[Super Neighborhood Alliance Meeting]
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MY NAME IS CINDY CHAPMAN.I AM THE CHAIR THIS YEAR OF THE SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD ALLIANCE, AND I HOPE ALL OF YOU WHO ARE JOINING US TODAY AND UH, GLAD THAT YOU'RE ABLE TO JOIN US.
UH, WE DID NOT MEET LAST MONTH, OR LAST PREVIOUS MEETING WAS IN JUNE.
UH, THANK ALL OF YOU FOR ATTENDING AND, UH, WE WILL START OUR ROLL CALL PROCESS.
UH, UH, STACY, YOU START THE ROLL CALL AND AFTER THE ROLL CALL THEN WE WILL HAVE, UH, INTRODUCTIONS BY OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS OR THEIR REPRESENTATIVES.
AND AT THE VERY END OF THE MEETING, YOU ARE A CANDIDATE, CANDIDATES TO BE AT THE VERY END OF THE MEETING.
OKAY? SO, STACY, READY FOR THE ROLL CALL.
MARIE CARLISLE, PRESIDENT OF SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD.
IS MIKE VANDUZEN HERE? MIKE IS THERE.
CINDY CHAPMAN, NEIGHBORHOOD 38.
SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD 52, SUPER, NEIGHBORHOOD 55 SUPER, NEIGHBORHOOD 57.
DENISE MORALES, WHO WAS MORALES, WHAT WAS THE FIRST NAME? DENISE MORALES.
DENISE, WHO ARE YOU REPRESENTING? I'M REPRESENTING FIFTH WARD.
CRC FROM, UH, SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD, 55.
OKAY, 57 IS BRIDGET MURRAY HERE.
SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD 62 MIDTOWN SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD 63.
ROY AND AMY DEN IS HERE FOR 64 AND 88.
SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD, 65 PRESENT.
HELLO, SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD 66, SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD 83.
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OKAY.DID I MISS ANYONE? SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD FIVE.
ANYONE ELSE? YEAH, SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD 12.
ANYONE ELSE? RICKY MIDDLE SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD FIVE 15, PEDRO
IS IT JUST YOU OR IS PAULA WITH YOU? I DON'T SEE HER YET.
ANYONE ELSE ELSE? GOING ONCE, GOING TWICE.
UH, WELL THIS IS NOW OUR OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS AND, UH, REPRESENTATIVES AFFECT.
IF YOU COULD, UH, RAISE YOUR HAND IN THE CHAT, CHAT THAT WAY, BECAUSE THERE'S A, JUST A LONG LIST OF PEOPLE HERE THAT'LL HELP ME, UM, FIGURE OUT WHO'S HERE.
UH, AND, AND LIST IN THE ORDER THAT THEY, THAT I SEE THE HANDS UP.
I'M DIDI CHAVIS, CHIEF OF STAFF FOR VICE MAYOR PRO.
TIM MARTHA GASEX TATUM, COUNCIL MEMBER FOR DISTRICT K.
UM, PLEASED TO BE HERE AND, AND, UM, LISTEN TO THE MESSAGE FROM MY HONORED GUESTS, UM, DA, UH, KIM OG, AND ALSO, UM, OTHER ELECTED OFFICIALS.
HONORED TO BE HERE AND LOOK FORWARD TO, UM, THE GREAT DISCUSSION.
AND I WILL, AT, AT THE COMMENT SECTION, I WOULD LIKE TO PROVIDE SOME INFORMATION OF WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE DISTRICT, AND I'LL PROVIDE, ALSO PROVIDE THE INFORMATION IN THE CHAT.
HI Y'ALL, THIS IS STEPHANIE VILLANUEVA.
I'M WITH THE OFFICE OF HARRIS COUNTY COMMISSIONER RODNEY ELLIS, PRECINCT ONE.
UM, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME.
AND I'M GONNA POP IN REAL QUICK WITH ROGER BRIDGEWATER, WHO'S WAVING HIS HAND DESPERATELY.
I DON'T SEE HIM WITH HIS HAND UP, EXCEPT VISUALLY, SO ROGER WILL SKIP TO YOU SO I DON'T FORGET YOU.
I CANNOT FIND MY BUTTON FOR THE HAND, SO IT'S BEEN A WHILE SINCE I'VE BEEN ON ZOOM, BUT THANK OUR TEAMS, SO THANK YOU ALL FOR LETTING ME BE HERE.
YOU ARE REPRESENTING TOM RAMSEY, COMMISSIONER PRECINCT THREE.
HAS HER HAND UP, BUT SHE'S GONNA BE ONE OF OUR SPEAKERS.
SO, UH, KIM, CAN WE, UH,
MARIA ANO REPRESENTING COMMISSIONER ADRIAN GARCIA'S OFFICE.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER, UH, OF OUR, UH, ELECTED OFFICIALS OR REPRESENTATIVES BEFORE WE GET TO OUR GUEST SPEAKER? KIM OG.
I SAW THIS IS CC I SAW COUNCIL MEMBER SALLY ALCORN.
UH, COUNCILWOMAN ALCORN, ARE YOU THERE? YOU MAY HAVE STEPPED AWAY.
SO AT LARGE FOREST HERE, IT'S CC SCOTT REPRESENTING THE OFFICE OF COUNCIL MEMBER.
ANY OTHER REPRESENTATIVES OR, UH, ELECTEDS? OKAY, IF NOT, UH, LET'S GO AHEAD AND GET WITH OUR PROGRAM.
STACY, UH, CAN YOU DO THE INTRODUCTION FOR OUR GUEST SPEAKER? I, I SURE CAN.
UH, I'M REALLY EXCITED TONIGHT TO INTRODUCE KIM AOG HARRIS COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY.
SHE'S A NATIVE HOUSTONIAN AND HAS BEEN A LAWYER FOR 34 YEARS, AND IN, AND IN 2020 DA A WAS REELECTED TO A SECOND TERM BY A MARGIN OF MORE THAN 120,000 VOTES UNDER HER LEADERSHIP, THE HARRIS COUNTY DA'S OFFICE IS DEDICATED TO COMMUNITY SAFETY THROUGH EVIDENCE-BASED PROSECUTION AND EQUAL JUSTICE FOR ALL.
AND DURING HER FIRST TERM, DA AGUE SUCCESSFULLY ADVANCED MAJOR DRUG POLICY REFORM, POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY THROUGH PROSECUTION OF POLICE CORRUPTION AND SHOOTINGS, DIVERSIFIED THE LEADERSHIP OF THE DA'S OFFICE, AND AFFECTED PRO PROTECTION FOR CRIME VICTIMS THROUGH LEGISLATIVE REFORM.
AND AS THE TOP LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL IN HARRIS COUNTY DA, A'S CURRENT
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PRIORITIES ARE TO STOP THE RELEASE OF REPEAT AND VIOLENT OFFENDERS ON BAIL THROUGH EVIDENCE-BASED ADVOCACY IN COURT TO REDUCE THE ENORMOUS CASE BACKLOG AND TO PUSH HOUSTON'S MOST IMPORTANT CASES TO TRIAL AND CONCLUSION.SO WITH THAT, THE SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD ALLIANCE WELCOMES HARRIS COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY KIM OG.
AFTER THE DISCUSSION ABOUT WHO IS GOING TO INTRODUCE ME, IT'S SORT OF LIKE HEARING PEOPLE AT YOUR OWN FUNERAL, YOU KNOW, SO
I'M GONNA SHORTEN THAT BIO AS SOON AS WE GET OFF THIS THING.
AND IT'S REALLY MEANT TO BE AN UPDATE FOR YOU ALL.
I WANNA MAKE SURE I SAVE TIME FOR QUESTIONS.
SO, UM, ANNA CARPENTER IS GOING TO AID ME, OR SOMEONE IS GOING TO PUT UP A POWERPOINT AND AID ME, AND WE'RE GONNA GET THROUGH IT QUICKLY.
AND THEY'RE GONNA TELL ME ABOUT HALFWAY THROUGH SO THAT I CAN JUST GIVE IT A FEW MORE MINUTES AND MAKE SURE I CAN ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS.
UM, AND BEFORE I GET OFF, I'VE LIVED IN HOUSTON, UH, BEFORE I GET ON WITH THE, THE SHOW.
UM, I'VE LIVED IN HOUSTON EVERY DAY OF MY LIFE EXCEPT FOR FOUR YEARS WHEN I LIVED IN AUSTIN DURING UNDERGRADUATE, UM, SCHOOL.
IT'S IMPORTANT, UH, THAT WE MAINTAIN, UH, A QUALITY OF LIFE FOR OURSELVES, UH, FOR OUR KIDS, AND FOR ALL THE PEOPLE WHO DO BUSINESS HERE, WHO VISIT HERE, WHO TRAVEL THROUGH HERE.
WE ARE TRULY A WORLD CLASS CITY IN THE STATE OF OUR COUNTY.
I, I WOULD SUBMIT, UM, IS IMPORTANT AND EVERY ONE OF US HAS A STAKE IN IT, BUT YOU ALL PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR MOUTH IS.
YOU SHOW UP TO THESE SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD MEETINGS, YOU ARE GREAT INFLUENCERS IN YOUR AREA AND YOUR AGENTS OF CHANGE.
AND WE WILL DO OUR BEST TO SERVE AND ASSIST YOU ALL, UH, WITH ANY NEIGHBORHOOD CRIME ISSUES THAT YOU ALL ARE HAVING.
WITH THAT SAID, BRAD BRADFORD REALLY HANDLES THAT FOR ME.
HE'S ON THIS CALL, FORMER CHIEF OF POLICE.
I ALSO HAVE SEVERAL OTHER STAFF MEMBERS.
UH, DAVID MITCHAM IS ONE OF MY TWO FIRST ASSISTANTS, AND, UH, NATHAN BEETLE IS HERE.
UH, HE'S THE CHIEF OF THE MISDEMEANOR TRIAL BUREAU.
I THINK I'VE GOTTEN EVERYONE THAT I SAW, BUT IF NOT, JUST KNOW, UM, OUR STAFF IS ALL VERY MUCH INTERESTED IN SERVING OUR COMMUNITIES BECAUSE WE NEED YOU, UH, TO HELP US SOLVE CRIME, PROSECUTE CRIMINALS, AND ACHIEVE JUSTICE FOR THE COMMUNITY.
SO WITH THAT, THE POWERPOINT, SO DA, UH, WE CANNOT SEE YOU, JUST FOR THE RECORD.
YOU SEE A BLACK SCREEN, SO I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'RE, OH, LET'S SEE.
YOU CAN SEE ME, UH, MY CAMERA'S ON.
DOES THAT HELP? WE CAN SEE YOU NOW.
SO I HAVE FOR YOU, UH, A CASE FLOW CHART.
IS THAT CORRECT? THERE'S A POWERPOINT.
I JUST THOUGHT THE CASE FLOW CHART MIGHT HELP YOU ALL LATER.
IT'S JUST SOMETHING, IT'S A GOOD REFERENCE TOOL, BUT IT'S, IT'S NOT APPROPRIATE FOR A SHORT PRESENTATION.
YEAH, THE POWERPOINT, I AM LOOKING FOR IT.
IT SHOULD BE ON THE SAME EMAIL.
CAN EVERYONE SEE MY SCREEN? YES.
I'M GONNA HAVE TO USE THE SLIDE BAR, BUT LET'S, LET'S GO AHEAD.
ARE YOU GONNA CONTROL THE SLIDES? YES.
SO JUST TELL ME WHEN YOU'RE READY.
THE HARRIS COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE IS DEDICATED TO COMMUNITY SAFETY.
THAT'S REALLY WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW.
EVIDENCE-BASED PROSECUTION MEANS EXACTLY THAT.
WE EITHER HAVE THE EVIDENCE TO PROSECUTE THAT WE BELIEVE SUFFICIENT, UH, TO PROVE A CASE BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT, OR WE DON'T.
UH, IT'S NOT ABOUT PERSONALITY, IT'S ABOUT EVIDENCE.
UM, EQUAL JUSTICE FOR ALL MEANS
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THE LAW APPLIES TO EVERYONE.AND, UM, THAT IS NEVER TRUER THAN IN CORRUPTION TYPE CASES, UM, IN DEALING WITH POLICE CASES.
AND IT'S EXTRAORDINARILY DIFFICULT BECAUSE MANY OF US IN HOUSTON KNOW EACH OTHER WORK TOGETHER.
SO, UM, BUT IT MEANS WHAT IT SAYS THAT WE'RE GOING TO APPLY THE LAW EQUALLY TO EVERYONE, UM, GUARANTEEING A FAIR PROCESS IS HOW WE PREPARE AND TRY OUR CASES.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE STRESS TO OUR LAWYERS TO BE ETHICAL ABOUT.
WE'RE LOOKING FOR A JUST RESULT FOR THE VICTIM, THE ACCUSED, AND THE COMMUNITY IN EVERY CASE.
IN TRUTH, THAT'S THE COMMUNITY.
THAT'S WHERE YOU COME IN THROUGH GRAND JURY SERVICE, THROUGH TRIAL JURY SERVICE, AND, UH, THROUGH THE SERVICE OF THE JUDICIARY WHO MUST ACCEPT ANY PLEA BARGAIN.
THEY'RE THE ONES WHO ACTUALLY SENTENCE DEFENDANTS.
SO THE JUST RESULT IS GENERALLY UP TO, UH, A JUDGE TO ACCEPT A PLEA OR A JURY TO RENDER.
BUT WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PROCESS, AND THAT'S WHAT, UM, THAT'S WHAT CONSTITUTION REQUIRES, AND THAT'S WHAT FAIRNESS REQUIRES.
THE JUSTICE SYSTEM IS REALLY LIKE AN ASSEMBLY LINE.
THE POLICE ARE CALLED, THEY CALL THE PROSECUTION IF THEY CATCH THE PERSON THERE.
IF NOT, THEY GATHER THE EVIDENCE AND THEN THEY CALL THE PROSECUTION.
WE WORK TOGETHER TO CR CRAFT, UM, WHAT A, A CASE.
UM, THE ACCUSED IS, UH, FIRST THERE'S A BAIL HEARING.
HE'S APPOINTED A DEFENSE LAWYER, AND, UM, JUDGES OVERSEE BAIL HEARINGS.
JUDGES OVERSEE PLEAS OF GUILT.
SO THEY'RE THE NEUTRAL ARBITRATORS IN THE COURT.
PRISON PROBATION AND ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS ARE SIMPLY THE POTENTIAL OUTCOMES, BUT THERE'S A REAL CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER TO A CASE.
UM, IT'S IMPORTANT FOR YOU ALL TO KNOW WHO'S IN OUR JAIL.
