* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:21] WELCOME TO CITY PULSE. I'M YOUR HOST, TRAVIS LEMONS, AND ON TODAY'S SHOW, THE CITY OF HOUSTON SHARES THE INNOVATIVE WAYS AND HOW IT LEADS AS A SMART CITY. WE'LL ALSO SHARE NEW DEVELOPMENTS WITH THE HOUSTON EQUITY FUND WHEN IT COMES TO SMALL BUSINESSES, BUT WE BEGIN WITH CRIME STATISTICS. HOUSTON POLICE CHIEF TROY FINNER DELIVERED THE FIRST QUARTER CRIME STATISTICS REPORT FOR 2023 AT A RECENT CITY COUNCIL MEETING. WE'RE HERE TO, UH, PRESENT THE FIRST QUARTER, UH, REPORT ON CRIME. UM, AND THE REPORT OUTLINES A DOWNWARD TREND WITH VIOLENT CRIME, 12% LOWER COMPARED TO LAST YEAR, AND DROPS IN EVERY COUNCIL DISTRICT. HOMICIDE NUMBERS ARE ALSO 28% LOWER. HOWEVER, THERE ARE THOSE WHO FIND MAYOR TURNER SHARING A MESSAGE ON SOCIAL MEDIA ABOUT NO MURDERS OVER A WEEKEND. MORE ALARMING THAN POSITIVE, BUT THE MAYOR DISAGREES. PEOPLE FIND IT INCREDULOUS TO BELIEVE, AND THEN PEOPLE SAY, WELL, WHY ARE YOU, WHY ARE YOU TWEETING ABOUT NO HOMICIDE THIS WEEKEND? AS IF YOU'RE CELEBRATING? NOBODY IS CELEBRATING. BUT IT DOES APPEAR THAT PEOPLE WANT TO HEAR THE NEGATIVE NEWS AND DON'T WANT TO HEAR THE GOOD NEWS. AND IF THE ONLY THING YOU'RE HEARING IS THE NEGATIVE NEWS AND YOU DON'T WANT TO HEAR THE GOOD NEWS, THEN YOU WOULD, YOU ARE NOT GIVING, UM, PROPER RESPECT TO THE MEN AND WOMEN ON IN HPD WHO ARE WORKING HARD LAW ENFORCEMENT, WORKING HARD TO THE COMMUNITY, AND ESPECIALLY TO THE COMMUNITY, TO OUR CITIZENS IN HERE WHO ARE WORKING HARD. ON OUR LAST EPISODE, ANGEL PON SAID THE DIRECTOR OF THE MAYOR'S OFFICE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES TALKED ABOUT THE PEDESTRIAN ACCESSIBILITY REVIEW PROGRAM, THE ABILITY TO MOVE BRINGS NEW EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES, AND TO PODCAST ARCHITECTS, DIRECTOR NCEE EXPLAINS TWO OTHER PROGRAMS NOW RELAUNCHED AFTER THE COVID SHUTDOWN FOR THE PERSON SITTING AT HOME, THE WORK THAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING, CHANGING LIVES, DO YOU HAVE ANY UPCOMING PROGRAMS THAT YOU'RE LIKE, HEY, THIS NEEDS TO BE TALKED ABOUT? I HOPE PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT THIS. SO THAT'S A VERY GOOD QUESTION. I WOULD LIKE TO POINT OUT THAT WE DO HAVE OTHER PROGRAMS AS WELL, RIGHT? SO WE HAVE A, UH, UH, A, UH, LEGAL CLINIC ASSISTANCE PROGRAM THAT WE'RE LAUNCHING BACK UP, UM, BECAUSE OF THE SHUTDOWNS AND OF COVID-19, A LOT OF THE PROGRAMS HAVE BEEN PUT ON PAUSE, UM, THAT'S COMING BACK. UH, WE GIVE THE OPPORTUNITY FOR PEOPLE THAT ARE GOING THROUGH SOME LEGAL ISSUES TO, UH, GET THE, UH, THE ADVICE THAT THEY NEED. WE ALSO, UH, PROVIDE ASSISTANCE TO EMPLOYMENT, SO WE WORK WITH OTHER AGENCIES, UM, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GET PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, THE, UH, KNOWLEDGE AND THE ASSISTANCE