* 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: “AAPI Community and Public Safety Concerns”] [00:00:18] UH, IN ORDER TO ENGAGE IN LAW ENFORCEMENT MORE, WE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE AN EXCELLENT IDEA, ESPECIALLY WITH THE CURRENT STATE OF AFFAIRS, TO TALK ABOUT LAW ENFORCEMENT SPECIFICALLY, WHAT COMMUNITY LEADERS CAN DO WHEN MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY ARE TARGETS OF HATE CRIME. AND THAT'S REALLY GONNA BE THE TARGET TODAY, AND THAT'S GONNA BE THE TOPIC TODAY. SO, WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, I WANT TO FIRST THANK MAYOR TURNER FOR SETTING UP THE ADVISORY BOARD. I WANT TO THANK ALL OF OUR SPEAKERS, BEGINNING WITH HPD PINNER, PLEASE, THE CHIEF OF POLICE WITH HP, OUR FANTASTIC US ATTORNEY FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT, TEXAS ALUM, ANI ASSISTANT SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE OF THE FBI, GIGI PICKERY, ASSISTANT CHIEF PGU WITH THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE, AND THE CHAIRMAN OF OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT COMMITTEE, MR. KENNETH LEE, WHO WAS ACTUALLY BEHIND PUTTING THIS TOGETHER WITH HIS COMMITTEE. SO WITH THAT, I'M GONNA GIVE THE MIC BACK ON WHICH YOU, OUR MASTER CEREMONY, SO WE CAN BEGIN. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN. UH, NEXT I WOULD LIKE TO INVITE UP OUR, UH, HPD CHIEF, UH, TROY FINN. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. SO, REALLY QUICKLY, THERE'S A LOT OF IMPORTANT PEOPLE HERE. UH, MY FEDERAL PARTNERS, OUR US ATTORNEY, SOUTHERN DISTRICT, FBI, UM, AND, UH, HARRIS COUNTY AND MAYBE SOME OTHER AGENCIES. SO I WANT TO THANK, UH, ALL OF THEM FOR WHAT YOU DO E EVERY DAY. BUT OUR GREAT PARTNERSHIP IS WHAT KEEPS OUR CITY OUR REASON SAFE. UH, AND IN THE, I KNOW THE MAYOR'S COMING, BUT IN HIS ABSENCE, I WANT TO THANK HIM FOR HIS GREAT LEADERSHIP. IT'S ALL ABOUT INCLUSION, WHATEVER COMMUNITY WE'RE TALKING ABOUT. BUT FOR HIM AND, AND THE GROUP HERE TO, UH, ESTABLISH THE A API ADVISORY, UH, BOARD, IT MEANS SO MUCH BECAUSE WITH WHATEVER WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IN TERMS OF, OF, OF HATE CRIMES OR ANY, UH, SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP THAT'S ATTACKED ANYWAY, OR ANY INDIVIDUAL IN OUR CITY, IT'S SO IMPORTANT. AND FROM MY STANDPOINT AND MY PARTNERS UP HERE, THE BIGGEST THING, AND THE GREATEST THING THAT WE CAN DO IS PREVENTION. WE HAVE TO RESPOND ONCE SOMETHING HAPPEN. BUT IF WE ARE GROUPED UP IN COMMUNICATION, IN LOVE, IN RESPECT, AND HAVE A PARTNERSHIP WHERE WE ARE COMMUNICATING, SO TO THE POINT THAT WE ARE PREVENTING INCIDENTS, UM, THAT'S WHAT WE ARE. AND, AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE ABOUT. UM, THE NUMBERS ARE, ARE FOUND, UH, VERY, VERY LIMITED NUMBERS IN, IN OUR CITY ON, ON HATE CRIMES. BUT AGAIN, UH, ONE IS TOO MANY. SO WE HAVE TO CONTINUE. I WANNA ALSO QUICKLY ACKNOWLEDGE, UM, OUR ASIAN, UH, OFFICER LIAISONS, UH, LOCK, UM, TRAMP, UH, WHERE YOU WAVE, RIGHT? RIGHT THERE. YEAH. SO IT'S IMPORTANT. UM, AND THIS STARTED YEARS AGO WITH HPD, OUR RELATIONSHIPS AND, AND OUR LIAISONS PROGRAM. IT'S HUGE FOR US, AND IT KEEPS THAT GREAT COMMUNICATION GOING. UH, CHIEF VAN 10 WANTED ME TO STAY REALLY BRIEFLY. HE HAS SO MANY FRIENDS HERE, BUT HE'S AWAY ON A, A, A TABLETOP EXERCISE FOR, UH, THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP THAT'S COMING. SO HE'S NOT HERE BECAUSE HE DON'T LOVE YOU. I SENT HIM OVER THERE TO DO SOME WORK AND WE COULDN'T BE THERE. BUT, UM, THE RELATIONSHIPS, UH, THEY HAVE TO KEEP CONTINUING BECAUSE IT HELPS US NOT ONLY IN PUBLIC SAFETY, UM, THERE ARE NATIONAL DIS UH, UH, NATURAL DISASTERS, WHAT I MEANT TO SAY. AND WE ALL HAVE TO BE GROUPED UP. AND IF WE STRONG PARTNERSHIP, WE GET THROUGH THAT AS WELL. SO, I, I'LL SIT DOWN RIGHT NOW AND PASS THIS MIC ON. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, CHIEF. AND I WOULD BE REMISS TO NOT, UH, RECOGNIZE THAT WE HAVE SOME ELECTED OFFICIALS OR THEIR STAFF REPRESENTATIVES HERE PRESENT AS WELL. SO WANNA RECOGNIZE, UM, HARRIS COUNTY COMMISSIONER PRECINCT FOR LESLIE BRIAN'S STAFF. I BELIEVE ALICE LEE IS HERE. AND THEN I GOT, I THINK I SAW DAVID WYN EARLIER. I'M NOT SURE IF YOU'RE HERE AS WELL. STILL RIGHT THERE IN THE BACK. UM, AND ALSO COUNCILWOMAN TIFFANY THOMAS FROM THE CITY OF HOUSTON, DISTRICT FI BELIEVE STEPHANIE TTA IS HERE AS WELL. UH, NEXT I WANNA INTRODUCE OUR, UH, ASSISTANT US ATTORNEY'S OFFICE FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE. UH, MR. HAMANI, THE US ATTORNEY. OH, THE US ATTORNEY. MY APOLOGIES ATTORNEY. I USED TO BE AN ASSISTANT. SO, UM, ON NINE 11, MY, MY DADDY WORKED AS A CONVENIENCE STORE, ASSISTANT MANAGER, [00:05:02] UH, UP IN THE DALLAS FORT WORTH AREA. SEE, MY DADDY IMMIGRATED ALONG WITH ME AND MY LITTLE SISTER, UM, IN 1982 FROM ENGLAND TO AMERICA. I, I AM A