WE KNOW THAT OUR JAIL IS AT CAPACITY WHEN IT'S AT 10,000, UH, INDIVIDUALS.
IT'S BEEN HIGHER UNDER, UH, SHERIFF GARCIA.
IT WAS ACTUALLY AT ABOUT 11,500 AT ITS WORSE.
BUT, UH, THAT'S NOT HOW ANYONE, UH, SHOULD BE REALLY SHOULD BE MAINTAINED.
UM, BUT WE HAVE A, A JAIL THAT'S FULL AND WE SEE PRISONERS BEING SHIPPED OUT OF COUNTY.
UM, AND WE CAN TALK ABOUT WHY LATER.
WHAT'S IMPORTANT HERE IS WHO'S IN JAIL.
SO THERE'S A NUMBER AT THE TOP RIGHT HAND CORNER, 8,878.
THAT'S THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE AWAITING TRIAL, MEANING THEY'RE JUST NOT READY TO PLEAD GUILTY.
THEIR LAWYERS DON'T HAVE THE DISCOVERY THEY NEED.
WE HAVEN'T GOTTEN IT FROM THE POLICE.
MAYBE THEY'RE CONTESTING IT AND THEY SAY THEY'RE NOT GUILTY, AND THEY SET IT FOR TRIAL.
SO THAT IS ANYWHERE FROM DAY ONE TO, UM, SOME PEOPLE HAVE BEEN IN JAIL AWAITING TRIAL.
I GOT THE LIST RECENTLY AS LONG AS SEVEN YEARS.
YOU'LL SEE THAT AT THE TOP IN THE MIDDLE.
THIS IS THE POPULATION WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT.
THERE ARE 5,000 INDIVIDUALS CHARGED WITH VIOLENT ASSAULTS, ROBBERIES, MURDER, CAPITAL MURDER, SEXUAL ASSAULTS, KIDNAPPING, ET CETERA.
THE BOTTOM, UH, BLOCKS ARE WHAT OTHER INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE INCARCERATED, WHAT THEY'RE CHARGED WITH.
THOSE NUMBERS ADD UP TO 8,878.
THERE'S ALSO A POPULATION THAT MAKES UP THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE APPROXIMATELY 10,000 PLUS THAT ARE IN JAIL AND THE 8,800 AWAITING TRIAL.
AND THOSE ARE INDIVIDUALS WITH ICE HOLDS OR WITHHOLDS FROM OTHER PLACES, WARRANTS FROM OTHER PLACES, OR THEY COULD BE SERVING A JAIL SENTENCE OR AWAITING TRANSPORT TO THE PENITENTIARY.
IN SHORT, YOU CAN SEE THAT THE JAIL HAS OUT OF 10,000 PEOPLE, 5,000 CHARGED WITH VIOLENT CRIMES.
AND THE OTHERS, UM, WHETHER THEY'RE PROPERTY FRAUD, STALKING, THAT KIND OF THING, THEY'RE ALL GOING TO HAVE GENERALLY SOME EITHER VIOLENT HISTORY OR VIOLENT CASE ATTACHED TO THEM TO, TO THEIR CASES.
SO, UM, IT'S, IT'S, UH, THAT'S A SNAPSHOT.
OUR BACKLOG AT OUR HEIGHT DURING COVID.
UM, WE, UH, REACHED NEAR, UM, THIS SAYS 136,000, UM, BUT WITH INACTIVE CASES, IT WAS REALLY ABOUT, UM, 152,000.
UH, WE ARE DOWN, WE ARE AT AROUND, THIS SAYS 130.
IT'S REALLY ABOUT 135,000 CASES THAT'S ACTIVE
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IN AND INACTIVE.ABOUT 95,000 OF THOSE ARE ACTIVE CASES, MEANING THE DEFENDANTS ARE EITHER IN JAIL OR THEY'RE ON BAIL.
THAT'S A TOTAL OF ABOUT 95,000 ACTIVE CASES OUT OF A TOTAL CASE NUMBER OF ABOUT 130,000, MAYBE A LITTLE HIGHER, MAYBE 135.
UM, HARVEY KNOCKED OUT OUR COURTHOUSE IN 2017.
YOU CAN SEE THAT WE STILL, UM, HAVEN'T RECOVERED.
IN FACT, MUCH OF OUR OFFICE IS NOT CURRENTLY ASSIGNED TO THE COURTHOUSE.
THE COUNTY HAS US IN BUILDINGS ABOUT THREE MILES AWAY.
OUR PROSECUTORS TAKE THE BUS TO COURT.
IT'S REALLY BEEN DIFFICULT FOR THEM.
THE NUMBER OF JURY TRIALS IMPACTS THE BACKLOG.
THERE'S ONLY ONE, YOU KNOW, THERE'S ONLY, UH, ONE WAY TO DIS WELL, THERE'S SEVERAL WAYS TO DISPOSE OF A CASE THROUGH PLEA BARGAIN, BUT IF SOMEBODY SAYS THEY'RE NOT GUILTY, THEY'RE ENTITLED TO A TRIAL.
SO YOU'VE GOT, YOU KNOW, 8,800 PEOPLE, UM, PRETRIAL, AWAITING THAT IN JAIL NOW.
AND YOU HAVE ANOTHER, UM, MANY, MANY THOUSAND ON BOND.
THE GOOD NEWS IS THERE ARE MORE JURY TRIALS HAPPENING, AND FOR THAT, WE APPRECIATE AND COMMEND OUR JUDGES.
NEW CRIMES COMMITTED BY DEFENDANTS ON BOND.
THIS HAS BEEN AN ISSUE THAT'S BEEN, UH, DEBATED.
YOU GO, NATHAN, TO SHOW YOU THE CHART.
UM, IT'S ABOUT YOU TALKING ABOUT
DA, PLEASE PUT YOURSELVES ON MUTE.
PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU'RE ON MUTE.
YOU CAN SEE THAT, UM, THERE'S A, A PRETTY DRAMATIC DIFFERENCE STARTING IN 2019 FROM, UM, HISTORICAL RELEASES ON BOND AND THE NUMBER OF CRIMES THAT WERE COMMITTED.
MANY MORE PEOPLE STARTED RECEIVING BAIL, UH, STARTING IN 2019.
AND UNFORTUNATELY, THE CORRESPONDING ACTIONS HAPPENED, WHICH WERE MORE CRIMES COMMITTED BY MORE PEOPLE ON BAIL.
UM, SINCE THE ATTENTION HAS BEEN FOCUSED, UH, ON THAT ISSUE, WE'VE SEEN SOME CHANGE.
WE HAVE, UM, ABOUT 6,100 CASES AT THE BEGINNING OF SUMMER.
UH, WE PROJECT ABOUT 14,600 AT THIS RATE.
THAT'S A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION.
IT ALSO DOES TELL YOU THAT'S PART OF WHY THERE ARE, UH, WE HAVE A FULL JAIL AND PEOPLE BEING OUTSOURCED.
UM, MORE PEOPLE ARE GOING TO JAIL AND STAYING IN JAIL AFTER THEY'RE ARRESTED.
THIS WAS MY DESIRED OUTCOME FOR VIOLENT REPEAT OFFENDERS, AND I APPRECIATE THE SUPPORT, THE POLICE, THE COMMUNITY, THE CLERGY AND CRIME VICTIMS HAVE GIVEN US TO GET THAT DONE.
AND I THINK THEY'VE SENT, UM, A LOUD MESSAGE THAT THEY'RE AFRAID OF THESE REPEAT VIOLENT OFFENDERS FOR GOOD REASON.
AND THAT'S YOU ALL, BY THE WAY.
SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT ON THAT.
THE RESTITUTION CENTER HAS COLLECTED BY THEMSELVES $13 MILLION IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS.
IT'S CREATION OF OUR OTHER FIRST ASSISTANT, VIVIAN KING.
UM, WE RUN, SHE RUNS IT TO THE PENNY.
UH, THE VICTIMS GET THEIR MONEY INSTANTLY.
IT SOLVED AN OLD PROBLEM OF A LOT OF MONEY BEING COLLECTED BUT NOT DISPERSED TO VICTIMS. ALL THIS MONEY IS IMMEDIATELY DISPERSED TO VICTIMS. UM, IT, IT REALLY WORKS WELL, AND IT'S SOMETHING TO BE PROUD OF OVERALL, ALONG WITH PROBATION, WE'VE COLLECTED OVER $30 MILLION IN THE LAST FIVE AND A HALF YEARS THAT WENT DIRECTLY BACK TO CRIME VICTIMS. WE'VE DONE THAT THROUGH AN INCREASED STAFFING OF OUR VICTIM ASSISTANCE COORDINATORS, AND OF COURSE, UM, THE MANAGEMENT, THE CREATION AND MANAGEMENT OF THIS RESTITUTION CENTER.
WE USE THAT FOR, UM, CHILD CASES AND SOME, SOME ADULT CASES.
UM, THESE ARE SOME OF THE VICTIMS, UH, CASES THAT YOU'VE SEEN.
UH, SOME OF HOUSTON'S WORST CRIMES ARE NOW FINALLY BEING TRIED.
WE'RE GETTING SIGNIFICANT STATEMENTS FROM JURIES WHO WANT A SAFE CITY.
UH, THE STATE FAMILY WAS MURDERED BY RON HASKELL.
UM, HE WAS SENTENCED TO DEATH BY HARRIS COUNTY JURY.
UNDER MY ADMINISTRATION, I SUPPORT THAT, UH, PROSECUTION AND, UH, WE ARE IN THE APPELLATE STAGE.
UE FLORES TOOK SIX YEARS TO GET TO TRIAL.
WRONG PERSON HAD BEEN ARRESTED INITIALLY.
UM, THE ACTUAL DEFENDANT WAS ONCE DISMISSED.
WE JUST DIDN'T HAVE SUFFICIENT CONNECTION WITH THE DNA SCIENCE ADVANCED AND CHANGED.
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WE RESUBMITTED THE SAME EVIDENCE AND THEY WERE ABLE TO MATCH THE DEFENDANT.HE WAS SENTENCED TO LIFE TWO MONTHS AGO.
FINALLY, STEVEN HOBBES WAS A SERIAL MURDERER.
UH, HE WAS, HE'S AN ENORMOUS GUY OVER, UH, 350 POUNDS.
HE, UM, DROVE TRUCKS FOR A LIVING AND HE, UM, USED THE SERVICES OF SEX WORKERS A LOT.
HE MURDERED, UM, AT LEAST FIVE THAT WE KNOW OF.
HE WAS SENTENCED ON THESE TWO VICTIMS' MURDERS.
UM, WE STACKED THE LIFE SENTENCES.
HE AVOIDED A DEATH, UH, PROSECUTION, AND WE WERE ABLE TO GET JUSTICE FOR, UM, ALL FIVE WOMEN AND THEN OTHER WOMEN WHO HE HAD BRUTALIZED, BUT WHO DID NOT DIE.
I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT EXONERATIONS ARE IMPORTANT TO ME.
I PROMISED, UH, A BETTER, A BETTER SYSTEM.
AND WHEN EVIDENCE SHOWS THAT SOMEBODY IS NOT GUILTY, THAT THEY ARE INNOCENT, WE HAVE TO ACKNOWLEDGE IT.
WE HAVE TO SEEK IT, AND WE HAVE TO WORK THROUGH THE COURTS TO GET IT.
AND WE'VE DONE THAT IN, UH, THESE FIVE CASES.
YOU CAN, UM, YOU KNOW, READ THEM AT AT YOUR LEISURE.
WE'VE ALSO MADE GREAT STRIDES WITH MENTAL HEALTH.
UM, DON'T HAVE TIME TO TALK ABOUT IT TODAY, BUT IT'S, IT'S REALLY WORTH YOU ALL SEEING WHAT THE HARRIS CENTER IS DOING.
UH, WITH NONVIOLENT, MENTALLY ILL OFFENDERS, MOST OF THEM HOMELESS.
NEXT SLIDE LAST TO PUSH THE CASES THAT ARE MOST IMPORTANT TO HOUSTON TO TRIAL.
THROUGH VERY FEW ATTORNEYS, WE HAVE SELECTED 10 OF OUR BEST TRIAL LAWYERS UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF, UH, HIM AND I AM A, HAVE BECOME A GREAT ADMIRER OF SARAH SEALEY.
UH, YOU'LL SEE HER IN TRIAL, TRIAL ON TV, AND SHE IS A, A GREAT ASSET TO THE PEOPLE OF HARRIS COUNTY.
SHE'S LEADING THIS NEW, UH, GROUP OF LAWYERS, AND WE'RE TALKING TO THE, UH, JUDGES NOW, AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO TALK TO THEM ABOUT DEDICATING SOME OF THEIR TEMPORARY COURTS TO THESE CAPITAL MURDER CASES.
WE HAVE ALMOST 500 PENDING THAT.
I THINK IT'S TIME FOR QUESTIONS IF WE HAVE ANY TIME LEFT.
IF NOT, I'M REALLY APPRECIATIVE OF WHAT YOU ALL DO FOR, UM, OUR NEIGHBORHOODS, MY NEIGHBORS, MY NEIGHBORHOOD.
I, UH, I'M REALLY GRATEFUL TO THE SUPER NEIGHBORHOODS.
I REMEMBER WHEN MAYOR BROWN CREATED THEM AND THEY'VE WORKED, BUT THEY ONLY WORKED BECAUSE OF PEOPLE.
IS THERE TIME FOR QUESTIONS? UH, YES, THERE IS.
I THINK WE'LL TAKE MAYBE A TOTAL OF THREE.
AND IF THERE ARE OTHER ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS, PLEASE EITHER PUT THEM IN THE CHAT OR EMAIL THEM TO US.
WE'LL MAKE SURE WE GET A RESPONSE FROM THE DA'S OFFICE.
UH, AND, AND PLEASE KEEP YOUR QUESTIONS SHORT AND TO THE POINT, UH, SO THAT WE CAN GET THROUGH AS MANY AS POSSIBLE.
THANKS CINDY, AND THANK YOU, UM, DISTRICT ATTORNEY OG FOR BEING HERE AND FOR ALL YOU DO.
WE ARE REBUILDING SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD HERE AFTER 15 PLUS YEARS.
UM, I WANTED TO TELL YOU THAT, UH, THE INFORMATION THAT WE NEED AS A COMMUNITY, WE HAVE NORTHLINE ELEMENTARY.
THE TEACHER WAS ARRESTED IN 2020 FOR SEXUAL CRIMES AGAINST CHILDREN THERE IN 2017.
UH, WE ARE TOLD HE'S ABSCONDED ON A $300,000 BOND.
