the Electronic Press Kit

OUT OF DEEPWOOD
A DALLAS NEIGHBORHOOD STORIES FILM
22 minutes 50 seconds
Aspect Ratio - 16:9
Shooting Format - Digital
Color, English
outofdeepwood.com
bcWORKSHOP
416 South Ervay Street
Dallas, Texas 75201
(214) 252-2900
[email protected]
www.bcworkshop.org
Craig Weflen | Filmmaker
416 South Ervay Street
Dallas, Texas 75201
(214) 252-2900
[email protected]
SHORT SYNOPSIS
Today, the Trinity River Audubon Center is a place of discovery, education, and tranquility. Yet this location,
adjacent to a middle-class African-American neighborhood, has not always been so peaceful. For a quarter
century, the City of Dallas turned a blind eye to over two million cubic yards of trash being dumped illegally.
This is the story of the precedent-setting environmental law case Cox v City of Dallas Texas, a neighborhood’s
fight for justice, and the reclamation of land toward a new future.
LONG SYNOPSIS
Drive along the Great Trinity Forest Highway today and you will find, tucked between junk yards and used car
lots, a gravel road leading to the Trinity River Audubon Center. This secluded refuge has become a place of
solitude and tranquility that Dallasites have enjoyed over the last 6 years.
And yet this site was not always quiet or peaceful. Not long ago, visitors would have been unable to breathe
due to the clouds of smoke from a burning landfill. They would have been choked with the stench, stabbed
by the nails and unmarked needles that littered the ground, and unable to believe the horrific sights of the
largest illegal dump in Texas history. The Deepwood Dump, unregulated for over a quarter of a century, was
the home for anything and everything that could not be put in a regular landfill. Not only was it filled with
construction debris from controversial city demolition practices, but contained dangerous chemicals such
as asbestos and benzene.
The dump existed not in isolation, but in the back yards of a neighborhood bearing the pains of white flight. As
blacks moved in, whites moved out, and Dallas turned a blind eye to the illegal activities of the landowners.
Despite countless complaints and tireless activism on the part of the neighborhood residents, they were
unable to hold the city’s attention and secure a lasting change at the site. Twenty-three years after the city
initially granted the landowner a permit for sand and gravel mining operations, the landfill caught fire and
burned for over a month, flooding the neighborhood with smoke, cinder, and headaches. On the hook for
$1.5 million for fire fighting efforts, city officials finally came down to the site and were horrified by what they
saw. Infuriated city council members suggested that the neighbors sue the city. The neighbors listened.
In 1999’s precedent-setting decision, Cox v City of Dallas Texas, Judge Barefoot Sanders, longtime advocate
for equity in all realms of civic life, found the city and landowners liable under federal law and ordered
the cleanup of the site. Leveraging funds and public interest in the Trinity River Corridor Project, the judge
allowed the city to keep most of the waste on-site, provided it was occupied with a building they would have
a vested interest in maintaining.
While there now exists a resource where there was nothing but abuse, the area is still overlooked by most
Dallasites. Over a quarter century, Dallas allowed two million cubic yards of trash to accumulate, which,
if stacked on a vacant block in downtown Dallas, would stand taller than the Empire State Building. This
neighborhood’s story must be shared, lest we forget the damage that can be caused by indifference and
neglect.
Q&A with Filmmaker Craig Weflen
What got the film started?
T Hanson, Trinity River Audubon Center’s (TRAC) Operations Director, contacted bcWORKSHOP and expressed
interest in producing a video about the history of the center and the site while folks were still around who
remembered the details about what had happened. Given our work with neighborhoods at bcWORKSHOP,
we expanded the focus of the film to share the story of TRAC’s neighbors.
At it’s core, what is the film about? What is the message?