ON HOW TO BUILD A RESUME, HOW TO LOOK FOR EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES, AND THAT WE WORK WITH OTHER, WITH THOSE SAME AGENCIES TO MAKE SURE THAT, UM, WE, UH, GET PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES IN THE, IN ON THE RIGHT PATH TO GAINFUL EMPLOYMENT. UM, ANOTHER, UH, A LOT OF OTHER THINGS THAT WE HAVE PLANNED RIGHT NOW IS WE ARE LOOKING TO HIRE MORE COMMUNITY LIAISONS. THESE ARE THE INDIVIDUALS IN OUR OFFICE THAT WILL HELP WITH OUR INFORMATION AND REFERRAL SERVICE. AND THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT BECAUSE WE HAVE ABOUT 215,000 HOUSTONIANS WITH DISABILITIES RIGHT NOW, AND MAYBE EVEN MORE THAN THAT RIGHT NOW. WE ONLY HAVE ONE COMMUNITY LIAISON ASSISTING WITH THIS SERVICE. AND SO THAT IS WHY THIS IS SO IMPORTANT FOR OUR OFFICE RIGHT NOW, AND THIS IS GONNA HAPPEN WITHIN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS. AND WITH THIS, WE WILL BE ABLE TO SERVE MORE PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES BETTER AND FASTER. AS THE HONORARY BOARD CHAIR FOR THE HOUSTON EQUITY FUND FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE AND ECONOMIC EQUITY, MAYOR TURNER JOINED THE HOUSTON EQUITY FUND BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND WELLS FARGO TO ANNOUNCE THE UPCOMING LAUNCH OF ROUND TWO OF THE OPEN FOR BUSINESS PORTAL FOR DIVERSE SMALL BUSINESSES. THE PURPOSE OF THE HOUSTON FUND FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE AND ECONOMIC EQUITY IS TO ENACT TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGE BY INVESTING RESOURCES INTO ORGANIZATIONS AND INITIATIVES THAT EMPOWER AND UPLIFT COMMUNITIES OF COLOR. HERE'S MAYOR TURNER ON THE IMPACT OF SMALL BUSINESSES AND A SURPRISE ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT THIS YEAR'S PORTAL. SMALL BUSINESSES HAVE AN ENORMOUS IMPACT FOR MANY COMMUNITIES THROUGHOUT OUR CITY, THESE SMALL BUSINESSES OF THEIR LIFELINE AND WHAT MAKES AN AREA SPECIAL AND UNIQUE. THEY ALSO FOSTER LOCAL ECONOMIES, CREATE JOBS, AND KEEP MONEY LOCAL, WHICH IN TURN SUPPORTS OUR NEIGHBORHOODS AND OUR COMMUNITIES. I ALWAYS TELL MY TEAM I WANT TO GET THINGS DONE SOONER RATHER THAN LATER. [00:05:01] . AND SO INSTEAD OF AUGUST, LET ME, LET ME ROLL THAT BACK. LET ME ROLL THAT BACK. THIS IS MAY 1ST. AND SO THE PORTAL OPENS ON MAY 15TH, 2023, A SUMMIT, A WALK TO SAVE LIVES, AND A WEDDING WHEN CITY PULSE RETURNS STAY WITH US. METRO IS HERE FOR YOU EVERY DAY, PROVIDING SAFE, RELIABLE TRAVEL OPTIONS. WE TAKE YOU TO CELEBRATIONS AND HELP DURING EMERGENCIES. WE'RE ALWAYS LISTENING TO THE COMMUNITY AND WE MANAGE TAXPAYER DOLLARS RESPONSIBLY. AND THANKS TO OVERWHELMING VOTER APPROVAL, WE'RE BUILDING TRANSIT FOR TODAY AND TOMORROW SO THAT YOU CAN DRIVE LESS AND DO MORE GREASE AND WIPES CLOG PIPES. IN FACT, CLOGS FROM THESE ITEMS