Dallas, TX
Dallas police won’t enforce controversial prostitution ordinance after court ruling
Dallas police will no longer enforce a controversial prostitution ordinance after a judge ruled it was unconstitutional, according to emails obtained Tuesday by The Dallas Morning News.
The “manifesting the purpose of engaging in prostitution” ordinance — a misdemeanor punishable with a fine of up to $500 — won’t be enforced by citations or arrests until further notice after discussions with the city attorney’s office, according to the emails sent by police officials to employees.
The move comes just days after County Criminal Court of Appeals Judge Kristin Wade ruled the law was unconstitutionally vague and overbroad. Catherine Cuellar, a city spokeswoman, said Tuesday the “City Attorney’s Office is aware of the court’s opinion, and we are considering the city’s options. The City has until mid-August to appeal.”
Texas law already penalizes the solicitation of prostitution. But police must meet a higher standard than the ordinance, which allows officers to issue a citation if a person is a known prostitute; repeatedly beckons to others or tries to engage them in conversation; or attempts to stop a vehicle by waving, hailing “or any other bodily gesture.”
The ordinance has been in place for decades but has long been criticized for the considerable leeway it affords officers. The Dallas City Code allows police to cite a person who loiters in a public place in a manner that is “manifesting the purpose” of soliciting prostitution. Critics argued it essentially criminalized “talking while walking.”
Dallas police spokespeople declined this week to specify how many citations and arrests were issued by the department under the ordinance, instead directing a reporter to file an open records request. The department has not yet responded to the request but has 10 business days to do so. A police spokeswoman directed inquiries Tuesday to the city attorney’s office.
Police were ramping up enforcement efforts in the department’s Northwest Patrol Division, which in June launched a new “prostitution task force,” or a group of officers who specialize in responding to prostitution issues.
Proponents of the ordinance argue the ruling could hinder police efforts to crack down on a long-standing problem frequently complained about by business owners and residents. The areas near Harry Hines Boulevard, Walnut Hill Lane and Shady Trail have long been regarded by police as the city’s main corridor for sex work.
Police officials say officers may need to lean more heavily on undercover work, which requires larger operations and is more dangerous.
Critics of the ordinance say it is vague, leads to questionable enforcement in over-policed areas and seeks a shortcut to fight crime that violates citizens’ constitutional rights.
The ordinance was challenged after Iqbal Jivani was cited last August on suspicion of loitering with the purpose of engaging in prostitution in the 11100 block of Shady Trail in northwest Dallas, according to court documents. Jivani was in a known prostitution area “and stopped to engage passers-by in conversation,” police alleged.
In her ruling last week, Wade agreed with a municipal judge that the ordinance punished constitutionally protected conduct like talking to passers-by and waving at cars. She wrote the law could result in bias toward areas with higher crime rates or lower-income populations. A citation could be issued in South Dallas for behavior considered lawful in North Dallas, she said.
Dallas has a similar ordinance for “manifesting the purpose of selling illegal drugs and chemicals,” which has also long faced scrutiny for its broad language and the wide discretion it gives police, according to a 2004 Dallas Observer article.
Other cities across the country have had similar laws face criticism for the broad leeway they give officers. In New York, a state anti-loitering law created to address prostitution was repealed in 2021. California repealed its anti-loitering law in 2022.
In Phoenix, Ariz., a civil rights group condemned a local ordinance after a transgender college student was prosecuted on charges of manifesting prostitution in 2014. That ordinance is still being used, and the majority of those facing charges in the past two years were Black, according to the Phoenix New Times.
”It kind of paves the way for sex workers to be criminalized just simply based on appearance,” said Savannah Kumar, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas.
Anyone could be criminalized because an officer believed them to be a sex worker, and being in a more heavily-policed area could put people at risk, Kumar said. When ordinances are overbroad, they can create a chilling effect on constitutionally protected actions because people are afraid of being criminalized or dealing with court proceedings as a result.
“That’s such a big harm in itself,” Kumar said. “It’s important to be thoughtful about the text of ordinances like these, even before they’re passed, so that those harms don’t actually manifest and that people are able to … have that freedom to express themselves in public spaces without that fear of criminalization.”
Dallas, TX
Sources: Giants’ DeVito expected out vs. Dallas
New York Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito is expected to be out for Thursday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys because of his forearm injury and Drew Lock is expected to start in his place, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Jordan Raanan.
DeVito is listed as questionable for the Thanksgiving Day game, but a source told ESPN on Wednesday that DeVito was considered a long shot to play.
He did not travel with the team to Dallas on Wednesday as he was undergoing further evaluation, the Giants said. The team, however, said it expected him to travel to Dallas later Wednesday.
