Dallas

Dallas Neighbors Plan Protest Against Motel

Residents of a Dallas neighborhood say they are taking a stand and asking the city to step in and help them get a motel to move on.

They are concerned about the Grand Inn on West Camp Wisdom Road and now are planning a protest over the weekend.

Eric Williams started his day Wednesday appealing to city leaders on the Dallas City Council.

"I'm calling on the city to use its eminent domain power to shut this place down," Williams said.

It's a mission he’s been on for a while.

"I've been fighting this fight ever since I returned to Dallas in 2005," he said.

He made his plea before council members armed with data he gathered using the federal Freedom of Information Act. He said he found years of citations against people at the motel's address.

"Drugs, drunkenness, prostitution and illicit criminal activity has been going on at this motel for numerous years," he said.

Linda Wright's front door is right around the corner from the motel.

"Well, it wasn't an issue when we first moved over here, because it wasn't like that, but here lately it has gotten worse," Wright said.

Wright said she now gets worried about letting her grandchildren pass the motel to get to the store.

"If they are just living there because they don't have any place to stay, that's fine, but if there's crime like prostitution and drugs or whatever, then it needs to be gone," she said.

A new school, Uplift Pinnacle Preparatory, opened about a quarter of mile away.

"You can't afford to have 200-plus [and] maxed out 1,800-plus students across the street," Williams said. "We deserve better than that. We deserve a better quality of life than that."

NBC 5 attempted to reach the motel's owners for comment Wednesday, but was unable to do so.

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