Legal battle draws national attention
A local decision on the fate of the Dallas Crown
horse slaughter plant will have to wait until next year.
The City of Kaufman has agreed to a temporary injunction
allowing the facility, which is located on U.S. Highway 175, to remain open
until at least February.
In March the City of Kaufman ordered Dallas Crown to
shut down by Sept. 30 because the business is a nuisance and based on public
health and safety concerns.
Attorneys for Dallas Crown and its sister company
Waldo countered in court with a trial set to begin in January in Judge Michael
Chitty's district court. The temporary injunction allows the facility to remain
active until a decision is reached in district court.
The ongoing legal battle along with its
controversial subject matter has already brought the national spotlight on
Kaufman.
Last week, Vicki Mabry of ABC's Nightline was in
town conducting interviews to coincide with next week's expected vote by U.S.
House members on a bill that would end the slaughter of horses for human
consumption in the U.S.
Among those interviewed was Kaufman Mayor Paula
Bacon, who said most of her discussions with Mabry concerned the impact the
facility had on the community.
“I let them know we had a unanimous vote by the city
council and the zoning board to set a closing date for Dallas Crown,” Bacon
said. “I told them about the effects it had on the nearby neighborhood. I let
them know about the letters of complaint we had received from [former]
Presbyterian Hospital of Kaufman president Kirk King and three other
physicians. I said that we are not better off having a horse slaughter plant in
our town, but worse off.”
In the national spotlight, Bacon admitted to having
some butterflies before tackling such an issue.
“There's an audience of 20 million out there so I
really had to calm myself down and gather my thoughts,” Bacon said. “This is an
important issue. I really had to give it my all to represent and advocate my
community well.”
Bacon called the injunction and delay in closing of
the plant “disappointing,” but she remained optimistic about the city's
efforts.
“I've already received calls, and people in the
nearby neighborhood are not happy,” Bacon said. “I think we have a solid case,
though, that is the result of seven months of hearings and investigation. The
thing to remember is that in this case, it's not about horse slaughter: it's
about a nuisance. If you look at it that way, there just doesn't seem like there
is any other answer except to say yes it is a nuisance.”
Bacon is equally as optimistic about passage of the
U.S. House Bill banning horse slaughter.
“Congress holds the key, and I'm very optimistic to
see this happen,” Bacon said of the planned Sept. 7 vote. “Every time talks
related to banning horse slaughter have come before Congress, a 3-to-1 majority
has favored the ban.”
Mark Calabria, a Kaufman attorney who is
representing Dallas Crown, isn't as confident Congress will pass the bill.
“They have a pretty big agenda so I'm not sure how
much attention it will receive,” Calabria said. “If, in fact, any legislation
is passed it could affect the lawsuit.”
Calabria, though, added that Dallas Crown “feels
pretty positive about what is going on” in Washington D.C.
Calabria wasn't interviewed by Nightline, but said
he had received calls from People magazine, ABC's Washington D.C. affiliate,
The Associated Press and the local CBS affiliate.
“It's been kind of amazing to me,” Calabria said. “I
didn't realize there was this much interest in the horse processing industry.
It's had an amazing amount of publicity.”
Publicity or not, Bacon said the ultimate goal is
determining what's best for the Kaufman community.
“I see all this development going on all around us,
but not so much here. I don't think having a horse slaughter plant in our
community helps our image,” Bacon said. “Unfortunately, our community has been
branded with this stigma. Now, I'm looking for something better for Kaufman.”
Dallas Crown is one of three plants in the United
States that slaughters horses for human consumption.