Deciding on just one word to define a whole year is no easy task.
Most would agree that 2020 was a year of uncertainty, and 2021 was one of resilience. 2022 was the year of renewal, which brings us to 2023.
The year brought red carpets and historic reopenings to our neighborhood. Two restaurants opened for every one that closed, and our area schools saw state championship victories and heartbreaks.
Oak Cliff celebrities were discovered, honored and memorialized. In our neighborhoods, residents made their voices heard in zoning debates (and more zoning debates), local elections and infrastructure changes.
In summary, it seems clear to us at the Advocate that 2023 was a year best defined by our neighborhood’s connectedness.
And there were 10 stories our readers connected with above all the rest.
1. Oak Cliff Mardi Gras will be bigger than ever before
Photo by Elliott Muñoz
Our most read story of the year, coming in at over 27,000 individual page views, proves just how hard Oak Cliff goes for beloved neighborhood traditions.
2023 was the first year the Good Space Dash for the Beads partnered with Go Oak Cliff’s Mardi Gras parade, making the largest Mardi Gras celebration in North Texas even bigger than before.
While the end of a year is always bittersweet, New Year’s Day will bring us all that closer to the 2024 Oak Cliff Mardi Gras Parade, and we can’t wait to see what the event planners have up their sleeves.
2. Dallas ISD investigating Kimball High School employee accused of striking student
Kimball High School courtesy of Google Maps.
When a video posted to social media showed an apparent Dallas ISD employee striking a Kimball High School student twice in the school hallway, our neighborhood was shocked.
A statement from DISD said the district was “deeply disturbed” by the incident, and “swift action” was taken to hold “all parties involved” responsible.
Dallas County court records show a man by the same name listed in the social media video’s caption was arrested and charged with assault following the event.
3. The shuttered Oak Cliff United Methodist Church will soon begin a new chapter
Our April magazine featured a story about the Oak Cliff United Methodist Church, which has suffered from severe disrepair since its doors shuttered in 2015.
But, thanks to real estate firm Proxy Properties which specializes in refurbishing historic, abandoned properties, the historic Jefferson Boulevard landmark will be reborn. While a solidified plan for the space is not yet finalized, Proxy Properties co-founder AJ Ramler hopes to turn it into a mixed-use development.
4. Ralph Barbosa adds 3rd Kessler show, will record Netflix stand-up special
Comedian Ralph Barbosa smiles alongside late-night television host Jimmy Fallon.
The former Oak Cliff barber saw a huge breakout in 2023, jumping from a stint on Jimmy Fallon to a sold-out Kessler series.
At the time the Advocate announced filming of Barbosa’s Netflix special (Cowabunga, released Oct. 31) would take place at a Kessler show, Barbosa was slated for three nights at the theater.
In the end, demand was so significant that Barbosa performed six sold-out shows at the theater that sits just across the street from his former barbershop employer.
5. North Oak Cliff next on Central Market grocery store Dallas expansion list
Photo courtesy of H-E-B/Central Market.
A Central Market store has long been anticipated by neighbors after the grocer’s San Antonio-based parent company, H-E-B, purchased land at 111 E. Davis St. back in 2017.
And this year, we finally got some clarity on when the store could join our neighborhood. Well, kind of.
As of April, there was not a timeline for plans to move forward with an Oak Cliff location of Central Market. That said, the company met with city officials to brainstorm what the store could look like in our neighborhood following the eventual completion of the McKinney Avenue store, which has been stalled due to rising construction costs post-pandemic.
6. Missing teen found in a North Carolina shed, reunited with family in Dallas
Photo by Getty Images.
The Bishop Arts District was covered in “Missing” flyers this March, as members of East Dallas’ Rodriguez family desperately searched for their daughter, Thirteen-year-old Kaylin Rodriguez.
Weeks later, after investigations by local and federal agents, the teen was found in a North Carolina shed and 34-year-old Jorge Camacho was arrested.
In a public Facebook post, Irene Rodriguez wrote that “FBI, Dallas Police and the whole community worked vigilantly to help us bring our niece home.”
7. Body of 16-year-old girl found in Oak Cliff creek
Our neighborhood was devastated this year when the body of 16-year-old Venus Rodriguez found shot in the creek at the 1700 block of Brookhaven Drive.
The Advocate spoke with Venus’ family, who described the teen as a “really smart kid,” who “met the wrong guy.” In the four months before her body was found, Venus was a runaway, having fled her home two days before her sixteenth birthday.
While trying to locate her, the Rodriguez family was frustrated by the few legal resources offered to them to bring Venus home. Their experience inspired our July magazine cover story, which looks at the price minors pay when they run away from home.
8. Bonnie and Clyde are buried miles apart. Their kin want to change that
Photo by Danny Fulgencio
One of the Advocate’s most read stories of all time, our 2019 deep dive into family member’s desire to move Bonnie Parker’s grave next to Clyde Barrow’s was once again popular in 2023.
And now, volunteers working to restore the glory of the Western Heights Cemetery are helping family members make it happen.
9. Body found on roof of office building near Bishop Arts
Photo by Christina Hughes Babb
A dead body was discovered on the roof of an Oak Cliff office building, at the corner of 10th and Madison, in August.
While detectives declined to confirm whether the case would be investigated as a homicide, the property owner of the building where the body was found said “this is presumptively a murder based on the bullet casings that were found.”
10. DISD parents concerned about ‘run, hide, fight’ Winnie-the-Pooh book
Cindy Campos and her son, a preschooler at Stemmons Elementary, read Stay Safe.
A parent of a Stemmons Elementary preschooler was disturbed when her son came home with a children’s book titled Stay Safe above the subtitle Run Hide Fight (protocol for reacting to an active shooter) in his backpack.
In a written response, Dallas ISD said that “The reality that Dallas ISD faces is no different than any other school district in America. We work every day to prevent school shootings by dealing with online threats and by hardening our schools. In addition, we conduct active shooter drills, so students know what to do in case the unthinkable happens.”
