* 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. [Press Conference: "Mayor Turner Announces Third Gun Buyback Event"] [00:00:19] GOT IT. YOU KNOW. HELLO. UH, AND LET ME JUST SAY GOOD MORNING TO EVERYONE AND WELCOME TO CITY HOME. AND I, AND LEMME JUST START OFF FROM THE VERY BEGINNING. LET ME, LET ME THANK THE, THE MEDIA, UH, FOR BEING HERE AND, UH, FOR COVERING, UH, UM, THESE EVENTS, THESE PRESS CONFERENCES, ESPECIALLY ON THE GUN BUYBACK. 'CAUSE I WOULD SAY TO, UH, YOU ALL HAVE BEEN VERY INSTRUMENTAL, UH, IN THE SUCCESS OF ALL FOUR, WELL, ALL THREE OF THE GUN BUYBACK PROGRAMS THAT WE'VE HAD, UH, IN COLLABORATION WITH THE COUNTY COMMISSIONER RODNEY ELLIS. SO, THANK YOU. WE'VE BEEN, UM, HAND IN HAND ON THIS EFFORT FROM THE VERY BEGINNING. AND THEN, UM, I WANT TO THANK CHIEF FINN WITH HPD FOR THE, FOR THE WORK THAT THEY HAVE DONE. AND THEN ED GONZALEZ WITH THE HARRIS COUNTY SHERIFF DEPARTMENT. SO IT HAS TAKEN A LOT OF COLLABORATION. AND THEN I CERTAINLY, AND THEN I WANT TO THANK CRYSTAL GO FOR, UH, WHO HAS BEEN FOR US, THE, THE POINT PERSON, UH, ON THIS EFFORT. SO THANK, I WANT TO THANK HER. AND THEN ALL THE VOLUNTEERS AND ALL THE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS, UH, BILL KELLY WITH GOVERNMENT RELATIONS, UH, HAS BEEN, HAS HIS TEAM, UH, HAS BEEN, I THANK EVERYBODY TO MICHELLE WITH THE CITY LEGAL DEPARTMENT. THANK YOU. YOU KNOW, SIR, VERY MUCH. AND YOUR ENTIRE, YOUR ENTIRE TEAM. UH, LOOK, WE HAVE BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN HELPING US, UM, UM, UH, PULL THESE EFFORTS TOGETHER. UH, WE STARTED UNDER ONE SAFE HOUSTON INITIATIVE. UM, AND THEN I THOUGHT, DID I SEE BISHOP DIXON? OH, THERE HE IS. UH, LET ME, UM, ACKNOWLEDGE BISHOP, UH, JAMES DIXON, THE PASTOR OF COMMUNITY OF FAITH, AS WELL AS THE PRESIDENT OF THE, UH, HOUSTON, N-A-A-C-P. UM, AND THEN I THINK THERE'S MOMS AGAINST, UH, MOMS DEMAND ACTION. SURELY WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE YOU ALL. YOU ALL CAN, YOU CAN COME, YOU KNOW, AND, AND JOIN US AS WELL. REALLY APPRECIATE THEM FOR THEIR ADVOCACY AND BEING VERY ACTIVELY ENGAGED. UM, CRYSTAL WEBER, WHO IS HERE WITH CONGRESSMAN AL GREEN, UH, HE HAS BEEN WITH US FROM DAY ONE. I KNOW HE WAS DOING HIS BEST TO GET HERE THIS MORNING. SO CRYSTAL, ON BEHALF OF CONGRESSMAN AL GREEN, THANK YOU. AND THANK HIM FOR US AS WELL, UH, FOR HIS STEADFAST, UH, UH, LEADERSHIP. UM, LOOK, UM, IN FEBRUARY OF LAST YEAR, WE RELEASED ONE SAFE HOUSTON, A COMPREHENSIVE PUBLIC SAFETY INITIATIVE TO COME BACK. VIOLENT CRIME, WHICH FOCUSES ON FOUR KEY AREAS. THE GUN BUYBACK PROGRAM IS PART OF THE VIOLENCE REDUCTION IN CRIME PREVENTION SECTION OF THE HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT. THE CITY OF HOUSTON HAS COMMITTED $1 MILLION, YOU KNOW, TO A ROBUST GUN BUYBACK INITIATIVE TO REDUCE VIOLENCE AND PREVENT CRIME. CRIME AND VIOLENCE CAN BE REDUCED BY REMOVING ILLEGAL OR