HOW CAN WE FIND OUT ABOUT THIS AND HOW CAN WE WORK BETTER WITH YOUR OFFICE FOR THE TRAFFICKING THAT GOES THROUGH THE NORTHLINE MOTEL TO LAS CASITA'S APARTMENTS.
AND THEN OUR, OUR COMMAND FOR THE POLICE IS IN ACRES HOMES IN DISTRICT B, AND WE'RE DISTRICT H.
SO WE'VE GOT TO WORK AROUND THESE MAPS.
SO LET ME KNOW AND I'LL FOLLOW UP WITH YOU IN AN EMAIL, BUT I'D LIKE TO KNOW HOW WE CAN WORK WITH YOUR OFFICE IN NORTHLINE.
IN SHORT, BRAD BRADFORD, FORMER CHIEF WILL BE YOUR LIAISON ALSO, ANNA CARPENTER.
BOTH CAN TALK WITH YOU IN THE CHAT.
WE ALWAYS NEED THE CASE NUMBER.
LET'S SAY THERE'S 20 CASES BECAUSE YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT TRAFFICKING AT A MOTEL.
YOU'LL WORK WITH A LADY NAMED JOHNA STALLINGS.
WE'RE ALL OVER THIS TRAFFICKING ISSUE.
WE NEED CLOSER, WE NEED A MORE COHESIVE STRATEGY WITH THE VICE DIVISION.
WHAT WE LIKE TO DO IS WORK CASES UP THE CHAIN TO GET THE TRAFFICKERS.
AND SOMETIMES IT'S HARD TO GET PEOPLE TO SEE PAST THE INITIAL CASE.
AND SO WE'RE WORKING WITH THEM.
UH, GOOD LEADERSHIP OVER AT HPD, TROY FINNER, UH, AND I WORK WELL TOGETHER, BUT ALSO WE CAN USE YOUR SUPPORT ON THAT.
THEY NEED TO KNOW THAT'S WHAT YOU WANT, THE TRAFFICKERS, NOT JUST THE SEX WORKERS.
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DA.I I THOUGHT I HEARD YOU SAY THAT THERE WERE PEOPLE IN JAIL THAT'D BEEN THERE FOR SEVEN YEARS.
I MEAN, WHY HAVEN'T THEY GONE TO, TO TRIAL? I MEAN, THAT SEEMS LIKE CRUEL AND UNUSUAL PUNISHMENT TO KEEP SOMEBODY THAT LONG WITHOUT A TRIAL.
AND FOR, FOR WHATEVER PART MY OFFICE HAS IN THAT, UM, I WILL ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY.
LET ME SAY THAT SCHEDULING IS THE JUDGE'S.
AND WITHOUT LOOKING INTO EACH OF THOSE SEVEN CASES, WHICH BY THE WAY, WHY HAS STARTED, UM, I CAN'T TELL YOU, BUT I WILL BE HAPPY TO RUN THROUGH THEM.
THAT'S WHAT OUR HOMICIDE DIVISION IS FOR.
I WANT, I WANT A COHESIVE EFFORT BY THE JUDICIARY, BY THE COMMISSIONERS WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE COURTHOUSE.
UH, WE NEED THE SPACE AND, UH, WE NEED TO TRY THESE CASES.
AND I'VE GOT A SQUAD TO DO IT.
I JUST CAN'T TELL YOU WITHOUT LOOKING AT EACH CASE, BUT IT'S VERY, VERY DISTURBING.
THIS SHOULD BE WHAT IS LOOKED AT FIRST EACH DAY, UH, BY THE SCHEDULERS.
AND WE'RE ASKING OUR JUDGES TO DO THAT.
LOOK AT YOUR OLDEST CASES, PLEASE.
UH, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
DA, UH, MY QUESTION IS THIS, GOING BACK TO THE SEVENTIES, THEY'VE HAD SOMETHING CALLED NIGHT COURT.
I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY Y'ALL DON'T HAVE NIGHT COURT.
IF YOU ALL HAD NIGHT COURT, YOU WOULDN'T HAVE THAT MANY BACKLOG CASES.
AND THAT IS A, A TERM THAT I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY YOU ALL HAVEN'T STARTED DOING THAT.
BECAUSE SAYING THE BUILDING ISN'T READY.
THAT BUILDING, I'VE NEVER SEEN IT TAKE THAT LONG.
THAT DOESN'T MAKE ANY, THAT'S NOT EVEN LOGICAL.
UH, UH, I, I WORK WITH PERMITTING IT.
BUT TO HELP US FEEL SAFER AS CITIZENS, IF WE SEE THESE PEOPLE BEING PROSECUTED, THEN YOU DON'T HAVE AN OVERCROWD.
AND THEY CAN GO TO WHATEVER JAIL, PRISON THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO GO TO WHERE HARRIS COUNTY JUST BASICALLY SUPPOSED TO BE A CLEARING HOUSE.
SO WHY Y'ALL DON'T HAVE NIGHT COURT? WE DON'T HAVE THE STAFF FOR NIGHT COURT, BUT I'LL GIVE YOU A NIGHT COURT IF I CAN GET THE STAFF.
THE, THE LEGISLATURE CREATES COURTS.
UH, THE JUDGES DECIDE THEIR OWN SCHEDULE.
THEY CAN DECIDE IF THEY, UH, HOW OFTEN THEY GO TO TRIAL, WHEN THEY GO TO TRIAL, BUT THEY DO NEED A PLACE TO GO TO TRIAL.
AND, UH, THE PLACES WE SUGGESTED, THE NRG, WE SUGGESTED THE ASTRO.
I'VE, ALL OF THOSE THINGS DURING COVID, THE DEFENSE BAR OBJECTED TO DAMN NEAR EVERYTHING.
ALL I CAN TELL YOU IS IT CAN BE DONE.
AND IT WAS DONE AROUND THE COUNTRY IN SOME PLACES, IN SOME PLACES IT WASN'T.
AND, UH, THE WAY THE MONEY IS SPENT BY COMMISSIONERS, THERE IS NO REASON THAT OUR COURTHOUSE SHOULD BE TAKING THIS LONG.
IT'S HOW THE MONEY'S BEING SPENT AND IN AT WHAT RATE, I GUESS THE JOB IS BEING DONE.
BUT WE'VE SEEN WHOLE, UH, MILLIONS OF DOLLARS SPENT ON A PROJECT HERE AND THERE, BUT NOT OUR PROJECTS, NOT THE COURTHOUSE.
SO I CONSIDER THE COMMISSIONER'S COURT THE RESPONSIBLE ENTITY FOR FUNDING.
THE JUDGES ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR SCHEDULING.
AND I'M SUPPOSED TO BE READY TO BE READY ON ALL THOSE CASES.
I'VE JUST GOTTA HAVE MORE PROSECUTORS.
I'VE BEEN AFTER IT ALL FIVE YEARS.
I'M GONNA STAY AFTER IT BECAUSE THE ONLY WAY WE'RE GONNA HAVE A WORLD CLASS CITY IS TO HAVE A WORLD CLASS JUSTICE SYSTEM.
OKAY, WE'RE GONNA TAKE ONE LAST QUESTION, AND THEN IF YOU HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, PLEASE UH, SEND THEM EITHER TO STACY AT OUR EMAIL ADDRESS OR DO THEM IN THE CHAT.
THE LAST QUESTION IS BY VICKI MARTIN.
AND THANK YOU, UH, DAR FOR BEING PRESENT IN YOUR PRESENTATION.
UH, I REPRESENT NORTHEAST, UH, SIDE OF TOWN, WHICH IS EAST, EASTERN AND CGAS AREA.
AND WHAT WE HAVE IN THIS AREA IS WE HAVE POLICE OFFICERS THAT ARE, I THINK IT'S A MANIPULATION TACTIC.
AND I'VE ALREADY MET WITH THE COMMANDER, BUT I HOLD A CRIMINAL JUSTICE DEGREE, AND I'M A RETIRED SEX OFFENDER OFFICER FROM THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE.
SO SOME OF THESE THINGS I'M AWARE OF, BUT THEY'RE TAKING A MANIPULATIVE TACTIC BY TELLING CITIZENS WHEN THEY MAKE CALLS AND THEY HAVE OBSERVED CRIMES, OR THEY HAVE VIDEO OR CAMERAS THAT THEY'VE RECORDED CRIMES BEING COMMITTED, THEY'RE TELLING THE CITIZENS IN OUR AREA, OH, IF WE CALL THE DA, SHE'S NOT GONNA ACCEPT CHARGES ON THAT, OR SHE'S NOT.
SO THE QUESTION WOULD BE, WHAT WOULD BE THE POINT OF CONTACT IN YOUR OFFICE THAT WE CAN TUNNEL THESE, THESE, UH, COMPLAINTS TO YOUR OFFICE TO LET YOU ALL KNOW THAT THE OFFICERS IN THE FIELD ARE USING YOUR OFFICE
[00:35:01]
AND DROPPING YOUR OFFICE NAME AS YOU ALL WILL NOT ACCEPT CHARGES ON INCIDENTS WHERE WE KNOW A CRIME HAS BEEN COMMITTED.THANK YOU, BRAD BRADFORD WILL BE YOUR CONNECTION.
HE GOES STRAIGHT TO DAVID MITCHAM OR NATHAN BEETLE, OR ONE OF OUR OTHER BUREAU CHIEFS TO GET THE, UH, CASES CHECKED OUT.
HE CONTACTS THE POLICE DEPARTMENT TO SEE WHAT THEIR, UH, REPORTS SAY AND WHAT THEIR COMMANDERS HAVE TO SAY.
UM, I HOPE IT'S NOT INTENTIONAL, UH, BUT WHETHER IT'S A MISTAKE OR IT'S INTENTIONAL, THAT NEEDS TO STOP.
AND WHERE WE REJECT CHARGES BECAUSE A CASE IS INSUFFICIENT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE OR THE, WE WANT THEM TO DO, UH, SOMETHING ELSE, GATHER ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE.
THERE WILL ALWAYS BE A REJECTION SHEET.
SO IF IT'S TRUE THAT WE DID TURN DOWN THE CASE, THERE'S A RECORD OF IT AT INTAKE, ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS SEND US THE INCIDENT REPORT NUMBER AND WE'LL CHECK IT OUT.
IF A, IF THERE'S NO REJECTION, THEN THAT MEANS WE WERE NOT CALLED OR A CASE GOT FILED, IN WHICH CASE THAT INCIDENT NUMBER WOULD SHOW UP AS A CAUSE NUMBER.
SO YOU SEND US THAT, BRAD WILL PUT HIS, UH, INFORMATION IN THE CHAT, AND WE'RE HERE FOR YOU.
THAT'S REALLY WHAT LAWYERS, AND THAT'S WHAT PUBLIC LAWYERS SHOULD BE DOING.
SO I WANNA SERVICE THE NEIGHBORHOODS.
WE'VE WORKED WITH SET OF GAS ON OUR JUVENILE JUSTICE PROGRAM, AND WE'VE WORKED WITH SET OF GUESTS ON THE DUMPING, UH, SOME OF THE DUMPING ISSUES.
AND I'M, I'M GLAD THAT, UH, JUSTICE DEPARTMENT HAS TAKEN A LOOK AT IT.
UH, I KNOW THAT THERE ARE A FEW PEOPLE THAT HAVE THEIR HANDS UP.
IF YOU COULD GO AHEAD AND RELAY THOSE QUESTIONS TO STACY AT OUR EMAIL ADDRESS, WHICH IS WHAT? S-N-A-C-O H@GMAIL.COM.
DID I GET THAT RIGHT? STACY
I WAS JUST GONNA LET YOU KNOW THAT, UH, I HAVE PUT MY INFORMATION, I'M THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT SUPERVISOR HERE AT THE HARRIS COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE.
SO I PUT MY CONTACT INFORMATION IN THE CHAT AS WELL AS SHERRY CORTEZ.
WE ARE BOTH VERY HAPPY TO TAKE ANY COMMUNITY QUESTIONS AND CONCERNS AND POINT YOU IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
I HAVE ALSO INCLUDED CHIEF BRADFORD'S, UM, CONTACT INFORMATION FOR ANY QUESTIONS RELATED TO CASES, AND WE'LL BE HAPPY TO HELP YOU.
ALSO, STACY, THE PRESENTATION AND THE FLOW CHART THAT I SENT YOU ARE, UM, YOU CAN SHARE THOSE WITH EVERYBODY ON THIS CALL.
THOSE ARE MEANT FOR EVERYBODY TO EDUCATE.
AND THERE'S SOME GOOD VIDEOS ON THERE AS WELL.
AND ANY QUESTIONS YOU HAVE ABOUT THAT, JUST SHOOT THEM MORE WAY AS WELL.
I'LL, I'LL SHARE IT OUT WITH EVERYONE.
AND I JUST WANNA THANK YOU ALL FOR HAVING ME.
UM, THERE IS NO REPUBLICAN OR DEMOCRAT WAY TO FIGHT CRIME.
THERE IS JUST THE REAL WAY, WHICH IS, UH, COMMUNITY, UH, VICTIMS AND WITNESSES AND, AND COURTS AND THE DA AND THE POLICE.
AND SO THANK YOU ALL FOR LETTING ME GET ON, UH, ON, IN FRONT OF YOU.
I THINK IT'S, I THINK IT'S TERRIFIC THE WORK THAT YOU DO, AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR, UH, FITTING US INTO YOUR SCHEDULE.
I KNOW YOU'VE GOT, UH, A LOT ON YOUR PLATE, SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
UM, IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT SALLY ALCORN, UH, HAD A, SOME COMMENTS TO MAKE.
NO, I WAS ON AT THE BEGINNING.
UM, JUST, UH, HERE TO HEAR THE D DA, UM, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION.
UH, IN THAT CASE, UH, IT'S, UH, TIME TO DISCUSS OUR MEETING MINUTES FROM THE JUNE MEETING MINUTES AS WERE DISTRIBUTED WITH THE MEETING INVITATION, I GUESS FRIDAY.
UH, ARE THERE ANY CORRECTIONS, UH, TO THE MEETING MINUTES THAT WERE DISTRIBUTED? IF NOT, THEN I WOULD, UH, TAKE A MOTION TO ACCEPT AS STATED, I MAKE A MOTION THAT WE ACCEPT THE MINUTES AS STATED MOTION BY TAMARA BELL.
AND SINCE NOBODY, UH, STATED THAT HAD ANY CHANGES, WE'LL, WE'LL MARK THAT AS ACCEPTED THEN.
UM, AND UH, NEXT WE HAVE A PRESENTATION BY ROY LIRA, OUR VICE PRESIDENT, UH, ABOUT THE SURVEY RESULTS THAT YOU ALL HAVE, UH, MADE COMMENTS ON.
