit when one of their trucks flew up the street doing what seemed to be over 60 mph (again in a 35 mph zone). The truck rode my bumper till he could swerve into oncoming traffic to pass me. He got in front of me and slammed on his brakes. Thankfully I swerved. Otherwise, not only would I have hit his truck, but this driver would have also probably insisted on towing me!

Lone Star Towing is a criminal element that we do not need in our neighborhood. I wouldn't be surprised if they have actually caused traffic accidents as they attempt to service traffic accidents. But the frightening thought is how close they come daily to killing our neighborhood's children that line Beeman Avenue.

I praise our Mayor for announcing at the city council meeting last evening that he will have the City Manager fully investigate this and other renegade towing companies in Dallas. I just hope they truly do that ... especially in light of the fact that the Dallas Police seem to overlook Lone Star's illegal driving and other offenses.

Al Dia

Rosa called me back -- from 214-915-8000 (I had called the Al Dia number referenced in Alan's post)

She says she will get directly with the manager and it will stop at my house. I told her I knew of other in the neighborhood who also had called.

She said she was going to look at stopping it in the whole neighborhood. I gave her the names of our streets and she said she would send someone out to assess the situation.

Free Smoke Detectors

All Dallas residents in single-family homes are entitled to a free smoke detector from Dallas City Hall, the Dallas City Council unanimously ruled this morning in reauthorizing a long-standing fire prevention program.

Call 311 to get one.

al dia/Dallas Morning News Litter

For over a month now, our neighborhood has been littered with complimentary copies of al dia, a spanish newspaper published by the Dallas Morning News (the one tossed onto our properties with the bright yellow plastic covering). While providing a newspaper on your doorstep may be frustrating, I feel that "delivering" these papers by tossing them out of a vehicle and into our front yard, into our driveways, and into our gutters is littering.

Personally, I have called for the past three weeks and was told I would be removed from their delivery, however, every week I get a paper tossed into my front yard and in my driveway. Considering I do not speak any spanish whatsoever, and the fact that I have asked to stop having these papers delivered basically makes al dia and the Dallas Morning News not only incompetent in their delivery process, but also an irresponsible citizen of Dallas.

When looking down Culver and St. Charles and seeing many of these papers piling up in yards, parkways, and gutters, I can only feel that the Dallas Morning News is blatantly breaking city code by littering.

Today, I called once again, to the phone number on the newspaper (469-977-3747) and asked for the circulation manager (since the girl who usually answers the phone doesn't seem to actually follow through with my requests). I was eventually transferred to John Walsh, Vice President of Circulation for the Dallas Morning News. He didn't answer, so I left a voice mail indicating my frustration, and that I would be posting this information online so that others in the neighborhood can begin contacting him about their littering practice.

Keep an eye on this post as I will add updates as I receive them (hopefully officially from DMN) and/or the City Code department. Our neighborhood has enough litter in the streets, hopefully removing al dia will be a step toward cleaning it up.

Spoke too soon

Robert saw a someone yesterday who appears to be casing the neighborhood garages -- he followed him. The man stopped at 3231 Culver, a vacant house. Had no good answers when questioned so Robert called the police.

I talked with the man who lives next door to alert him and he told me that over the weekend, there was a car parked deep in the backyard. He called the police -- it turned out to be stolen.

I saw a man pushing a homeless man baby stroller coming out of the park yesterday heading for Dolphin as I going to the bus.

Robert removed a grocery cart from the park -- looked like someone may have been sleeping close to it.

Last night on my walk at about 9:30 there were several people at Dolphin and Culver. When I questioned them, the girl in tight jeans and tank top went south, the 2 guys went north. There was a 4th who just continued to sit there. They weren't waiting for the bus since it passed as I was there.

Also, there are a couple of 4 wheelers damaging the park. A red one -- various Hispanic people riding it. A green one ridden by blacks. I called the police 3 times on Sunday and confronted the red vehicle -- all to no avail.