The Death of Any Man Diminishes Us All:Roller Rink Tragedy

In Grand Prairie last night July 23 ,2011 tragedy occurred in our community. Children at Forum World witnessed the mass slaying of 6 souls. One of them a troubled soul, who in his hours of greatest despair , took his life and others.The healing process begins when the wound is exposed .The wounds in this case will take along time to heal,because of the horrific nature of the act.


I was born in an era , in which black folk when hearing of such acts , always responded by saying ,"I hope that the person who did this wasn't black" .The reason was black folk didn't need anymore problems than what they had.That was the 60"s and 70"s . Now here we are in the 10"s .An age of enlightenment ,when all of our lives , are valued the same.It is a time when a reporter in an exchange of information from Grand Prairie Chief of Police Steve Dye asked "were the shooter- victims ASIAN " ?

The death of any man diminishes me .The taken of innocence from children angers me.Stupid questions from reporters qualifying life angers me. Perhaps on this day July 24 ,2011 we are no more enlightened as if it was July 24 ,1961. The best words to address this tragedy comes from a post on Facebook today from Grand Prairie Chamber Of Commerce ,Prudence Mathis.


"Prayers being lifted for all those affected by the shooting last night at Grand Prairie's Roller World Forum. Sad that what was supposed to be a joyous occasion celebrating a birthday turned into a tragedy. My heart especially goes out to the witnesses, which included children."

Democracy in Grand Prairie Part II : Term Limit Defeat Proposal Defeated

Democracy arrived in Grand Prairie. It wasn't like the recent protests in Egypt, nor the protests in China years ago.

It was more like a quiet revolt against the status quo.The status quo of complacency , a revolt against the privileged of incumbency, a protest that united various factions in this suburban city against the established oligarchy.

Simply put enough is enough. The mayor of Grand Prairie succumbed to the political pressure of community leaders who argued against non expiring term limits. Each board and commission has term limits ,the term limits indicate each member can serve 2 full ,three year terms. The mayor when questioned by City Councilman Mark Hepworth regarding the Sports Corporation. The Sports Corporation governs the Lome Star Park racing facility.


There they were assembled,NAACP President Angela Luckey ,Westchester Homeowners Association ,Rotarian Mike Hasty , former Mayor Pro Tem Tommy Smelser,former City Councilman Rick Sala ,and community activists Gloria Carillo,and myself City Commissioner Ed Gray. Many more came in and silently voiced their protest.One after another the speakers read their impassioned speeches.

My speech was in broadbased terms about bringing democracy to our city ,pointing to the assembled masses in Grand Prairie .I implored the city council to hear the will of the people. Hearing that enough is enough ,all commissions are the same ,no special privileges for the select few. Change was made.The Sports Corporation appointees for example, Mayor Charles England who has been there since 1992 will be termed off. 1992 two decades ago,Democracy comes slow in Grand Prairie. To show how long we have had some mebers on this commission - lets take a look at who was ruling pop music -1992 .


Ron Jensen and Mark Hepworth crafted a compromise that addressed the inadequacies of long term appointments on our city commissions. These two men did an honorable job in making Grand Prairie great.If Grand Prairie thought that it was sleeping , maybe the sleeping suburb woke up for a moment.Now that is awaken,what next ? Stay tuned for Part 3 in this continuing series.

Democracy in the Grand Prairie: No Life Time Appointments

City Commissioner Ed Gray and Grand Prairie Mayor Charles England

Earlier this week my office received the following email:

Commissioner Gray :
I believe that this may be of interest to you:

The City of Grand Prairie has many Commissions and Boards that are integral in assisting our City Council with its governance. Examples include the City Parks and Recreation Board, Planning and Zoning Board, Commission on Aging Board, the Zoning Board of Appeals etc.

Prospective board members are nominated and voted upon by the City Council and each board member is limited to a maximum allotted term of service of 6 years. These “term limits” are in effect for every single board except three panels that have been exempted from this limitation: The Sports Corporation, the G.P. Housing Finance Board and the G.P. Industrial Board.

When questioned about the inconsistencies concerning term limits and why these three boards should be exempt from said rules the Mayor stated that he was in favor of doing away with all term limits for board appointments. This would mean that a person could be appointed for life to any advisory panel.

This next Tuesday, July 19, the City Council has placed the proposal to remove all term limits from any City Council board appointments on the consent agenda. Councilman Mark Hepworth has asked to remove this item from the consent agenda and open it up for public discussion and debate.

I will not tell you how to vote but I believe that this issue is important and the City Council should receive the input from our citizenry. City Council meeting starts at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall. Please come make your intentions clear by attending and speaking or at least filling out a card in support or against this proposed action.

My response to the citizens of my city is expressed in the following.
Please feel free to forward as others may or may not be aware of the continuing public debate on the issue.

The email's clearly defined position is that Grand Prairie citizens should oppose the current direction of the proposed mayoral consent agreement.It encourages Grand Prairie citizens to take a step forward and support clarification and amending a consent agreement that would allow citizens appointed by the mayor to have long tenured commission appointments with no term limits.The citizens of Grand Prairie need diversity, this diversity is not based upon color , it is a diversity of opinion that produces fresh ideas.

As I close , I believe in a Grand Prairie ,a Grand Prairie in which all of our differences are exploited for the common good,I expect that my friends and neighbors will be at City Hall next week ,doing what we Americans do best.We constantly move forward,setting aside misguided notions, correcting mistakes ,and striving for the best.I will join them next Tuesday, July 19 ,2011 at City Hall at 5:30 pm to continue to deliver a message. Please join me and others next Tuesday as we send a message.No life time appointments for city council appointees.

Happy Fourth of July to America !

Happy 4th of July !Each year as we celebrate America's freedom it gives me time to to reflect on the greatness of this country.I think of the Founding Father's and their desire to start a new governmental system .I think of a Civil War that liberated millions of American that the Founding Fathers forgot about .I think of a peaceful Civil Rights revolution that reminded Americans that we should all be free. As we go to the various parades, bar b ques ,and family gatherings, let us all be reminded that freedom is not free. God Bless America , and God Bless those brave soldiers on foreign shores that they come home to enjoy those same freedoms we observe today.
My favorite version of our National Anthem ! From Marvin Gaye !


I learned this song in first grade ,like many of us ! Ray Charles sings America the Beautiful !


Beyonce sings our National Anthem !


Our tribute to America would not be complete if we didn't add America the Beautiful to the collection.Let's close out with Tyrese singing our National Anthem , and Jaime Foxx singing America the Beautiful ! GOD BLESS AMERICA , and GOD BLESS YOU !


Our citizens in Grand Prairie travel each year to observe the 4th Parade in ARLINGTON !It's time as we now have the the men and women in power to make great
things happen in GRAND PRAIRIE to make a 4TH of July parade we all can be proud of. Just like we are proud of our country !