UNWANTED FIREARMS FROM, FROM OUR STREETS. FOLLOWING THE SUCCESS OF THE FIRST GUN BUYBACK EVENT, WHICH COLLECTED CLOSE TO 800 GUNS. AND THE SECOND ONE WHICH COLLECTED, UH, 1,252 GUNS. AND THEN WE HAD THE THIRD ONE THAT WAS LED BY COMMISSIONER ELLIS AND HARRIS COUNTY, UH, WHICH COLLECTED ABOUT 800 GUNS. SO IN ALL, IT IS ABOUT 2,800 TO 3000 GUNS THAT HAVE, UH, THAT WE HAVE COLLECTED THROUGH THESE INITIATIVES. I AM THRILLED OH TWO ANNOUNCE THAT THE NEXT GUN BUYBACK WILL BE HELD STARTING AT 8:00 AM UH, TO NOON, SATURDAY, JUNE THE 10TH AT NRG PARK IN THE YELLOW MAIN STREET LOT, WHICH IS 9 0 5 1 SOUTH MAIN STREET. UH, THE LOCATION IS GATE NUMBER 16 OFF MAIN STREET, WHICH IS THE YELLOW MAIN STREET LOT MAIN GATE. SO, UH, THE NEXT GUN BY GUN BUYBACK PROGRAM WILL BE JUNE THE 10TH AT 8:00 AM SCHEDULED TO GO FROM EIGHT TO 12. UM, UH, WE'LL STAY THERE AS LONG AS WE CAN. AT, IN RG PARK, UH, GATE NUMBER 16, WHICH IS THE YELLOW MAIN STREET LOT. UH, PEOPLE CAN BRING THEIR UNWANTED GUNS AND EXCHANGE THEM, [00:05:01] UH, FOR A GIFT CARD AS WE'VE DONE IN THE PAST. AND TO REMIND PEOPLE, UH, FOR A NON-FUNCTIONING FIREARM, UH, YOU CAN RECEIVE A GIFT CARD IN THE AMOUNT OF $50 FOR A SHOTGUN OR A RIFLE. UH, YOU CAN RECEIVE A GIFT CARD FOR $100 FOR A REVOLVER. YOU CAN RECEIVE A GIFT CARD FOR $150, AND FOR A SEMI-AUTO HANDGUN, SAME AMOUNT, 150. AND THEN FOR A RIFLE SEMI-AUTOMATIC, YOU CAN RECEIVE A GIFT CARD IN THE AMOUNT OF $200. AND I DO WANNA REMIND PEOPLE NO GHOST GUNS. UH, SO WE ARE NOT ACCEPTING ANY GHOST GUN, ANY OF THESE 3D MANUFACTURING GUNS. WE'RE NOT ACCEPTING ANY OF THOSE. THE GUN BUYBACK PROGRAM IS COMPLETELY ANONYMOUS FOR THE PUBLIC IN KEEPING WITH OUR OBJECTIVES OF RETRIEVING AS MANY FIREARMS AS POSSIBLE FROM THE GREATER HOUSTON RESIDENTS. NO PERSONAL INFORMATION WILL BE TRANSCRIBED BY HPD OFFICERS, NOR WILL ANY WARRANTS OR RECORDS BE CHECKED BY THEM. MAINTAINING PUBLIC TRUST IS A CRITICAL COMPONENT OF THIS INITIATIVE. IN A FEW MINUTES, CHIEF FINON WILL DESCRIBE MORE THE PROCESS OF HANDLING THE WEAPONS TURNED IN. UH, AND LOOK, I KNOW, UH, SOMEONE IS GOING TO CRITICIZE THE PROGRAM AS THEY'VE DONE IN THE PAST. BUT THE TRUTH IS, GUN BUYBACKS WORK AS ONE TOOL IN A COMPREHENSIVE INITIATIVE TO FIGHT, FIGHT GUN VIOLENCE. WE ARE NOT JUST RELYING ON THIS PROGRAM, BUT IN UNDER ONE SAFE HOUSTON. IT'S COMPREHENSIVE, IT'S HOLISTIC. UH, WE ARE UTILIZING EVERY QUIVER IN OUR TOOLBOX THAT WE HAVE IN ORDER TO ADDRESS AND PREVENT CRIMES, HOMICIDES, GUN VIOLENCE, AND OVERALL VIOLENT CRIME IS DOWN ACROSS OUR CITY. AND WE WANT TO KEEP THAT MOMENTUM GOING. THE GUN BUYBACK ALONE WITH THE USE OF SHOT SPIDER OF THE TECHNOLOGY, DOING MORE TO REDUCE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND MENTAL HEALTH CALLS, AND, UH, AND POLICE OVERTIME, UH, PIECES OF THE PUZZLE, UH, THAT MAY PREVENT SOMEONE FROM PULLING THE TRIGGER IN THE FUTURE, OR AT LEAST THINK TWICE