Instead of walking out with receipts for paid fines, they left with payment plans or options to attend classes or participate in community service instead.
Gavina Tamayo left the meeting space turned into a courtroom with the option to participate in a GED program that would connect her to job opportunities and daycare services for her toddler.
鈥淚鈥檓 a single mother of three, and I really needed this help,鈥� Tamayo says as she walks out of East Library and Recreation Center.
In one of the waiting rooms, Felicia Graves waited to ask the judge for help resolving multiple traffic tickets. Graves鈥� license was suspended over outstanding fines, meaning she and her son have had to find rides or hail a rideshare service like Uber of Lyft.
鈥淚t鈥檚 getting expensive, too,鈥� Graves says.
Danielle Dulaney, an associate municipal judge, says the inaugural event was a way for the city to close out some of the more than 65,000 outstanding Class C warrants 鈥� especially as inflation stretches people鈥檚 wallets thin.
鈥淲e think there are a lot of people who really want to take care of these. They don鈥檛 want to have outstanding warrants. We think that they鈥檙e just not aware that, number one, they can come to the courthouse and they can talk with the judge,鈥� Dulaney says.
And, more importantly, they can visit the courthouse without being arrested, she adds.
鈥淧eople think it鈥檚 like a trap or something. It really isn鈥檛. We鈥檝e worked very hard not to only try to help people resolve these citations, but honestly, just to help them in general with everything going on right now,鈥� Dulaney says.
The city cited Census statistics that 10.5% of Tarrant County residents live in poverty, as well as Tarrant County Homeless Coalition data that suggests more people entered houselessness than exited in January.
Arlington joins a handful of North Texas cities that have hosted or plan to host warrant forgiveness events will host an event from 9 a.m. to noon Sept. 10 at Arlington Heights United Methodist Church.
Dulaney says she鈥檇 like to see future Arlington forgiveness events or a permanent community court if there鈥檚 a need in the community.
鈥淓ventually if we鈥檙e able to do them on a continual basis or even have a home for community court, a permanent location, that鈥檇 be the long-term goal and the long-term vision that we鈥檇 really like to see,鈥� she says.
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