DeVito took several big hits in Sunday’s 30-7 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was making his first start of the season after the Giants released former starter Daniel Jones late last week.
The Giants turn to Lock after bypassing him following the benching of Jones for DeVito. Lock spent the first 10 weeks as the backup, with DeVito as the third string/emergency quarterback.
Lock has a short week and no real practices to get ready for the matchup of NFC East rivals. He also will be playing behind an offensive line without its starting tackles. Andrew Thomas (foot) is on injured reserve and Jermaine Eluemunor (quad) was ruled out Wednesday.
Dallas, TX
Colorado visits Dallas after shootout victory
Associated Press
Colorado Avalanche (13-10, in the Central Division) vs. Dallas Stars (13-8, in the Central Division)
Dallas; Friday, 9 p.m. EST
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Stars -140, Avalanche +116; over/under is 6.5
BOTTOM LINE: The Dallas Stars host the Colorado Avalanche after the Avalanche took down the Vegas Golden Knights 2-1 in a shootout.
Dallas is 13-8 overall and 4-2-0 against the Central Division. The Stars have a 4-2-0 record in games they score at least one power-play goal.
Colorado is 13-10 overall and 2-3-0 against the Central Division. The Avalanche have a 2-5-0 record in games their opponents serve fewer penalty minutes.
The teams meet Friday for the first time this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Matt Duchene has 12 goals and 14 assists for the Stars. Mason Marchment has five goals and seven assists over the last 10 games.
Cale Makar has eight goals and 22 assists for the Avalanche. Mikko Rantanen has eight goals and seven assists over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Stars: 6-4-0, averaging 3.7 goals, 6.4 assists, 3.1 penalties and 8.2 penalty minutes while giving up 2.8 goals per game.
Avalanche: 7-3-0, averaging three goals, 4.8 assists, 2.6 penalties and 5.2 penalty minutes while giving up 2.9 goals per game.
INJURIES: Stars: None listed.
Avalanche: None listed.
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Dallas, TX
Kidd breaks the silence, gives first update on Luka Doncic’s sudden wrist injury
The Dallas Mavericks’ bad injury and availability luck this season continued into Wednesday evening, as Dallas will be without Daniel Gafford, Klay Thompson, Dante Exum, and Luka Doncic against the New York Knicks tonight.
While no one expected Doncic and Exum to play as they are both out with wrist injuries, both Thompson and Gafford had a chance at playing. Thompson will be out for the second straight game with left foot plantar fascia, and Gafford is out with an illness.
This illness has been no joke for Dallas, as both Quentin Grimes and Dereck Lively II were listed on the injury report, but both are available against the Knicks.
The Mavs have found a way to win two of the three games that Doncic has missed due to this sprained wrist that he unexpectedly suffered against the New Orleans Pelicans last Tuesday, and Mavs head coach Jason Kidd gave the first update on Doncic’s status when it comes to the wrist injury on Wednesday night.
“He looks good,” Kidd said at his pregame media availability. “Everything that has come back that he looks good and is getting closer to coming back.”
Kidd then continued to talk about how Doncic has been going through “individual workouts,” and everything that he has “heard or seen is trending in the right direction.” He went through a pregame workout at the American Airlines Center with his wrist taped despite being out, and this is a good sign.
It’s typical for Kidd and the Mavericks to limit what they tell the media when it comes to players’ injuries, but the fact that Doncic is going through workouts and responding well is a good sign. Doncic has not been able to catch a break this season, as he has dealt with a calf contusion, knee contusion, and this wrist sprain over the last two months, and this week-plus off should help get him back to being 100 percent.
He didn’t even seem to be 100 percent with his knee when he injured his wrist against New Orleans, and him getting this time of rest could be huge for him in returning to playing at an MVP level. This wrist injury happened so suddenly against the Pelicans, and even Doncic didn’t know the exact moment it happened. He said that the pain started early on in the game, and it got worse as the game went on. Doncic dubbed his wrist injury as “nothing serious” in his postgame press conference from last Tuesday night, but his availability lately says otherwise.
This season for Dallas, Doncic is averaging 28.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 7.6 assists per game while shooting 43.5 percent from the field and 32.4 percent from downtown, and while his numbers are down, Kidd remains confident in his superstar. Kidd emphasized that Doncic is still “human” last week when asked about his slow start to the season, and even though Dallas is finding ways to win without him, his return is going to help take this team to another level.
His teammates miss having him on the floor with them, and the Mavs are a completely different team when Doncic is fully healthy and cooking with gas. It has been a while since Mavs fans saw Doncic fully healthy considering the downpour of injuries that slowed him down during the playoffs, and he and Kyrie Irving will have the chance to help push this team back to the top of the Western Conference once he returns from this wrist injury.
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