MIGRANT. AND ON THAT DAY, UM, HE WENT TO WORK, UM, AS HE ALWAYS DOES. AFTER HE DROVE THE CABS ALL NIGHT. HE'D GET UP IN THE MORNING, UM, HE WOULD PUT ON HIS UNIFORM AND GO WORK AT THE CONVENIENCE STORE. ON SEPTEMBER 15TH, FOUR DAYS AFTER NINE 11 DOWN THE ROAD FROM WHEN MY FATHER WORKED, UM, UP IN DALLAS, TEXAS, AT ANOTHER CONVENIENCE STORE, A GUY NAMED WAKA HASSAN WAS GRILLING SOME BURGERS. HE WORKED IN THAT CONVENIENCE STORE. HE WAS ALSO A MIGRANT FROM PAKISTAN. A MAN WALKED IN A WHITE SUPREMACIST AND SHOT HIM IN COLD BLOOD, AND HE SHOT HIM BECAUSE HE THOUGHT HE WAS ONE OF THE TERRORISTS, UM, THAT HAD TAKEN PLACE, THAT HAD TAKEN PART A FEW DAYS EARLIER. NOT ONLY WAS THAT TRAGIC IN OF ITSELF, BUT WAS ALSO TRAGIC ABOUT THAT WAS WHAT HASSAN'S FAMILY, YOU SEE, THEY HAD VISAS AND THEIR GREEN CARDS, OR THEIR ABILITY TO GET GREEN CARDS DEPENDED ON THE PATRIARCH WHO HAD JUST BEEN SHOT DEAD. THAT MOMENT, I REALIZED THAT I, UH, WOULD BE LOOKED AT DIFFERENTLY. I WOULD BE LOOKED AT DIFFERENTLY BECAUSE OF MY MOTHER'S FAITH, BECAUSE OF THE CULTURE I GREW UP IN. BECAUSE OF HOW I LOOKED, I REALIZED THAT I WOULD BE LOOKED AT DIFFERENTLY BY THE EYES, BY THE JAUNDICE EYES OF THOSE WHO HAD SEEN MUSLIM TERRORISTS. SO BECAUSE OF THAT, I STARTED TO DO CIVIL RIGHTS WORK, AND THAT IS MY BACKGROUND. AND THAT CIVIL RIGHTS WORK EVENTUALLY LED ME TO THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE 16 YEARS AGO, WHERE I BECAME A FEDERAL PROSECUTOR. AND I AM NOW THE UNITED STATES ATTORNEY. MY NAME IS ALUM HAMANI, AND I'M THE US ATTORNEY FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS. THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS, BY THE WAY, IS A BIG DISTRICT. AND IF ANYBODY DOESN'T KNOW, IT IS MADE UP OF HOUSTON LAREDO, GALVESTON, BROWNSVILLE, MACALLAN CORPUS CHRISTI. IT COVERS 44,000 SQUARE MILES, 43 COUNTIES, 400 MILES OF BORDER WITH MEXICO. MY OFFICE, MY 220 FEDERAL PROSECUTORS, AND THE 410 EMPLOYEES IN THE SOUTHERN EDITION OF TEXAS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE LIVES OF 9 MILLION PEOPLE. BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, WE ARE PART OF THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE. THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE IS FOUNDED IN 1870 IN THE WAKE OF THE CIVIL WAR. IT WAS FOUNDED BECAUSE NEWLY FREED SLAVES WERE BEING TARGETED BY ONE OF THE ORIGINAL DOMESTIC TERRORIST GROUPS, THE KKK. AND BECAUSE OF THAT, THE ATTORNEY GENERAL SAID, I NEED PROSECUTORS. SO IN 1870, CONGRESS PASSED AN ACT TO RECREATE THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE. AND WITHIN THREE YEARS, THERE WERE 3000 INDICTMENTS AND 600 CONVICTIONS OF THOSE WHITE SUPREMACISTS. THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE IS NOT ONLY THE WORLD'S LARGEST LAW FIRM, IT IS THE WORLD'S OLDEST CIVIL RIGHTS FIRM. THAT IS OUR HISTORY. THAT IS THE HISTORY OF THE US ATTORNEY'S OFFICE. THE ATTORNEY GENERAL HAS THREE PRIORITIES, PROTECT THE RULE OF LAW, PROTECT OUR SECURITY, AND PROTECT CIVIL RIGHTS, AS HE SAID RECENTLY. I WANT TO REITERATE A CORE PRINCIPLE OF THIS JUSTICE DEPARTMENT. NO PERSON AND NO COMMUNITY IN THIS COUNTRY SHOULD HAVE TO LIVE IN A FEAR, IN FEAR OF HATE FUELED VIOLENCE. YOU ARE NOT ALONE. AND THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT IS COMMITTED TO BUILDING ON OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH ALL OF YOU TO COMBAT ILLEGAL ACTS OF HATE PARTNERSHIP. THAT MAN OVER THERE, A BIG PARTNER OF THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, THE COMMUNITY IS A BIG PARTNER OF THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE. THE DOJ RIGHT NOW IS IN THE MIDST OF A NATIONWIDE EFFORT TO COMBAT HATE CRIMES CALLED UNITED AGAINST HATE, IN WHICH EVERY US ATTORNEY'S OFFICE BRINGS TOGETHER LAW ENFORCEMENT ORGANIZATIONS, PROSECUTORS, AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS TO EDUCATE ON HATE CRIMES AND TO COORDINATE EFFORTS WHEN THEY OCCUR. THIS OFFICE, THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS, HAS LONG BEEN AT THE FOREFRONT OF COMBATING HATE CRIMES AND HAS HAD A WORKING GROUP BRINGING THESE GROUPS TOGETHER SINCE 2011, FOR EXAMPLE. YOU KNOW, UNFORTUNATELY, UH, THIS DISTRICT HAS SEEN HATE CRIMES. EARLIER, A FEW YEARS AGO IN VICTORIA, TEXAS, A MAN TRIED TO BOMB A VICTORIA MOSQUE OR BOMBED A VICTORIA MOSQUE. WE TOOK THAT CASE ON. THAT WAS A HATE CRIME. THAT MAN ENDED UP SPENDING 20, OR ENDED UP GETTING A SENTENCE FOR 25 YEARS IN PRISON. LOOK, HOUSTON, [00:10:01] HARRIS COUNTY, FORT BEND COUNTY WERE THE MOST DIVERSE PLACES IN AMERICA. FOR EXAMPLE, 7% OF THE POPULATION IN HOUSTON IDENTIFIES AS ASIAN AMERICAN. I AM ASIAN AMERICAN. I AM THE FIRST ASIAN AMERICAN TO BECOME A PRESIDENTIALLY APPOINTED UNITED STATES ATTORNEY IN TEXAS, NOT ONLY THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS. AND IF YOU GO TO FORT BEND COUNTY, 24% OF