DALLAS — It's become a familiar Sunday night sight: Cars cruising near Fair Park in Dallas.
But starting this weekend, Dallas police are cracking down on the popular pastime.
Every Sunday, Kendrick Paysinger gets ready for a cruising tradition in Dallas. "If you got a nice car and you want to show off your car, Sunday MLK is the place to be," he said.
An online search revealed videos of the weekly party on the pavement.
Hundreds of people get in their cars, gather at a nearby park, and then drive into the neighborhood along MLK and Malcolm X Boulevards.
Sometimes, the event attracts nearly 2,000 people. But this weekend, those crowds were hard to find because Dallas police officers were everywhere.
"We are not doing anything wrong," Paysinger complained. "We are just showing off our cars, and they don't want us to do that."
Dallas police launched a campaign to crack down on cruising after receiving complaints from homeowners and businesses.
There haven't been any major problems, but Sgt. Charles Epperson said this initiative is about prevention.
"You have liquor involved, alcohol, short tempers involved...and next thing you know, you have the fights," he said. "When you mix that many people up in an area like this, yes, you have the potential for great problems to surface."
Officers handed out traffic tickets and illegal vending citations on Sunday evening. They also set up barricades to keep motorists from parking on vacant properties and in business parking lots.
DPD is controlling cruising before it gets out of control, and Debb Walker applauded their effort.
"They need to get a hold of it because it's going to get out of hand, and you really are going to have some problems later on," she said. "It's best that they start now, and it's good to see them here... hooray!"
The city is working on a no cruising ordinance for the MLK area. Sunday's operation has led to at least two arrests and almost 20 citations.
The campaign was scheduled to end at midnight, but police said they'll be back next weekend.
E-mail mdiaz@wfaa.com
