Dallas Police, Including Officer Gary Bromley, Ticketed 39 Drivers for Not Speaking English

Texas-style justice rears its head once more. Police Chief David Kunkle said Dallas police, including rookie officer Gary Bromley, wrongly ticketed at least 39 drivers for not speaking English over the last three years. The pending cases will be dismissed and those who paid the $204 fines will be reimbursed, he said. The citations were reportedly issued in several different patrol divisions by at least six different officers. Kunkle said one of those officers was responsible for five of the citations. These officers should be suspended immediately, since their names are on these tickets. 

Thankfully, one victim had the gumption to challenge the citation and that's what led to the discovery of all the others. According to Dallas News, Ernestina Mondragon was stopped on October 2nd for making an illegal U-turn in the White Rock area. Rookie Officer Gary Bromley cited her for three violations: disregarding a traffic control device, failure to present a driver's license and "non-English speaking driver." Beyond the legal ramifications, this is blatantly discriminatory against Latinos. The excuse being used by some officials is that the "the officer was confused by a pull-down menu on his in-car computer that listed the charge as an option."

But why would Bromley, a trainee officer in the northeast patrol division, even select that law which the computer referred since it is a federal statute regarding commercial drivers that Kunkle said his department does not enforce? Bromley and his training officer Senior Cpl Daniel Larkin should both be suspended, since Larkin was aware of the Mondragon citation. Further, the department stipulates that a sergeant must sign off on all citations, therefore, the supervisor who signed off on the Mondragon ticket, St. David Burroughs, 50, should be suspended immediately. Isn't it conventional wisdom that a trainer bears a great deal of responsibility in what a trainee does?

Dallas police said they will drop all charges against Mondragon, who speaks limited English and does have a Texas driver's license. Police officials declined to release the names of the officers and supervisors involved in the other cases, but Kunkle said he expected the investigation to last at least a few weeks and could reach back several years. Funny, the police is supposed to uphold the law, but a few rogue cops broke the law and this investigation could go back years, as the chief rightly said. Here's the crazy part, when you pay your fines, doesn't it list the offense? So, why didn't anyone notice this before?

The citations reportedly amount to a small percentage of the roughly 400,000 tickets issued by Dallas police each year, but it is very troubling nonetheless and the total is large enough to have serious legal ramifications. This seems like a trend to me and a policy. The problem for me is that this injustice is being perpetrated against a fairly voiceless and helpless section of the population. There are police officers on the streets who actually believe that it is un-American and possibly criminal not to speak English. This is a blow to the department's relationship with the Hispanic community and it may even lead to lawsuits in the near future.

Celebrity Briefs: Dallas Star Victoria Principal Sued by Former Maid Maribel Banegas for Threatening to Shoot Her, False Imprisonment

Do you remember the show "Dallas?" Gosh, I was a big fan of just about all the cast members, but especially Victoria Principal. I just loved her and Bobby Ewing, played by Patrick Duffy. Well, the erstwhile Pamela Ewing is in a heckuva mess. She is the target of an assault lawsuit brought by former maid Maribel Banegas, who claims Principal pulled a gun on her after she took too long walking her dog one evening. Is this a shake-down or is this for real?

According to the complaint filed late last week in Los Angeles Superior Court, before she allegedly pulled a gun, Principal fired housekeeper Maribel Banegas and told her to leave after accusing her of staying away from the house for too long with the pooch. The former maid said that Principal then went upstairs and, instead of returning with her checkbook as Banegas expected, she had a gun in her hand. The lawsuit alleges that the actress then aimed the weapon at Banegas and threatened to kill her, even asking another housekeeper who was in the room to step aside so that she could shoot Banegas.

The maid said she locked herself in another room and called 911. The lawsuit claims Principal stood outside the door the whole time, persisting in her threat to kill the plaintiff. Banegas said that she couldn't leave Principal's Malibu home until law enforcement arrived. She is suing Principal for lost wages and unspecified damages due to the false imprisonment and intentional infliction of emotional stress. She is also asking for exemplary damages from Principal for showing "willful and conscious disregard" for her ex-employee's rights and safety.

