Rosa Lopez street toppers commemorate her affordable housing legacy in Los Altos
About 30 West Dallas residents from Los Altos and community leaders gathered to honor the life and legacy of the late Rosa Lopez at the street toppers unveiling ceremony at Vecinos Unidos, Inc. on Friday, March 31. She is the first Latina, openly-gay woman in the City of Dallas to receive an honorary street topper.
Mary Velez, chair of Vecinos Unidos, says the Lopez toppers will be a reminder of her work in the community to improve the quality of living and empower neighbors to be aspiring small business owners or local artists. Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Omar Narvaez, who represents West Dallas as the District 6 councilmember, credits Lopez’s advocacy work for creating today’s highest percentage of home ownership in 75212 — higher than the city’s average of 41 percent. In West Dallas’ 75212 ZIP code, 62 percent of residents are homeowners, according to the ZIP Code Tabulation Area from the Census Bureau. Carmen Ayala, a representative of Texas Representative Jasmine Crockett’s office, also recognized Vecinos Unidos, a community-led advocacy group, with an award commemorating Lopez’s community work.
All the attendees counted down on the street corner of North Winnetka Avenue and Vecinos Boulevard to reveal the first of eight street toppers in the Los Altos neighborhood. Afterward, everyone celebrated in Vecinos Unidos’s building for a reception with Lopez’s advocacy work displayed throughout the room to look back at her community impact.
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Jeffrey Ruiz is a Dallas native who focuses on government accountability in his South Dallas and West Dallas reporting as a Report for America corps member. His journalist expertise lies in covering immigrants, the transgender community, the Latino community, poverty and the unhoused. He also enjoys diving into religion and its influence in the community.
When asked why Ruiz chose to write for Dallas Free Press, he says, “Being a part of a local newsroom that serves the community in any way possible with the readers’ best interest in mind is where I always dreamed of being a journalist. I look forward to the day I start writing news stories in Spanish to be translated into English.”
When Ruiz needs a break, you can find him enjoying lunch at his favorite go-to spots: La Tacotrona and Locura Small Bites.
Areas of Expertise:
Government accountability in South Dallas and West Dallas
Location Expertise:
Dallas, TX
Official Title:
Community and Communications Coordinator
Email Address:
jeffrey@dallasfreepress.com