UH, DOES STACY HAVE THAT? WHO HAS THE PRESENTATION? STACY ROY, ARE YOU GONNA NO, IT'S YOU.
[00:40:01]
ME? NO, STACY.DID YOU SEND IT TO ME, ROY? YES.
IT WAS DISTRIBUTED WITH THE, UH, ANNOUNCEMENT SATURDAY 50.
SO, WHILE THAT'S BEING PULLED UP, GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE.
UM, ROY LERA AND WHAT WE'RE DISCUSSING IS EXACTLY THIS.
IT'S A POLL SURVEY THAT WAS CONDUCTED OVER A 30 DAY PERIOD PRIOR TO GETTING THAT.
I JUST WANNA LEVEL SET WHAT THE SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD ALLIANCE IS WITH A COUPLE OF KEY POINTS SO THAT EVERYONE ON THE CALL, REGARDLESS IF THIS IS YOUR FIRST SNA MEETING OR YOUR 50TH, THE SNA IS AN ORGANIZATION COMPRISED OF THE PRESIDENTS OR CHAIRS OF THE SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCILS AND SERVE AS A FORMAL ADVISORY BOARD TO THE MAYOR AND CITY GOVERNMENT ON COMMUNITY MATTERS.
THE REASON WE'RE REINFORCING THAT IS, AGAIN, WITH AN ORGANIZATION LIKE OURS, WE REALIZE THAT NEIGHBORHOODS HAVE LEADERSHIP THAT COME IN AND OUT.
AND SO WHEN WE DO THIS, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE HAS THE SAME FOUNDATION.
SO IS IT SHARED STACY, OR IT'S BEING DOWNLOADED? NO, IT'S BEING DOWNLOADED.
AND ANOTHER TAKEAWAY FROM THIS IS, LET'S MAKE IT SIMPLER.
THINK OF THE SNA AS THE PLACE.
IT'S A FORUM FOR FOUR THINGS, SUPPORT, EDUCATION, NETWORKING, AND ADVOCACY.
Y'ALL READY? GOTTA KEEP GOING THEN.
SO A REMINDER FOR THIS, THIS IS SHAREABLE.
SO PLEASE, IF YOU SHARE IT WITH YOUR SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCILS, UM, SHARE IT WITH OTHER YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS IF IT, AS IT MAKES SENSE AND AS IT'S RELEVANT.
UM, LET'S GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE TO THE ITEM TWO.
THIS WAS SENT AS A PRE-READ, UNSURE HOW MANY PEOPLE WERE ABLE TO DO THAT AHEAD OF TIME.
HOWEVER, THIS PULSE SURVEY IS BASED ON ACTUALLY BEING IN 2019, WHERE OUR PRIOR SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD CHAIR, SNH CHAIR, JUAN SOTO SOTO HELD SEVERAL MEETINGS, WEEKEND MEETINGS TO ACTUALLY UNDERSTAND WHERE OUR STRENGTHS, WEAKNESSES, OPPORTUNITIES, AND THREATS WERE WITHIN THE S-M-C-S-N-A AND THEN START THE FRAMEWORK.
WHILE I WAS, AS THAT LEADERSHIP TEAM WAS MAKING SIGNIFICANT HEADWAYS, THE PANDEMIC HAPPENED.
AND OBVIOUSLY WITH THE PANDEMIC, WE REALIZED WE NEEDED TO TAKE A STEP BACK AND FOCUS ON THOSE ITEMS THAT WERE MOST CRITICAL BECAUSE EACH AREA WITHIN THE CITY WAS IMPACTED SOME MORE, UM, HEAVILY IMPACTED THAN OTHERS AND FOR DIFFERENT CAUSES AND REASONS.
WHEN WE LOOK BACK AT THIS AND THE LEADERSHIP TEAM WAS DISCUSSING WHERE WE WERE AND WHERE WE WANT TO GO OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL YEARS, WE REALIZED OR MADE THE DECISION THAT THIS IS THE TIME TO DO SO.
SO WITH EVERYONE'S HELP ON THIS CALL, THIS POLL SURVEY WAS CONDUCTED.
AND WITH ANYTHING THAT WE DO, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE AN OBJECTIVE BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW IF WE'RE SUCCESSFUL OR NOT UNLESS WE HAVE AN OBJECTIVE, A PLAN.
AND HOW ARE WE GONNA MEASURE THAT? SO FROM THE SURVEY, THERE ARE A FEW THINGS WE'RE LOOKING AT NEAR MIDTERM PLANS.
HOW ARE WE GONNA FOCUS OUR EFFORTS SO THAT WE'RE MOST, UH, EFFECTIVE, GETTING MORE PEOPLE TO PARTICIPATE, NOT JUST THE CHAIRS, NOT JUST THE, THE MEMBERS WITHIN THE SNC, BUT OTHER PEOPLE ARE NONPROFITS ALSO THAT OTHERWISE MIGHT NOT, UH, VOLUNTEER AS MUCH.
AND THEN AS PEOPLE WERE JOINING THE SNA FOR THE FIRST TIME OR FOR SEVERAL AFTER SEVERAL YEARS, MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE WITHIN THIS GROUP SO THAT WE CAN SUSTAIN THE ORGANIZATION AND THEN THOSE THAT ARE JOINING ONBOARD THEM.
BECAUSE THE FIRST SEVERAL MONTHS I ATTENDED AN S AND A MEETING, I REALLY HAD TO KEEP TAKING NOTES AND WRITE DOWN WHAT EACH OF THE INITIALS OR ACRONYMS WERE AND GO BACK AND LOOK.
SO THERE IS A LEARNING CURVE, AND WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE ARE EFFECTIVE SOONER AND THEY FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE SOONER.
AS I MENTIONED THE NEXT SLIDE, THERE WERE 21 SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCILS THAT COMPLETED AND SUBMITTED RESPONSES TO THE SURVEY OVER THE 30 DAY WINDOW.
THIS WAS AFTER SEVERAL, UM, SEVERAL COMMUNICATIONS MESSAGES ASKING FOR FEEDBACK, YOUR INPUT.
AND 21 IS A REALLY SOLID NUMBER.
AND THAT WAS A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK AT THE DIVERSITY WITHIN THE CITY, THE SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCILS THAT REPLIED.
AND WE ALSO WANT TO THANK PEOPLE WHO SPENT THE TIME, WHO CONSOLIDATED THAT INFORMATION
[00:45:01]
FROM THEIR SNCS AND SHARED THAT.WHAT'S ALSO LISTED HERE IS THE AMOUNT OF TIME THAT PEOPLE HAVE SPENT WITHIN THE SNA OR THE SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD ALLIANCE.
AS YOU'RE LOOKING THROUGH THIS, WE START TO SEE THAT NEARLY A OR A THIRD HAVE BEEN WITH THE ORGANIZATION IN A LEADERSHIP CAPACITY FOR OVER.
THAT'S NEARLY A THIRD OF THE POPULATION FROM THIS SURVEY.
AND WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT THOSE THAT HAVE BEEN FIVE TO 10 YEARS AND MORE THAN 10, IT'S OVER HALF.
SO THAT TELLS US A COUPLE OF THINGS.
WE'RE REALLY, WE HAVE THIS VERY TENURED GROUP THAT HAS A LOT OF KNOWLEDGE, AND IT ALSO TELLS US THAT WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO BRING IN NEWER OR LESSER TENURED LEADERSHIP TO PROVIDE THAT SO THAT THEY CAN LEARN, DEVELOP, SHARE THEIR IDEAS, AND THAT THOSE OF US THAT ARE SENIOR LEADERS USE THIS TIME PERHAPS TO CONSIDER MENTORING OR COACHING OTHER SNAS AND LEADERS OR NC AND LEADERS WHO'VE JUST JOINED THE ORGANIZATION.
HOW MUCH TIME DO YOU HAVE OR ARE YOU WILLING TO COMMIT BASED ON YOUR OTHER OBLIGATIONS TO THE SM TO THE SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD ALLIANCE? AND WHEN WE LOOKED AT THIS, WE SEE THE THEMES COMING THROUGH DEVELOPMENT AND EDUCATION FOR THESE LEADERS AND THE S UM, FOR THE LEADERS AND PARTICIPANTS AND SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS AND COMMITTEES.
SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS WAS LISTED HERE BECAUSE THERE WERE SEVERAL THEMES THAT POPPED UP THROUGH THE FREE TEXT COMMENTS.
AND THIS LIES TIES INTO ANOTHER RECOMMENDATION.
WE'LL MAKE SURE IT WILL SHOW BRIEFLY.
AND SECONDLY, THERE ARE MULTIPLE COMMITTEES WITH IT THAT WITHIN THE CITY OF HOUSTON, IT'S NOT PRACTICAL FOR US TO HAVE REPRESENTATION ON EACH ONE.
SO AS A TEAM OR AS A, AS AN ENTITY, WHAT ARE THOSE COMMITTEES WHERE WE FOCUS OUR MOST EFFORTS SO WE CAN GET THE BEST BANG FOR OUR BUCK AND HELP OUR COMMUNITY? NEXT SLIDE.
ANOTHER KEY ITEM IS WE TALKED ABOUT PARTICIPATION IN ATTENDANCE ALREADY.
AS WE WENT THROUGH, WE START TO SEE THAT THE THEME, THIS IS EVIDENT AT THE SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD ALLIANCE LEVEL, AT YOUR SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD LEVEL AND REALLY OTHER NONPROFITS.
WHAT WE'RE DOING WITHIN THE SNA IMMEDIATELY IS, OR FOCUSING ON, ON, IS PROVIDING MORE TIME FOR THE SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCILS TO THEM TO SHARE THEIR SKILL SETS, PROVIDING MORE TIME FOR US TO DISCUSS ITEMS OR ISSUES THAT ARE REALLY IMPACTING PARTS, MULTIPLE PARTS OF THE CITY THAT WE'VE NOT MADE THAT EFFORT TO IN THE PAST, THAT EFFORT'S BEEN MADE, BUT WE'RE REALLY PLACING A FOCUS ON IDENTIFYING THOSE THREE OR FOUR ITEMS AND MOVING FORWARD WITH IT.
ADDITIONALLY, THERE'S A LOT THAT GOES ON THE CITY.
AND SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE UNDERSTAND WHAT SOME OF THE OTHER SUPER NEIGHBORHOODS ARE DOING AND WHAT MAKES THEM UNIQUE.
WHAT ARE THEIR BEST PRACTICES AND WHAT ARE SOME ITEMS THEY CAN HELP WITH? BECAUSE WE'RE GONNA START REALIZING, EVERYONE ON THIS CALL WILL REALIZE THAT THERE ARE SOME THEMES.
THERE ARE SOME, UM, ITEMS THAT, AGAIN, AREN'T LIMITED TO SPECIFIC NEIGHBORHOODS AND BOUNDARIES.
AND LASTLY, SOCIAL MEDIA HAS BEEN A CHALLENGE FOR ORGANIZATIONS.
HOWEVER, WE CAN REALLY USE THIS AND USE SOME OF THE TALENT WITHIN THE SNA TO MAKE A BIG SPLASH.
AND SOME NEIGHBORHOODS HAVE BEEN A LITTLE MORE EFFECTIVE AT IT THAN OTHERS.
SO LET'S SHARE BEST PRACTICES.
THE QUESTION TO THIS SLIDE WAS, OR QUESTIONS WERE WHAT ARE THE STRENGTHS OF THE SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD ALLIANCE AND WHAT ARE OUR WEAKNESSES? AS YOU LOOK AT THE STRENGTHS, THERE WERE SOME THEMES THAT WERE, THAT WE SAW WERE VERY EVIDENT, BUT WHAT HAPPENED WHEN WE LOOKED AT THIS IS, EVERYONE ON HERE IS A VOLUNTEER.
EVERYONE ON THIS LINE IS A NON-PAID VOLUNTEER TO BE HERE.
EVERYONE WHO SHOWS UP TO YOUR SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD MEETINGS AND LEAVES THEM AND SPENDS YOUR TIME AS A NON-PAID VOLUNTEER LEADER.
AND YOU WOULDN'T BE DO THE DOING THIS IF YOU DIDN'T BELIEVE THAT THE CITY CAN BE BETTER AND THAT WE ARE BETTER.
AND YOU'RE WANTING NOT JUST TO TALK ABOUT IT, BUT TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.
THAT'S THE, THE REALLY THE THEME OF THE STRENGTHS WITHIN THE SNA AREAS WHERE WE NEED TO IMPROVE OR FOCUS.
AS WE MENTIONED, ONE OF THE FOUR ITEMS WE TALKED ABOUT FROM SUPPORT, EDUCATION, NETWORKING AND ADVOCACY.
ADVOCACY IS ADVOCACY, RIGHT? THERE ARE SEVERAL ISSUES THAT WE'RE READING ABOUT IN THE PAPER NOW THAT HAVE TAKEN YEARS TO COME TO FRUITION BECAUSE THEN WE KNOW IT TAKES TIME.
[00:50:01]
WHAT ARE THOSE THREE OR FOUR ITEMS THAT IMPACT THE CITY AS A WHOLE FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE THAT WE CAN INFLUENCE.ADDITIONALLY, AGAIN, WE SEE THE CHANGE OR THE CALL FOR, UM, INCREASING ATTENDANCE AND THEN HAVING AN EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE THAT REFLECTS THE SNA.
THIS IS AN AMAZING EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.
AND WHAT THIS THEME TIES INTO IS IT'S EVOLVING.
WE'RE PLAYING TO THE STRENGTHS AND LEVERAGING THE TALENT BASED ON THE, THE ITEMS AND THE, UH, THE POPULATION ITSELF.
AND IN ALL FAIRNESS, WE WANT, THERE ARE MORE THAN A FEW COMMENTS OF ENSURING THAT THERE'S EQUAL CONVERSATION.
EVERYONE HAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK AND NOT A FEW VOICES THAT CONTINUE TO, TO SHARE THEIR OPINIONS.
IF WE'RE NOT WILLING TO MAKE, TAKE A RISK AND REALLY LOOK AT THE ONE TO THREE TO FOUR YEARS OUT, WE CAN CONTINUE TO MAKE CHANGES.
IF WE TAKE THIS APPROACH, AGAIN, FOCUSING ON ADVOCACY, NETWORKING, AND SUPPORT, WE CAN REALLY BE INFLUENTIAL FOR OUR NEIGHBORS AND THE CITY AS A WHOLE.
NEXT, AT A LOCAL LEVEL, MEANING THE SUPER NEIGHBORHOODS, THE FEEDBACK TIED INTO TWO ITEMS, DEVELOPMENTAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE AND COMMUNITY IMPACT.