INDIVIDUALS IDENTIFY AS ASIAN, FOCUSING ON THE HATE CRIMES TARGETING THE ASIAN AMERICAN POPULATION. WE, OF COURSE, ARE JUST COMING OUT OF A COVID PANDEMIC IN WHICH ASIAN AMERICANS WERE TARGETED FOR HATE CRIMES. AND NOW MANY OF OUR JEWISH AND MUSLIM MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY ARE FACING THE INCREASING SPECTER OF HATE CRIMES AND VIOLENCE STEMMING FROM ONGOING ISRAELI PALESTINIAN SITUATIONS IN THE MIDDLE EAST, THE TERRORIST ATTACKS OF OCTOBER 7TH BY HAMAS IN ISRAEL, THEY DON'T JUST CONFINE THEMSELVES TO THE MIDDLE EAST, THE EFFECTS OF THAT SPILL INTO COMMUNITIES LIKE HOUSTON. NOW, I DO WANNA SAY THIS. IF IF ANYONE SUSPECTS THERE'S A HATE CRIME OCCURS, PLEASE CALL 9 1 1. AND IF SUBSTANTIAL TIME HAS ELAPSED AND THERE'S NO NEED TO CALL NINE ONE ONE, PLEASE CALL HPD. SO LET ME END WITH THIS. THIS MORNING, I KID YOU NOT THIS MORNING, I ATTENDED A CITIZENSHIP CEREMONY WHERE THOUSANDS OF MIGRANTS GOT TOGETHER, RAISED THEIR HANDS, AND BECAME NEW CITIZENS OF THIS COUNTRY. MIGRANTS FROM OVER A HUNDRED COUNTRIES, INCLUDING PARTS OF ASIA AND SOUTH ASIA. WAKA HASSAN'S FAMILY 12 YEARS AGO, RAISED THEIR HAND AND TOOK THE OATH AND BECAME CITIZENS. THE DEATH OF THEIR FATHER DID NOT PREVENT THEM FROM REALIZING THE AMERICAN DREAM. AND 19 YEARS AGO, I MYSELF RAISED MY HAND, TOOK AN OATH, AND BECAME A NEW CITIZEN. THANK YOU FOR COMING OUT. AND THE US ATTORNEY'S OFFICE IS COMMITTED TO COMBATING HATE CRIMES AND RACIAL VIOLENCE. UH, WANNA ALSO QUICKLY RECOGNIZE, UH, STATE REPRESENTATIVE JEAN WOO FROM THIS DISTRICT AS WELL. NEXT UP, WE'D LIKE TO WELCOME A REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE HARRIS COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE, UH, DEPUTY SHERIFF TONY WYN. THANK YOU. IT'S VERY HARD TO FOLLOW, FOLLOW, UH, DISTINGUISHED GUESTS AND GREAT, UH, SPEAKER. UH, I SENT MY, UH, UH, ON BEHALF OF SHERIFF ED GONZALEZ. HE SAYS HIS REGRETS FOR NOT BEING HERE, JUST A SCHEDULED CONFLICT. SO, UH, I WILL, UH, I'M HERE ON HIS BEHALF. GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS TONY WYNN. I'M ASSISTANT CHIEF OF THE HARRIS COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE, UH, OVERSEEING OUR ADMINISTRATIVE OPERATIONS, UH, COMMAND. I'M HONORED TO BE HERE, WHICH IS PART OF THIS PRESS CONFERENCE. UH, FIRST OF ALL, AGAIN, AGAIN, I WANNA THANK THE, UH, THE MAYOR AND ALL OUR DISTINGUISHED GUESTS AND, UH, THE CITY OF HOUSTON FOR ESTABLISHING THIS ASIAN AMERICAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER, A API ADVISORY BOARD. THIS BOARD IS COMPOSED OF DEDICATED COMMUNITY LEADERS AND WILL PLAY A PIVOTAL ROLE IN FOSTERING COMMUNICATION, UNDERSTANDING, AND COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE CITY AND THE DIVERSE A API COMMUNITIES. AT THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE, WE HAVE BEEN WORKING HARD TO IMPLEMENT STRATEGIES AND SOLUTIONS TO BETTER SERVE AND PROTECT OUR RESIDENTS, AND TO KEEP BUILDING TRUST. IN 2021, WE FORMED THE COMMUNITY, UH, COMMUNITY ORIENTED PROBLEM POLICING UNIT, ALSO KNOWN AS CPOP, TO FOSTER MEANINGFUL RELATIONSHIPS WITH RESIDENTS, GAIN INSIGHTS INTO UNIQUE NEEDS OF EACH OF EACH COMMUNITY RESIDENTS, UH, AND EMPOWER PEOPLE WITH KNOWLEDGE AND RESOURCES. THROUGH OUR PARTNERS, WE HAVE SIT CPOP DEPUTIES IN EACH PATROL DISTRICT WHO SPEND THEIR TIME GETTING TO KNOW THEIR BUSINESSES, SCHOOLS, HOUSES OF WORSHIP AND NEIGHBORHOOD IN THE AREA. THEY ESTABLISH RELATIONSHIP WITH THE NEIGHBORS THAT MAKE UP THAT COMMUNITY. IN ALL THESE EFFORTS, THE GOAL IS TO GET THE COMMUNITY INVOLVED BEFORE A CRIME TAKES PLACE, AND TO CREATE A BOND BEFORE A CRISIS ERUPTS. THIS WAY, RESIDENTS WILL FEEL MORE EMPOWERED TO SHARE WHAT, WHAT'S ON THEIR MIND AND WHAT, WHAT PUBLIC SAFETY CONCERNS THEY HAVE, UH, ON THEIR MINDS. WE WANT TO ENSURE THAT THE RESIDENTS ARE SERVED, [00:15:02] THE RESIDENTS WE SERVE ARE OUR PARTNERS, THAT WE'RE ALL WORKING TOGETHER TO TACKLE PROBLEMS, ESPECIALLY THE HARD ONES. AS AN AGENCY, WE'RE ALWAYS EXPLORE INNOVATIVE APPROACHES THAT ALIGN WITH OUR CORE VALUES, PROMOTE TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY, AND FOCUS ON ER ENGAGING RESIDENTS IN A DEEPER WAY. OUR GOAL IS TO BUILD TRUST AND UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN LAW ENFORCEMENT AND THE DIVERSE COMMUNITY WE SERVE. BY ACTIVELY ENGAGING WITH OUR RESIDENTS, WE CAN ADDRESS CONCERNS, CELEBRATE OUR DIFFERENCES, AND WORK TOGETHER TO ENSURE SAFETY AND THE WELLBEING OF EVERYONE IN HARRIS COUNTY. RESIDENTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO ACTIVELY PARTICIPATE IN COMMUNITY POLICING EFFORTS BY PROVI, PROVIDING FEEDBACK, AND COLLABORATING WITH THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE ON INITIATIVES THAT PROMOTE COMMUNITY SAFETY AND UNITY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. AND NEXT UP, WE'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE, UH, FROM