DALLAS — A newly-approved ordinance in Dallas will now put more responsibility on event promoters and venue operators in response to several gun violence incidents in the city.
On Wednesday, Dallas City Council members voted unanimously in favor of the ordinance that had been a major topic of discussion since the deadly outdoor concert shooting in Oak Cliff back in April.
J. Damany Daniel, a Dallas resident and chief imaginator for The Event Nerd, a creative production company, knows all about helping organize events of all shapes and sizes.
“I’m also on the board of the Dallas International Film Festival and on the board of the Deep Ellum Foundation,” Daniel said.
Daniel says it’s that broad range of events that allows a community to prosper, creating a “safe and culturally vibrant” area.
It’s that very reason that Daniel is not happy with the city’s decision to move forward with this ordinance.
While the ordinance is now in full effect, the city is allowing there to be a 60-day grace period to inform those who it may concern.
“At the beginning of one of the seasons, we’re going to change everything and require people to jump through hoops,” Daniel noted.
For any indoor or outdoor event that could exceed 100 people, venue operators and promoters are now required to provide Dallas’ special events office with a general safety and crowd management plan.
On top of that, those individuals who are registering with the city as a promoter must pay a $175 fee.
For those who don’t comply, they would be subject to a fine anywhere between $500 to $2,000. City leaders and the Dallas Police Department want to tackle the issue of unpermitted events.
Daniel says it’s that kind of red tape that could deter smaller, more grassroots events.
During the city’s discussions on the ordinance, leaders held a string of meetings to hear public input. But people like Bryan Tony, a project manager for a Good Neighbor Initiative with 24HourDallas, a non-profit that aids nightlife businesses in Dallas, say that's not enough time to inform people of the changes.
“We know that there are hundreds of promoters, organizers, producers and curators across the city who have not had the chance to be made aware of this ordinance,” Tony said.
City leaders did say in the Wednesday meeting that the ordinance would be subject to change.
Tony and Daniel were two of several Dallas organizations that were represented in a letter that was sent to Dallas city leaders on June 17 asking for the ordinance to be delayed until more community outreach was done.
Now, with the ordinance in effect, the two of them worry this will add another bump in the road to businesses in entertainment districts, like Deep Ellum, just as they’re trying to get back on their feet from the last few years.