WHEN WE LOOK AT THE DEVELOPMENTAL ADMINISTRATIVE, WE SEE THAT THERE'S A NEED FOR DEVELOPMENT FOR PEOPLE, FOR LEADERS AT A SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD LEVEL.
AND THAT'S A FAIR STATEMENT BECAUSE EVERYONE ON HERE HAS, HAS A DIFFERENT JOB, LIKELY HAS A DIFFERENT JOB IN THEIR REAL WORLD THAT THEY'RE PAID FOR.
LET'S LEVERAGE THE TALENT WE HAVE, THE SKILL SETS AND WHAT WE HAVE A PASSION FOR AND SHARE THAT WITH UH, EACH OTHER.
BY DOING THAT, IF YOU'RE ABLE TO PRESENT SOMETHING NEW AND DIFFERENT AND HELPFUL TO YOUR LOCAL SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD, YOU'RE PROBABLY GONNA ATTRACT MORE PEOPLE.
YOU'RE GONNA HAVE A LARGER INFLUENCE IMPACT.
AND THAT STARTS A CYCLE, A POSITIVE CYCLE FROM A COMMUNITY IMPACT.
THESE SIX THEMES WENT ACROSS THE ENTIRE CITY AND WHEN YOU, WHAT STOOD OUT THE MOST IS THE CIP ROSTER.
HOW DO WE AS A SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD ALLIANCE HELP ONE ANOTHER TO ENSURE THAT PROJECTS NOT ONLY ARE JUST TALKED ABOUT, BUT ARE IDENTIFIED AND DOCUMENTED ON THE CIP ROSTER, WHICH IS A HUGE CHANGE BECAUSE AS MUCH ADVOCACY AND MANY AS MANY VOLUNTEER HOURS AS WE HAVE WITHOUT SOME OF THE FUNDING, THERE IS A LIMIT ON HOW MUCH WE CAN HELP, UH, WITHIN CERTAIN PARTS OF THE CITY.
UH, THE UNIVERSITY CORRIDOR PROJECT IS A 20 BELIEVE, 26 MILE PROJECT, BRT THAT'S GOING TO PERHAPS CHANGE THE WAY THE CITY WORKS, THE QUALITY OF LIFE, ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES.
SO REGARDLESS OF WHICH SIDE SOMEONE MAY BE ON FOR THIS TOPIC, THERE'S AGAIN, ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY FOR PEOPLE TO PARTICIPATE.
THE CITY OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON ORDINANCE WHERE, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN WAS THE AUTHOR AND HER COMMITTEE PRESENTED THIS AND EXECUTED IT.
IN SOME NEIGHBORHOODS, WE MAY NOT, IT MAY NOT BE AN ISSUE, BUT AS YOU LOOK AT THIS FURTHER DOWN THE LINE, AS NEW BUSINESSES OPEN, AS RESIDENTS IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS CHANGE, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE ALL GOING, THAT'S GOING TO IMPACT ALL OF US.
AND I'LL TOUCH AND DA AOG WAS ON ABOUT SAFER NEIGHBORHOODS REDUCING CRIMINAL ACTIVITY.
AND LASTLY, 3 1 1, WHICH IS A TESTAMENT TO THE GREAT WORK THAT STACY'S DONE AND A COMMITMENT FROM OTHER PEOPLE ON THIS CALL TO COLLABORATE TO MAKE THIS BETTER AND MORE USER FRIENDLY.
AND WE ASKED YOU, HEY, WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE FROM US? YOU'RE SEEING IN BOLD THE ITEMS THAT REALLY CAME ABOUT AND WE TALKED ABOUT THIS AND THERE'S A THEME, AND YOU'RE GOING TO WALK AWAY FROM THIS PRESENTATION KNOWING THAT WE'RE, THIS IS A FORUM FOR SUPPORT, EDUCATION, NETWORKING, AND ADVOCACY.
AND ONE OF THE VERY FIRST ITEM IS BEST PRACTICES BETWEEN EACH SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD HERE THERE'S SOMETHING AMAZING, AT LEAST ONE THING AMAZING THAT EVERYONE DOES.
LET'S BEGIN CONSOLIDATING THAT AND SHARING THAT WITH OTHERS.
WE HAVE A SECRETARY WHO'S A GRAPHIC DESIGN ARTIST.
HE HAS TAKEN OUR SOCIAL MEDIA AND IT'S TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL.
WE RECEIVE COMPLIMENTS AND REQUESTS FROM OTHER ORGANIZATIONS ASKING WHO'S RUNNING OUR ACCOUNT.
AND THAT IS REALLY, IT'S A FORMULA THAT HE USES TO HELP IDENTIFY WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, SOCIAL CAUSES, ENVIRONMENTAL CAUSES, HOW YOU CAN PARTICIPATE, WHAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S FREE FOR THOSE WHO MAY NEED IT.
SO AGAIN, WHAT THAT IS INITIALLY MAY LOOK LIKE A BUNCH OF NICE PHOTOS IS REALLY SHARING INFORMATION WITH THE, WITHIN THE COMMUNITY SO WE CAN HELP SERVE OUR MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY.
[00:55:01]
UM, WE LOOK AT A FEW PEOPLE FROM LIKE MIKE EWS AND THE WAY HE FACILITATES A MEETING.SO HOW DO WE TAKE THESE AND SHARE IT WITH OTHERS? A BOOTCAMP IS SOMETHING THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT AND WE'RE GOING TO IMPLEMENT, WHICH IS ONBOARDING.
SO THAT WAY PEOPLE, WHEN THEY JOIN THE SNA AND TAKE ON THIS RESPONSIBILITY, UNDERSTAND WHAT THE HISTORY OF THE SNA IS, WHAT THE COMMITTEES ARE, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE MAIN TOPICS, AND HOW DO THEY INCREASE THEIR EFFECTIVENESS.
AGAIN, WE GO BACK TO IF THE LONGER IT TAKES FOR SOMEONE TO REACH OUT OR LEARN THIS, THE LONGER IT TAKES FOR THEM TO REALLY BE ENGAGED.
AND THE OTHER TAKEAWAY FROM THIS IS MEMBERS WERE SHARING THAT THEY REALLY DON'T WANT, THEY DON'T SEE THEMSELVES AS THE GROUP NEEDING TO REACH OUT AND ASK FOR HELP, WHICH IS KIND OF FAIR.
BUT ALSO HOW DO WE AS A SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD ALLIANCE, REACH OUT TO OTHERS TO MAKE IT VERY EASY FOR THEM TO ENGAGE? ADVOCACY AND POLICY IMPACT IS CRITICAL.
AND OUR NEXT SPEAKER SPEAK IS, UH, TALKING TO THAT SNA COMMITTEES SOCIAL MEDIA OVERVIEWS, AND THEN CREATING A CALENDAR WITH ACCESSIBLE INFORMATION.
SO AGAIN, YOU'RE STARTING TO SEE THESE THEMES.
I CAN SHARE THAT WE'RE MAKING SOME REALLY GOOD PROGRESS ON A COUPLE OF THESE, SEVERAL OF THESE ITEMS AND YOU'RE GOING TO SEE SOME IMMEDIATE IMPACT AND CHANGE TO THIS NEXT SLIDE.
SO WHAT DOES ALL OF THIS MEAN? AND WE THINK OF NEAR TERM MIDTERM BECAUSE IF WE DO A SURVEY AND SAY, GREAT JOB, EVERYONE A WALK AWAY, WE'VE NOT BEEN SUCCESSFUL.
WHAT CAN WE DO? WHAT WILL WE DO OVER THE NEXT THREE MONTHS TO A YEAR AND WHAT ARE WE LOOKING AT FOR THE NEXT ONE TO TWO YEARS? BECAUSE WE REALIZE SOME OF THESE ITEMS TAKE TIME.
AND WHEN WE LOOK AT THE VERY FIRST THING, FIRST ITEM ON HERE IS ENGAGING NEW LEADERS AND SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCILS.
IT'S GREAT TO SEE THAT WE'VE GOT A, A NEW NEIGHBORHOOD THAT WAS RECOGNIZED AND HAS BECOME REACTIVATED.
SO WE'RE REACHING OUT TO THE, WE WILL BE REACHING OUT TO THEM, LOOKING AT THE COMMITTEES THAT WE HAVE, HOW WE HAD THEM SET UP.
AND NOT ONLY THE CURRENT LEADERSHIP, BUT ALSO ALTERNATE LEADERSHIP TO CREATE A TIME, UM, TO CREATE A PIPELINE.
OKAY? PRIORITIES, TWO TO THREE WORK CITYWIDE PRIORITIES THAT WE DETERMINE AS A GROUP AND THEN HAVE A SMALLER GROUP FOCUS ON THAT.
AND THERE'S SOME PEOPLE ON THIS PHONE CALL WHO PROBABLY HAVE THE SKILL, WHO HAVE THE SKILLSET FOR THAT.
THE REASON THIS IS MENTIONED IS BECAUSE SOME ORGANIZATIONS WILL FIND THEMSELVES REACTING.
THEY WILL SEE SOMETHING THAT COMES OUT IN THE PAPER AND SUDDENLY ALL OF THEIR EFFORTS GO TO THAT.
HOWEVER, IS IT, THE QUESTION IS, IS THAT THE BEST AND MOST EFFECTIVE USE OF OUR TIME? IF SOMETHING'S MADE THE PAPER, IT'S PROBABLY BEEN GOING ON FOR A WHILE AND WE CONTINUE AND WE COMMIT TO CONTINUE TO WORKING WITH THAT.
BUT WE ALSO WANNA FOCUS ON THE LONGER TERM.
WHAT ARE THOSE ITEMS THAT TAKE MORE THAN THREE MONTHS THAN A YEAR TO FOCUS ON AND TO WORK ON? THAT'S HOW WE CAN MAKE REALLY BIG SYSTEMIC CHANGE.
THE BOOTCAMP WE'VE TALKED ABOUT, THE SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL IS REACTIVATING SEVERAL AND THERE WERE A COUPLE THAT WE'RE BEGINNING CONVERSATIONS WITH AND THEN REDESIGNING THE GENERAL MEETING TO PROMOTE LOCAL SNC TOPICS.
AND ONE OF THE ITEMS ON THERE WAS TO HAVE ONE PRIMARY SPEAKER, GUEST SPEAKER.
AND THEN THE REST OF THE TIME IS FOCUSED ON THE SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCILS AND A DEVELOPMENT LONGER TERM.
OUR FIRST ITEM IS WHAT'S OUR ADVOCACY POLICY? WHAT ARE THOSE ITEMS GOING TO BE AS A TEAM? HOW DO WE BECOME MORE EFFECTIVE? AND PART OF THAT IS BEING VERY TIED INTO, UH, COMMITTEES, ADVISORY GROUPS, BOARDS, NOT JUST WITHIN THE CITY OF HOUSTON, BUT HARRIS COUNTY AND HA.
THOSE THREE ORGANIZATIONS AND THERE ARE A COUPLE OF OTHERS, REALLY SHED SOME LIGHT AND DETERMINE KEY THINGS LIKE FUNDING AND DIRECTION FOR THAT DIRECTLY IMPACTS OUR COMMITTEE, OUR COMMUNITY, SNA MEMBERS IN THE LEADERSHIP ROLES, VERY SIMPLE SOCIAL MEDIA WE'VE TALKED ABOUT AND A MENTOR PROGRAM.
WE HAVE A LOT OF KNOWLEDGE ON THIS CALL.
IF WE USE SOME OF THAT TO HELP DEVELOP AND BRING ALONG OTHERS, WE'RE GONNA REALLY MAKE MUCH STRONGER ORGANIZATION.
AND THEN LASTLY, SOME TEMPLATES.
THIS MAY SEEM ADMINISTRATIVE, BUT IT MAKES OUR WORLD EASIER BECAUSE WE'RE NOT HAVING TO FOCUS ON ADMINISTRATIVE ISSUES THAT WE CAN REPLICATE IF THERE'S SOMETHING WE CAN REP, REPLICATE, CREATE A FORM, CREATE A TEMPLATE.
IF WE CAN'T AUTOMATE IT, WE LIKELY CAN'T SOMETHING THAT WE CAN DO.
SO IT'S HANDED DOWN AND IT HELPS US AT AN SNA LEVEL AND IT HELPS YOU AT THE SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD
[01:00:01]
LEVEL BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT HAVING TO SPEND HOURS ON SOMETHING THAT YOU MAY ONE, PROBABLY DON'T ENJOY DOING AND TWO MAY NOT HAVE THE SKILLSET FOR.THAT IS THE RECAP, THAT'S THE INFORMATION THAT WE'VE PULLED FROM THIS.
AGAIN, FOCUSING ON THOSE ITEMS WE DISCUSSED, RIGHT? NETWORKING, ADVOCACY, AND COMMUNITY.
ALRIGHT, STACY, I DON'T SEE IF THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS OR IF THERE ARE I ANY COMMENT? I'LL MAKE A COMMENT.
I WANNA THANK ROY FOR, UH, STAYING, UH, WITH THIS SURVEY AND THEN TAKING ALL THIS INFORMATION AND DATA AND KIND OF ORGANIZING IT AND PUTTING IT, UH, INTO FORMAT, UH, THAT UH, WE CAN USE GOING FORWARD.
AND, AND I REALLY WANNA APPLAUD ROY, UH, FOR ALL THE WORK YOU'VE PUT INTO THIS.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FROM OUR LISTENERS AND THAT CASE THEN, ROY, DO YOU WANNA INTRODUCE OUR NEXT SPEAKER? YES, BUT I'LL PREFACE THAT WITH, THIS WAS A LOT OF INFORMATION TO TAKE IN.
IT WAS, THERE ARE ACTION ITEMS THAT, SO IF YOU WEREN'T ABLE TO RE READ THIS AHEAD OF TIME, AND THIS IS THE FIRST TIME SEEING IT, THIS IS A LOT OF INFORMATION AND IT'S OVERWHELMING.
I GET IT'S, IF YOU READ IT AHEAD OF TIME AND HEARD IT FOR THE FIRST TIME, IT'S PROBABLY STILL A LITTLE OVERWHELMING AND IT'S GONNA TAKE A LITTLE TIME TO ABSORB.
SO OUR COMMITMENT TO YOU SO THAT THIS DOESN'T DIE ON THE VINE AND WE DID A WE CAN DO A CHECKBOX EXERCISE IS WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE GOING THROUGH AND RE REMINDING PEOPLE OF THE ACTIONS WE TAKEN AND THEN REACH OUT TO SEVERAL PEOPLE WHO WERE FROM THE NEW SUPER COUNCILS AND THOSE THAT ARE NEW TO THE SNA.