BEFORE RESORTING TO VIOLENCE. UM, IT'S UNFORTUNATE WE CAN'T DEAL WITH IT ON THE FRONT END 'CAUSE WE WOULD LOVE TO HAVE GUN. UM, UH, WHAT'S BACKGROUND CHECKS AND, UH, REASONABLE GUN LAWS PUT IN PLACE. UH, SO WE HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING ON THE BACK END TO TRY TO REMOVE AS MANY UNWANTED, UH, GUNS OFF OUR STREET. AND BEFORE I BRING UP THE NEXT SPEAKER, I WANTED TO THANK OUR PARTNERS IN THIS WORK, AGAIN, IN RG PARK. THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD IS BISHOP JAMES DIXON, AND WE WILL BE AT NRG PARK. SO LET ME THANK BISHOP DIXON AND HIS TEAM, UH, FOR HOSTING US AT THIS EVENT. WASTE MANAGEMENT COCA-COLA, THE HOUSTON HEALTH DEPARTMENT, AND MY BROTHER'S KEEPERS HARRIS HEALTH DEPARTMENT. AND AGAIN, UH, STRONG COLLABORATION, UH, WITH, UH, WITH HARRIS COUNTY, UH, COMMISSIONERS PRECINCT ONE, UH, COMMISSIONER ELLIS. I'M GONNA BRING UP, UH, COMMISSIONER ELLIS FIRST, THEN FOLLOWED BY, UH, CHIEF. THANK YOU MAYOR. UH, I'M GLAD TO BE HERE WITH SO MANY PARTNERS. WE HAVE LEARNED A LOT EACH TIME WE DO THESE, AND EACH TIME WE DO ONE, WE GET BETTER. UH, WE ALL DESERVE TO FEEL SAFE IN OUR HOMES, NEIGHBORHOODS AND PUBLIC SPACES. AND WE CAN'T FEEL SAFE WHEN GUNS OUTNUMBER PEOPLE. WHEN GUNS ARE EASIER TO GET THAN CHILDCARE, HEALTHCARE, A COLLEGE EDUCATION, AND A DECENT JOB. WE CAN'T CHANGE THOSE SYSTEMS OVERNIGHT, BUT WE CAN TAKE ACTION BY REMOVING GUNS FROM OUR STREETS. NOW, AS THE MAYOR ALLUDED TO, THERE HAVE BEEN QUESTIONS ABOUT GUN BUYBACKS AND WHETHER OR NOT THEY'RE EFFECTIVE AT IMPROVING PUBLIC SAFETY. BUT AFTER THREE WILDLY SUCCESSFUL BUYBACK EVENTS, ONE THING IS NOT UP FOR DEBATE. AND THAT IS THAT THIS COMMUNITY IS READY TO BE A PART OF THE SOLUTION TO END GUN VIOLENCE. AND IN PART, THAT IS WHAT THIS GUN BUYBACK DOES. IT GIVES PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITIES A CHANCE TO PARTICIPATE IN REDUCING VIOLENT CRIME. WHEN I TALK TO FOLKS IN THEIR CARS, ALONG WITH THE MAYOR, PEOPLE WHO ARE WAITING IN LINE AND THEY WANT TO TURN IN A GUN, NEARLY ALL OF THEM SING THE SAME SIMILAR TUNE. THEY WANT TO DO THEIR PART TO GET ONE MORE GUN OFF THE STREET. IN SOME CASES, MANY MORE GUNS OFF THE STREET. WHAT I LACKS, GUN LAWS IN TEXAS WILL SWIMMING IN A SEA OF GUNS IN HARRIS COUNTY AND IN HOUSTON. BUT ON THE COUNTY SIDE, JUST AS ON THE CITY SIDE, THIS IS ONE THING WE'RE DOING, A HOST OF OTHER THINGS. WE HAVE NOW COLLECTED 2,800 UNWANTED GUNS IN HOUSTON AND IN HARRIS COUNTY. THAT'S 28 GUNS OFF THE STREET, AND THAT ARE OUT OF THE HANDS OF SOMEONE THAT MIGHT COMMIT A CRIME, HARM THEMSELVES, OR HARM SOMEONE ACCIDENTALLY. AND WE ARE NOW ABOUT 900 GUNS AWAY [00:10:02] FROM THE BEING THE MOST SUCCESSFUL GUN BUYBACK PROGRAM IN THE HISTORY OF THE COUNTRY, AT LEAST BASED ON THE RESEARCH THAT MY STAFF HAS BEEN ABLE TO PULL TOGETHER. NOW, A GUN BUYBACK PROGRAM CAN ONLY BE SUCCESSFUL AS A PART OF A