* 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. [00:00:19] THAT LOOKS LIKE A GOOD FIREWORKS SHOW RIGHT THERE. MM-HMM . MM-HMM . . HEY. OKAY, LET'S GET STARTED. I KNOW THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING, UH, TODAY, SO LET ME, LET ME THANK YOU ALL FROM THE MEDIA FOR BEING, FOR BEING PRESENT. UH, GOOD AFTERNOON AND THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE. I'M JOINED TODAY BY, UH, HOUSTON, UH, ASSISTANT CHIEF, CHIEF HARDIN, UH, BY CHIEF OF THE, UM, HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT, CHIEF PENA, THE SPECIAL EVENTS COORDINATED DIRECTOR SUSAN CHRISTIAN, TO TALK ABOUT THE UPCOMING JULY 4TH, A WEEKEND, AND HOW WE WANT YOU TO CELEBRATE SAFELY AND RESPONSIBLY. IF YOU'VE BEEN OUTSIDE AT ANY POINT IN TIME, I DON'T HAVE TO TELL YOU THAT IT'S HOT. UM, AND I DON'T HAVE TO TELL YOU THAT WE ARE EXPERIENCING SOME RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES IN THE CITY, AND THEREFORE, THE CITY OF HOUSTON HAS TAKEN SEVERAL STEPS TO KEEP EVERYBODY COOL. UH, THE CITY ACTIVATED ITS PUBLIC HEALTH HEAT EMERGENCY PLAN ON JUNE 14TH, UH, WHEN THE HOUSTON AREA BEGAN EXPERIENCING EXCESSIVE HEAT. AND WE ARE PROVIDING RESOURCES FOR PEOPLE TO TAKE REFUGE FROM THE HEAT. QUITE FRANKLY, I WAS HOPING, UH, THAT BY NOW, UH, WE WOULD, THINGS WOULD'VE COOLED OFF A LITTLE BIT. WELL, BUT THAT HAS NOT BEEN THE CASE. UH, SO TO FIND THE NEAREST COOLING CENTER LOCATION OR IN AIR CONDITION CITY FACILITY, PEOPLE CAN CALL 3 1 1, UH, FOR MORE INFORMATION, UH, SIMPLE STEPS WE CAN TAKE TO CELEBRATE SAFELY, UH, STAYING HYDRATED THROUGHOUT THE, UH, THE DAY THROUGHOUT THE WEEKEND, GOING THROUGH, UM, UH, JULY THE FOURTH, AND STAYING IN AIR CONDITIONING PLACES AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE AND WEARING LOOSE, LIGHTWEIGHT COLORED CLOTHING AND SUNSCREEN, UH, WHEN OUTSIDE. UH, NOW AS WE APPROACH THE 4TH OF JULY, THE SHELL'S FREEDOM OF A TEXAS, I WANT TO REMIND FOLKS THAT, UH, WE SAY CELEBRATORY GUNFIRE, BUT QUITE FRANKLY, THAT'S NOTHING TO CELEBRATE ABOUT THIS GUNFIRE, RIGHT? IT CAN BE DANGEROUS, IT CAN BE DEADLY, AND IT IS ILLEGAL. SO LET ME REEMPHASIZE AGAIN THAT THIS GUNFIRE, UM, DURING THE JULY 4TH, UH, WEEKEND ON JULY 4TH, LEADING UP TO IT, IS ILLEGAL IN THE STATE OF TEXAS. UM, I'M GONNA BE ADDING SOME ADDITIONAL OVERTIME RESOURCES, UH, TO HPD, UM, BECAUSE WE REALLY, REALLY, REALLY WANT TO CRACK DOWN ON, ON PEOPLE THAT ARE, ARE, JUST KEEP IGNORING WHAT WE ARE SAYING. AND AGAIN, UH, FIREWORKS ARE NOT ALLOWED INSIDE THE CITY OF HOUSTON. YOU CAN'T BE USING THEM INSIDE THE CITY OF HOUSTON. SO I WANNA REEMPHASIZE THAT AGAIN, BECAUSE, UH, EVERY SINGLE HOLIDAY, UH, LIKE SHELL FREEDOM OVER TEXAS OR, UH, OTHER HOLIDAYS, IT'S LIKE JUST, IT'S LIKE YOU IN A WAR ZONE THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF HOUSTON, ALMOST IN EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD, INCLUDING MY OWN, UH, PEOPLE ARE JUST, UH, POPPING FIREWORKS OR SHOOTING THEM OFF, OR TAKING THEIR GUNS AND, AND FIRING THEM. AND SO WE, WE JUST HAVE TO CRACK DOWN ON IT. AND SO, AGAIN, I'M SAYING TO INDIVIDUALS, IT IS ILLEGAL. IT IS ILLEGAL. IT IS ILLEGAL, AND I KNOW TIMES ARE HARD. PEOPLE NEED YOUR MONEY. BUT IF YOU WANT TO CONTRIBUTE YOUR MONEY, UH, TO, WITH THE MUNICIPAL COURT OR TO SOME OTHER COURT SYSTEM, THEN YOU KNOW, YOU, YOU DO IT. YOU U UH, YOU UTILIZE THESE GUNS AND THESE FIREWORKS AT YOUR OWN EXPENSE, UH, BUT THERE WILL BE A HEF FINE ATTACHED TO IT. SO IF YOU WANT, IF