Las Vegas Trail activist arrested on warrants lands in Tarrant County jail
Abdul Chappell, a gang leader turned community activist and Las Vegas Trail Revitalization Project committee member, was in Tarrant County jail on Wednesday following a marijuana arrest.
Chappell is facing a charge of possession of marijuana under 2 ounces in connection with an Aug. 7 arrest by Fort Worth police officers, according to a police report.
Marijuana was found in the vehicle after it was stopped in the 6000 block of Southwest Loop 820 for speeding, according to police.
A woman who was with Chappell at the time of his arrest, Cynthia Mancha, said Wednesday during a telephone interview that Chappell also faces charges for warrants out of Johnson County. Mancha and Chappell were both arrested.
Only a trace of marijuana was located in the vehicle, Mancha said. Mancha was released from the Tarrant County Jail on Aug. 8, according to booking records.
A possession of a controlled substance charge and a possession of a prohibited weapon charge arose from a February arrest out of Johnson County, Mancha said.
Those two charges are related to a failure to pay fees that Chappell did not realize had been ordered by authorities, Mancha said.
Mancha, who said she has been a member of organizations to assist Las Vegas Trail residents and has been in support of Chappell’s work in the Las Vegas Trail community since 2014, said she expected Chappell to be released from jail either late Wednesday or Thursday.
“None of the positive movement that has taken place on Las Vegas Trail would be happening if he had not brought attention to the conditions there,” Mancha said. “He does the things on Las Vegas Trail that no one else can do.”
Chappell spends his time reaching out to and mentoring youth, pushing back against gang violence, helping trafficking victims get out of that life and encouraging gang members to work for positive change in the community, Mancha said.
“No one else can talk to those children like he does,” Mancha said. “No one else is doing this work.”
Mancha said the people who believe in Chappell are the ones who raised the money to pay his bond and the ones who have worked to get him released from jail.
“He’s never lost sight of his agenda,” Mancha said. “And he’s innocent until proven guilty.”
The Las Vegas Trail Revitalization Project, known as LVT Rise, is the brainchild of City Councilman Brian Byrd and is overseen by United Way of Tarrant County CEO T.D. Smyers. It’s a partnership of private companies, human service organizations and government agencies aligned to improve the lives of residents in the impoverished and long-neglected neighborhood.
Chappell grew up on Las Vegas Trail, became involved in gang life as a teen and spent several stints in prison totaling 21 years. Since his release four years ago, he has dedicated his life to delivering resources to the area’s underserved residents through his Build A Better Hood Foundation and Comprehensive Community Solutions Inc.
Chappell receives a small amount of funding from LVT Rise while hoping to one day secure a larger portion to expand his programs.
“It’s not enough for him to live on, but we’re trying to fund his service and ministry that he’s doing over there,” Byrd said. “His after-school stuff is particularly encouraging.”
Along with reading and arts classes for children, Chappell provides the use of computers and hosts Narcotics Anonymous recovery meetings and a women’s empowerment class, among other programs.
“Ultimately, he’s in this mess because he’s been trying to help people,” Mancha said.
This story contains information from Star-Telegram archives.
Mitch Mitchell: 817-390-7752, @mitchmitchel3
This story was originally published August 15, 2018 at 9:17 PM with the headline "Las Vegas Trail activist arrested on warrants lands in Tarrant County jail."