BROADER COMMITMENT TO REDUCE VIOLENCE. THIS YEAR ON THE COUNTY SIDE, WE DEDICATED $1.4 BILLION OF OUR ANNUAL BUDGET TO JUSTICE AND PUBLIC SAFETY. THAT'S THE LARGEST AMOUNT TO COUNTY HAS EVER ALLOCATED. IF THINGS HAD GONE A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY, IT WOULD'VE BEEN A BIT HIGHER, BUT THAT IS STILL A RECORD THAT WE'VE INVESTED. SO ON THE COUNTY SIDE, WITH MY COLLEAGUES AND THE COUNTY JUDGE, WE'RE ROLLING UP OUR SLEEVES AND GETTING TO WORK ON SMART, MEANINGFUL PROGRAMS SIMILAR TO THE ONES THAT THE MAYOR MADE REFERENCE TO THAT ARE THE ROOT CAUSE OF CRIME. WE'VE IMPLEMENTED A NEW VIOLENCE INTERRUPTION PROGRAM, AND WE'RE GONNA EXPAND IT AND PUT MORE MONEY INTO IT. WE JUST EXPANDED OUR HOLISTIC ASSISTANCE RESPONSE TEAM INITIATIVE. WE'RE REMOVING BLIGHT FROM NEIGHBORHOODS AND INVESTING IN COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE BEEN NEGLECTED FOR DECADES, BOTH IN UNINCORPORATED AND ALSO IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. WE'RE DRESSED IN THE BACKLOG IN THE COURTS. NEW COURTS ARE ONLINE AND HELPING MORE PEOPLE REENTER AND REINTEGRATE INTO SOCIETY THROUGH HOUSING PROGRAMS. AND WE'RE WORKING NOT JUST TO HELP DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VICTIMS, BUT TO PREVENT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE FROM HAPPENING IN THE FIRST PLACE. THAT'S WHAT THIS IS ABOUT, AND ALL OUT OFFENSIVE, AS ME TURN MADE REFERENCE TO. AND IT REQUIRES JUST, NOT JUST THE COORDINATED EFFORT FROM LOCAL GOVERNMENT. IT REQUIRES VOICES AND CONVICTION FROM PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITIES. WE NEED YOUR HELP IN THE MEDIA, AND WE APPRECIATE WHAT YOU HAVE DONE TO SPREAD THE WORD. I KNOW THE CHIEF WILL RUN THROUGH IT AGAIN, BUT IN CASE SOMEBODY IS CONFUSED, I WANNA RUN THROUGH THE STATS AGAIN. FOR EVERY NON-FUNCTIONING GUN YOU RECEIVE 50 BUCKS FOR EVERY RIFLE OR SHOTGUN, A HUNDRED DOLLARS FOR EVERY HANDGUN, $150 FOR AN ASSAULT RIFLE, 200. BUT THE FEELING THAT YOU'VE DONE SOMETHING IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN JUST THE MONEY THAT YOU WILL GET. THAT IS A PRICELESS FEELING. UH, I WANT TO THANK MAYOR TURNER FOR HIS LEADERSHIP ON THIS AND SO MANY INITIATIVES. THE CITY COMMITTED 1 MILLION, THE COUNTY COMMITTED 1.2 MILLION. I PLAN TO SPEND OUR 1.2 MILLION, RIGHT, IF WE CAN IN THIS NEXT SIX MONTHS, WE ADDED SOME MORE MONEY, MONEY TO THE POT. THIS GO ROUND CHIEF, AS I SAID, WE'VE LEARNED FROM EVERY EVENT, THE FIRST ONE AT WILLOW AVENUE CHURCH, WE LEARNED, YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN SOMEBODY HAS A WEDDING, A FUNERAL OR SOMETHING COMING UP. AND WE WERE PROUD THAT ALL THOSE PEOPLE WERE IN LINE, BUT THE MAYOR AND I FELT BAD AND OUR STAFFS HAD TO STAY OUT THERE FIGURING OUT WHAT TO DO. AND THEN WE WENT TO A PARK AND RIOT. AND THAT ONE WAS TREMENDOUSLY SUCCESSFUL, RIGHT? BUT SOME PEOPLE SAID, WE WANT IT