YOU NEED YOUR MONEY TO PAY YOUR RENT OR TO KEEP YOUR AIR CONDITION RUNNING, I WOULD PREFER YOU TO KEEP YOUR MONEY TO PAY YOUR ELECTRICITY BILL THAN TO GIVE YOUR MONEY, UH, TO SOME COURT, BECAUSE YOU GET, YOU ARE GOING TO GET CITED OR YOU GET ARRESTED, AND YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO GET SOME ATTORNEY TO GET YOU OUT. YOU DON'T WANT TO DO THAT, OKAY? AND SO, UH, UH, I AM AUTHORIZED HPD, UH, TO UTILIZE MORE O UH, OVERTIME. WE'LL PAY FOR IT IN ORDER TO CRACK DOWN ON WHAT HAS BECOME A SERIOUS PROBLEM. UH, WE, EV 3 1 1 IS JAMMED, UH, ALL THROUGHOUT THESE HOLIDAY PERIODS WITH NEIGHBORS AND OTHERS CALLING IN AND SAYING, THEY ARE POPPING THESE FIREWORKS OR SHOOTING LIKE CRAZY. OKAY? SO PLEASE, PLEASE, I'M ASKING YOU IN THE NICEST WAY THAT I KNOW HOW, UH, TO PUT YOUR GUNS DOWN, UH, TO KEEP THE FI COME AND WATCH THE SHOW THAT SUSAN CHRISTIAN AND OTHERS WILL BE PUTTING ON. WE'RE SPENDING A WHOLE LOT OF MONEY NOW, SUSAN, DON'T ASK ME FOR ANY MORE MONEY. WE'RE SPENDING A WHOLE LOT OF MONEY TO PUT ON A FANTASTIC [00:05:01] FIREWORKS PROFESSIONALLY DONE. SO PLEASE COME AND DO THAT. NOW, HAVING SAID ALL OF THAT, UM, WE SEE THIS DANGEROUS PRACTICE EVERY TIME WE WANT TO CUT DOWN ON IT. SO LET ME STOP AND LET ME BRING UP FIRST, UH, ASSISTANT CHIEF HARDEN, UH, TO SPEAK FROM, UH, UH, HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT'S PERSPECTIVE, AND THEN HE'LL BE FOLLOWED BY CHIEF PENA. CHIEF HARDEN. THANK YOU, SIR. GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYBODY. AND AS, UH, MAYOR TURNER SAID, IT FEELS LIKE EVERY 4TH OF JULY AND ALSO NEW YEAR'S EVE FOR THAT MATTER, UH, YOU KNOW, WE COME BEFORE YOU AS A POLICE DEPARTMENT TO, TO BEG THE COMMUNITY. THERE'S, THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS CELEBRATORY GUNFIRE, AS THE MAYOR SAID, YOU KNOW, THE ACTUAL TERM FOR IT IS DEADLY CONDUCT, OKAY? AND AS HE MENTIONED, UH, IT IS ILLEGAL IN THE STATE OF TEXAS. UH, IT'S A CLASS A MISDEMEANOR PUNISHABLE BY ONE YEAR IN JAIL, AND A $4,000 FINE TO HIS POINT OF, UH, KEEPING YOUR MONEY. AND WE'VE ALL HEARD, YOU KNOW, WHAT GOES UP MUST COME DOWN. UH, AND, AND IF YOU THINK THAT THERE'S, THERE'S NO HAZARD IN FIRING INTO THE AIR, YOU'RE JUST ABSOLUTELY DEAD WRONG. I FEEL LIKE EVERY AFTER EVERY, UH, 4TH OF JULY OR NEW YEAR'S EVE, WE FIND OURSELVES ASKING FOR PEOPLE'S PRAYERS FOR SOMEONE WHO'S BEEN HIT BY THIS. AND OFTENTIMES, IT'S A CHILD, RIGHT? AND THAT'S, THAT'S ON US, OKAY? IT'S ON US AS A COMMUNITY TO KEEP THAT IN MIND. AND SO, AGAIN, IT'S AGAINST THE LAW. THERE'S NO REASON FOR IT. UH, AND WE WILL HAVE EXTRA PATROLS OUT THERE, BOTH THAT YOU CAN SEE AND THAT YOU CANNOT SEE. UH, WE DO MAKE ARRESTS FOR THIS EVERY YEAR, AND WE'RE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN TO PREVENT IT. BUT IT'S, BUT IT'S ON US AS A COMMUNITY. IT'S ON YOU TO, TO KEEP THAT IN MIND. UH, AND WE JUST NEED TO CHANGE THE TONE OF, IT'S NOT CELEBRATORY GUNFIRE. IT'S IN FACT DEADLY CONDUCT. AND WE NEED TO LOOK AT IT AS SUCH, UH, AS WELL. SO WE, UH, WE HAVE ALSO TO CONSIDER WITH YOUR, YOUR HOLIDAY PLANS, RIGHT? DON'T, DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE, OKAY? WE HAVE A, A HUGE ISSUE EVERY YEAR WITH OUR, OUR HOLIDAYS OF, OF MULTIPLE DWI ARRESTS AND DW ACCIDENTS, AND THAT'S ALSO INCUMBENT UPON US TO CELEBRATE RESPONSIBLY USE UBER, USE, RIDE SHARE, WHATEVER YOU NEED TO DO. BUT WE ARE IN CONTROL OF, OF THAT. UH, AND WE NEED TO, WE NEED TO KEEP THAT IN MIND. SO WE ASK YOU TO, SO