THE FBI ASSISTANT SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE, MS. GIGI PICKERING. ALRIGHT, GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYBODY. AFTERNOON. IT'S VERY GOOD TO BE HERE. I'M VERY HUMBLED AND PRIVILEGED TO BE A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE FBI. MY NAME IS GEORGETTE BICKERING. I GO BY GIGI, AND I'M THE ASSISTANT SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE OF A NATIONAL SECURITY BRANCH. MYSELF, I'M A DAUGHTER OF IMMIGRANTS FROM THE PHILIPPINES. MY FATHER WAS A NAVAL OFFICER, AND MY MOM, SHE WAS HIGHLY EDUCATED, BUT WHEN SHE CAME HERE, SHE CLEANED HOUSES. SO I'M VERY, VERY, I COME FROM A VERY HUMBLE AND GRATEFUL POSITION TO BE HERE TODAY. CIVIL RIGHTS INVESTIGATIONS ARE THE HEART OF WHAT WE DO AT THE FBI, BECAUSE CIVIL LIBERTIES AND CIVIL RIGHTS FORM THE HEART OF WHO WE ARE AS AMERICANS, AS A LEAD INVESTIGATIVE AGENCY FOR CRIMINAL CIVIL RIGHTS VIOLATIONS. THE FBI COLLABORATES WITH LOCAL, STATE, AND FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES TO INVESTIGATE INCIDENCES THAT DETERMINE WHETHER THEY ARE BIASED, MOTIVATED, HATE CRIMES. THE FBI DEFINES A HATE CRIME AS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE AGAINST A PERSON OR PROPERTY MOTIVATED IN WHOLE, OR IN PART BY AN OFFENDER'S BIAS AGAINST RACE, RELIGION, DISABILITY, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, ETHNICITY, GENDER, OR GENDER IDENTITY. A VICTIM OF A HATE CRIME CAN BE AN INDIVIDUAL, A BUSINESS OR AN INSTITUTION LIKE A SCHOOL OR A CHURCH. FAITH-BASED CHURCH HATE CRIMES ARE NOT HATE. CRIMES ARE NOT ONLY AN ATTACK ON THE VICTIM, THEY THREATEN AND INTIMIDATE AN ENTIRE COMMUNITY. AND BECAUSE OF THEIR WIDE RANGING IMPACT, INVESTIGATING HATE CRIMES IS A PRIORITY FOR THE FBI HATE ITSELF IS NOT A CRIME. BUT THE FBI IS MINDFUL OF PROTECTING FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND OTHER CIVIL LIBERTIES. WE FOLLOW THE MOTTO, AWFUL, BUT LAWFUL. ANYONE WHO BELIEVES THEY'RE A VICTIM OR A WITNESS OF A HATE CRIME, WE ASK THAT YOU PLEASE REPORT IT TO THE FBI BY CALLING ONE 800. CALL FBI OR TIPS FBI.GOV. WE UNDERSTAND THAT SOME PEOPLE MIGHT BE AFRAID TO COME FORWARD FOR RETALIATION OR HARASSMENT, BUT WE HOPE THAT THEY HEAR THE MESSAGES OF ALL OF US HERE TODAY AND FIND THE COURAGE TO SPEAK UP. ONE OTHER NOTE THAT I'D LIKE TO LEAVE YOU WITH IS THE IMPORTANCE OF PARTNERSHIPS. EVERY PERSON ON THIS STAGE TODAY, WE SPEAK IN UNISON. WE'RE SPEAKING WITH ONE VOICE, AND WE ALL SPEAK. WHEN YOU ARE SPEAKING TO ONE OF US, YOU'RE SPEAKING TO ALL OF US. I CANNOT REITERATE HOW IMPORTANT THIS THE PARTNERSHIP IS, BECAUSE WITHOUT EACH OTHER, WE CANNOT ACCOMPLISH WHAT WE HAVE DONE AND WHAT WE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE TO DO. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. I APPRECIATE IT, AND I HOPE YOU HAVE A GOOD AFTERNOON. THANK YOU. AND NEXT WE HAVE, UH, THE CHAIR OF OUR MAJORS, ASIAN AMERICAN PACIFIC ISLANDER ADVISORY BOARDS, PUBLIC SAFETY AND BUSINESS COMMITTEE. KENLEY. THANK YOU, BEN. WELL, FIRST OF ALL, I WOULD LIKE TO, UH, WELCOME AND THANK, UH, ALL THE ADVISORY BOARD, THE API, OUR CHAIRMAN, NOMI, AND THE COMMITTEE CHAIR. AND THANKS MAYOR, YOU KNOW, TO, UH, UH, APPOINT THIS BOARD AND, UH, UH, REALLY, UH, WELCOME TO THE SOUTHWEST HOUSTON. AND, UH, UH, ON BEHALF OF SOUTHWEST MANAGEMENT DISTRICT, I WANT TO RECOGNIZE OUR BOARD MEMBERS, UH, CAN YOU, UH, STAND UP TO BE RECOGNIZED. UH, DAVID PETERS, STEVEN LEE, JR. DON [00:20:02] AND, UH, MANY OTHERS. UH, AND ALSO THANKS FOR YOUR SPONSORSHIP FOR THE EVENT. THAT'S WHY OUR BAND IS HERE. AND ALSO, UH, I WANT TO RECOGNIZE THE CHAIRMAN OF OUR, UH, INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT DISTRICT, MR. WADEY AND OUR FORMER COUNCIL MEMBER, MJ KHAN, AND ALSO FORMER COUNCIL MEMBER FROM MISSOURI CITY, . YOU KNOW, UH, GENERALLY SHORT, I MEAN, YOU KNOW, SAFETY IS ALWAYS IS A PRIORITY FOR THE INTERNATIONAL DISTRICT AND THE SOFTWARE DISTRICT. WE WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH, UH, HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT, SHERIFF DEPARTMENT, ALL THE LAW ENFORCEMENT, YOU KNOW, RIGHT NOW WITH, UH, UH, YOU KNOW, THIS BOARD FORMATION. WE ARE REALLY APPRECIATE WE HAVE FBI, OTHER, UH, EVEN THE, UH, UH, UNITED STATES, UH, DISTRICT ATTORNEY OR, OR THE ATTORNEY GENERAL TO GET INVOLVED, UH, IS EVERYBODY'S PARTNERSHIP. AND WE WANT TO KEEP THIS AREA SAFE, ESPECIALLY TO RECOGNIZE OUR FORMER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, EL LEE, NOW WORKING FOR THE, AND SHE'S WORKING VERY HARD WITH THE LAW ENFORCEMENT. YOU KNOW, ALL THESE OFFICERS ARE OUR PARTNERS. WE MEET 'EM AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK, YOU KNOW, , ESPECIALLY, UH, COMMANDERS AND, UH, JONATHAN LOUIS, MIDWEST WEST. AND THEN, UH, ALL THE SOUTH GAS COMMAND COMMAND STATION IS, WE ARE WITHIN