Not cool. Very not cool.
 

hey scott,

you rock..... thnx for all your hard work, the support, and postings about Deep Ellum.
 

Thank you for all the hard work and dedication Scott. I know you've been killing yourself over this. Wish I could have done or said more but it took a little while to grasp what was going on during the ultra mundane process of business at City Hall. Will be better prepared next round for sure.
 

Scott, im glad TomCats was denied. I live in the loft property across the street and quite franky, we've had issues with the place for awhile. Look, im all for allowing mixed use down here, but theres also something called "being a responsible business owner". This is a club where we have seen fights, drug deals and all sorts of other associated BS go down as well. If you're going to run a club with its rough clientel, spend the money and hire real security, not some brusier thug to stand at the door.

Personally, id rather see alot more places like Adairs,RBC and Curtain/Liquid stay open down here, those places are the real heart and soul of the neighborhood and are what Ellum is to me.
 

Chris,

First off, I’d like to say, welcome to the neighborhood. I noticed from your blog that you just moved down here a year ago and I am happy that your friend’s predictions that you would be “shot or knifed” have not come true.

I am also sorry to hear that in your first year you had such a negative experience. I genuinely want everyone to have a positive experience like I have had, which has kept me a part of this community for twenty years.

I know all too well that neighbors can get on each other’s nerves, but I did have a few things I was curious about: Did you ever walk over and introduce yourself to Tom (the owner) or John (the manager) of TomCats and explain the situation? Did you speak to the Deep Ellum Association/Deep Ellum Residents Council, or maybe even groups like DEEP to see if they might be able to help with some of your grievances? And, while I am sure you were familiar with the character of the neighborhood, did you come and see what your existing adjacent neighbors were like during their business hours before you moved in?

The artists and venues that support them are what made this area what it is today--it certainly wasn’t the pretty buildings or the luxurious amenities. The venues and artists that are here now, are not making money hand-over-fist; they are here because they love Deep Ellum and wanted to be a part of it and contribute to it--much the same as you or I. Because of that, there is a real sense of community down here now--you won’t read about it in the paper or see it on TV, but it is here. So, I encourage everyone down here, to get out and experience that sense of community and get know your neighbors--not only will doing so, make it easier to resolve differences, but if you don’t, then you are missing out on the main experience of living in Deep Ellum.

DEEP meetings are every Tuesday @ 9 PM. The location changes every week, but you can check our myspace page and find out where it is. Come out sometime and have a drink with us....

S_c_0_t_t

P.S. If you see people engaging in drug deals down here, please help to make the neighborhood a better place, by calling the police. Reports of drug deals and guns do give the police probable cause to search individuals, and do not depend on individuals pressing charges. TomCats had only eight incidents in five years, but according to some people these activities were rampant. Please be a good neighbor and make the police aware.
 

Scott, to answer your questions:

1) Yes, I did know the neighborhood before I moved down here, in fact, ive been a life-long Dallas resident and spent quite some time down here. I was here when it was the "in" place to be and I saw it slide when every tom dick and harry as allowed to come in here and attempted to turn the place into another Greenville Ave and saved itself from becoming another chunk of undesirable east dallas.

2) Im all about the artist, I agree that a "west village light" neighborhood wouldnt be in the best interest of the area. In fact, I have a feeling it wont get that far to be honest(i.e. the "glass and metal" concept drawing). We'll have the green line come through and that'll spurn on new development, which is a good thing. But, it'll also allow for people to see the area for what it is, a great historical area. The city should get behind that effort and start placing down a overlay for keeping the asthetic, heck make it easier for the small business man to get a place started down here. Open bars, resturants and shops to bring in folks not only on weekends, but during the week as well. In addition, get rid of the surface parking lots and get them to build mini (2-3 floor) parking structures that are free to park in after five and on weekends on the edges of the neighborhood.

3) I have called the DPD on tomcats a few times over the past year. But, as my neighbor states, its the people involved at the club who wont "snitch" on the parties responsible. Its a deeper problem than just this club, its a social issue that the patrons have to change themselves.
 

hear hear, chris! I'm with you.

Many negative things were said about it with little facts behind it: allegations of drug, guns, violence and loud rock music--not to mention the unsavory characters (sounds like a fun place to me).

uh, I live across the street, and these aren't allegations without hard facts, these are truths. There aren't reports, because the police will show up, but the people involved won't submit reports because they have warrants or other excuses.

I think that the clubs like red blood club and adair's that serve their purpose and are responsible to the neighborhood passed with flying colors because they're meant to be here.

club one and tom cat's have both been detrimental to the neighborhood in terms of respect and safety.

This is the sole point of view from somebody living sandwiched between the two.
 

I might add: though I am an officer of DEEP, opinions expressed on our blog by me (or other individuals), does not constitute an official opinion of the organization. We are a diverse group, with differing individual opinions, and have no expectations that everyone affiliated with us will always agree on every point. We encourage people who participate in our group to form their own opinions, and think for themselves.

What I don't want to see lost in controversy, is that it is far too easy for any business to be shut down with very little reason. Some may agree that the rejections of the businesses thus far were justified, and I am OK with that opinion. But, I encourage everyone to come out and see what happens at the Council/Committee proceedings and to research the SUP, its history, and its biggest supporters.

The final word on who is allowed to operate is left in the hands of Dallas City Council, who, by their own admission, look beyond legal compliance, and judge businesses based on such nebulous concepts as "the future" or "new direction" of Deep Ellum. Who defines this "future" or "new direction?" This is what concerns me and should concern everyone. Landowners carry the most weight at Council, and to a certain extent, rightfully so. However, when the land is owned by few, and their vision is contrary to the community that supports the neighborhood, that's what I see as a problem.

Look at the quotes on my blog. Listen to the audio yourself. Search the web for other quotes from Deep Ellum land owners/developers and affiliated individuals. Like I said, research the SUP, its history, and its biggest supporters. With what I have seen of the vision of Deep Ellum, carried by those that exert the most influence, it is difficult for me to believe that very many businesses will be left standing. It won't happen all at once, but slowly, they will remove businesses, that don't fit in with their new target audience.

Even if you dismiss my ideas as some crazy conspiracy theory, if do the research of which I spoke, I think you will see that the SUP makes it far too easy for those with money and power to carry such "crazy" ideas out. And that...well, that is the scary part.

S_c_0_t_t