SO THE WORK IS GOING TO CONTINUE ON THIS.
IN FACT, WE'RE GONNA REACH OUT, THERE WILL BE OTHER COMMUNICATIONS ASKING FOR VOLUNTEERS AND THERE MAY BE SOME PEOPLE THAT WE REACH OUT TO DIRECTLY BECAUSE OF A SKILLSET THAT WE KNOW YOU HAVE TO PARTICIPATE IN A CERTAIN, A CERTAIN COMMITTEE.
AND THERE ARE STILL NO QUESTIONS.
SO ONE OF THE ITEMS WE TALKED ABOUT IS HAVING ONE PRIMARY, ONE MAIN GUEST SPEAKER, AND THEN THE OTHER SPEAKERS ARE PROVIDING TOPICS RELEVANT TO THE SNA OR THE SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD ALLIANCE AND SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCILS.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS AMY DEN, WHO'S THE PRESIDENT OF SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD 64 AND 88 GREATER EASTWOOD LAWNDALE WAYSIDE.
AMY IS AN ACCOMPLISHED LITIGATOR WITH OVER 18 YEARS OF CIVIL AND COMMERCIAL LITIGATION EXPERIENCE IN TEXAS STATE COURTS AND FEDERAL COURT.
AMY JOINED LONE STAR LEGAL AID AS A FULL-TIME ATTORNEY IN APRIL, 2017.
AND AS PART, AS PART OF THE EQUITABLE DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE AT LONE STAR LEGAL AID, AMY HEADS A TEAM OF ATTORNEYS AND PARALEGALS WHO ARE WORKING WITH COMMUNITIES TO LITIGATE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ISSUES IN THE 72 COUNTY AREA SERVICED BY LONE STAR LEGAL AID.
UM, UH, STACY, I'VE GOT A POWERPOINT THAT I EMAILED YOU IF YOU WANNA PULL IT UP.
UM, BUT I'LL GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED IN THE INTEREST OF TIME.
I KNOW Y'ALL SEE ME IN SUPER NEIGHBOR MEETINGS.
IF YOU DIDN'T KNOW WHAT I DO FOR MY DAY JOB, I'M AN ATTORNEY OUT THERE FIGHTING THE GOOD FIGHT.
UM, WE RECENTLY HAVE BEEN FILING TITLE SIX COMPLAINTS ON THE DOJ LEGAL DUMPING AND TOMORROW YOU'RE GONNA HEAR ALL ABOUT OUR CONCRETE BATCH PLANT SUCCESS, WHICH HAS JUST BEEN PICKED UP BY EPA FOR INVESTIGATION.
SO JUST A LITTLE PREVIEW FOR OUR PRESS CONFERENCE TOMORROW.
BUT TONIGHT MY FOCUS IS ON DEED RESTRICTIONS AND WHY DEED RESTRICTIONS ARE SO IMPORTANT IN HOUSTON WHERE WE HAVE NO ZONING.
BUT YOU'RE IN THE RIGHT EMAIL.
UM, ENVIRONMENTAL INJUSTICE IS BASICALLY THE LOCATION OF INDUSTRIAL AND NUISANCE FACILITIES TOO CLOSE TO A NEIGHBORHOOD, UH, SO THAT THEY'RE DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACTING THE POPULATION.
AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SEVERE HEALTH IMPACTS FROM PEOPLE LIVING TOO CLOSE TO INDUSTRY.
UM, NO ZONING IN HOUSTON AS WELL AS PASADENA.
UM, THE TWO LARGEST CITIES IN THE US THAT DON'T HAVE ZONING, UM, CREATE THESE VERY UNIQUE PROBLEMS. I'VE GOT THAT'S A OLD REDLINING MAP THAT HELPS SHOW SOME OF THE INEQUITIES THAT STARTED OUT FROM HOUSTON.
AND ALSO THANK YOU TO MY COLLEAGUE CAROLINE CROW WHO PUT THIS TOGETHER.
SO I JUST SPOKE ON ENVIRONMENTAL INJUSTICE AND THEN WE GO NEXT SLIDE.
SO HERE'S AN EXAMPLE FOR THOSE, UH, THAT MAY HAVE DIFFERENT LOOKING NEIGHBORHOODS.
HERE'S AN EXAMPLE FOR MANCHESTER
[01:05:01]
WHERE WE HAVE HOUSES RIGHT NEXT TO TANK FARMS AND ALL THROUGHOUT HOUSTON WE HAVE COMMUNITIES WHERE THEY MAY BE NEXT DOOR TO A TRUCK YARD OR NEXT DOOR TO A CONCRETE BATCH PLANT.AND THESE TYPES OF THINGS CREATE HEALTH HAZARDS FOR COMMUNITY.
DURING HARVEY, WE HAD A BENZENE RELEASE FROM THIS TANK FARM THAT, UH, CANCER CAUSING CHEMICALS THAT FLOODED THIS COMMUNITY AND AT REALLY, REALLY HIGH LOW RATES.
AND THIS IS WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO PREVENT IN MANY NEIGHBORHOODS.
UM, WHAT ARE DEED RESTRICTIONS? THIS IS KIND OF OUR UNIQUE OUT OF THE BOX THINKING, SINCE WE ARE NOT GONNA GET ZONING PROBABLY IN HOUSTON.
HOW DO WE CREATE OUR OWN ZONING IN THESE NEIGHBORHOODS AND PROTECTIONS FOR THESE NEIGHBORHOODS? DEED RESTRICTIONS IS A LEGAL SOLUTION TO THIS.
IT GETS FILED IN THE PUBLIC, PUBLIC RECORDS.
IT LIMITS USE OR ACTIVITY ON REAL PROPERTY.
AND HERE WE'RE FOCUSED ON RESIDENTIAL AREAS VERSUS COMMERCIAL AREAS IN NEIGHBORHOODS.
UM, THESE ARE BASICALLY COVENANTS THAT GET PUT IN PLACE THAT ARE AGREEMENTS ABOUT HOW, UH, PROPERTIES GONNA BE USED IN A SPECIFIC SUBDIVISION.
IT RUNS WITH THE LAND, SO IT CARRIES ON A PERMANENTLY LONG TERM, UH, WITH THE PROPERTY.
AND ANYONE THAT'S BUYING OR SELLING THAT PROPERTY IS GONNA BE SUBJECT TO AND BOUND BY THE RESTRICTIONS.
ALL OF THIS IS LEGISLATED IN THE TEXAS PROPERTY CODE.
THERE'S SOME SITES HERE FOR REFERENCE.
AND WE DID A FOUR PART, FOUR OR FIVE PARTS DEED RESTRICTION, UH, UH, WORKSHOP IN 2021.
THAT GOES INTO DEPTH ON A LOT OF THESE THINGS THAT I'M GONNA SEND YOU A LINK TO IN CASE ANYBODY WANTS MORE INFORMATION ON SOME OF THESE DETAILS.
SO, UH, WHY ARE DEED RESTRICTIONS VALUABLE? WELL, AS I EXPLAINED, IF YOU DON'T HAVE ANY PROTECTIONS FROM ZONING AND YOUR MUNICIPALITY, UM, DEED RESTRICTIONS CAN HELP YOU PRESERVE THE CHARACTER OF YOUR SUBDIVISION.
UM, THEY CAN CONTROL THE SIZE, LOCATION OF BIN, UH, BUILDINGS, OCCUPANCY AESTHETICS, AS WELL AS LAND USE, WHICH IS THE MAIN THING THAT OUR ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE TEAM HAS BEEN FOCUSED ON BECAUSE WE ARE TRYING TO PREVENT SITUATIONS WHERE WE HAVE INDUSTRIAL USERS DIRECTLY ADJACENT TO RESIDENTIAL HOMES OR PARKS OR OTHER COMMUNITY SPACES WHERE PEOPLE HAVE AN EXPECTATION OF GOOD AIR AND CLEAN WATER, ALL OF THOSE THINGS.
UM, THEY CAN ALSO HELP PRESERVE PROPERTY VALUES AND STABILIZE COMMUNITIES SO THAT DEVELOPMENT PROGRESSES IN A LOGICAL LAND USE PATTERN.
UM, AND IT CAN PREVENT NOXIOUS USES SUCH AS NUISANCES, LIKE SOME BARS, UH, SITUATION THAT A LOT OF NEIGHBORHOODS HAVE BEEN USING.
AND IT CAN ALSO HELP PREVENT REAL ESTATE SPECULATION, RIGHT? IF YOU HAVE A SET OF RESTRICTIONS AND THE PROPERTY'S SUPPOSED TO BE USED FOR SINGLE FAMILY, IT CAN PREVENT PEOPLE FROM COMING IN AND SPECULATING, TEARING DOWN, UM, HOUSES THAT HAVE BEEN THERE HISTORICALLY AND THEN TRYING TO BUILD SOMETHING BRAND NEW OR MAKE A NEIGHBORHOOD LOOK LIKE IT, IT HASN'T HISTORICALLY.
UM, THIS CAN HELP PRESERVE A SENSE OF COMMUNITY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND AGAIN, UM, PREVENT ADVERSE IMPACTS TO PROPERTY VALUES.
UH, SO WE SEE THIS AS A LONG-TERM SOLUTION.
AGAIN, IN THE ABSENCE OF HAVING SOMEONE COME IN AND SAY, THIS IS A ZONED RESIDENTIAL AREA, AND THIS IS A COMMERCIALLY ZONED RESIDENTIAL AREA, THIS EMPOWERS COMMUNITIES TO PUT DE RESTRICTIONS IN PLACE TO HELP THEM PROTECT THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD AS WELL AS HELP THEM THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD BE SHAPED IN THE WAY THAT THE COMMUNITY WANTS IT.
SO THIS BLOCK COULD BE RESIDENTIAL, THIS BLOCK COULD BE COMMERCIAL, BUT HAVING A COMMON PLAN OR IDEA UNDERSTANDING OF HOW THAT COMMUNITY WANTS ITSELF TO LOOK, THAT'S A VERY EMPOWERING THING.
AND IT'S ALSO SOMETHING THE COMMUNITY WORKS TOGETHER AS A COMMON AGREEMENT TO DETERMINE WHAT THOSE GOALS ARE.
AND EVERY COMMUNITY CAN STRUCTURE ITSELF DIFFERENTLY.
SO WHAT HAVE WE DONE SO FAR? JUST IN THE LAST TWO YEARS, WE HAVE PROTECTED ALMOST A THOUSAND HOMES IN HOUSTON.
UM, WE'VE 815, THESE ARE SOME OF THE SUBDIVISIONS WE'VE BEEN VERY FOCUSED ON.
MOST OF THIS IS IN THE NORTHEAST PART OF HOUSTON WHERE THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF CHANGE AND THE PROPERTY VALUES ARE LOWER.
THERE'S A LOT OF SPECULATION GOING ON, AND WE ARE TRYING TO PREVENT CONCRETE BADGE PLANS AND OTHER THINGS FROM COMING INTO THESE COMMUNITIES.
UM, WE HAVE HELPED PUT THESE, UH, RESTRICTIONS IN PLACE AND ALL THESE, UM, NEIGHBORHOODS AND ALL OF THESE RESTRICTIONS REFLECT THE WILL OF THAT COMMUNITY AS TO WHAT IT WANTED TO LOOK LIKE, BECAUSE IT REQUIRES A MAJORITY OF THE SIGNATURES FROM ALL OF THE PEOPLE IN THE SUBDIVISION IN ORDER TO SAY, THIS IS HOW WE WANT OUR OUR COMMUNITY TO LOOK.
UM, I CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
SO BASED ON THE SUCCESS WE'VE GOTTEN POPULAR, WE A LOT MORE NEIGHBORHOODS ALL OVER THE CITY THAT ARE NOW COMING TO
[01:10:01]
US FOR ASSISTANCE, INCLUDING PLEASANTVILLE, UM, CLAREMONT PLACE, EAST SUNNYSIDE, AGAIN, IN HOUSTON GARDENS.WE'VE REALLY BEEN FOCUSED IN THAT COMMUNITY, BUT YOU CAN SEE MORE AND MORE HOMES, MORE AND MORE PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR SOLUTIONS LIKE THIS, NEED RESTRICTIONS TO HELP PROTECT THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS.
UM, SO WHY DID I BRING THIS ISSUE? UH, YOU CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
UM, WHY DID I BRING THIS ISSUE TO THE SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD? WELL, BECAUSE WE DO ALL OF THIS WORK,
SINCE THE CITY DOES NOT HELP
OUR, OUR WORK, THE COMMUNITY'S WORK IS BEING QUESTIONED AND IS BEING DEVALUED AND MINIMIZED BY THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT.
WE HAD A VERY LONG CONVERSATION WITH THE HEAD OF THE CITY LEGAL DEPARTMENT TODAY, AND TWO OF HIS, UH, ATTORNEYS, AND I KNOW THEY'RE DOING A, YOU KNOW, THE BEST THEY CAN.
THEY'VE GOT SIX ATTORNEYS IN THAT OFFICE, BUT WE NEED MORE SUPPORT.
AND I'VE GOT THIS SLIDE SHOWS THE ISSUES THAT ARE HAPPENING AND I AM IMAGINING THEY'RE HAPPENING 'CAUSE I HEAR IT IN ALL KINDS OF COMMUNITIES WHERE THEY HAVE RESTRICTIONS, BUT NOT NECESSARILY THE ATTORNEY MANPOWER, LEGAL POWER TO FOLLOW UP.
THE BURDEN IS ON THE COMMUNITY, COME TO THE CITY THAT THIS IS A PROBLEM, THAT SOMEBODY IS BUILDING SOMETHING THEY'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO.
AND THEN THE CITY KIND OF ENGAGES IN THIS, UM, VALUATION.
LIKE, DO WE WANT, DO WE THINK THE RESTRICTIONS ARE VALID, NOT VALID? YOU KNOW, ARE WE GONNA ENFORCE THEM? ARE WE NOT? AND THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF PUBLIC STATEMENTS BEING MADE BY THE CITY ABOUT WHETHER COMMUNITIES RESTRICTIONS ARE VALID OR NOT.
AND I'M GONNA EXPLAIN WHY THAT'S A PROBLEM, BECAUSE THAT'S NOT REALLY FOR THE CITY TO DECIDE.
AND THEN IN THE PROPERTY CODE IS CLEAR ON THAT COMMUNITY HAS DONE WHAT IT'S NEEDED TO DO TO PROTECT THE PROPERTY BY FILING THE RESTRICTIONS AND RESTRICTIONS IN ALL NEIGHBORHOODS SHOULD BE EX UH, TREATED WITH THE SAME RESPECT IF THEY'RE IN THE REAL PROPERTY RECORDS.
