The travesty of the Don Maison signs.
The speech I wasn't able to give to the Dallas City Council. Exploiting the Gay community to block real naming of streets.
First the paper on the travesty of the Don Maison before we discuss the city hall speech. This paper is also online as a PDF which you can share. This was in the information package I gave them.
https://issuu.com/edwardh.sebesta/docs/the_travesty_of_the_don_maison_signs
The travesty of the Don Maison signs
There is a type of street sign called “toppers” used when they give a section of the street what they call an honorary name. This is a token gesture done to avoid actually renaming a street so they can refuse the request, but appear to have been supportive, though it is largely worthless. An appendix is supplied showing how toppers are basically a failure.
However, this paper is to show the travesty of a recent “topper” installation in Dallas, Texas purportedly to honor Don Maison who worked to support persons infected by HIV. The word topper is in quotes since in this installation they aren’t the top street sign on the pole.
The following pictures are a topper used for a street “honorary” naming for Atatiana Jefferson in Fort Worth, Texas. This would be a typical installation.
Figure 1. Close up of the sign. Notice that it has a nominal name, “Memorial Parkway.”
Figure 2. Shows why they are called toppers. They are usually added to the top of the existing sign pole. Notice that it is in alignment with the street sign for the street for which it is supposedly the honorary name.
Figure 3. Again, notice that the honorary street sign is parallel to the street to which it is supposedly giving an honorary name.
Figure 4. Again, parallel to the street to which it is indicating an honorary name.
The normal use of toppers has these common practices.
1. The honorary name includes some type of thorough fare name, such as “lane,” “boulevard,” “street,” etc.
2. It is parallel to the street for which it is giving an honorary name consistent with the usage of all signs designating the name of a street.
3. They are clearly designed differently so that they aren’t confused with being the official street name, useful for not confusing drivers, especially police and ambulances responding to an emergency.
4. As practical they are placed on top or in such way again so that they are away from the street signs by which a driver would be navigating, in particular police and ambulances.
The Don Maison signs on Marsalis
These are four photographs of the Don Maison signs at three different locations. The fact that some poles are at an angle isn’t an issue, road repair was underway and the sign poles can be expected to be properly vertical when done.
Figure 5. There are multiple fails here.
(1) A section of Marsalis is supposedly getting the honorary designation, but the Blue Don Mason sign is parallel to the Comal sign. This suggests that Comal is getting the honorary name.
(2) Is it Don Maison Street, Boulevard, Lane, or Dog Poop Station? We have no idea what type of thoroughfare it is supposed to be.
(3) The city of Dallas does use blue street signs so the honorary status isn’t clear. The Don Maison sign isn’t using a different font or color. This is a hazard for emergency responders. See Figure 10 for a blue street sign currently in use.
Figure 5. See details above. Taken 9/8/2022.
The following pictures were taken on 9/9/2022 excepting the Lamar St. picture.
Figure 6. Notice the Don Maison sign is in alignment to Sabine St. and perpendicular to Marsalis. The sign is titled due to construction and I presume will be righted.
Figure 7. The Don Maison sign is left stranded aways from the pole which holds the Marsalis St. sign. Unlike with the Atatiana Jefferson sign, it isn’t attached to the same pole. It is left to be standing by itself perpendicular to the direction of the street to which it is supposedly giving an honorary name. (Red arrow points at sign.)
Figure 8. You can see in this picture how far away the Don Maison sign is from the Marsalis St. sign. Also, the real lack of impact. It is just a stray sign orphaned long the road way. (Red arrow points at sign.)
Figure 9. The sign is parallel to Colorado Street. (Red arrow shows Don Maison sign.)
Thus, the usual convention of signage for streets as implemented by the City of Dallas indicated at different corners that Comal, Sabine or Colorado is given a designation as Don Maison something, and nowhere do they indicate an honorary name for Marsalis.
Since they lack a thoroughfare designation, they don’t even indicate that it is an honorary street designation. What the sign might mean, will be something that will be left to the speculation of the viewer. Perhaps Don Maison died at that spot or did something heroic there, or the viewer will look to see if some nearby house has a plaque indicating that he lived in one of the houses. Being perpendicular to Marsalis they will indicate that they aren’t related to that street, and are like stop signs and warning signs to tell you something, but not indicate the name of a street.
Figure 10. This shows how a blue sign with similar font is already in use and how the Don Maison sign could be confused with an official sign. It also shows how the Dallas establishment is reluctant to give up white supremacist street names. Taken 6/26/2021.