AGAIN, WE THANK YOU FOR THE, UH, FOR THE OVERTIME FUNDS FOR, FOR HAVING OUR UNITS OUT THERE. OH, AND ALSO, COUNCIL MEMBER CAYMAN'S OFFICE HAS PURCHASED, UH, GUN SAFES, RIGHT? SO WE WILL BE DISTRIBUTING THOSE GUN SAFES AT FREEDOM OVER TEXAS, UH, THIS WEEKEND, OR I'M SORRY, ON TUESDAY AT 4TH OF JULY. UH, THESE GUN SAFES FOR DESIGN FOR PEOPLE TO SECURE THEIR GUNS INSIDE OF VEHICLES. WE DO HAVE AN ISSUE EVERYWHERE IN THE COUNTRY AND ALSO IN HOUSTON, OF PEOPLE GETTING THEIR FIREARMS STOLEN OUT OF VEHICLES. SO THAT IS A PURCHASE THAT WE'RE GRATEFUL FOR, A PROGRAM THAT WE'RE HAPPY TO BE PARTNERS WITH, UH, TO DISTRIBUTE THESE GUN SAFES TO OUR CITIZENS SO WE CAN, UH, PREVENT MORE VEHICLES BEING BROKEN INTO, IN, IN FIREARMS BEING TAKEN. UH, WITH THAT, I WILL TURN OVER TO BACK CHIEF PENA FOR, FOR YOUR FIREWORKS AND EVERYTHING ELSE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, CHIEF. THANK YOU, MAYOR. WELL, IF THE MESSAGE HASN'T BEEN MADE CLEAR, WE WANNA WELCOME EVERYBODY TO THE FREEDOM OVER TEXAS, UH, EVENT THIS 4TH OF JULY. WE'D RATHER YOU, UH, ATTEND THOSE THAN, THAN SET OFF YOUR OWN FIREWORKS. AND SPEAKING OF THAT, AS WE LOOK TO THE 4TH OF JULY, I WANT TO TALK BRIEFLY JUST MENTION SOME OF THE DANGERS AND RISKS THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THE IMPROPER USE OF ILLEGAL FIREWORKS. AS A REMINDER, AS I MENTIONED, AS THE MAYOR MENTIONED, IT IS ILLEGAL TO SET OFF FIREWORKS IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. WE WILL HAVE ENFORCEMENT IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT IN PREPARATION FOR THE HOLIDAY. THE FEE IS BETWEEN 500 TO $2,000 PER FIREWORK. IF, UH, IF YOU'RE CAUGHT SETTING THOSE THINGS OFF WITHIN THE, THE JURISDICTION OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON. AND AS WE PREPARE FOR THE 4TH OF JULY, FIRE CREWS ARE ALSO PREPARING FOR AN INCREASE IN FIRES AND MEDICAL EMERGENCIES AS A RESULT OF THE IMPROPER USE OF, OF THESE FIREWORKS. A MOMENT OF FUN CAN QUICKLY TURN INTO A MOMENT OF INJURY LIVES OR PROPERTIES LOST. EVERY YEAR, WE GET THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE IN THE EMERGENCY ROOMS ACROSS THE COUNTRY AS A RESULT OF IMPROPERLY USE OF FIREWORKS AND WITH THE DRY AND, AND HIGH TEMPERATURES THAT WE'RE EXPERIENCING LEADING UP TO THE FOURTH, THE FIRE DANGER IN YOUR HOMES IS ALSO INCREASING. AGAIN, EVERY YEAR, OVER 20,000 CALLS, FIRE CALLS ACROSS THE COUNTRY ARE RESPONDED TO BY FIRE CREWS. AS A RESULT OF THESE FIREWORKS, IT HAS BEEN DRY, IT HAS BEEN HOT, THAT THE CONDITIONS ARE RIPE FOR A, A FIRE TO START QUICKLY. SO PLEASE DON'T BE PART OF THESE STATISTICS. UM, WE'D RATHER YOU ATTEND SOME OF THESE PROFESSIONAL DISPLAYS OR FIREWORKS THAN TO TAKE, UH, THE RISK OF INJURY, UM, OR WORSE IN CASE OF, OF THESE FIREWORKS. ALSO, A REMINDER IS THAT THE GREATER HOUSTON AREA IS HOME TO NEARLY 300,000 VETERANS HERE IN, IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. THE SMELL AND THE SOUNDS OF FIREWORKS [00:10:01] CAN A LOT OF TIMES CAN REMIND SOME VETERANS OF THE SOUNDS AND SMELLS OF GUNFIRE, AND THAT CAN LEAD TO, UH, INDUCING PANIC. SO WE ASK YOU TO, TO, TO BE CONSIDERATE, WE ASK YOU TO BE SAFE. WE ASK YOU TO HAVE A GREAT 4TH OF JULY, BUT TO DO IT RESPONSIBLY AND TO DO IT SAFELY. AND ONE LAST THING, MAYOR, BEFORE, UH, BEFORE I TURN IT OVER TO SOMEBODY WHO CAN TELL YOU WHAT YOU CAN DO THIS 4TH OF JULY, UM, THE TEMPERATURES ARE GONNA CONTINUE TO BE HOT. REMEMBER TO STAY HYDRATED, LIMIT YOUR ACTIVITIES TO EARLY MORNINGS, DO NOT HAVE STRENUOUS ACTIVITIES IN THE MIDDAY AND LATE AFTERNOONS. THE BEST THING YOU CAN DO TO PREVENT DEHYDRATION IS TO CONTINUOUSLY DRINK FLUIDS. REMEMBER THAT BY THE TIME YOU FEEL THIRSTY, YOU'RE ALREADY AT A DISADVANTAGE AND STARTING TO DEHYDRATE. SO PLEASE, UH, BE RESPONSIBLE. AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, I WANNA WISH EVERYBODY A HAPPY AND SAFE 4TH OF JULY. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU BOTH. AND, UH, ONE THING I WANT TO ADD TO THAT, UM, ABOUT THIS DEAD GUNFIRE USE OF FIREWORKS. IT DOES IT, UH, YOUR PETS DON'T LIKE IT. THAT'S RIGHT. OKAY. UM, SO, UM, IT'S NOT JUST HUMANS, UH, THAT ARE IMPACTED, UH, BUT QUITE FRANKLY, UH, OUR PETS SIMPLY DO NOT LIKE THE DEADLY GUNFIRE AND THE FIREWORKS. SO PLEASE BE MINDFUL OF THAT. AND THAT'S WHY, UH, UH, THIS YEAR AND PARTICULARLY, UH, WE WANT, WE WANNA CRACK DOWN AND FOLLOWING ON WHAT CHIEF PENA SAID, WE TOLD YOU WHAT YOU SHOULDN'T DO AND CAN'T DO. NOW, LET'S TELL YOU WHAT YOU CAN DO. UH, 'CAUSE IF YOU LIKE ME, YOU KNOW, I LOVE A GOOD SHOW AND LOVE THE FIREWORKS. AND, UH, WE TRY, UH, EACH YEAR TO MAKE IT BETTER, BIGGER, AND BETTER. AND, UH, THIS YEAR WE HAVE THE 2023 SHELL FREEDOM OVER TEXAS 4TH OF JULY CELEBRATION, AND WAYS THAT WE ARE WORKING TO KEEP HOUSTONIANS SAFE AS THEY CELEBRATE. AND THIS YEAR PROMISES TO BE EVEN BETTER. AND TO TELL YOU ALL ABOUT, UH, WHAT WE HAVE TO OFFER FOR THIS, SHE FREEDOM OVER TEXAS 2023 CELEBRATION IS NONE OTHER, UH, THAN THE NATIONAL RENOWNED SPECIAL EVENT, UH, DIRECTOR. AND THAT IS, UH, SUSAN CHRISTIAN. WOW. . THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MAYOR. WELL, IT IS, IT IS TRUE. YOU KNOW, WE WANT EVERYONE TO COME OUT AND, UH, CELEBRATE JULY 4TH AMERICA'S BIRTHDAY AT SHELL'S FREEDOM OVER TEXAS. AND MARY, YOU'RE WRIGHT. IT IS GOING TO BE BIGGER AND BETTER. IN FACT, WE HAVE THE LARGEST, LONGEST, UH, FIREWORKS SHOW, UH, 19 MINUTES, A LITTLE OVER 19 MINUTES THAN WE'VE EVER HAD IN THE HISTORY, UH, OF, UH, OF HOUSTON FIREWORKS SHOWS. AND, UH, AND THAT'S BECAUSE YOU SAID MAKE IT BIGGER AND BETTER. AND SO, UH, LISTEN, WE HAVE FOUR ENTERTAINMENT STAGES. WE HAVE, UH, THE DICK'S SPORTING GOODS, ALL AMERICAN KIDS ZONE, THE DR. PEPPER ZONE. WE HAVE NASA OUT WITH ALL OF OUR MILITARY BRANCHES AND THE ASSETS THAT THEY BRING. IT'S A GREAT TIME TO THANK THOSE VETERANS THERE, UH, AT JULY 4TH. UH, IT'S A GREAT TIME TO THANK, UH, ACTIVE, UH, PERSONNEL, UH, FOR WHAT THEY DO EVERY DAY TO KEEP OUR, UH, UH, OUR COUNTRY SAFE. BUT ALSO WE HAVE THE BUD LIGHT BIO BASH. WE HAVE THE BUD LIGHT, UH, BACKYARD. WE HAVE AN INCREDIBLE SHOW, SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE. INCREDIBLE DIVERSE SET OF MUSIC. WE HAVE CHRIS YOUNG, UH, WHO IS OUR FEATURED ARTIST, GREAT COUNTRY MUSIC, ONE OF MY FAVORITE NEW ARTISTS, AT LEAST NEW TO ME. YOLA, IF YOU HAVEN'T HEARD HER, LOOK HER UP RIGHT NOW, YOU'RE NOT GONNA WANNA MISS HER. WE HAVE, UH, UH, THE MAIZE FACTOR, TMF, UH, THE NEW LEAD SINGER FOR MAZE IS A HOUSTON BOY AND MAN NOW WHO IS ACTUALLY RENOWNED, YES, CHRIS WALKER, RENOWNED, UH, UH, WITH HIS TRAVELS THROUGH EUROPE. SO WE'RE SO HAPPY TO, UH, HELP INTRODUCE HIM TO THIS NEW BAND THAT HE'S WITH. WE HAVE GREAT LOCAL ENTERTAINMENT, GREAT REGIONAL ENTERTAINMENT. BUT TO REALLY POINT OUT, UH, WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IN THIS PRESS CONFERENCE, WE'VE GOT ONE OF THE FINEST, UH, FIREWORKS PRODUCERS IN THE WORLD, PYROTECHNICAL. AND SO YOU WANT FIREWORKS COME OUT TO A