ARE THE MAIN CAUSE OF SEWER OVERFLOWS IN HOUSTON. OUR PIPES ARE DESIGNED TO TRANSPORT WATER, PEE POO, TOILET PAPER, AND SOAP. HERE ARE A FEW ITEMS TO KEEP OUT OF TOILETS AND DRINKS IN THE KITCHEN. PUT GREASE IN ITS PLACE THE TRASH. SIMPLY POUR IT INTO A HEAT RESISTANT CONTAINER. COOL IT, THEN TOSS IT IN THE TRASH. THIS INCLUDES FOOD ITEMS SUCH AS MEAT, FATS, BUTTER, AND CREAM OILS, AND EVEN DOUGH AND BATTER. ALL FOOD SCRAPS SHOULD BE TOSSED IN THE TRASH IN THE RESTROOM. ONLY FLUSH THE THREE PEAS, PEE POO AND TOILET PAPER. TOGETHER WE CAN PROTECT OUR PIPES FROM CLOGS AND OVERFLOWS. LEARN MORE@PROTECTOURPIPES.ORG. ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH THE SONG CHAPEL OF LOVE BY THE DIXIE CUPS? WELL, IT WAS THE CITY HALL OF LOVE FOR TWO NEWLYWEDS. THEY DIDN'T JUST FALL IN LOVE WITH EACH OTHER. THEY FELL IN LOVE WITH HOUSTON SO MUCH. SO THEY DECIDED TO HAVE THEIR WEDDING ON THE STEPS OF CITY HALL, AND AFTER THEIR FIRST KISS, THEY WERE READY FOR THEIR CLOSEUPS. INSIDE HTVS PRODUCTION STUDIOS. CITY HALL HOUSTON HAS BEEN A REALLY BIG PART OF OUR RELATIONSHIP. WE LEARNED HOUSTON TOGETHER. WE WOULD CONSTANTLY BE AT DISCOVERY GREEN PARK. WE WOULD BE HERE FOR PICNICS, THE ICE SKATING RINK. WE HAD MANY DATES AT THE BUFFALO BAYOU, UH, WHERE WE WOULD SEE THE SKYLINE, WHICH HOUSTON SKYLINE HAS BEEN THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SKYLINE I'VE SEEN, AND WE SPENT A LOT OF TIME IN DOWNTOWN JUST GETTING TO KNOW EACH OTHER WHEN WE FIRST STARTED DATING. AND DEFINITELY JUST GETTING MARRIED HERE AT CITY HALL WAS THE PERFECT CHOICE. I PROMISE TO LOVE YOU AND HONOR YOU AND HONOR YOU WITH THIS RING. I'D BE WE, I JUST FEEL THAT THIS BUILDING HAS SO MUCH IMPORTANCE AND SO TO START A MARRIAGE, LIKE WHAT BETTER PLACE THAN SOMETHING THAT'S MEANINGFUL AND IMPACTFUL AND OFFICIAL NOW TO YOUR HUSBAND AND WIFE? IN THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, US YOU MAY NOW KISS. WOO. IT WAS GREAT. IT WAS GREAT. WE LOVED IT. SINCE THE FIRST DAY I MET HER, I CAN TRULY SAY THAT I WANTED A LIFELONG WITH HER. I FELL IN LOVE WITH WHO HE WAS AS A PERSON. HE'S MY BEST FRIEND. SHE'S MY SOULMATE, MY BEST FRIEND. YEAH, THIS HAS BEEN SO GREAT. WE LOVE THE CITY OF HOUSTON. WE WISH THE HAPPY COUPLE ALL THE BEST WEDDING ANNIVERSARY DATES AND BIRTHDAYS ARE VERY IMPORTANT NUMBERS TO REMEMBER, BUT HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW NUMBERS WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR HEALTH? BLACK MEN DIE ON AVERAGE 12 YEARS EARLIER THAN WHITES DUE TO HEART RELATED ILLNESS. BUT EVENTS LIKE THE HOUSTON WALK TO SAVE BLACK MEN'S LIVES HELP TO SPREAD AWARENESS AND WHY IT IS GOOD PRACTICE TO KNOW YOUR NUMBERS. LET ME THANK EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO COME OUT OF, OUT TO, UH, AND MEN IN PARTICULAR TO GET TO KNOW YOUR