OUR DISTRICT. SO I THINK, UH, CHAIRMAN GENERAL WANT TO SAY, UH, MAYBE WE SHOULD OPEN, OR WHEN, WHEN MAYOR IS, IS ON THE WAY, SHOULD WE OPEN THE FLOOR TO THE QUESTION AND ANSWER BECAUSE, UH, YOU KNOW, IT IS A, A VERY GOOD OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO ASK, YOU KNOW, UH, THERE'S A LOT OF OFFICER TO HELP US, UH, ON THE WAY. ACTUALLY, OUR MAYOR IS HERE. LET'S GIVE HIM A BIG WELCOME, OUR MAYOR, . GOOD. WELL, LET ME JUST SAY GOOD AFTERNOON TO EVERYONE. UH, CERTAINLY A PLEASURE TO, TO BE HERE. LET ME, UH, LEMME START OFF BY THINKING NORM HUANG, AS THE CHAIR OF A API, I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU AND YOUR LEADERSHIP. THANK YOU FOR AND ALL OF THE BOARD MEMBERS, AND I KNOW I SEE SOME OF THE BOARD MEMBERS OF A API, AND THEN OF COURSE, UH, TO CHIEF CENTER AND ME. THANK YOU, UH, TO, UH, UH, THE ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS. I WAS GOOD TO SEE EACH AND EVERY ONE AND ALL OF YOU. I THINK THE IMPORTANT THING, UH, THAT I WANT TO EMPHASIZE AND KIND OF COMING UP AT THE VERY END, UH, UH, IS THE SAFETY OF OUR ASIAN AMERICAN AND SPECIFICALLY ALL NORTH COMMUNITY. UM, YOU KNOW, EVER SINCE, IF YOU GO BACK TO COVID DAYS, UM, THE AMOUNT OF, UM, THE STATEMENTS THAT WERE BEING MADE ACCUSING, LET'S SAY THE ASIAN COMMUNITY OF CAUSING COVID, AND WE JUST SAW AN INCREASE IN, UH, HATRED, UH, UH, THE MESSAGES THAT WERE BEING SENT. VERY, VERY, VERY NEGATIVE. AND I THINK IT'S SO CRITICALLY IMPORTANT, UH, FOR ALL OF US TO STAND UP AS A COLLECTIVE FORCE, UH, WHEN WE, WHEN WE SEE AND HEAR THOSE TYPE OF SENTIMENTS, TO SAY NO, UH, NOT IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. UH, AND THEN AS WE'VE MOVED FORWARD, UH, THERE'S STILL TOO MUCH, UH, VENOM AND VIOLENCE AND CRIME, UH, BEING, UH, SPECIFICALLY AS IT RELATES TO THE ASIAN COMMUNITY, BECAUSE WHAT WE HAVE SEEN AS CRIME HAS GONE DOWN IN THE CITY, THERE'S STILL WAY TOO MUCH CRIME AS IT RELATES TO THE, UH, ASIAN AMERICAN AND PACIFIC ISLAND COMMUNITY. AND SO, AGAIN, BEING THE, THE, UH, THE MOST DIVERSE CITY IN THE UNITED STATES, IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US, UH, TO, UH, JOIN AS ONE, TO SAY NO, UH, THAT AN ATTACK ON ONE IS TO ATTACK ON ALL, UH, HATRED AGAINST ONE, HATRED AGAINST ALL. AND THAT WE WILL DO EVERYTHING THAT IN OUR CAN, IN, IN OUR POWER TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE IN OUR CITY ARE SAFE AND THEY ARE PROTECTED AND THEY FEEL SAFE. MM-HMM . AND THEY FEEL PROTECTED AND KNOW THAT THE CITY HAS BEEN RESPONSIVE. THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHAT NORMALLY REACHED OUT TO ME, THAT I WANTED TO BE HERE TODAY. UM, BECAUSE IT'S IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE TO SEE ALL OF OUR LEADERS, UH, NOT JUST IN LAW ENFORCEMENT, BUT OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS AND COMMUNITY LEADERS, BUSINESS LEADERS, NONPROFITS, FAITH-BASED RELIGION, COMMUNITY, TO STAND OUT AND SAY NO TO [00:25:01] CRIME AND SAY NO TO HATRED, AND TO INFORM PEOPLE ON WHAT THEY CAN DO TO ALSO PROTECT THEMSELVES AS THEY GO ABOUT, UH, THEIR BUSINESS OF LIVING IN OUR CITY. SO THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I WANTED TO BE HERE. AND, UH, WANTED, MAKE SURE THAT WE GIVE OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT, UH, UH, UH, ORGANIZATIONS, AND IN THIS CASE, SPECIFICALLY HBD, EVERYTHING THAT IT NEEDS IN ORDER TO MAKE SURE THAT IT CAN DO ITS JOB THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF HOUSTON, AND SPECIFICALLY AS RELATES, UH, TO THE ASIAN AMERICAN AND PACIFIC OUT IN THE COMMUNITY. AND THEN IT'S IMPORTANT, UH, FOR ME, UH, TO SAY TO THE PEOPLE IN OUR CITY, UH, WE ARE GOING TO DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO KEEP EV EVERY COMMUNITY SAFE. SO, I DON'T WANT TO RAMBLE. I JUST KIND OF WANT TO BE HERE. I I DON'T KNOW WHERE WE ARE IN THE PROGRAM. UM, AND WE MAY BE AT THE END OF THE PROGRAM, UM, BUT I CERTAINLY WANNA BE HERE AND TAKE ANY QUESTIONS ANYMORE. MAY HAVE. THANK YOU. THANK, THANK YOU, MS. MAYOR. UM, AT THIS TIME WE'LL OPEN TO A FEW QUESTIONS. UM, WE'LL HAVE LIMITED TIME BECAUSE WE DO KNOW THAT SOME OF THE FOLKS IN THE CROWD WOULD LIKE TO MEET WITH OUR ESTEEMED GUESTS HERE. BUT IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION, PLEASE LET US KNOW WHO YOU'RE DIRECTING TO QUESTION TO AT THIS PANEL, AND THEN I'LL COME RUN DOWN TO YOU TO GIVE YOU THE MIC. I SEE ONE QUESTION OVER THERE. THANK YOU, MAYOR FOR ORGANIZING , UH, ADVISORY BOARD. THANK YOU, AND ALL THE LEADERS. MY QUESTION IS FOR ANI AND THE FBI, THE MURDER OF WHICH HAPPENED OCTOBER 28TH BY SOMEBODY STABBED HER MULTIPLE TIMES AND CHECK HER FIRST TO MAKE SURE SHE'S DEAD, HAS YET, TO MY KNOWLEDGE, HAS NOT DECLARED THAT THE HATE CRIME IS BI LOOKING INTO THAT SITUATION. AND, UH, WHAT ARE THE COMMUNITY SUPPOSED TO DO WHEN WE CRIME, WHEN YOU SEE SOME HATE CRIME OR