PROFESSIONALLY RUN FIREWORKS SHOW, AND, UH, AND WATCH A REALLY GREAT SHOW. YOU KNOW, FIREWORKS ARE NOT ONLY, UM, FOR ALL THE REASONS THAT YOU'VE MENTIONED, BUT THEY CAN BE, THEY CAN BE VERY HARMFUL TO YOU AS WELL. I KNOW BECAUSE I TOOK A BLACK CAT WHEN I WAS, UH, IN JUNIOR HIGH, AND I WAS, WE WERE, 'CAUSE WE CELEBRATE AND, YOU KNOW, JUST LIKE ANYONE ELSE DOES IN SMALL TOWNS. AND I, I BLEW OFF MY BOYFRIEND'S RING OFF OF MY FINGER, AND THAT WAS THE END OF HIM. BUT THAT IS A TRUE STATEMENT. IT DIDN'T TAKE MY RING FINGER OFF. [00:15:01] IT JUST TOOK THE RING OFF. IT'S A TRUE STORY. SO ANYWAY, NO, UH, YOU KNOW, BEING SAFE IS TRULY NO JOKE. BUT THAT'S WHY WE CELEBRATE IN THE MANNER THAT WE DO RIGHT AT SHELL FREEDOM OVER TEXAS. UH, WE ALSO WANT TO BE MINDFUL, UH, THE MAYOR MENTIONED, UH, BE READY, THE CHIEF MENTIONED, BE READY, HYDRATE, HYDRATE. AND THEN WHEN YOU THINK YOU'VE HYDRATED ENOUGH, DRINK SOME MORE WATER. WE DO HAVE FREE WATER ON SITE, BOTH INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE GATE. SO WHEN YOU'RE STANDING IN LINE TO GET IN, WE HAVE WATER, UH, WE HAVE FREE WATER INSIDE, OF COURSE, WE HAVE A FULL, UH, UH, SHELVES OF, UH, OF PURCH BEVERAGES THAT YOU CAN PURCHASE. AND FOOD OF ALL DIFFERENT CULT CULTURES, UH, THAT SHOW OFF, UH, HOUSTON FOOD. UH, AND THEN ALSO BE SURE AND WEAR A HAT. WEAR YOUR SUNGLASSES, WEAR TENNIS SHOES, DRESS LIKE YOU KNOW HOW TO DRESS, COME TO CELEBRATE, LIKE YOU KNOW HOW TO CELEBRATE. AND REALLY, THERE'S NO ONE THAT DOES IT BETTER THAN HOUSTON. A FEW THINGS THAT WE DON'T WANT YOU TO BRING IN, WE DON'T WANT YOU TO BRING IN FOOD, UH, AND BEVERAGES. UM, UNLESS THEY'RE THERE FOR YOUR BABIES OR SOME OTHER SPECIAL NEED. UH, WE WANT YOU, WE WANT YOU NOT TO BRING YOUR PETS. WE PLAN A GREAT EVENT, BUT NOT FOR THE ANIMALS. IT'S JUST TOO, UH, TOO HOT FOR THEM. UH, WE'VE ALSO ADDED A LOT OF SHADE, UH, A LOT MORE SHADE BECAUSE IT'S ALWAYS HOT IN JULY. UH, BUT IT SEEMS TO BE A LITTLE HOTTER THIS YEAR. BUT WE ADDED MORE SHADE, MORE MISTING TENTS, UH, AND, UH, WE JUST WANT YOU TO BE SAFE, BUT HELP, HELP TO BE SAFE BY PREPARING YOUR FAMILY. NOW, COME OUT, IF YOU HAVEN'T STARTED THIS AND MADE THIS YOUR TRADITION AT SHELL FREEDOM OVER TEXAS, DO SO NOW. THERE IS SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE. IT COSTS $10 TO GET IN CHILDREN, FIVE AND UNDER GET IN FREE. WE START AT FOUR O'CLOCK, MAYOR AND THE FIREWORKS GO OFF AT 9 35, WATCH YOUR CLOCK. AND, UH, AND, UH, THEN THE WHOLE THING WILL BE OVER AT 10 O'CLOCK. COME OUT AND CELEBRATE WITH US. THANK YOU. THANKS. THANKS, THANKS SUSAN. AND AS CHIEF HARDIN SAID, UH, I KNOW COUNCILMAN MATT BECAME AND IS, IS, UH, HAVING TO PROVIDE THESE GUN LOCKS. SO THEY WILL BE DISTRIBUTED ON TUESDAY. SO I REALLY WANNA LIFT THAT UP IN THE IMPORTANCE OF IT. AND THEN SUSAN, I WAS LISTENING TO YOU INTENTLY. UM, YOU GOT RID OF THE RING ON YOUR BOYFRIEND'S FINGER. YOU DIDN'T GET RID OF THE BOYFRIEND. I JUST, I DID, I DID. BUT, WE'LL, THAT'S A LITTLE BIT TOO MUCH INFORMATION FOR THE PRESS CONFERENCE, , UH, WE'LL PICK THAT UP LATER. ALRIGHT, HAVING SAID ALL OF THAT, UH, ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS FOR ANYBODY AS IT RELATES TO FREEDOM OF A ATTACKS DEADLY GUN, FIRE OR FIREWORKS? ANY QUESTIONS ON THAT TO ANYONE? EVERYBODY GOOD? OKAY, THEN WE WILL, WE WILL SEE YOU ON, UH, ON, UH, UM, TUESDAY, SHELL'S FREEDOM OVER TEXAS. UH, IT WILL BE THE, YOU KNOW, ONLY, UM, ACT, UH, JULY 4TH, UH, CELEBRATION AIRED THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY. UM, NO