The film is really about two things. First, it is an example of the damage that can be done through the
inattention or neglect by city officials on a specific area of a city. Whether you believe the 25 years of almost
total inaction were due to the bumbling bureaucracy, or to a more sinister belief that some racial areas of the
city are less important than others, the fact remains - as stated by Judge Sanders in his ruling - the city had
ample opportunities to act by simply following its own procedures, and yet did not.
Putting aside the (in)actions of the city, however, this film at its core is really about the neighbors, who have
displayed unbelievable sentiments of hope and optimism despite the decades of insults and injustice. The
near universal expressions of hope for the future of their neighborhood really is a stirring testament to the
best qualities of the human spirit.
Could the neighborhood residents and leaders be described as “resilient” in the face of such hazards?
Without question. That doesn’t mean they don’t have concerns about future development, and maintaining
the attention of the city government. But they have shown an incredible amount of resiliency by not allowing
decades of injustice to define them.
What does it take to prevent these issues in the future?
The attention of the city government. The Trinity River Project (the Audubon Center, Golf Course, and Horse
Park specifically) will help this to an extent, as they will bring visitors to this part of our city. However, these
facilities operate essentially on an island, set back from the roads and the communities that surround them.
Visitors to these places come in on highways and major roads, but don’t really drive through or interact
with the communities that surround them. While this is certainly better than nothing, these facilities won’t
in and of themselves bring the economic development and other improvements that are needed. A more
concentrated planning and investment strategy needs to be developed for this area.
Did you face any challenges in securing information from any of the parties? Especially those conveyed in
a less than glowing light?
The neighbors were incredibly helpful in providing any photos or newspaper clippings they had saved, and
Shirley Davidson was invaluable, organizing with the rest of the neighbors. Mike Daniel and Laura Beshara,
in addition to providing an absolute wealth of images and footage, were also incredibly helpful in answering
countless detail oriented questions for months after we interviewed them. Jan Sanders was also a massive
assistance, putting us in contact with various people and was ready to help on a moments notice.
The City was actually pretty helpful with providing photos and other information. Don Burns with the Park
& Recreation Department shared construction photos, initial site plans and diagrams, as well as a few
documents from Terracon, the company who handled the remediation of the site. While we weren’t able to
get ahold of anyone in the Sanitation Department to grant us permission to speak directly with Terracon,
we were able to speak with Assistant City Manager Jill Jordan, who leads the Trinity River Project and was
involved with both the remediation efforts and the site selection of the Trinity River Audubon Center.
Additionally, almost all of the photos shown of the dump itself are from the City Attorney’s office. While
it was great for us that such comprehensive evidence exists, it was also disturbing to know that these
photos had existed in City Hall while these activities were taking place. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say
that the documentation and enforcement teams in City Hall had, at the very least, a massive breakdown in
communication during this period.
What do you hope this film will bring to those who see it?
My hope in making this film is that it will remind us all that inaction can be as damaging as action. The
landowners abused the property where this dumping occurred, but I find myself less angry with them than
I am at the city for not stopping it when they had multiple opportunities. It’s really about making this story
more visible so that we, as citizens of the entire city, never again stand idly by and let another Deepwood
develop.
KEY PLAYERS
The Neighbors
After decades of persistent advocacy with little resulting change,
neighbors sued the City of Dallas and the landowners of the
Deepwood Dump, an illegal dumping operation that had been
operating in their backyard for a quarter of a century. The
Plaintiffs, Harold Cox, Shirley Davidson, Robert Stubblefield,
Cynthia Herring, Eloise Edwards, Betty Curley, and Leo Easter,
alleged violations of federal environmental laws and won
injunctive relief.
Michael Daniel and Laura Beshara
The Daniel & Beshara, P.C. law firm represents civil rights
plaintiffs in public housing desegregation, voting rights, and
municipal services discrimination lawsuits in Dallas and the East
Texas region. Mike and Laura represented the neighbors in Cox v
City of Dallas Texas, and continue to advocate for the protection
of the site.