IN OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTY. SO THEN WE WENT TO A PARK. IT WAS A GREAT VIEW, BUT WE HAD ISSUES. WE RAN OUTTA MONEY CRYSTAL ON THE COUNTY SIDE, WE PUT UP ONE 50. THIS GO AROUND, UH, I THINK YOU GOT A LITTLE OVER 200 IN TOTAL THAT WE HAVE. UH, BUT IF THERE'S SOMETHING THAT WE DID NOT ANTICIPATE THAT COMES UP WITH CHIEF NER, SHERIFF GONZALEZ CALLING THE MAYOR, AND I WILL BE THERE AS LONG AS WE CAN. WE WILL SORT IT OUT. WE WANNA MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR ANYBODY WHO WANTS TO GET RID OF A GUN, TO GET RID OF IT. UH, WITH THAT, I WANNA BRING UP POLICE CHIEF. I'M SO PROUD OF HIM. CHIEF TROY RUNNER, VERY MUCH COMMISSIONER AND MAYOR. UH, THANKS EVERYBODY FOR ATTENDING TODAY. AND THANK YOU MEDIA, UH, FOR COMING OUT AND, AND, AND SUPPORTING AND GIVING PEOPLE INFORMATION. VERY FIRST THING I WANT TO SAY IS, UM, YOU HAVE, YOU HAVE PEOPLE THAT HAVE SOME DOUBT. AND, UM, WHAT I SAY, PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT ABOUT SOLUTIONS. I DON'T GET INTO THE DIFFERENT ARGUMENTS, BUT LET ME TELL YOU SOME OF THE FACTS OF BEING OUT THERE AT THE GUN BUYBACKS ON GROUND. THE MAYOR, UM, THE COMMISSIONER, UH, OUR OTHER COLLEAGUES, YOU HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH A, WITH A PERSON THAT SAYS, YOU KNOW, CHIEF, THANKS FOR DOING THIS. THANK Y'ALL FOR DOING THIS. MY HUSBAND PASSED. I'M NOT A GUN PERSON. ALL THESE GUNS ARE AT OUR HOUSE. AND, AND I JUST WANTED A SAFE PLACE TO BRING THEM AND GET RID OF THEM, AND THEN I CAN GET PAID FOR IT. SO THAT'S WHAT IT'S ABOUT. JUST REMOVING THE GUNS OFF THE STREET, A SAFE PLACE FOR PEOPLE TO COME. YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO ONLINE AND, AND, AND WORRY ABOUT GETTING ROBBED OR GIVING IT TO A CRIMINAL. LEMME REMIND YOU ALL GUNS THAT WE TAKE UP. UH, WE WILL DO A CHECK ON 'EM. UH, WE'LL CHECK TO SEE IF THEY ARE STOLEN. ALSO, IF THEY WERE INVOLVED IN A CRIME. UM, ALL THAT'S TAKEN CARE OF. SO, UM, JUST WANT TO SAY THAT ONE THING THAT WE, I DON'T THINK THAT WE MENTIONED, THERE WILL BE A 25, UH, MINIMUM LIMIT, UH, PER VEHICLE, UH, MAXIMUM, I'M SORRY. UM, MAXIMUM FOR, UM, THE, UH, GUNS FOR PER VEHICLE. SO PLEASE COME OUT. UH, WE HAVE INCREASED [00:15:01] CAPACITY OUT THERE. UM, MORE LANES. I WANT TO THANK NRG PARK AND EVERYBODY OUT THERE AND ALL THE PARTNERS THAT THE MAYOR, UH, MENTIONED, UH, FOR MAKING THIS HAPPEN. I KNOW SHERIFF WASN'T ABLE TO BE HERE TOGETHER, BUT BOTH OF OUR DEPARTMENTS, UH, WHATEVER RESOURCES, UH, WE NEED THAT THERE WILL BE OUT THERE. UM, WHEN YOU DRIVE UP, IT'S JUST LIKE THE LAST TIMES. UM, WE DON'T WANT YOU HANDLING THE GUNS. WE'RE GONNA HAVE PEOPLE OUT THERE TO DO THAT AND TAKE THOSE GUNS AND CLEAR 'EM SAFELY AND GET YOU THROUGH AND GET YOU PAID. BUT BECAUSE OF THE OUTFLOW OF, OF SUPPORT AND THE POPULARITY WITH THIS, WE HAVE INCREASED THE, THE LANES THAT'S, THAT'S COMING THROUGH. SO