OTHER STATIONS GONNA BE CARRIED IN THE WHOLE COUNTRY, JUST OURS. UH, . ALL RIGHT. THANK Y'ALL VERY MUCH. AND THEN I'M, I'M GONNA LET, UH, THESE INDIVIDUALS GO AND THEN WE'LL PICK UP IF ANYBODY, UH, QUESTIONS ON OTHER SUBJECT MATTERS. OKAY. THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH. THANK, THANK YOU. THANK YOU. YOU, THANK YOU. APPRECIATE. YES, SIR. ON THE, UH, SUPREME COURT, ON THE AFFIRMATIVE ACTION RULING, UH, THE QUESTION PERTAINS TO THE, UH, UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT RULING, UM, RULING, UH, AFFIRMATIVE ACTION, I GUESS UNCONSTITUTIONAL. YOU KNOW, LEMME SAY HIGHLY, LEMME JUST START BY SAYING, HIGHLY DISAPPOINTED. VERY, VERY DISAPPOINTED. UH, THIS WAS A COURT CASE THAT WAS BROUGHT ONE SCHOOL IN PARTICULARLY, UM, THEY WERE CHALLENGING HARVARD'S ADMISSIONS, UH, PROCESS. UH, AS YOU ALL KNOW, I AM A PRODUCT OF HARVARD LAW SCHOOL, UH, AND I WAS ONE, I GUESS YOU CAN SAY CAME THROUGH, UH, AFFIRMATIVE ACTION WAS IN PLACE AND PRODUCT. IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT STUDENTS THAT COME IN UNDER AFFIRMATIVE ACTION ARE ANY LESS SMART THAN ANYONE ELSE. UH, AND QUITE FRANKLY, STUDENTS THAT COME IN ARE ABLE TO COMPETE, ABLE TO DO WELL, AND ABLE TO GO ON AND SUCCEED. UH, AND I'M, I'M ONE OF THEM, UH, TO SAY NOW WHEN WE, THIS COUNTRY WHERE THERE IS STILL DISCRIMINATION IN PLACE IN THIS COUNTRY, UH, WHERE THERE IS STILL A NEED FOR STUDENTS LIKE ME AND OTHERS TO GO TO THESE INSTITUTIONS, TO BE A PART OF THESE INSTITUTIONS, TO GRADUATE FROM THESE INSTITUTIONS, AND THEN TO MOVE ON, UH, [00:20:01] AND TO BE PRODUCTIVE, UH, CITIZENS, UH, AND THEN TO CUT THAT OFF AS IF WE HAVE REACHED UTOPIA IN THIS COUNTRY, IS SIMPLY NAIVE AND, UH, UH, IGNORES THE REALITIES THAT EXIST AND WITHIN OUR COUNTRY. AND IT'S ALSO HAPPENING AT A TIME WHEN STATE LEGISLATURES, UH, THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES ARE ELIMINATING DEI, DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION, EVEN IN HIGHER ED. AND THAT HAS HAPPENED SPECIFICALLY RIGHT HERE, UH, IN THE STATE OF TEXAS SENATE BILL 17 THAT PASSED IN THIS PREVIOUS LEGISLATIVE SESSION THAT IS SAID TO COLLEGES LIKE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON, UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS A AND M, UH, THAT YOU CANNOT HAVE DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION POLICIES AT YOUR COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES. SO WHEN YOU COUPLE, UH, THE UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT DECISION, ELIMINATING AFFIRMATIVE ACTION IN HIGHER ED, AND I AND I VENTURE IT WILL GO EVEN BEYOND THAT, UH, THAT FLIES IN THE FACE OF REALITY. UM, SO VERY DISAPPOINTED. UH, BUT ONE THING I DO KNOW IS THAT LIKE THE CITY OF HOUSTON AND OTHER CITIES THROUGHOUT THIS COUNTRY AND STATES, THIS COUNTRY IS BECOMING MORE AND MORE DIVERSIFIED. SO NOT WITHSTANDING THE RULING OF THE UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT OR LEGISLATURES LIKE THE STATE OF TEXAS ON ELIMINATING D-E-I-D-E-I, YOU CANNOT UNDO THE DIVERSIFICATION THAT'S TAKING PLACE IN AMERICA. IT IS HAPPENING REGARDLESS. UH, BUT IT IS DISAPPOINTING AND IT'S IMPORTANT FOR BUSINESSES AND COMPANIES AND PEOPLE AND, AND QUITE FRANKLY, PEOPLE OF ALL POLITICAL PERSUASIONS, UH, TO STAND UP AND SPEAK AGAINST THE RULING THAT TOOK PLACE TODAY. YES, MA'AM. MAYOR, WE'RE EXPECTING AN UPDATE IN THE AS WORLD CASE. UH, JUST WANTED TO GET AN UPDATE FROM YOU ON THE