SO JUST LIKE THE DEED RESTRICTIONS IN RIVER OAKS OR MEMORIAL THAT HAVE BEEN ON FILE FOR A REALLY LONG TIME, RESTRICTIONS PUT IN PLACE BY BLACK AND BROWN COMMUNITIES ALSO NEED TO BE RESPECTED AND GIVEN THAT AUTHORITY AND RESPECT AS BEING ON FILE.
AND JUST BECAUSE THAT COMMUNITY DOESN'T HAVE THE RESOURCES TO COME WITH LAWYERS AND STUFF TO BACK 'EM UP OR FILE THEIR OWN LAWSUITS.
IF WE HAVE TO COME TO THE CITY THAT FOR HELP IN THE PERMITTING PROCESS, THAT THOSE THINGS ON FILE NEED TO BE RESPECTED.
AND THAT'S THE CONVERSATION WE HAD WITH THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE.
AND IF YOUR NEIGHBORHOODS ARE HAVING THE SAME ISSUES, I WANNA HEAR FROM YOU SO THAT WE CAN KIND OF TRY TO HELP THE CITY WORK THROUGH A PROCESS THAT'S BETTER AT DEALING WITH DEED RESTRICTIONS.
'CAUSE RIGHT NOW THEY DO NOT HAVE THE ABILITY, THEY CONFIRM TODAY, THEY DON'T HAVE THE RESOURCES.
THEY DO NOT LOOK AT NECESSARILY WHETHER A PROPERTY HAS RESTRICTIONS OR NOT, UM, WHEN IT'S UP FOR PLATTING.
SO THAT'S ALL BASED ON WHAT THE PERMITEE SAYS.
SO IF SOMEONE'S APPLYING FOR A PERMIT AND THEY DON'T DISCLOSE THAT THERE ARE RESTRICTIONS, THE CITY DOESN'T CHECK.
AND IF THE FIVE MINUTES REMAINING, PLEASE.
FIVE MINUTES REMAINING, PLEASE.
UM, IF THE CITY, IF THE PERMITEE SAYS, HEY, I'M GONNA APPLY WITH THE RESTRICTIONS, BUT THEN THEY DON'T AND START BUILDING SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT, THE CITY DOESN'T CHECK AND IT'S ALL ON THE COMMUNITY TO COME FORWARD AND SAY SOMETHING IS WRONG.
SO IT'S, IT'S A PLACING A BURDEN ON A REALLY, UM, REALLY, UH, REALLY COMPLICATED THINGS ON THE COMMUNITY TO, TO BRING THIS FORWARD TO THE CITY.
AND WHAT WE DO NEED IS THE CITY'S SUPPORT.
AND WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR IS A DIALOGUE WITH THE CITY, WITH THE PERMITTING DEPARTMENT WITH PUBLIC WORKS TO, TO FIND A FAIR WAY TO EVALUATE ONCE DEED RESTRICTIONS ARE AT ISSUE.
AND THAT'S DETERMINED HOW THE CITY CAN EVALUATE THAT AND, AND MAKE FAIR CHOICES.
SO IT'S NOT ALWAYS JUST THE DEVELOPER WINS BECAUSE THEY, THERE'S A QUESTION ABOUT THE DEED RESTRICTIONS.
THE CITY DOES HAVE THE ABILITY TO ENFORCE DEED RESTRIC.
I WANNA GIVE YOU THIS BACKGROUND SO YOU CAN UNDERSTAND.
THE CITY HAS SOME AUTHORITY HERE.
THEY CAN GO OUT AND DO SOME ENFORCEMENT AND A LOT OF TIMES THEY DO, WHEN THEY FEEL LIKE THEY HAVE A GOOD CASE, THEY CAN FILE A LAWSUIT AND ENFORCE RESTRICTIONS AGAINST PEOPLE.
THAT THAT TAKES A LOT OF RESOURCES.
AND SO THE CITY DOES IS WARY ABOUT DEVOTING THOSE RESOURCES AND ALSO INITIATING ACTION.
'CAUSE THEY DON'T WANNA LOSE IN COURT, RIGHT? BUT THESE ARE THE MAIN THINGS, AND YOU CAN SEE ONE OF THEM RELATES TO LAND USE, THE FACT THE PROPERTY
[01:15:01]
ON WHICH THE REAL PROPERTY CAN BE PUT.SO IF THERE'S A REAL ISSUE OVER USE, THE CITY IS ABLE TO ACT THROUGH THE STATUTE.
WE GO NEXT, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.
SO, BUT THE CITY ISN'T NECESSARILY REQUIRED
UM, THEY ARE ALLOWED TO, UH, REFUSE TO, UH, ENFORCE RESTRICTIONS IN CERTAIN SITUATIONS ACCORDING TO THE TEXAS SUPREME COURT.
UM, THEY, UM, THEY CAN DO THAT WHEN THERE HAVE BEEN SUBSTANTIAL VIOLATIONS OR THERE'S BEEN A CHANGE IN CONDITIONS.
THE PROBLEM IS, IS THAT, THAT THIS IS KIND OF BECOMING A LITTLE BIT OF THE DEFAULT IN A LOT OF THESE COMMUNITIES BECAUSE THEN THEY SAY, OH, WELL THERE'S A CHANGE IN CONDITIONS.
IT'S KIND OF LIKE THEY HAVE DEED RESTRICTIONS WITH AN ASTERISK, AND THE CITY CAN ACCEPT THESE ARGUMENTS AND, AND THEN REFUSE TO ENFORCE RESTRICTIONS.
BUT RESTRICTIONS ARE VALID IF THEY'RE NOT UNLAWFUL AND THEY'RE NOT CONTRARY TO PUBLIC POLICY.
SO AS LONG AS THEY ARE DULY FILED IN THE REAL PROPERTY RECORDS, THERE IS THE BURDEN PLACED ON THE PERSON BRINGING A CHALLENGE TO THOSE RESTRICTIONS THAT THEY ARE NOT ENFORCEABLE.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE ARE ARGUING.
THAT SHOULD BE THE CITY'S PROCESS.
SO NEXT, NEXT STEP, NEXT SLIDE.
WHO SHOULD BE DETERMINING THAT VALIDITY? OUR ARGUMENT
RIGHT NOW, IT'S VERY CLEAR THAT THE CITY IS LISTENING TO WHOMEVER IS PRESENTING THE PERMIT TO THEM ABOUT THEIR USE.
AND THE RESTRICTIONS ARE KIND OF EITHER ARE JUST KIND OF GETTING A SIDESHOW, RIGHT? THERE'S QUESTIONS THAT COULD BE RAISED BY THE CITY ATTORNEY AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THE RESTRICTIONS ARE NO LONGER VALID.
APPARENTLY THERE ARE QUESTIONS THAT CAN BE RAISED BY THE PERMITEE AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THE RESTRICTIONS ARE NO LONGER VALID.
AND THOSE SITUATIONS WHERE THE CITY DECIDES THAT THE, THE RESTRICTIONS ARE NO LONGER VALID, ALL OF A SUDDEN ALL OF THE HARD WORK THAT'S GONE INTO THE RESTRICTIONS IS JUST LEFT BY THE SIDE UNLESS THE COMMUNITY COMPLAINTS.
AND THAT'S KIND OF HOW THE CITY'S BEEN PROCEEDING.
AND THAT'S LARGELY SOMEWHAT OF A MANPOWER ISSUE BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE THE ABILITY TO REVIEW EVERY SINGLE CASE FOR RESTRICTIONS.
AND IT'S ALSO PART OF THEIR DECISION THAT THEY'RE GOING TO MAKE A, THEY'RE, THEY'RE GOING TO DO SOME FACT FINDING AROUND THE VALIDITY OF RESTRICTIONS INSTEAD OF REQUIRING THE PERMITEE TO GO TO A COURT OF LAW AND PROVE THAT THOSE RESTRICTIONS ARE NOT VALID.
SO, UH, THAT'S KIND OF THE PITCH.
I WANT TO JUST KIND OF BRING THIS UP AS A GLOBAL ISSUE THAT MAY BE FACING SUPER NEIGHBORHOODS.
I KIND OF WANT TO START A DIALOGUE.
UH, WE'VE GOT ONE STARTED WITH THE CITY'S LEGAL, BUT I NEED OTHER VOICES, OTHER STORIES, OTHER EXPERIENCES THAT ARE HAPPENING.
SO WE CAN GIVE A COMPLETE PERSPECTIVE OF THIS ISSUE ACROSS THE CITY.
THERE MAY BE DIFFERENCES IN HOW THE CITY'S TREATING DIFFERENT NEIGHBORHOODS, AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE ALL OF THOSE VOICES REPRESENTED AT THE TABLE AS WE TRY TO WORK THROUGH A POTENTIAL SOLUTION HERE.
IT'S NOT, WE'RE TRYING TO IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM, BUT WORK A POTENTIAL SOLUTION.
AND THE SOLUTION NEEDS TO HAPPEN IN PERMITTING, AND IT NEEDS TO HAPPEN IN THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT, RIGHT? BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE THE RESTRICTIONS HAVE A CHANCE TO BE EFFECTIVE AT PREVENTING A PROBLEM, SOMETHING BEING BUILT THAT SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN BUILT IN A COMMUNITY, RIGHT? THAT WOULD BE, THAT'S THE PROBLEM.
SO I ALSO WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT, JUST WHILE WE WERE ON THE TOPIC OF, OF DEED RESTRICTIONS, THAT RACIAL COVENANTS EXIST IN A LOT OF DEED RESTRICTIONS IN HOUSTON AND IN HARRIS COUNTY.
THERE ARE WAYS TO NOW REMOVE THAT DISCRIMINATORY LANGUAGE.
UH, THE LITTLE FLYER THAT STACY POPPED UP AT THE VERY BEGINNING IS OUR HOW TO FLYER ON HOW TO DO THAT.
AND IF ANYONE WANTS US TO DO SOME EDUCATION AROUND THAT, IF YOU KNOW SOME RESTRICTIONS THAT STILL HAVE THESE COVENANTS IN THERE THAT ARE BEEN AGAINST POLITIC POLICY FOR A VERY LONG TIME, BUT BEEN VERY HARD TO REMOVE WITHOUT GOING THROUGH A COMPLETE AMENDMENT PROCESS.
WE WANT TO HELP YOU, YOU LEARN HOW TO DO THIS AND, AND IF, UM, IF YOUR GROUP IS ELIGIBLE FOR SERVICES, IT'S SOMETHING LEGAL AID CAN DO FOR YOU AND HELP.
UM, SO I WANTED TO SHARE THAT INFORMATION BECAUSE WE FEEL THOSE RACIAL COVENANTS NEED TO COME OUT OF REAL PROPERTY RECORDS AND WE NEED TO NOT HAVE THAT LANGUAGE THERE BECAUSE IT, IT AFFECTS PEOPLE'S WAY THAT THEY FEEL ABOUT THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD AND THEIR SUBDIVISION.
I CAN TAKE QUESTIONS AND, UM, ANYBODY THAT WANTS MORE INFORMATION, THANK YOU STACY.
UM, WE'VE GOT TEMPLATES HERE IN THE SQUIRE THAT I'LL SHARE WITH EVERYONE.
UM, IT'S SIMPLE FORMS YOU CAN FILE WITH
[01:20:01]
THE COURT.UM, BUT I'M GLAD TO TAKE QUESTIONS.
HI, I HAVE A TAMARA, YOU HAVE A QUESTION? YES, I DO.
FIRST THANK YOU FOR THE FANTASTIC PRESENTATION.
I MEAN, YOU ARE JUST AMAZING WHAT YOU AND HUEY DID.
IIII CAN'T APPLAUD YOU ENOUGH.
UH, I WANTED TO GO BACK, UH, YEARS AGO.
WE WERE IN A BATTLE OVER HERE IN MCGREGOR AND THE PERMITTING DEPARTMENT.
IT WAS, AND THE, UH, PLANNING DIRECTOR WAS, UH, GAFF MARLENE GAFFER.
AND, AND ON THE FORM THAT YOU TURN IN, WE TOLD THEM TO CHANGE THAT LINE.
NOT, UH, DO YOU THINK THERE'S DEEP RESTRICTIONS? WE WANTED IT TO SAY, UH, DO YOU SWEAR THAT THERE ARE NO DEED RESTRICTIONS UNDER THE THREAT OF PERJURY? UH, IF YOU FILL OUT THIS FORM, AND THEY, THEY WOULDN'T DO IT.
AND THAT'S ALL WE ASKED THEM TO DO WAS MAKE, BECAUSE THAT WAY YOU GIVEN THE, THE, THE, UH, THE, THE, THE, UH, CIVIC ASSOCIATION OR HOA, UH, POWER TO COME AFTER THEM.
UH, BUT THEY ONLY WOULD MAKE IT.
UM, DO YOU KNOW IF THERE'S DEED RESTRICTIONS THAT THAT'S NOT A, THAT'S NOT A, THERE'S NO TEETH IN THAT.
AND WE ASKED THEM TO JUST CHANGE THAT ON THE FORM BECAUSE IT, WHEN YOU, GIVEN THE IDENTIFICATION OF THE FORM, IT CLEARLY SAYS IF YOU FALSIFY ON THIS FORM, YOU KNOW, WE WILL COME AFTER YOU.
SO IF THEY PUT SOME TEETH, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE, WE HAD TO BATTLE DIFFERENT THINGS OVER HERE.
I MEAN, YOU ALL KNOW WHAT WE WENT THROUGH WITH THE RIVERSIDE HISTORIC DISTRICT AND HOW, YOU KNOW, IT WAS THE COMMUNITY.
WE DIDN'T GET HOW, YOU KNOW, WE HAD, UH, WE HAD SEVERAL OF OUR LARGE MEMBERS WHO STOOD WITH US, BUT IT WAS LIKE WE WERE FIGHTING THE CITY, YOU KNOW, AND THANK GOD THEY DIDN'T HAVE TO VOTE.
AND SO IT DIDN'T PASS, BUT IT WAS A HARD SIX MONTH BATTLE.
MOST PEOPLE DON'T HAVE THAT KIND OF TIME WHEN YOU TRYING TO WORK AND ALL OF THAT.
SO ANYWAY, THAT, THAT, THAT PEOPLE CAN FIND OUT.
I MEAN, WHAT Y'ALL DOING AT LEGAL AID, IT'S AMAZING.
I MEAN, I, UH, I HOPE YOU'RE PUTTING YOUR STUFF IN THE CHAT, AMY.