THE HATE BEFORE THIS WAS ALL OVER THE MEDIA, BUT COMMUNITY LEADERS BACK TO COUNTY, UH, OFFICER, LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER, BUT SO FAR, NO UNDERSTANDING. IT'S NOT WE, BUT WHAT IS THAT? THANK YOU, SIR. COUNCILMAN CONN. LET ME ANSWER YOUR SECOND PART OF YOUR QUESTION. FIRST, IF YOU SEE A HEAD CRIME, IF YOU SEE A CRIME, CALL NINE ONE ONE, CALL THE FBI. UM, AND THAT IS NO MATTER WHERE IT HAPPENS, HOW IT HAPPENS AS FAR AS, UH, THE TRAFFIC SETTING OF THE DOCTOR, ONE THING I CAN'T DO, AND ONE THING WE CAN'T DO IS FIRST OF ALL, UH, ADMIT OR DENIED AS AN INVESTIGATION. AND SECONDLY, GIVE DETAILS ABOUT ANY INVESTIGATION THAT ONE EXISTS. I KNOW THE COMMUNITY'S ALWAYS TRYING OUT FOR MORE INFORMATION, AND THAT THE WAY WE HAVE TO DO OUR WORK IS, YOU KNOW, WE, THERE ARE CERTAINLY, YOU CAN TALK ABOUT CERTAIN THINGS, WE CAN. ANYTHING ELSE? UH, MY NAME IS BRENDA. I'M WITH ANTI TELEVISION . THANK YOU. UM, MY QUESTION IS BASICALLY THIS, BUT, AND I KNOW, UH, THIS AREA ALSO MAYOR, YOUR OFFICE DUE TO , THE LOCAL SECURITY AND THE CABINET. WELL, WE WORK VERY, VERY CLOSELY WITH OUR MANAGEMENT DISTRICT, WITH OUR TURS VERY, VERY CLOSELY. UH, MANY OF THE MANAGEMENT DISTRICT AND THE TURS, THEY'RE DOING THINGS OF PROVIDING US RESOURCES, UH, FOR EXAMPLE, TECHNOLOGY, UH, ADDITIONAL ASSETS TO PROTECT THE PEOPLE WITHIN THE MANAGEMENT DISTRICTS AND THE TURS. BUT THE CITY OF HOUSTON AS A, AS A, AS A WHOLE, WE COME IN AND PROVIDE EVEN MORE RESOURCES WORKING IN COLLABORATION WITH THE MANAGEMENT DISTRICTS AND DETER SO MUCH OF THE DOLLARS THAT ARE BEING PROVIDED TO LAW ENFORCEMENT WILL COVER ALL OF THESE PARTICULAR AREAS. AND THEN WE ALL TAKE A LOOK AT THE NUMBERS. I SEE THE NUMBERS EVERY MORNING IN TERMS OF WHERE CRIME IS, WHETHER OR NOT IT'S GOING DOWN, WHETHER OR NOT IT'S GOING UP, WHETHER IT'S NOT, IT'S REMAINING THE SAME. AND THEN WE DIRECT THOSE RESOURCES TO THOSE HOT SPOTS. AND WHETHER HOTPOT MOVE, WE WILL MOVE, UH, TO WHERE THOSE HOT SPOTS ARE. BUT THERE IS NOT A SEPARATION, SO TO SPEAK, WHEN IT COMES TO PUBLIC SAFETY AND FIGHTING CRIME BETWEEN YOUR MANAGEMENT DISTRICTS AND YOUR TUR AND THE CITY OF HOUSTON ARE OVERALL, WE ALL WORK IN [00:30:01] A VERY COLLABORATIVE WAY ON BEHALF OF ALL THE CITIZENS AND THE PEOPLE OF CITY OF HOUSTON. NOW, LET ME JUST ADD AN ADDED POINT OF EMPHASIS. AND JUST LIKE I LEFT A GROUP EARLIER THIS MORNING, UH, WHERE HATRED IS, HAS BEEN ON THE RISE, NOT ONLY IN THIS CITY, BUT ACROSS THE COUNTRY, ON OTHER AREAS. UH, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WHEN YOU ARE LIVING IN THE MOST DIVERSE CITY, UH, IN THE COUNTRY, THAT PEOPLE FEEL AS THOUGH THE, UH, THE CITY OF HOUSTON IS LAW ENFORCEMENT IS DIFFERENT. ENTITIES ARE BEING VERY RESPONSIVE TO THEIR NEEDS. NOW, WE CAN SAY ALL DAY LONG, CRIME IS GOING DOWN, BUT IF PEOPLE DON'T FEEL SAFE, THEN THEY'RE NOT SAFE. OKAY? SO IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS, IT'S ALSO ABOUT SHOWING HAVING A PRESENCE SO PEOPLE WILL FEEL SAFE. AND OFTENTIMES WHEN PEOPLE SEE THAT LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER, UH, IN THE AREA DRIVING THROUGH THE AREA, WHEN THEY SEE THE TECHNOLOGY BEING DEPLOYED, WHEN THEY SEE US WORKING COLLECTIVELY, JUST LIKE WE'RE TOGETHER TODAY, IT HELPS PEOPLE TO FEEL SAFE, EVEN THOUGH THE NUMBERS MAY BE IMPROVING UNTIL YOU FEEL SAFE. WE ARE NOT WHERE WE NEED TO BE. WE HAVE 10 FOR ONE. WE HAVE TWO MORE QUESTIONS. I, I'M CASEY, THE KOREAN AMERICAN ASSOCIATION AT COMMUNITY CENTER OF HOUSTON. GOOD TO SEE ALL OF YOU, UH, APPRECIATE WHAT YOU DO FOR ALL OF US. I ASKED THIS QUESTION ABOUT FIVE TIMES BEFORE, AND I'M GOING TO ASK AGAIN. WE HAVE ALL THESE LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES, SOME IDIOT OF IN THIS AREA. I UNDERSTAND. HOW ARE YOU COORDINATING TO GET BETTER SERVICE, PICK RESPONSE AND SO ON. I'D LIKE TO SEE SOME FACTS. OH, SIR. SORRY. FIVE TIMES YOU'VE ANSWERED, BUT LEMME UH, ASK IT AND DIDN'T GET THE ANSWER THAT, THAT YOU WANTED. LEMME TRY TO ANSWER IT. OKAY. WHEN YOU LOOK AT, AND WE HAVE PRESS CONFERENCE TODAY. WHEN YOU LOOK AT PRESS CONFERENCES, WHEN WE TRY TO BE TRANSPARENT TO, UH, OUR PUBLIC, AND YOU SEE, AND LET'S JUST SAY FELLOW, UM, THE PARTNERSHIP, THE US ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT, THE FBI, AND HARRIS COUNTY, ALL OF OUR TASK FORCE, WHEN WE TAKE DOWN UPWARDS OF 80 INDIVIDUALS AND PUT THEM ON FEDERAL, THAT IS US WORKING TOGETHER. UH, WHEN YOU LOOK AT OUR PARTNERSHIPS WITH HARRIS COUNTY, UM, HARRIS, YOU KNOW, SOME OF OUR CONSTABLE OFFICE, METRO POLICE DEPARTMENT, THERE'S A LOT OF WORK AND WHAT PEOPLE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND, UH, SOMETIMES YOU MIGHT NOT HAVE THE NUMBERS OR THE FACTS THAT, THAT YOU, BUT I CAN TELL YOU, UH, THERE IS NO BETTER, UH, UH, COORDINATION AND RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE LOCAL AND POLICE DEPARTMENTS