NUMBERS. YOU KNOW, MY FINGER JUST GOT PRICKED, UH, TO KNOW MY NUMBERS. UH, I DON'T LIKE GETTING PRICKED, BUT UH, IF IT SAVES YOUR HEALTH, YOU KNOW, PRICK ME ON THIS FINGER, THIS FINGER, THIS ONE AS WELL. I JUST THINK THAT WE ALL NEED TO BE, UH, A LITTLE BIT MORE COGNIZANT OF, OF OUR HEALTH, GETTING OUR BLOOD TESTS, BUT GETTING OUR SCREENINGS OR WHAT HAVE YOU. I COME FROM A FINE FAMILY OF, UH, DIABETICS, SO I JUST WANNA DO MY PART TO STAY HEALTHY AND, UH, BE ABLE TO EXPRESS THE WORD SPORTS. GETTING, UH, GETTING US TESTED TODAY. WE MARCH, [00:10:01] NOT JUST FOR MEN, WE MARCH FOR FAMILIES. WE MARCH FOR OUR SIGNIFICANT OTHERS. WE MARCH FOR OUR CHILDREN. WE MARCH FOR OUR COMMUNITY. THIS EVENT IS TO HELP BLACK MEN KNOW THEIR NUMBERS AND NOT JUST KNOW THEIR NUMBERS, BUT TO LEAVE IN POWER TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THEM. THAT BLACK MEN SHOULD NOT BE DYING 12 YEARS EARLIER THAN THEIR COUNTERPARTS. I REALLY HOPE YOU KNOW, A BLACK MAN. GET CHECKED OUT, KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON WITH, YOU KNOW, WHAT AREAS YOU NEED TO IMPROVE IN, AND ALSO JUST MAKE SURE YOUR OVERALL HEALTH IS WHERE IT SHOULD BE. IF YOU WANT A HEALTHY CITY, YOU GOTTA HAVE HEALTHY PEOPLE IN IT. AND SO LET'S MAKE A HEALTHY CITY BY CREATING HEALTHY PEOPLE IN HEALTHY COMMUNITIES. WE ALL BENEFIT BLACK, WHITE, OR BROWN. WE'RE ALL CONNECTED, MALE OR FEMALE. WE'RE ALL CONNECTED. LET'S DO IT TOGETHER. LET'S STAY HEALTHY. WE HAVE SAVED THE SMART FOR LAST, BUT THE TEXAS SMART CITY SUMMIT, LEADERS OF GOVERNMENT, NONPROFITS AND HIGHER EDUCATION SHARED IDEAS AND EXPERIENCES IN SMART CITIES EFFORTS TO HELP ACCELERATE DEVELOPMENT IN TEXAS AND ACROSS THE GLOBE. YEAH, TODAY WE'RE MEETING FOR THE TEXAS SMART CITY SUMMIT WHERE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT BEST PRACTICES, THOUGHT LEADERSHIP, AND CHALLENGES THAT CITIES ARE FACING IN TEXAS AS THEY ROLL OUT SMART CITY SOLUTIONS AND HOW WE CAN HAVE MORE RESILIENT COMMUNITIES MOVING FORWARD. WE'RE DOING SOMETHING THAT COULD BE CONSIDERED SMART CITY. AND ONE OF THE BENEFITS OF HAVING HOUSTON BE SUCH A, A LARGE CITY, TIER ONE RESEARCH UNIVERSITIES HERE, HOME OF NASA, THE WORLD'S LARGEST MEDICAL CENTER, ENERGY CAPITAL OF THE WORLD. WE HAVE A LOT OF TALENT THAT'S HERE IN HOUSTON, AND THAT TALENT BLEEDS INTO OUR SMART CITY PROGRAM AS WELL. I CAN TELL YOU THAT INTEL HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN AUTONOMOUS CONNECTED VEHICLES TECHNOLOGY. THE TRANSPORTATION LANDSCAPE IS CHANGING EVERY DAY. INNOVATION IS CHANGING EVERY SECOND, AND WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO GO BACK 20 YEARS FROM NOW AND UNDERSTAND THAT THAT DECISION WAS FOUNDATIONALLY BASED ON THE DATA THAT INFORMED IT. THERE'S ALWAYS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO SHARE KNOWLEDGE IN A KIND OF A NEWER