Dallas Housing Authority Section 8 Chaos

www.wfaa.com DALLAS — At least eight people were hurt Thursday morning while scrambling to line up for a limited number of Dallas County rental vouchers — after waiting for hours in their cars. People lined up Thursday morning to apply for Dallas County Section 8 housing vouchers. Dallas County sheriff’s spokesman Kim Leach estimated the crowd at about 5000. The office at the Jesse Owens Memorial Complex wasn’t supposed to open until 8 am, but some applicants started lining up at 10 o’clock Wednesday night. Police kept people off school district property until the gates opened at 6 am That resulted in a long string of cars lined up on the streets. Doors were opened early. Hundreds of people rushed the line, causing moments of unruliness. “I started running and I slipped and fell,” said applicant Jordan Spivey, who suffered cuts and scrapes as she was caught up in the crowd. But she said she feels lucky that she wasn’t trampled. “It was a madhouse,” said applicant Ada McKinsey, who was injured as the crowd closed in around the door. “People pushing, fighting.” But authorities eventually gained control. Seven people were treated by paramedics. None were taken to the hospital. The question is: Why didn’t organizers plan for more people and have more security in place to keep the crowds under control? Organizers of the event said they didn’t plan for people to start arriving until Thursday morning. But people who started showing up as early as Wednesday afternoon were told to
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