Victoria Principal has a big problem on her hands. This is bigger than any role she has ever played. I guess I find it a little hard to believe that the cops did nothing when they came to the home after this dust-up. Wouldn't they have filed charges against Ms. Principal for false imprisonment, at least? Wait, I forgot that's California and maybe things are a little different there. There is also the real possibility that this could be a shake-down by the maid looking to score big bucks. Either way, this isn't the way Ms. Principal ought to get her name in the news again, especially since you have been off the radar for a long time.

President Bush Purchases Home in Racist Dallas Community Preston Hollow

I am extremely happy that President Bush's term in office is coming to an end rapidly. As far as I am concerned, if I never see him or hear about him again, I would be perfectly happy. Well, unless they brought him up on war crimes, which I cannot understand why Nancy Pelosi is tap dancing around the issue. In any case, there is some more drama about President Bush and the history surrounding the community of Preston Hollow in which he just purchased a home.

As he prepares to fade into the sunset, neighbors in his new community are worried about having him as their neighbor. According to Raw Story, one woman said "I am afraid with all the negative press the president has been getting, the whole neighborhood is going to be a target." Traffic has already begun to clog the narrow streets around the home, causing neighbors to call the police -- who expect the hullabaloo to continue.

But that's not the only problem. The exclusive Dallas community has a troubled history of its own. Until 2000, the neighborhood association's covenant said only white people were allowed to live there, though an exception was made for servants.

Enacted in 1956, part of the original document reads: "Said property shall be used and occupied by white persons except those shall not prevent occupancy by domestic servants of different race or nationality in the employ of a tenant." The entire covenant can be seen here. Source: Raw Story

The neighborhood is home to many famous people, including former presidential candidate Ross Perot and Mark Cuban, the billionaire businessman and Dallas Mavericks owner. President Bush's new house abuts the 14-acre lair of real-estate investor Gene Phillips, who just had a trout-filled lake installed on his property. Of course, I am not surprised that the history of the community doesn't faze President Bush one bit. After all, look at the trail of disaster he is about to leave behind? The man ought to be brought up on war crimes for invading Iraq on a lie, among other things. I wonder how he sleeps at night knowing so many soldiers died fighting a war in Iraq that was started on a major lie.

President Bush Purchases Home in Racist Dallas Community Preston Hollow

I am extremely happy that President Bush's term in office is coming to an end rapidly. As far as I am concerned, if I never see him or hear about him again, I would be perfectly happy. Well, unless they brought him up on war crimes, which I cannot understand why Nancy Pelosi is tap dancing around the issue. In any case, there is some more drama about President Bush and the history surrounding the community of Preston Hollow in which he just purchased a home.

As he prepares to fade into the sunset, neighbors in his new community are worried about having him as their neighbor. According to Raw Story, one woman said "I am afraid with all the negative press the president has been getting, the whole neighborhood is going to be a target." Traffic has already begun to clog the narrow streets around the home, causing neighbors to call the police -- who expect the hullabaloo to continue.

But that's not the only problem. The exclusive Dallas community has a troubled history of its own. Until 2000, the neighborhood association's covenant said only white people were allowed to live there, though an exception was made for servants.

Enacted in 1956, part of the original document reads: "Said property shall be used and occupied by white persons except those shall not prevent occupancy by domestic servants of different race or nationality in the employ of a tenant." The entire covenant can be seen here. Source: Raw Story

The neighborhood is home to many famous people, including former presidential candidate Ross Perot and Mark Cuban, the billionaire businessman and Dallas Mavericks owner. President Bush's new house abuts the 14-acre lair of real-estate investor Gene Phillips, who just had a trout-filled lake installed on his property. Of course, I am not surprised that the history of the community doesn't faze President Bush one bit. After all, look at the trail of disaster he is about to leave behind? The man ought to be brought up on war crimes for invading Iraq on a lie, among other things. I wonder how he sleeps at night knowing so many soldiers died fighting a war in Iraq that was started on a major lie.