For three years, Mario Lewis, owner of Gutta Gang Creative Studio, has tried to lower the volume of criminal activity outside his recording studio off Harry Hines in Dallas. “It brought a lot of homeless people along the front of the building. Um, a lot of drugs, a lot of drug addicts,” Lewis said. Lewis says the decades-long crime led by street gangs that the Cole Manor Motel brought to the area, including prostitution, drug trafficking and violent crime, only came to a halt weeks ago, when these fences were put up around the property. “It’s noticeable because yesterday I was out front and I definitely noticed it. I noticed even the people in the community. They’re walking in and moving around, working out now. They’re not scared to run down this block anymore,” Lewis said. Dallas Police say that, between a code compliance case against the property in 2024, a DEA search warrant, a criminal nuisance lawsuit filed by the City of Dallas, and a notice of intent by the US Attorney for the Northern District of Texas to criminally charge the property owners and managers, the motel is finally set to be demolished. “I don’t think we’ll miss it. I can’t say that,” Ryan Gilbert said. Ryan Gilbert, who works at a nearby law firm, says the start of the demolition is already making a difference in the ongoing work to improve the area. “The homeless influx was pretty bad last year, but they had pretty much cleared that out,” Gilbert said. Community members that NBC 5 spoke with say they made complaints to the city for years, they say the motel’s demolition sends a strong message to any business off Harry Hines conducting illegal activity. “I just want to show gratitude and show my appreciation to let them know that we thank them,” Lewis said. For the first time on Friday, Lewis will host a Juneteenth Community Festival at his property, something he never felt safe doing before the start of the motel’s demolition. “That’s why I never did it. It was just too much going on around here,” Lewis said. Dallas Police say the demolition will be finished by early July, helping nearby business owners like Lewis sing a new tune. ...read more read less