The local LGBT community is stepping in to help the widow of a man who was shot to death in the Cedar Springs entertainment district April 16.
LULAC 4871, the Dallas Tavern Guild and the Cathedral of hope will host a benefit for Alicia Luvianos and her 7-month-old at 8 p.m. Sunday, July 8, at Round-Up Saloon, 3912 Cedar Springs Road.
Luvianos 31-year-old husband, Jose, was shot during an apparent robbery after leaving J.R.’s and stopping to get cash from an ATM machine on the street.
“This event has two purposes: Local talent will help raise money for a family in need, and the night will also have a safety aspect to it,” said Jesse Garcia, spokesman for LULAC Council 4871.
City Councilwomen Angela Hunt of District 14 and Pauline Medrano of District 2, along with representatives from the Dallas Police Department, will be on hand to talk about safety issues and crime prevention in Oak Lawn.
Medrano will read a statement from Landa’s widow, Alicia.
Jose Landa, a Taco Bell manager from McKinney, reportedly had been celebrating his birthday with Alicia, his sister-in-law and a friend. The brazenness of the murder rocked the local LGBT community, and a week later police arrested 23-year-old Darrell Jenkins, a vagrant known as “Black Jesus” who reportedly worked as a male hustler. Jenkins was charged with capital murder.
Michael Doughman, executive director of the Dallas Tavern Guild said, said the event will be an opportunity to show concern and support for the Luna family.
” It is also a time for us to recognize that life is fragile and best lived in a spirit of unity and caring for all people,” Doughman said. “The Dallas Tavern Guild is completely committed to support of this event and views it as a way to build a bridge of unity over a deep chasm of hurt and sorrow.”
The show will feature an all-star cast of Dallas’ best entertainers. The suggested donation at the door is $5.
A bank account has been set up by the Cathedral of Hope to collect funds. Those who can’t make the event can make donations at the Dallas National Bank, 2725 Turtle Creek Blvd. in Dallas, into the account “Cathedral of Hope for the benefit of Alicia Luvianos.”
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition, June 15, 2007.