PROGRESS THAT MADE WHEN IT COMES TO REVIEWING, REVISING SAFETY MEASURES, LOCAL SAFETY MEASURES WHEN IT COMES TO IN THE CITY, THE CITY OF HOUSTON AND HARRIS COUNTY, WE HAVE WORKED EFFECTIVELY TO, TO COME UP WITH A, UM, AN UNDERSTANDING OF WHO HAS THE RESPONSIBILITY TO DO WHAT. UH, SO THAT TASK FORCE THAT WORK IS COMPLETE. THERE'S A GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF OF WHO IS RESPONSIBLE IN PERMITTING, WHO'S RESPONSIBLE IN, IN CHECKING THE SAFETY PROTOCOLS, UH, AND WORKING WITH, UH, THESE VARIOUS ENTITIES THAT WANT TO PUT ON THESE BIG EVENTS, FOR EXAMPLE, EVEN AT NRG, THAT THAT COLLABORATION HAS ALREADY OCCURRED AND WILL CONTINUE TO OCCUR, BUT THE PROCESS HAS BEEN STREAMLINED, AND THEN THERE'S A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF WHO'S RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT. CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE MORE ABOUT WHAT KIND OF CHANGES AND STREAMLINING, STREAMLINING YOU HAVE SEEN SO FAR, AND IF, UH, THE CITY'S PLANNING TO REVISE SAFETY MEASURES WHEN IT COMES TO OUTDOOR EVENTS ON PUBLIC PROPERTY? WELL, THAT HAS ALREADY BEEN DONE. UH, IN FACT, SUSAN CHRISTIAN WHO WAS HERE, UH, REPRESENTED AND CHAIR OF THE CITY'S FORCE TASK FORCE, AND, AND AS WELL AS CHIEF PENON. CHIEF P YOU, YOU WANT TO COMMENT ON THAT? IF, 'CAUSE I DON'T HAVE THE PARTICULAR DETAILS IN FRONT IN FRONT OF ME. YOU GO, I WANT YOU TO TAKE A LOOK AT THIS AS WELL. UM, WOULD YOU REPEAT THE QUESTION, PLEASE? SURE. SO YEAH, WHAT WAS THE ROLE OF THE CITY, UM, IN THE INCIDENT AND IN LIGHT OF THE FINDINGS, ARE WE GOING TO MAKE ANY CHANGES TO LOCAL SAFETY PROVIDER, UH, LOCAL SAFETY MEASURES WHEN IT COMES TO LARGE EVENTS ON PUBLIC POLICY? SO, ABSOLUTELY. SO THE INCIDENT, UH, THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT IS THE JURISDICTION IN THERE WAS UNIQUE IN THAT IT'S A COUNTY FACILITY, BUT IT EXISTED WITHIN THE CITY OF HOUSTON'S JURISDICTION. UM, THERE WERE SOME UNADDRESSED, UM, UM, WORK FLOWS THAT EXISTED BEFORE THIS INCIDENT HAPPENED, AS THE MAYOR MENTIONED. SINCE THEN, WE'VE IDENTIFIED THE, THE, UH, NEED FOR THE EMERGENCY RESPONSE AGENCIES, PRIMARILY HOUSTON POLICE AND HOUSTON FIRE, TO PARTICIPATE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE EVENT, UH, SAFETY PLAN, UH, FOR, FOR EVENTS OF OVER 6,000 PEOPLE OR MORE. RIGHT. SO WE WILL BE PARTICIPATING FROM THE ONSET ON, ON THE, IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THOSE PLANS. IN ADDITION TO THAT, THE REQUIREMENT FOR TO HAVE A UNIFIED COMMAND POST ON SITE STAFFED WITH IDENTIFIED INDIVIDUALS IS ALSO PART OF THE, OF THE AGREEMENT THAT WE HAVE WITH THE COUNTY, HARRIS COUNTY IN FOR THAT JURISDICTION. THAT'S JUST FOR THAT PARTICULAR AREA. UH, PUBLIC BUILDINGS OR PUBLIC EVENTS, AS MAYOR MENTIONED, UH, CHAPTER 25 THAT HAS BEEN REVISED. WE'VE INCORPORATED, UH, REQUIREMENTS FOR PD AND FIRE TO BE, UM, PARTICIPATE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF CERTAIN PLANS [00:25:01] AND PLACE TIMELINES ON WHEN PERMITS HAVE TO BE SUBMITTED AND PLANS HAVE TO BE SUBMITTED SO WE CAN PROPERLY EVALUATE THE RISK AND IDENTIFY THE NEEDS TO ADDRESS THAT, THOSE EVENTS. THANK YOU. MM-HMM . JUST A CLARIFICATION WITHIN THE TESTIMONY FIVE POSITION, UH, THE ORDINANCE, THAT'S THE ORDINANCE, YES. THAT'S THE ORDINANCE FOR THE OUTDOOR, UH, EVENTS. PRIVATE, CORRECT? THAT'S, UH, THAT'S, SO YOU GOT PRIVATE PROPERTY AND YOU GOT, UH, PUBLIC PROPERTY. THE PRIVATE PROPERTY IS, THOSE ARE THE, UH, THE BARS THAT MAY