IT SHOULD GO PRETTY SMOOTH, BUT PUT THE WORD OUT, UH, COME OUT AND, AND LET'S, THAT'S TURN THE GUNS IN, UH, THAT, THAT YOU DON'T NEED. UM, AND YOU'RE NOT HAVE, YOU DON'T HAVE ANY USE FOR, AND THAT'S WHAT IT'S ABOUT. AND I, I DON'T, I DON'T, I'M NOT GONNA SPEND A WHOLE LOT OF TIME WITH THE, ALL THE ARGUMENTS AND THAT, THAT, THAT'S COUNTERPRODUCTIVE. UH, WE WE'RE SOLUTION BASED HERE IN HOUSTON, HARRIS COUNTY. AND I JUST WANT TO THANK, UH, AGAIN, THE COMMISSIONER, THE MAYOR, UH, CRYSTAL, EVERYBODY FOR WORKING TOGETHER. AND, AND, AND HOPEFULLY WE'LL CONTINUE TO HAVE IT. AND HOPEFULLY AROUND THE NATION, THEY CAN LOOK AT THIS AND GET AWAY FROM ALL THE, THE CRAZY ARGUMENTS AND JUST SEE WHAT'S GOOD FOR OUR COMMUNITIES. IF THERE'S A GUN AND THERE'S NOT A NEED FOR THAT GUN, LET'S BRING THAT GUN IN AND LET'S DESTROY IT. OKAY, THANK Y'ALL, BISHOP MAYOR, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR HOSTING US AGAIN. AND THANK YOU COMMISSIONER ELLIS AND, UH, CHIEF FINN, ALL OF THE COLLEAGUES WHO ARE HERE. UH, AND I AM HONORED TO STAND TODAY ON BEHALF OF NRG PARK, UH, TO SAY THAT WE ARE, UH, POSITIVE ABOUT WELCOMING THE GUN BUYBACK INITIATIVE, UH, SPEARHEADED BY BOTH OUR CITY LEADERSHIP AND OUR COUNTER LEADERSHIP. WE THINK THAT THE COLLABORATIVE EFFORT IS NECESSARY, AND OF COURSE, OUR TEAM AND STAFF FROM OUR CEO DOWN ARE PREPARED, UH, TO HOST AND MAKE CERTAIN THAT ALL THE LOGISTICAL ITEMS AND ISSUES ARE HANDLED WITH EXCELLENCE AND WITH EFFICIENCY, AND CERTAINLY A SAFER CITY, A SAFER COUNTY MAKES US SAFER, NRG PARK. AND, UH, SO IT'S IMPORTANT FOR ALL OF US TO SUPPORT INITIATIVES LIKE THIS IN THE WAYS THAT WE CAN DO THAT. AND, UH, WE COMMEND THE INNOVATIVE APPROACH. AND DO KNOW THAT NRG IS YOUR HOME, OF COURSE. AND, UH, ALL THAT WE CAN DO TO MAKE CERTAIN, UH, THAT ALL THOSE WHO BRING BACK GUNS ARE ACCOMMODATED EFFICIENTLY, EFFECTIVELY, AND WITH EXCELLENCE. WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO DOING THAT ON BEHALF OF NRG PARK. THANK YOU, SIR. THAT'S THE HAT I'M WEARING TODAY. UH, AND, UH, AT THIS HOUR, THERE'LL PROBABLY BE OTHERS, UH, BEFORE THE DAY IS OVER. UH, BUT I WILL SAY THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, THEY SAY THAT, UH, GUNS DON'T KILL PEOPLE. PEOPLE DO, BUT PEOPLE WITHOUT GUNS DON'T. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. UM, COMMANDER, YOU WANT TO COME? THANK YOU. COMMANDER GARCIA. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU, CHIEF SOUTH MAIN, THANK YOU. YES, SIR. LOOK, JUST A FEW MORE COMMENTS, AND THEN IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, WE'LL TAKE THOSE. I CERTAINLY WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE DENNIS LITTLE JOHN, UH, WITH CONGRESSWOMAN SHEILA JACKSON LEE'S OFFICE. UM, APPRECIATE MEN HERE. UH, [00:20:01] RYAN WALSH, WEST RYAN. OH, RYAN. RYAN, YEAH, RYAN IS BACK THERE, UP HERE WITH US. COME ON UP. SHOW YOUR