'CAUSE I'M GONNA, I ASKED STACY ALREADY FOR A TEXT TO SEND THAT BECAUSE, UM, THAT NEIGHBORHOOD WANTS TO GET D RESTRICTIONS NOW BECAUSE THEY WERE SO AFRAID OF WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED.
SO I, I, I CAN'T THANK YOU ENOUGH.
UH, THE BLACK BATCH PLANTS, THE, UM, I MEAN THE WHOLE THING THAT ILLEGAL DUMPING YOU ARE AMAZING.
LET'S GET AMY A BIG HAND IN HER BODY, OKAY?
AND WE ALL WANNA SEE THIS PRESENTATION BECAUSE THIS IS A CITYWIDE PROBLEM.
UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, ALCORN, YOU HAVE YOUR HAND UP.
DO YOU HAVE SOME COMMENTS? 'CAUSE WE'RE, WE'RE COMING DOWN.
AND, AND THANK YOU SO MUCH, AMY.
UH, I JUST WANTED YOU TO KNOW THAT THIS IS ON THE RADAR.
UM, SEVERAL COUNCIL MEMBERS HAVE BROUGHT THIS TO MY ATTENTION AND WE'RE GOING TO, UH, TAKE IT UP AT THE SEPTEMBER 13TH MEETING OF REGULATORY AND NEIGHBORHOOD AFFAIRS.
PLEASE GET THAT ON YOUR CALENDARS.
WE NEED TO HEAR ALL THE COMMENTS.
UM, TAMARA, THERE'S A DECLARATION THEY HAVE TO SIGN.
THE PROBLEM IS WE DON'T HAVEFOR, WE DON'T CHECK IT LIKE SOMEBODY CHECKS THE BOX.
YES, WE'RE IN COMPLIANCE WITH, WITH DEED RESTRICTIONS, THE CITY STRAIGHT.
WHAT I'VE BEEN TOLD IS THE CITY STRAIGHT UP DOES NOT HAVE THE RESOURCES TO CHECK THAT SO OFTEN.
SOME THINGS HALFWAY BEING BUILT AND, AND YOU KNOW, IT'S KIND OF TOO LATE.
SO WE REALLY ARE TRYING TO PEEL BACK THE ONION OF THIS ISSUE AND, UM, STAY TUNED.
SEPTEMBER 13TH AT 10:00 AM THANKS.
AND, AND MY OWN COMMUNITY HAS HAD ISSUES WITH ENFORCEMENT BY THE CITY TOO, SO WE ARE ALSO VERY KEENLY INTERESTED.
UM, BEFORE WE GET TO THE NEXT QUESTION, STACY, WE HAVE ONE MORE SPEAKER.
STACY, DO YOU WANNA SAY SOMETHING REAL QUICK AND THEN WE'LL SEE IF WE HAVE MORE TIME FOR QUESTIONS? UH, SO ALL OF THESE PRESENTATIONS THAT YOU SEE TONIGHT, THEY'RE GOING TO BE UPLOADED TO THE CITY'S WEBSITE, AND I WILL SEND THAT LINK OUT TO EVERYONE SO THAT YOU CAN DOWNLOAD 'EM.
YOU'RE NOT GONNA HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT A BUNCH OF ATTACHMENTS FROM ME.
SO, UH, HOPEFULLY THAT'LL BE, YOU KNOW, THEY'LL BE UPLOADED BY TOMORROW.
THANK YOU FOR THAT INFORMATION.
UH, RHONDA? YES, CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES.
OKAY, I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT THE, UM, I KNOW THAT THE CITY OF HOUSTON, WELL, MY NAME IS RHONDA JONES AND I LIVE IN THE, UH, SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD, 41 AREA.
NOW OVER IN SOUTHWEST CROSSING, THERE'S A, UM, UM, IT'S A PECAN, NO, IT'S A LANTANA, UM, PEAK SHAVING PLANT THREE MILES AWAY FROM IT OVER IN HI CLARK.
[01:25:01]
PECAN PEAK SHAVING PLANT.WHY IS THAT NOT DISCRIMINATORY TO HAVE THOSE PLANTS? IT'S, IT'S A, IT'S A PROPLAN PLANT, YOU KNOW, AND SO IS IT NOT A DISCRIMINATORY PRACTICE TO PUT, PUT THOSE PLANTS THERE AND TO PUT 'EM SO CLOSE TO THE PEOPLE THAT THEY HAD NO REALLY NO IMPACT.
WHY, WHY WOULD WE HAVE TO SHELTER, UM, THE ANA PLANT, IT CAN STORE UP TO 3000 POUNDS OF PROPANE.
THE PECAN, UM, PLANT HAS A CAPACITY OF 340,000.
I SAW ON THE LIST YOU HAD OTHER AREAS.
ARE YOU LOOKING AT SOUTHWEST CROSSING AND HERE IN HIGHER CLARK ALSO, AS FAR AS THOSE PLANTED BEING AT CLOSE PROXIMITY TOGETHER, WHY SHOULD WE HAVE TO SUPPLY ALL OF THE PROPANE FOR ALL THE OTHER PLACES? WHY SHOULD IT ALL BE PUT IN JUST THIS AREA? YEAH, I MEAN, SO THAT'S A LARGER QUESTION ABOUT THE PERMANENT REGULATION OF THAT PARTICULAR FACILITY.
AND I, I DON'T HAVE THOSE DETAILS O ON HAND.
I DO KNOW THAT THE, UH, THE, UM, CONCERNED CITIZENS OF SOUTH HOUSTON COALITION, UH, WE, I'VE BEEN IN TOUCH WITH THEM BEFORE AND THEY'VE BEEN LOOKING AT DIFFERENT DESCRIPTION OPPORTUNITIES FOR THEIR COMMUNITY MEMBERS.
UM, BUT YOU KNOW, I, IT IT'S CHALLENGING TO SPEAK TO ONE PARTICULAR FACILITY, BUT YEAH, THERE, THERE ARE ISSUES WITH FACILITIES BEING TOO CLOSE TO PEOPLE FOR SURE.
YEAH, WELL, BOTH OF THEM, ALL THE, YOU KNOW, FIRST WE WERE TOLD THAT THE PERMITTING WASN'T DONE, UH, WITH THE CITY OF HOUSTON ALL, THEY HAD A LOT OF PERMITS OVER THERE.
SO I'M JUST WONDERING, ARE YOU ALL LOOKING AT THAT ALSO, AMY, I'M GONNA, THIS IS STACY, I'M GONNA HAVE TO INTERJECT HERE.
WE'RE THREE MINUTES OUT FROM CLOSE.
CAN RHONDA, CAN YOU AND AMY CONNECT OFFLINE AND SHARE WITH US, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT HAPPENS THERE REALLY QUICKLY BEFORE WE GET TO THE CANDIDATES AND ANYONE, UH, ELSE THAT HAS ANNOUNCEMENTS? I WANTED TO MAKE THE ANNOUNCEMENT THAT WE ARE WORKING, THE SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD ALLIANCE IS WORKING ON A HARRIS COUNTY JUDGE FORUM, AND IT WILL BE VIRTUAL FOR VIEWERS.
UH, WE'RE NOT GONNA HAVE IT IN PERSON.
WE ARE PROBABLY GOING TO HAVE THE CANDIDATES IN PERSON WITH A MODERATOR.
AND THE MODERATOR WILL BE JUAN SOTO.
UM, THAT IS, WE'RE SHOOTING FOR OCTOBER AND AS SOON AS WE HAVE A DATE ON THAT, UH, WE WILL LET YOU KNOW.
BUT THE REASON THAT WE CHOSE TO GO VIRTUAL IS BECAUSE WE'RE NOT SURE WHERE COVID AND MONKEYPOX WILL BE AT THAT TIME.
SO WE HAVE NO DISTRACTIONS OR DISRUPTIONS THAT WE WILL, UM, WE DECIDED TO, TO MAKE IT VIRTUAL.
SO WITH THAT SAID, WHAT I WOULD LIKE FOR YOU TO DO, AND I WILL SEND AN EMAIL TO ALL OF THE SUPER NEIGHBORHOODS ABOUT THIS, BEGIN TO THINK ABOUT THE QUESTIONS THAT YOU WANT ASKED IN THAT FORUM OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS.
BECAUSE WHAT THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE WILL DO IS THEN TAKE YOUR QUESTIONS AND FORMULATE QUES, CITYWIDE QUESTIONS BASED OFF OF YOUR ANSWERS TO ASK IN THE FORUM.
WE WILL NOT DISTRIBUTE THE QUESTIONS, BUT WE WILL, UH, SEND THE CANDIDATES TOPICS OF INTEREST SO THEY ARE INFORMED ABOUT THIS.
WE ARE JUST RIGHT NOW IN THE MIDDLE OF FINALIZING, UM, A DATE FOR IT.
IT WILL BE SIX 30 TO EIGHT ON A PARTICULAR EVENING IN OCTOBER.
CINDY, DO YOU WANNA GO AHEAD AND START WITH CANDIDATES? WE'VE GOT ONE MINUTE.
UH, WELL, DOES ANY CANDIDATE HAVE YOUR NAMES UP? WE'VE GOT ONE MINUTE.
KYLE, SCOTT, I SEE KYLE'S GO AHEAD, DO IT 10 SECONDS.
CAN YOU HEAR, CAN YOU HEAR ME OKAY? YES.
SO KYLE SCOTT RUNNING FOR HARRIS COUNTY TREASURER.
WERE YOU SERIOUS? ABOUT 10 SECONDS? UH, YEAH.
'CAUSE WE'VE GOT FIVE OTHER HANDS UP.
KYLE SCOTT RUNNING FOR HARRIS COUNTY TREASURER.
I'LL DROP MY, UH, CONTACT INFORMATION IN THE CHAT.
THANK YOU JUDGE SHANNON BALDWIN.
GOOD EVENING, JUDGE SHANNON BALDWIN, UH, JUDGE FOR HARRIS COUNTY CRIMINAL COURT AT LAW NUMBER FOUR.
REALLY QUICKLY, MISDEMEANOR COURTS ARE ORDERED BY A FEDERAL COURT JUDGE TO FIX A SYSTEM.
THE FEDERAL JUDGE DECLARED UNCONSTITUTIONAL.
THE RESULT WAS FEDERALLY MANDATED MISDEMEANOR BAIL REFORM.
THE FELONY COURTS HAVE NOT ENGAGED IN BAIL REFORM AND HAVE NOT BEEN ORDERED TO DO SO.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE IN ALL THE WORK THAT YOU DO.
JULIAN RAMIREZ, RUNNING FOR THE 248TH CRIMINAL DISTRICT COURT, 32 YEARS EXPERIENCE
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AS A LAWYER HANDLING CRIM CRIMINAL MATTERS.I'LL TRY TO COME BACK WHEN WE HAVE A LITTLE MORE TIME TO, UH, TALK FURTHER ABOUT MY QUALIFICATIONS.
THANK YOU, UH, PIA BROWN, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
I'M PIA NATASHA BROWN AND I'M RUNNING FOR JUDGE OF HARRIS COUNTY CRIMINAL COURT NUMBER THREE.
AGAIN, THAT NAME IS P TASHA BROWN, RUNNING FOR HARRIS COUNTY CRIMINAL COURT.
THANK YOU MELISSA MORRIS, THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME IN ALL THE WORK THAT YOU DO.
I'M RUNNING FOR THE 263RD DISTRICT COURT FELONY DISTRICT COURT HERE IN HARRIS COUNTY.
REMEMBER MELISSA MARIE FOR 2 63.
MELISSA MARIE MORRIS FOR THE TWO 63RD, AND I'LL PUT MY INFORMATION IN THE CHAT.
IT WAS WORKING THE FIRST PART OF THE MEETING.
I'M THERESA WALDROP, YOU CAN'T SEE ME, BUT I'M RUNNING FOR THE THREE 12TH, UH, FAMILY COURT BENCH.
I'VE BEEN PRACTICING LAW FOR 30 YEARS.
I'M BOARD CERTIFIED IN FAMILY LAW BY THE TEXAS BORDER OF LEGAL SPECIALIZATION, AND THE ONLY ONE IN THIS RACE BOARD CERTIFIED.
I'M JUDGE LATASHA LEWIS PAYNE.
UM, NO PAIN, NO GAIN IS WHAT I SAY TO REMEMBER.
UM, I AM THE JUDGE OF THE 55TH DISTRICT COURT AND I ASK FOR YOUR VOTE AGAIN, UH, IN THIS ELECTION.
THANK YOU SO MUCH AND GOOD EVENING.
MY NAME IS JUDGE TORIA FINCH AND I'M A PROUD COUNTY CRIMINAL COURT AT LAW NUMBER JUDGE THE COURT, THE COURT THAT I PRESIDE OVER IS NUMBER NINE, COURT NUMBER NINE OUT OF 16.
THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME, JUDGE FINCH.
JUDGE FINCH, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
I'LL PUT MY INFORMATION IN THE CHAT.
UH, I DON'T, I DO WANNA THANK EVERYONE PARTICIPATING.
UH, WE, WE KIND OF HAVE A HARD DEADLINE OF, OF EIGHT O'CLOCK AND WE'RE PAST THAT BY TWO MINUTES.
SO I WILL GO AHEAD AND THANK ALL OF YOU FOR PARTICIPATING.
WE WILL SEND OUT AND HAVE THESE MATERIALS AVAILABLE FOR PEOPLE TO REFER TO.
AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR PARTICIPATING AND HAVE A GREAT EVENING.
UH, CINDY, REALLY QUICKLY, WE HAVE TWO ANNOUNCEMENTS.
UH, WE'VE GOT THE MAYORS BACK TO SCHOOL THIS SATURDAY, AUGUST 13TH FROM 8:00 AM TO 2:00 PM AT THE GEORGE R. BROWN.
IT IS MORE THAN JUST BACKPACKS.
THERE'S A WHOLE PLETHORA OF, OF HEALTH OPTIONS.
UH, ANYTHING I THINK FROM IMMUNIZATIONS TO, UH, OPTO, YOU KNOW, AND VISION SCREENINGS ARE AVAILABLE AS WELL.
SO, RIGHT, THAT'S ONE ANNOUNCEMENT.
THE LAST ANNOUNCEMENT, DON'T, UH, LOSE SIGHT OF THIS NATIONAL NIGHT OUT IS AROUND THE CORNER.
IT IS THE FIRST TUESDAY OF OCTOBER IN THE EVENING.
TYPICALLY, UH, IT JUST DEPENDS ON THE NEIGHBORHOOD, BUT KEEP THAT ON YOUR RADAR.
UH, SO THEN WE WILL ANNOUNCE THIS MEETING ADJOURNED AT 8:03 PM THANK YOU.