AND, AND, AND ALL OF OUR APARTMENTS HERE. I WANT YOU AND EVERYBODY JUST TO, TO GIVE ONE THING IN YOUR MIND. JUST KIND OF LOOK AT IT WITH THE BACKLOG THAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW. AND WE'RE STILL, AS A REGION ABLE TO SEE NUMBERS GO DOWN. THAT SPEAKS TO GREAT PARTNERSHIP. NOW, THERE'S ALWAYS WAYS THAT WE CAN IMPROVE, AND WE TRY TO DO THAT EVERY DAY, BUT THERE IS EVERYDAY COMMUNICATIONS WITH PEOPLE THAT YOU SEE UP HERE FROM A LOT OF DIFFERENT AGENCIES. SO, UH, WE'LL CONTINUE TO, UH, LOOK AT WAYS THAT WE CAN IMPROVE, BUT, UH, YOU WOULDN'T SEE ANY SUCCESS. AND LIKE THE MAYOR SAID, I GET IT. IF PEOPLE DON'T FEEL SAFE, UM, THEY'RE NOT SAFE IN THEIR MIND. WE WE'RE FAILING SOMEPLACE, BUT WE GOT A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT'S DOING A LOT OF GREAT WORK, WORK IN THE CITY AND THE COUNTY, IN THE REGION. SO, UH, IT'S REALLY GOOD. AND I LIKE TO VISIT WITH YOU PERSONALLY, COME UP AND VISIT WITH US SOMETIMES, AND THEN WE'LL, WE'LL SHOW YOU EVEN MORE FIRSTHAND. I DON'T WANT YOU LEAVING HERE AND SAY SIX TIMES I'VE ASKED THIS QUESTION. SO YOU COME DOWN AND WE'LL, WE'LL GIVE YOU SOME, UH, INSIGHT ONE ON ONE. THANK YOU. RIGHT. WE HAVE ONE LAST QUESTION, SIR. RIGHT HERE. THANK YOU. UH, THANK YOU MAYOR. AND, UH, UM, THANK YOU FOR I, I'M SERVING ON THE, ONE OF THE BOARD MEMBER WITH THE A API ADVISORY BOARD AS WELL AS THE SOUTHWEST MANAGEMENT DISTRICT BOARD. AND I HEARD REPEATEDLY FROM MAYOR TURNER, EVERY ONE OF US WANT TO FEEL SAFE. I COME HERE A LITTLE BIT EARLIER TODAY AND WHEN I NOTICED THAT I, I'VE BEEN LIVING IN OR WORKING IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD FOR THE LAST 40 YEARS, WHEN CCC WAS BUILT, THERE'S NO SECURITY GATE ON THE EAST ON THE WEST. THE REASON WHY SECURITY GATE WAS PUT THERE WAS BECAUSE OF THE SECURITY ISSUE. AND THIS TWO DAYS AGO WHEN I ATTENDED SOUTHWEST MANAGEMENT DISTRICT REPORT, I WAS, SO, BECAUSE I'M A NEW BOARD MEMBER, I WAS SO SURPRISED TO LEARN ABOUT THE, UH, THE OUTAGE OF STREET LIGHTS BEING REPORTED, REPEAT SINCE JANUARY, [00:35:02] UH, OF THIS YEAR AND MARCH THIS YEAR. SO MANY STREET FLIGHTS ARE NOT BEING FIXED, UH, BY THE CENTER POINT. AND WE DON'T HAVE THE DIRECT CONTACT WITH THE CENTER POINT. AND I ALSO UNDERSTAND THE CHRISTMAS SEASON COMING SHOPPING SEASON AND WITH A VERY SHORT DAYLIGHT. I THINK THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT FOR THE RESIDENTS HERE, THAT WE CAN FEEL SAFE. SO I LIKE TO ADDRESS THIS NEXT TO THE MAYOR, THAT HOW CAN YOU HELP WITH THE STREETLIGHTS, UH, OUTAGE ISSUES. THANK YOU. YEAH. AND THE STREETLIGHTS DO FALL IN THE JURISDICTION AND CENTER POINT. UH, NOW YOU MAY NOT BE ABLE TO REACH THEM. DONE BINOCULAR. OKAY, SO YOU BROUGHT THAT ISSUE UP. UH, WE WILL, WE WILL NOTE THAT. AND BEFORE THE DAY IS OUT, UH, WE'LL MAKE A CALL TO A CENTRAL POINT, UH, BECAUSE SOMETIMES IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT A POLICE OFFICER, IT'S ABOUT THE LIGHTING, OKAY? AND ELIMINATING THOSE ELEMENTS THAT WOULD CREATE A CLIMATE CONDUCIVE CRIME. OKAY? SO THE LIGHTING IS IMPORTANT, THE STREETLIGHTS ARE IMPORTANT. AND, UH, BEFORE THE DAY IS OUT, UH, WE'LL BE TALKING THIS. OKAY? MY NAME IS HASHI PETAL SMALL INDEPENDENT MODEL ASSOCIATION. WE WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME YOU OVER HERE AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH TO ORGANIZING . APPRECIATE HERE, UH, WE WOULD LIKE TO OFFER, BECAUSE THESE, ALL THE OTHER HOTELS IS ON THE FREEWAY. FOUR, ALL, EVERY FREEWAY IS MAJORITY OF THE HOTEL IS THERE. WE WOULD LIKE TO WORK WITH YOU. AND THEN REMEMBER THAT, UH, UH, CHIEF, WE, I WE MENTIONED ABOUT THE INSTALLING THE CAMERA SYSTEM. SO WHEREVER THE, THE CRIME HAPPENING, SOMETHING WE CAN BE ABLE TO SUPPORT YOU. SO JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW THAT PART. WE CAN WORK TOGETHER AND WE CAN HAVE IT DONE. THIS IS SOMETHING HAPPENED WITH THE CRIME ALSO. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR ATTENDING. I KNOW THERE'S A LOT MORE OTHER QUESTIONS THAT GO THROUGH. LAST QUESTION. GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS DANNY WAYNE, AND I AM A BUSINESS OWNER AND A PROPERTY OWNER IN THIS AREA. AND I'M VERIFIED THAT, AND MAYOR TURNER, I AGREE WITH YOU ABOUT THE GAP OF, UH, LOW CRIME BASED ON THE, THE, THE NUMBERS OF THE, FROM THE POLICE OFFICE AND THE REALITY AND THE PERCEPTION OF THE PEOPLE, PEOPLE THAT SAY TO THIS AREA, THAT'S THE REALITY. SO I LIKE THE CONCEPT OF, UH, STOREFRONT TO HAVE MORE POLICE PRESENCE. AND I TALK THE FIELD SHOP AND CENTER OWNERS, THEY ARE WILLING MORE THAN HAPPY, MORE THAN WILLING, UH, TO OFFER SPACES TO HAVE STOLEN PLANS. SO WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THAT CONCEPT TO HAVE MORE STOCK PLANS? THANK YOU. UH, I'LL BE HONEST WITH YOU, UH, WHEN I WAS, UH, OVER PATROL IN THE CITY, UH, THE CHIEF PATROL, UH, WE DID ANALYSIS AND STUDIES. I ALWAYS LOOK AT THE NUMBERS, OKAY? STOREFRONTS ARE DATED AND I'LL TELL YOU WHY THEY'RE DATED. 