The story behind the stories we’re telling in South Dallas

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We don’t know how many of our neighbors are unable to access their social security benefits.

Sujata Dand recently told the story of Benny Cooper, an Army veteran who hasn’t been able to access any money since April because the debit card where the Social Security Administration sends his benefits was blocked.

Cooper doesn’t know why his card was blocked. He doesn’t know how to fix it. Visits to the Social Security office on Malcolm X haven’t helped, nor have calls to SSA, even with TR Hoover‘s Sherri Mixon and Dand sitting with him on the call.

We’re still trying to find out what happened to Cooper and how many other South Dallas residents are suffering from the same system problem. 

It’s not common for news media to point out when they don’t have the answers. But we believe in transparency around our reporting and storytelling, so we’re telling readers why we chose to pursue a story, who we’re talking to, what we know — and even what we don’t know.

You’ll find these insights in a smaller piece alongside our stories, and you can read our first effort by scrolling to the end of Benny Cooper’s story, here. Let us know what you think and what other questions you might have. (We’re also still toying with the name. Inside scoop? Back story? Reporter’s Notebook? Cast your vote or make a suggestion.)

To say that South Dallas and the State Fair of Texas have a complicated relationship is an understatement.

Fair Park‘s adjacency to South Dallas means that for the 24 days a year that the State Fair operates (this year, Sept. 29-Oct. 22), the two entities with their racially divisive history have to figure out how to be neighbors.

In some ways, they benefit each other. The State Fair needs seasonal employees, and often finds them within South Dallas. The property owners around Fair Park, from businesspeople to churches, open their parking lots to State Fair visitors and profit from the increased congestion during the fair, sometimes by offering more competitive pricing than the $20-$40 State Fair spots.

But it doesn’t benefit South Dallas churches and business owners if the State Fair’s road closures route traffic away from their lots. That complaint surfaced in recent Pointe South Revitalization meetings, along with complaints from residents that these same road closures are keeping them from being able to get to and from their homes.

Read the story here.