Judge H. Barefoot Sanders
(Feb. 5, 1925 - Sep 21, 2008) a longtime United States District
Judge best known for overseeing the lawsuit to desegregate the
Dallas Independent School District. In Cox v City of Dallas Texas,
Judge Sanders found the City of Dallas and the landowners
liable for violations contributing to the Deepwood Dump, and
supervised the remediation of the property.
PRODUCERS
Craig Weflen
A second year Fellow working in bcWORKSHOP’s Dallas office,
Craig focuses on Neighborhood Stories, an initiative to identify,
research, and celebrate the neighborhoods of our cities.
Neighborhood Stories produces public events and media
that document the stories, cultures, and identities of these
communities, and how these communities have changed over
time. Out of Deepwood is Craig’s first film at this scale.
buildingcommunityWORKSHOP
A Texas based nonprofit community design center seeking to
improve the livability and viability of communities through the
practice of thoughtful design and making. We enrich the lives
of citizens by bringing design thinking to areas of our city where
resources are most scarce. To do so, [bc] recognizes that it must
first understand the social, economic, and environmental issues
facing a community before beginning work.
Trinity River Audubon Center
Located eight minutes from downtown Dallas on 120 acres,
opened October 2008 and is part of the City of Dallas-Trinity River
Corridor Project. The land, formerly an illegal dump site, has been
reclaimed by the City of Dallas and beautifully demonstrates
how a municipal liability can be transformed into a major asset
for people of all ages to enjoy. Visitors have the opportunity to
explore hands-on exhibits, five miles of nature viewing trails,
the Children’s Discovery Garden, and a great nature store with
unique gifts and nature related items. Programs offered at the
center educate and entertain children, families, and adults. We
also invite you to join the center.
Deepwood neighbors today, in front of the “No Dumping Allowed” sign and fence around the former entrance to the Deepwood Dump.
photo: bcWORKSHOP.
Graphic showing the same site today, with the Trinity River Audubon Center, and in 1997 after a large fire burned in the dump for months.
graphic: bcWORKSHOP. left photo: Sean Fitzgerald. right photo: Dallas City Attorney’s Office.
OUT OF DEEPWOOD
A DALLAS NEIGHBORHOOD STORIES FILM
outofdeepwood.com
produced, directed, & edited by
Craig Weflen
executive producer
bcWORKSHOP
featuring
Shirley Davidson
Cynthia Herring-Flanagan
Robert Stubblefield
Mike Daniel
Laura Beshara
Jan Sanders
Jill Jordan
with appearances by
Don Burns
Ben Sandifer
Mary Potter
Gay McDaniel
Billy Ray Pemberton
Rawlins Gilliland
Ben Jones
and the voices of
Harold Cox
Yolanda Neeley
Al Lipscomb
T Hanson
Patricia Davis
special thanks to
Betty Curley
Sean Fitzgerald
Genie Fritz
Anne Brown
Vonciel Jones Hill
camera
Craig Weflen
T.J. Bogan
sound
Jamie Vahala
Craig Weflen
research
T.J. Bogan
Craig Weflen
Jamie Vahala
graphics
Craig Weflen
Aaron Benjamin
music
Freeky Cleen & Dickey F - Feel At Home
Christopher Taylor - The Trees Are Swaying
Steve Gunn - Mr Franklin
Astrazz - The Jazz Woman
Freeky Cleen & Dickey F - If My Soul
facebook.com/freekycleen
images courtesy of
Dallas Morning News Archives
Trinity River Audubon Center
City of Dallas
Daniel & Beshara, P.C.
Shirley Davidson
Betty Curley
Cynthia Herring-Flanagan
Jan Sanders
Portal to Texas History
Google Earth Pro
Fort Worth Weekly
Dallas Observer
footage courtesy of
Daniel & Beshara, P.C.
KDFW Fox 4 News Dallas-Forth Worth
(used under Fair Use provisions)
Trinity River Audubon Center