Don Tortellini Brings the Past to Light with Chaos on Commerce
Dallas filmmaker Don Tortellini sat down with Jazzi Black to discuss his gripping new documentary Chaos on Commerce: The 1993 Dallas Cowboys Parade, ahead of its highly anticipated screening at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. The film dives deep into one of the city’s most unexpected turning points—when a championship celebration turned into a flashpoint of racial unrest.
What was meant to be a day of unity after the Cowboys’ Super Bowl win spiraled into violence on Commerce Street, revealing long-simmering tensions within Dallas’ communities. Tortellini layers the story with rich archival footage and insight from the University of North Texas Special Collections Library. But Chaos on Commerce is more than just one chaotic afternoon.
The film traces the roots of that conflict through pivotal moments in Dallas’ racial history, including the murder of 12-year-old Santos Rodriguez by police in 1973 and the reverberations of the Rodney King verdict in 1992. These moments set the stage for a clash between Black and Mexican youth that mirrored a deeper divide in the city.
Tortellini doesn’t stop at the unrest—his lens follows efforts toward healing. The film closes with a message of reconciliation, spotlighting those working to bridge communities and reckon with Dallas’ complex past.
As Tortellini told us, “That parade was unique to me because of the timing, because of the connection to the Cowboys-I’m from Dallas. I thought it was an important story to tell, it was more layred than how the media presented it. It wasn’t just black people that were in that situation with civil unrest, it was a lot of things that were happening. In the story of Chaos on Commerce, I conceptualized the black experience in Dallas and the brown experience in Dallas.”
Don Tortellini’s Chaos on Commerce screens July 31, 2025 at 6:00 PM at the Modern Art Museum of Forth Worth
Don’t miss this powerful exploration of Dallas history from a voice rooted in the city’s streets.
The Kickback w/ Jazzi Black and DJ Wire Weekdays 9A-3P, Saturdays 12P-3 P | Follow us on IG @kickbackoffair , Follow Jazzi Black on TikTok @jazziblack
Don Tortellini Brings the Past to Light with Chaos on Commerce was originally published on thebeatdfw.com
