Asylum Mobilitarium: June 2014

On September 1, 1977 the DMN had an article about the repeal of the 1967 Texas law that required motorcyclists to wear helmets. This is an ongoing debate that persists to this day. Sometime after this 1977 repeal, the helmet law was put back on the books. This author remembers the next repeal of the law in the late nineties. Yep, everyone threw away their helmets (including me) as we hung out at Blue Goose on Lower Greenville Ave. But as most of us that continued riding to this day and have “seen the elephant” as they said in the Civil War and is used by motorcyclists today, most experienced riders (and there are exceptions and yes it’s a personal choice) would not leave home without a helmet.

As I said it’s still an ongoing debate and is a touchy subject to many all these years later.

On another entirely different subject, the Dallas morning News reported on September 4th that Supreme Court Justice Lewis F. Powell has stayed the September 13^th execution of Edward Lincoln King. The 34 year old man was convicted of killing Dallas police officer Leslie G. Lane. The attorney for King said that the court had given him until November 5^th to file an appeal on behalf of his client.

The shooting of Officer Lane had happened on March 2, 1974 after a 5 hour spree in which he beat an off-duty female police officer outside her apartment and kidnapping two other women at the corner of Birmingham and Oakland.

King was later executed by the State of Texas.

On September 11^th an article was written that ironically had to do with two other Dallas police officer’s widows. The first story was about how Jeanette Moore, who was the widow of slain DPD officer Alvin Moore, was coping with life after the death of her husband. Officer Moore was slain on November 13, 1976 while trying to talk a disturbed teenager into surrendering his gun. As the DMN reporter asked Jeanette about her life after her husband’s death, there was a long uncomfortable silence, then she softly said “I really just don’t want to talk about it.”

Mrs. Moore’s life was further complicated at the time because a grant of $50,000 from the Law Enforcement Assistance Association (LEAA) under the Public Safety Benefit Act of 1976 was on administrated hold. The agency was investigating claims by other survivors of Officer Moore. The agency said that it would be a month and a half at least before the claims could be fully investigated.

The mother of the widow of DPD Officer Robert Wood, who was killed by Randall Dale Adams, 28 of New York on November 28, 1976 said that her daughter also doesn’t like to talk about the death of her husband. Mrs. Wood was majoring in business administration at nearby Grayson County Junior College. She also plays piano at the Calvary Baptist Church in Bonham. She said that her decision to live alone was made shortly after the death of Officer Wood. “I knew it would be easier,” she said. “I wouldn’t have any family pressures. At the time she just wanted to be by herself.”

A couple of months ago in this space we spoke about the new and controversial plan by the City of Dallas to fine homes and businesses that continually have false burglar alarms. Two Dallas city councilman were critical of the plan, which initially charge the offending owners a $50.00 “service charge” for each burglary alarm after the first four reported by police. There would also be the fifty dollar fee for the same number of false robbery alarms and a $100.00 fee for every fire alarm after the first three false reports.

City councilman John Leedom took issue with the city report of over thirty thousand false burglar alarms in 1976. He said that “The word false is not really fair. Just because a burglar isn’t at the store when the police arrive, doesn’t mean he wasn’t jiggling the door trying to gain entry.”

HMMM…

Leedom went on to say that “And what happens to the persons who have their permits revoked?! Will they just let themselves be robbed or allow their buildings to burn down?”

Another Dallas city councilman, William Cothrum, who owns an estimated 30 burglar alarms for his various business’ in Texas, said he believes the requirements in the ordinance are “bordering on the absurd.” He said that the only answer to the burglar alarm problem would be a technological one that would upgrade the quality of the alarms.

Dr. Cates from the City of Dallas reported that 70 percent of the false alarms reported in 1976 came from only 17 percent of Dallas companies using alarms.

One other story from September, 1977 comes from the Dallas County Sherriff’s Department. Their High Sheriff Carl Thomas, who at one point wanted a General MacArthur type of uniform, was seeking to build a wall constructed between his largely glass office and the public hallways of the courthouse ground floor.

Thomas said the wall was not for his personal safety. “I know someone could shoot me if they wanted to.” Thomas went on to say that ‘” Drunks, everyone can stagger in here. I had someone come in here and ask me for an aspirin the other day!”