FACE. RYAN. WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE HIM? AND THEN I THINK IT'S, IT, IS IT NINA? NINA. NINA. YEAH, NINA AS WELL WITH NRHG. AND THEN, UH, UH, ISHA ARCHER, I BELIEVE WITH MOMS DEMAND ACTION, REALLY APPRECIATE THEIR ADVOCACY AND, AND THEIR SUPPORT. LOOK, IT IS OUR HOPE THAT, UM, UH, THE GUN BUY BACK SCHEDULED FOR SATURDAY, JULY, JUNE, THE, UH, 10TH, UH, WILL BE THE LARGEST ONE, UH, THAT WE HAVE HAD. UH, SO THAT'S OUR HOPE, UM, THAT PEOPLE WILL REALLY, UM, PARTICIPATE. AND THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR PEOPLE THEMSELVES, UH, TO PARTICIPATE. ONE OF THE REASONS WHY WE DO IT, AND, UM, AND I REMEMBER ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE FIRST ONES THAT WE HAVE, UM, UH, THE LADY IN THE CAR SAID, UH, MAYOR, THANK YOU. THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO PARTICIPATE, UH, FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC TO PARTICIPATE. SO HOPEFULLY THIS WILL BE THE LARGEST ONE, UM, THAT WE HAVE HAD THUS FAR. UH, BE THE BEST, IT WILL BE THE BEST, UH, AT NRG. AND THEN THE OTHER THING, BEAR IN MIND, THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF THE SUMMER AND WE WANT A SAFE SUMMER. OKAY? AND SO IT, IT REALLY EMPHASIZES THE MESSAGE OF HAVING A SAFE SUMMER. UM, AND I DO WANT TO STRESS, AS COMMISSIONER ELLIS SAID, THIS IS NOT THE ONLY THING THAT WE'VE DO DO THAT WE ARE DOING, BECAUSE AT THE SAME TIME THAT THIS GUN BUYBACK PROGRAM IS TAKING PLACE, THE HIGHER HOUSTON YOUTH SUMMER INTERNSHIP PAY PROGRAM IS ALSO STARTING. UM, AND SO WE ARE PROVIDING PAID SUMMER INTERNSHIPS, UH, FOR OUR PEOPLE 16 THROUGH 24. UM, THEY CAN GO, IF YOU ARE NEEDING A JOB, IF YOU ARE NEEDING A JOB, WANTING A JOB, ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS GO TO HIGHER HOUSTON YOUTH.ORG, UH, AND FOLLOW THE, UH, PROVIDE THE INFORMATION. THERE'S A JOB AVAILABLE FOR YOU. OKAY? THAT'S HIGHER HOUSTON YOUTH.ORG. AND AT THIS POINT, UH, WE ARE ALREADY PROVIDING SUMMER JOB OPPORTUNITIES FOR MORE THAN 15,000, UH, HOUSTONIANS BETWEEN THE AGES OF 16 THROUGH 24. THE GOAL IS TO GET UP TO 20,000. SO THAT'S FOR THIS SUMMER. THE POINT THAT I WANT TO EMPHASIZE THE GUN BUYBACK PROGRAM IS JUST ONE OF THE MANY TOOLS THAT WE ARE UTILIZING, BUT WE ARE ALSO INVESTING IN OUR, THAT YOUNG GENERATION, UH, TO PROVIDE THEM WITH OPPORTUNITIES TO EARN MONEY THE RIGHT WAY. AND AT THE SAME TIME ALL OF THE OTHER ATTRIBUTES THAT GO RIGHT ALONG WITH IT. SO, UH, THAT'S THE POINT THAT I WANNA EMPHASIZE. AND THEN IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, THIS IS A GOOD TIME. YES, SIR. NO, NO. THE GUNS ARE GUNS AND GUNS ARE MOBILE. SO WHETHER YOU ARE IN HARRIS COUNTY OR SOME OTHER COUNTY, PEOPLE ARE TRAVELING ALL THROUGHOUT AND COMMITTING CRIMES WITH GUNS. SO THE MORE WE CAN GET OFF THE STREET, THE BETTER. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE A RESIDENT OF HARRIS COUNTY, JUST BE IN THE COUNTY. SHOW UP. JUST COME THE NRG AND UH, AND THEN WE'LL, WE'LL, WE'LL TAKE IT OFF YOUR HANDS. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FROM ANYONE? THAT'S A CHIEF NER QUESTION. , WE DON'T GET 'EM, WE DON'T GET EACH, EACH WEAPON IS, IS GONNA BE, UH, TESTED, UH, UH, THROUGH ROBINSON JUST TO SEE IF IT'S BEEN INVOLVED IN ANOTHER CRIME. UH, ALSO THE VERY FIRST THING, SERIAL NUMBERS, YOU CHECK IT AND SEE IF IT'S STOLEN. WE WANT, WE DON'T WANT TO DESTROY SOMEBODY'S GUN, UM, THAT'S, UH, BEEN REPORTED STOLEN. WE WANT TO GET THAT TO THE RIFLE OWNER AND LET THEM MAKE THE DECISION WHAT THEY WANT TO DO WITH THEIR, THEIR GUNS. SO, UH, THAT'S THE PROCESS. AND, AND, UH, I THINK THANKS FOR ASKING THAT AGAIN. 'CAUSE IT'S IMPORTANT TO KNOW, UH, WE DON'T GO AND SELL THEM. UH, WE NOT REPURPOSING THEM. UM, THEY'RE TAKEN UP TO BE DESTROYED, UM, AFTER THEY GO THROUGH, UH, THE PROPER, UH, CHECKS. SO, OKAY. THANKS TROY. DID I MISS ANYTHING? YOU KNOW, I JUST, I JUST WANT TO EMPHASIZE WHAT THE COMMISSIONER AND AND MAYOR EMPHASIZE THAT THIS IS A MULTIFACETED APPROACH TO, TO THE ISSUE. IT GOES BACK NOT ONLY TO LAST JANUARY'S ONE SAFE HOUSTON, BUT EVEN BEFORE GOING BACK TO COMPLETE COMMUNITIES BECAUSE, UH, THE MAYOR HAS FOCUSED ON THE 16 TO 24 YEAR OLDS THAT HAVE BEEN RESPONSIBLE IN MANY WAYS FOR THE SPIKE IN CRIMES. THESE ARE YOUNG ADULTS WHO'VE DEALT WITH CORONAVIRUS, UH, WITH, UH, HURRICANES. AND HE HAS PROVIDED PROGRAMS NOT ONLY, UH, LIKE THE, THE, THE SUMMER WORK PROGRAM, [00:25:02] BUT THE PARKS GIVE A REAL OPPORTUNITY. YOU HAVE TO COUPLE HOPE WITH OPPORTUNITY AND IT PROVIDES THAT. AND THE CITY HAS DONE OTHER THINGS SUCH AS FUND PROGRAMS THROUGH ITS HEALTH DEPARTMENT, LIKE CREDIBLE MESSENGER, WHICH PAIRS, UH, SOMEONE WITH A CRIMINAL RECORD AS A MENTOR WITH, UH, AT RISK YOUNG ADULTS, UH, AND TEENAGERS TO HELP THEM UNDERSTAND WHAT A LIFE OF CRIME IS REALLY LIKE. UH, THIS IS A MULTIFACETED PROBLEM. IT NEEDS A MULTIFACETED APPROACH, AND I'M UNAWARE OF ANY OTHER CITY THAT IS AS COMPREHENSIVE IN ITS APPROACH AS HOUSTON. THANKS. AND CRYSTAL, WILL WE HAVE ENOUGH MONEY? ? YES, SIR. ABOUT TOO. 20 . WE, WE WILL HAVE ENOUGH MONEY. WE'VE GOT OVER $200,000 TO GIVE AWAY ON JUNE 10TH, SO I, I BELIEVE WE WILL HAVE ENOUGH MONEY FOR EVERYBODY. WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING EVERYONE THERE. THANKS. OKAY, SO LOOK, THANK YOU. LEMME THANK ALL THE PARTNERS. REALLY APPRECIATE THE, UM, THE COLLECTIVE SUPPORT. AND AGAIN, LEMME THANK THE MEDIA. UH, JUNE 10TH, 10TH AT, UH, 8:00 AM NRG GATE 16. UM, PLEASE COME AND LET'S, UM, LET'S REMOVE AT NRG PARK AND LET'S REMOVE AS MANY OF THESE UNWANTED UNM MORNING GUNS. NOW TRYING TO TAKE ANYBODY'S GUN, BUT AS TO REMOVE AS MANY UNWANTED GUNS AS POSSIBLE. OKAY, THANK YOU ALSO, VERY MUCH APPRECIATE IT. HAVE A GOOD DAY, SIR. * 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.