In summary, the Don Maison sign has the following severe issues.
1. Not in parallel to the street to which it supposedly gives an honorary name.
2. No thoroughfare designation of street, lane, boulevard, road or other type.
3. A navigation hazard given that it uses a color and similar font to street signs already in use.
4. It is parallel to the street signs of three different streets suggesting each street possibly has a Don Maison honorary designation.
The lack of care in implementing this “honorary” street renaming is like urinating on the memory of Don Maison and is an insult to the entire Gay community of Dallas.
There are many short streets in Dallas named after dreadful people that could be renamed. Bowser is named after a Confederate soldier and Klan member. Throckmorton is named after a white supremacist governor of Texas. Hood Street is named after Confederate Gen. John Bell Hood. Knight Street is named after a family of major slave holders and Confederate soldiers. Lee Parkway, named after Robert E. Lee hasn’t been changed. This is just some of them in the immediate neighborhood of the Cedar Spring gay neighborhood. There are many, many others from which to choose.
The speech to the Dallas City Council which I wasn’t able to give.
I was there at City Hall at 9:00 when it opened and I gave them my report, and supplementary materials. However, at 5:45 pm, they were having hearings and my parking expired at 6pm. So I had to leave. I felt that I was scheduled to speak, but it was such that it would be impossible to speak to. Even if you are scheduled later in the day, you still have to be at 9:00 am since they will change the schedule and people who were supposed to speak at 1:00 pm will find their names called in the morning and listed as not present. (I will provide links to support materials at the very end..)
Further, even if I was able to speak, the City Council Meeting was over, about half the City Council members had left including Mayor Johnson, and I was actually just speaking after a public hearing.
The following was the speech note given. It is online at this link and you can download a PDF. It was included in the information package I gave them. https://issuu.com/edwardh.sebesta/docs/speech_before_city_council_20221026
The speech.
Speech before City Council 20221026 – Ed Sebesta 10/25/2022
Toppers are used to substitute a token gesture for a substantial action when minority groups attempt to rename the white racialized landscape as explained in a paper given to you. The Dallas Morning News has been pushing toppers to stop the renaming of streets.
I went to photograph the token Don Maison signs as part of documenting how the Gay community was being exploited to normalize the use of toppers to block street renaming.
What I found was a travesty as documented in the report given you. The only thing done right was the name wasn’t misspelled and the sign wasn’t upside down.
Though I must admit that this botched job will be useful to discredit Dallas’ attempt to use toppers to block street renaming.
However, I do have to bring it before City Council for three reasons. First editors will ask if I notified city hall.
But more importantly, this Don Maison appears to have a been a good person and you are urinating on his memory with this botched installation. Further it is an insult to the Gay community.
It may be acceptable to the Pre-Stonewall leadership of Dallas which brags how it kept Gay liberation out of Dallas in D Magazine, but I don’t think it is going to be acceptable to the Gay community at large which is post-Stonewall, indeed Post-Lil Nas X and thinks Gay liberation is a good thing.
It maybe acceptable to some that Riverfront Blvd. was stolen from the Latino Community and denied the name Cesar Chavez, and that a Santos Rodriguez Street has been denied. It may be acceptable to some to have the hybrid monstrosity of a Lamar Botham Jean Street Boulevard instead of getting the rest of Lamar renamed.
It isn’t going to be acceptable to the Gay community to have this travesty. Also, it should be a real street renaming. Bowser was a Klansman. Knight dealt in slaves. Hood Street is named after Confederate Gen. Hood. Throckmorton was a white supremacist governor of Texas. Then there is the Lee Parkway that needs renaming.
Don’t scam the Gay community with toppers. Don’t exploit the Gay community to defend the white racialized landscape. Don’t subject Don Maison to insult.
The subscription if FREE.
The following is a paper on how toppers really don’t effectively honor the persons they are claimed to honor. Included information package I gave to them.
https://issuu.com/edwardh.sebesta/docs/dis_honorary_streets
The following is a link to the infamous Pink Mafia article showing how the Dallas Gay establishment is anti-activist and anti-Gay liberation. A few pages from this link were included in the package. https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc947403/?q=Pink%20mafia
The following is the link to the whole article which was included in the information package given to them. https://www.dmagazine.com/publications/d-magazine/1996/november/the-pink-mafia/