SPACE. UH, SMART CITY'S BEEN AROUND FOR OVER A DECADE, BUT A LOT OF US ARE LEARNING HOW TO EXECUTE WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS, WITH COMMUNITY PARTNERS, WITH PRIVATE SECTOR VENDORS FROM THE PUBLIC SECTOR. THE THEME IS REALLY LIKE RESILIENT COMMUNITIES IS WHAT WE'RE FOCUSING ON. AND SO HOW DOES THE CITY BECOME RESILIENT? WHAT DOES THAT MEAN IN TERMS OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND REPRESENTATION AND ACCESSIBILITY VERSUS JUST AVAILABILITY? THE TECHNOLOGY'S ONLY AS GOOD AS THE VALUES THAT ARE UNDERPINNING IT. IF IT WORKS IN DOWNTOWN AND IT DOESN'T WORK IN THE REST OF OUR CITY, YOU HAVE CREATED AN INEQUITABLE SYSTEM. IT REALLY ALLOWS US TO TAKE BACK REFLECTIONS OF SUCCESS OR FAILURE BACK HOME TO OUR LEADERSHIP. REFLECTING ON WHAT OTHER CITIES DO IS REALLY IMPORTANT IN OUR DECISION MAKING, UNDERSTANDING THAT SOME OF US MAY BE BEHIND THE CURVE, BUT THE FOLKS THAT HAVE ALREADY MADE SOME PROGRESS ON THINGS, THEY CAN YELL BACK AND SAY, HEY, DON'T DO IT THIS WAY. DO IT THIS WAY. AND SAY THAT WE CAN TAKE ON THAT RESPONSIBILITY BECAUSE WE RECOGNIZE THAT IT'S NOT JUST GONNA BENEFIT ONE CITY, BUT IT'S REALLY GONNA BENEFIT THE REGION AND TRY TO UNDERSTAND IF THIS IS GONNA BE ENOUGH VALUE, CAN WE PARTNER AND HAVE STRENGTH IN NUMBERS TO THEN BENEFIT EITHER THE REGION OR EVEN A STATEWIDE PERSPECTIVE? THE CHANGE THAT I WOULD LOVE TO SEE FROM THIS IS THAT CITIES DON'T HAVE TO DO THIS BY THEMSELVES. THAT THERE ARE OTHER CITIES AND COMMUNITIES THAT ARE WORKING ON SIMILAR PROJECTS THAT THEY COULD LEARN FROM EACH OTHER TO HAVE MORE OF A PARTNERSHIP MENTALITY AND A COMMUNITY SERVICE ORIENTED MENTALITY AS WELL. YEAH, SO THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR CITIES ACROSS THE STATE TO MEET AND CONNECT AND TALK ABOUT WHAT ALL THEY'RE DOING TO BE MORE INNOVATIVE FOR THE CITIZENS OF THEIR, OF THE STATE. SO AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE IDEAS, SHARE CHALLENGES THAT WE'VE HAD AND OPPORTUNITIES TO COLLABORATE. I ACTUALLY REALLY LOVE THAT WE ARE HERE ON THE ROOFTOP OF AN ADAPTIVE REUSE PROJECT, AND I FEEL THAT MORE CONFERENCES SHOULD HAVE, UH, OPEN AIR COMPONENTS. I THINK THE SUMMIT HAS BEEN A REALLY GREAT CONVERSATION. UM, I KNOW THAT IT'S BRINGING A LOT OF THE DIFFERENT CITIES AROUND IN TEXAS, AND WE'RE ALL TACKLING SMART CITIES IN DIFFERENT WAYS. I MEAN, THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE HERE FOR. THAT'S WHAT MUNICIPALITIES ARE FOR. THAT'S WHAT CITIES ARE FOR, IS WE'RE HERE TO SERVE THE CITIZENS. SO IF YOU'RE GOING TO INCORPORATE TECHNOLOGY, YOU NEED TO DO IT FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE CITIZENS. IT IS ULTIMATELY PEOPLE CENTERED. WELL, THAT DOES IT FOR CITY PULSE. UNTIL NEXT TIME, DO BETTER AND BE KIND. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.