DISD Students connect through art in Mill City

The intersection of Collins and Clarkson in the Mill City neighborhood was the site of a number of blighted buildings that were attracting loitering and crime. The corner has been targeted by the City for stabilization by increasing police presence and focusing on code enforcement.

The properties were seized and the houses demolished which left the City with a unique opportunity. Instead of fencing in the vacant lot, the City of Dallas staff and community partners decided to create a competition and give Dallas ISD art students the opportunity to beautify the community.

Students from Dunbar, JJ Rhodes, Charles Rice and O.M. Roberts elementary schools, Dade middle school and Lincoln and James Madison high schools entered a completion to paint wood panels for a perimeter fence. The winning school would get $1,000 for their art department.

“We hope this collaboration has an impact on neighborhood pride, the economy and crime,” Southeast Community Prosecutor Jill Haning says.

Chief of Community Prosecution Maureen Milligan said the coordinated removal of multiple vacant houses by Dallas Habitat for Humanity will send a powerful message that crime and disorder will no longer be tolerated in the Mill City Community

“Showing students how to turn a typically negative issue into something positive is very rewarding,”
Milligan added.

Citizens of Dallas can vote for their favorite school’s project online. Voting is open until May 31; cast your vote by clicking here.