HAVE, UM, EXTEND THEIR OPERATION INTO THE PARKING LOTS OR THOSE TYPES OF, OF SCENARIOS. BUT, UH, WE ALSO HAVE ORDINANCES THAT HAVE COME FORTH AND ARE IMPLEMENTED NOW TO ADDRESS THOSE ISSUES. SO WE IMPLEMENTED CHANGES REGARDING PRIVATE PROBLEM AND PUBLIC PROBLEM. SO IS THAT CORRECT WHEN THE CHANGES YEAH, THE CHANGES APPLY BOTH TO PUBLIC AND PRIVATE IN TERMS OF THE TASK FORCE WORK AND THE, AND THE COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE CITY AND THE COUNTY. UH, BECAUSE AGAIN, UH, THE, THE ACTUAL WORLD EVENT TOOK PLACE AT NRG COUNTY FACILITY, BUT WITHIN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. SO WE WANTED TO CLARIFY THE RESPECTIVE ROLES OF EACH AND IN THESE EVENTS BEFORE THEY OCCURRED LEADING UP TO THE, UH, UP TO THEIR OCCURRENCE, WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE, UH, ALL OF THE NECESSARY RESOURCES OUT THERE WHEN THESE EVENTS ARE OCCURRING. AND WE WANTED TO CLARIFY WHO HAS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF SHUTTING DOWN EVENTS IF WE SEE ANY DANGER SIGNS. WE'VE WORKED THROUGH ALL OF THAT. SO I'M, I'M, I'M MUCH MORE COMFORTABLE NOW AS WE MOVE FORWARD WITH BIG EVENTS. I KNOW THAT THERE'S GONNA BE ANOTHER PRESS CONFERENCE SCHEDULED AT FOUR O'CLOCK TODAY, UH, WITH, UH, KMAR AND, UH, AND OTHER LAW ENFORCEMENT ENTITIES AS IT RELATES TO THAT ASTROWORLD EVENT, NATIONAL DAY AT FOUR. OH, DO YOU, SORRY, WHAT? HOLD ON, LET ME, LET ME, LEMME GO HERE AND NOW COME BACK. DO YOU EXPECT THE HEAT ADVISOR TO BE EXTENDED MID ZONE FOR HOW LONG? , I THINK, YOU KNOW, LOOK, I, I THOUGHT ON JUNE 14TH IT WOULD PROBABLY ONLY BE AROUND FOR A FEW DAYS AND NOW THIS IS WHAT, UH, JUNE, THE, WHAT'S THE DATE? THE 29TH. 29TH AND IT'S STILL HERE. UH, I, BASED ON WHAT I AM, UH, HEARING AND BEING TOLD, I THINK THINGS SHOULD GET A LITTLE BIT BETTER AS WE GET INTO, LET'S SAY, UH, SUNDAY, MONDAY, TUESDAY, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, A GREATER CHANCE OF RAIN. UM, SO I THINK IT WILL BE A LITTLE BIT BETTER, BUT, YOU KNOW, LOOK, THIS IS HOUSTON, THIS IS TEXAS, IT'S GONNA BE HOT. SO WHETHER WE ARE DEALING WITH, UH, 97 DEGREES OR WHETHER YOU'RE DEALING WITH 102, UH, HOT IS HOT. UH, AND THEN OF COURSE WHEN YOU COMBINE THAT WITH THE HUMIDITY. SO WITH THAT BEING SAID, IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE ALL TAKE THE NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS, UM, BE MINDFUL OF, OF NOT LEAVING ANYBODY IN YOUR CAR, INCLUDING PETS, AND THEN BE MINDFUL WHEN WE COME OUT TO CELEBRATE THE, UH, IN, UH, 4TH OF JULY CELEBRATIONS, UH, THAT WE COME, THAT WE COME PREPARED. BUT, UH, IT MAY GET A LITTLE WARMER, BUT QUITE FRANKLY THAT'S RELATIVE. IT'S GONNA BE HOT. OKAY. GET EVERYBODY. DOMINIQUE, DID I GET DOMINIQUE, DID I GET, DID I GET HER? OKAY. THANK YOU, OFFICER. WAIT, I'M SORRY. I'M SORRY. BACK TO, UH, TRAVIS SCOTT, WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE GRAND JURY POSSIBLE CHARGES AGAINST TRAVIS SCOTT? WELL, I DON'T WANT TO GET AHEAD OF THE, THE PRESS CONFERENCE AT FOUR, UM, BUT, UH, AT FOUR, UM, AND I'LL, I'LL ALLOW, YOU KNOW, THE DA AND UH, THEY'RE MUCH MORE INTIMATELY FAMILIAR WITH IT THAN, THAN I AM, BUT THAT PRESS CONFERENCE WILL BE AT FOUR. OKAY. YES, SIR. GOTCHA. GOOD. GOT EVERYBODY. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU. APPRECIATE Y'ALL COMING AND COVERING THIS EVENT. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANKS CHIEF. ALRIGHT, MAYOR. YES 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.