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> It was the winter of 1987-88 in South Dallas, or maybe it was the following summer … Tussles were frequent, and being Texas, half the club came strapped. Tex

> It was the winter of 1987-88 in South Dallas, or maybe it was the following summer … Tussles were frequent, and being Texas, half the club came strapped. Texas did not pass its concealed-carry law until 1995. In fact, in 1991 its legislature considered a gun-control law! Great writing, but I wonder at how accurate the rest of the details are.

jandrese 6y ago
How many people going to a nightclub in a rough part of town frequented by an assortment of career criminals and associates people are going to care?
s5300 6y ago
Hmmm... If you're saying this with no sarcasm at all, you might be in a bit of a bubble. While it may have very well been illegal, you can be wholeheartedly assured that the statement of non-negligible strappedness in a South Dallas club circa late '80s is true. Wouldn't the world be a wonderful place if everybody followed laws. Maybe. Probably not though, if you dig into laws...
vonmoltke 6y ago
The only detail I found questionable (and have the knowledge to do so) is the labelling of Forest Lane as "South Dallas". That's pretty much as far north as you can get in Dallas, notwithstanding a weird chunk that goes north near Carrollton/Farmers Branch.
- heyflyguy 6y ago
  Yes, and back then that would have been way north Dallas. Forest lane in the 80s was for sure the biggest "cruising" street in the entire metroplex. Funny to think of Vanilla Ice being there, with people listening to Van Halen, Def Leppard....and then this dude with sculpted hair in track suits rapping.
- eadmund 6y ago
  I also wouldn't have considered Farmers Branch to be an inner-ring suburb — my recollection from the 90s was that it was way out in the sticks. But maybe I misremember.
whoknew1122 6y ago
Not sure where you're from, but in Texas carrying firearms is a cultural thing. People didn't wait until concealed carry was passed to start holding. Concealed carry in Texas legalized something people were already doing In the streets of most big Texas cities, you can just go ahead and assume about half of the people are holding. Further, concealed carry doesn't cover bars/night clubs. If a place derives more than 51% of its revenue from the sale of on-site consumption of alcohol, you can't carry no matter what license you have. That's ignoring the fact that a not insignificant amount of people (especially Black young men) in South Dallas are formerly incarcerated or in some form of the justice system. Especially during the late 80's during the height of the crack epidemic. So they're not legally allowed to carry anyway.

jandrese 6y ago

How many people going to a nightclub in a rough part of town frequented by an assortment of career criminals and associates people are going to care?

s5300 6y ago

Hmmm... If you're saying this with no sarcasm at all, you might be in a bit of a bubble. While it may have very well been illegal, you can be wholeheartedly assured that the statement of non-negligible strappedness in a South Dallas club circa late '80s is true. Wouldn't the world be a wonderful place if everybody followed laws. Maybe. Probably not though, if you dig into laws...

vonmoltke 6y ago

The only detail I found questionable (and have the knowledge to do so) is the labelling of Forest Lane as "South Dallas". That's pretty much as far north as you can get in Dallas, notwithstanding a weird chunk that goes north near Carrollton/Farmers Branch.

heyflyguy 6y ago
Yes, and back then that would have been way north Dallas. Forest lane in the 80s was for sure the biggest "cruising" street in the entire metroplex. Funny to think of Vanilla Ice being there, with people listening to Van Halen, Def Leppard....and then this dude with sculpted hair in track suits rapping.
eadmund 6y ago
I also wouldn't have considered Farmers Branch to be an inner-ring suburb — my recollection from the 90s was that it was way out in the sticks. But maybe I misremember.

whoknew1122 6y ago

Not sure where you're from, but in Texas carrying firearms is a cultural thing. People didn't wait until concealed carry was passed to start holding. Concealed carry in Texas legalized something people were already doing In the streets of most big Texas cities, you can just go ahead and assume about half of the people are holding. Further, concealed carry doesn't cover bars/night clubs. If a place derives more than 51% of its revenue from the sale of on-site consumption of alcohol, you can't carry no matter what license you have. That's ignoring the fact that a not insignificant amount of people (especially Black young men) in South Dallas are formerly incarcerated or in some form of the justice system. Especially during the late 80's during the height of the crack epidemic. So they're not legally allowed to carry anyway.