'CAUSE WHEN I LOOKED AT THE NUMBERS WE HAD AT ONE TIME, 26, 27 STOREFRONTS IN OUR CITY. UH, AND I'M UP AGAINST THE STAFFING ISSUE. UH, THE MAYOR HAS DONE A GREAT JOB IN OUR CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS PUTTING ALMOST, UH, 2,500 STUDENT ACADEMY TO UH, UH, KATHY WHI. AND SHE HAD 10 YEARS AND HE'S DONE IT IN EIGHT YEARS. BUT TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, THE MOST EFFECTIVE THING THAT PEOPLE WANT TO SEE IS A PATROL CAR AND POLICE OFFICERS EITHER WALKING THROUGH OR DRIVING THROUGH THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD. I CAN'T DO IT WHEN YOU HAVE OFFICERS SITTING UP IN THE STORE. NOW, WHAT I WANT OFFICERS TO DO, BECAUSE I DIDN'T REPURPOSE ANYBODY, IF I HAD TWO OR THREE COMMUNITY SERVICE OFFICERS, DRT OFFICERS, THEY'RE STILL ASSIGNED TO THOSE SAME NEIGHBORHOODS. BUT WE HAVE TO GET AWAY FROM THAT OBSTRUCTION AND FALLING IN LOVE WITH IT AND JUST THINKING THAT THAT'S GOING TO REDUCE CRIME. NO, I TELL YOU WHAT IT DID, IT REMOVED OFFICERS FROM THE STREETS, NOT RUNNING CALLS FOR SERVICE. I WANT THEM OUT THERE BEING VISIBLE, GOING DIRECTLY TO THOSE INDIVIDUALS AND GOING TO HOUSES AND KNOCKING ON DOORS BEFORE CRIMES ARE COMMITTED. SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO HERE IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON. I DON'T HAVE THE STAFFING, UM, TO HAVE OFFICERS SITTING IN THE STOREFRONT. SO, UH, I GET IT. IT'S GOOD FOR A PARTICULAR BUSINESS OWNERS. NOW, WE STILL HAVE TWO STOREFRONTS IN THIS, IN THE CITY, ONLY TWO. AND, AND ONE IS IN, IN, IN, OUT IN THIS AREA. THE OTHER ONE IS IN, IN, IN THE SUNNYSIDE AREA. BUT NO OFFICERS ARE ON THERE. IT'S JUST CITIZENS THAT THAT'S, THAT'S IN THERE. SO, UM, I'M NOT AN ADVOCATE OF INCREASING STOREFRONTS RIGHT NOW. MY MAIN THING IS TO GET THOSE OFFICERS OUT [00:40:01] IN THE COMMUNITY AND CONDUCT GOOD COMMUNITY WORK WITH, UH, CITIZENS AND WORK WITH, OKAY, LET ME ASK SOMETHING ELSE. PEOPLE WANT TO SEE POLICE OFFICERS. THEY WANT TO SEE THE CARS IN THE, YOU KNOW, GOING THROUGH THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS. THE PRESENCE OF LAW ENFORCEMENT GIVES PEOPLE A SENSE OF CONFIDENCE. BUT I ALSO WANT PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND, WHEN I CAME INTO OFFICES, NEW YORK CITY, HOUSTON CITY OF HOUSTON HAD AN AGING POLICE FORCE. OKAY? AGING. 39% OF THE 5,200 POLICE OFFICERS WE HAD IN JANUARY OF 2016 WERE ELIGIBLE TO RETIRE. I WANT YOU TO THINK ABOUT THAT NOW. 39%. SO ALMOST 2000 OF YOUR 5,200 POLICE OFFICERS WHEN I CAME IN WERE ELIGIBLE TO RETIRE BECAUSE WE HAD AN AGING POLICE FORCE AND WE WEREN'T BRINGING ON A LOT OF NEW OFFICERS. AND WE WERE FORTUNATE THAT THE OFFICERS WHO HAD BEEN THERE FOR 20, 25, 30 YEARS, THEY WOULD NOT RETIRE. SO I DON'T CARE HOW MANY OFFICERS YOU START BRINGING ON, IF YOU GOT A HIGH ATTRITION RATE, THEN THOSE OFFICERS ARE RETIRING, YOU'RE BRINGING ON NEW, BUT YOU'RE NOT GONNA GROW. BUT WE'LL REDUCE THE ATTRITION RATE FROM 39% NOW DOWN TO ABOUT 28%. AND WE ARE BRINGING ON HUNDREDS OF POLICE OFFICERS EVERY YEAR. AND IN THE NUMBER WILL START TO MOVE BECAUSE IN THE LAST EIGHT YEARS, WE'VE HIRED 2,400 POLICE OFFICERS. BUT IF THEY'RE RETIREMENT, THEY'RE RETIRING, IT'S HARD TO GROW. OKAY? SO WHAT DEALS WITH THAT PERCEPTION? AS MUCH PEOPLE SEE POLICE OFFICERS BECAUSE THEY FEEL SAFE. AND SO WE DO NEED MORE ON THE STREET. WHAT IS ALSO IMPORTANT IS DIVERSIFYING YOUR POLICE FORCE. SO YOU SEE MORE A API POLICE OFFICERS FROM THE COMMAND STAFF ALL THE WAY DOWN. THAT HELPS BECAUSE PEOPLE HAVE A GREATER SENSE OF WHO THEIR, THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS AND WHO THEY'RE PATROLLING AND THE PEOPLE THAT THEY'RE POLICING. SO THAT DIVERSITY HELPS. AND THEN WHAT, WHAT WORKS AGAINST US? SOMETIMES EVEN WHEN THE NUMBERS ARE GOING DOWN, EVERY DAY ON EVERY STATION, YOU'LL SEE INCIDENTS CRIME EVERY DAY. OKAY? AND WHEN THAT'S CONSTANTLY GOING INTO YOUR HEAD, THEN IT CREATES THIS OWN SENSE OF PERCEPTION. SO I CAN STAND UP BEFORE YOU AND SAY, THE NUMBERS ARE GOING DOWN, NUMBERS ARE GOING DOWN. YOU GO HOME, YOU TURN 'EM, THE TELEVISION. AND THAT'S WHAT YOU SEE ON TELEVISION THAT CREATES, HELPS TO FORM YOUR PERCEPTION. OKAY? BECAUSE THERE WAS A TIME WHEN PEOPLE WERE SAYING THERE ARE MORE MURDERS IN HOUSTON THAN CHICAGO. TOTAL STATEMENT. TOTAL STATEMENT. BUT IF IT'S REPEATED OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN, THEN THAT'S WHEN PEOPLE WALK AWAY, BELIEVE IT, AND IT BECOMES SELF-PERPETUATED. OKAY? SO WE ALL HAVE TO WORK COLLABORATIVELY. WE ALL HAVE TO WORK WITH HPD SHERIFFS, UH, THE US ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, THE CONSTABLES WORK WITH THE TURS, THE MANAGEMENT DISTRICT, THE BUSINESSES. WE HAVE TO HELP EDUCATE OUR SENIORS BECAUSE PEOPLE PREY ON OUR SENIORS. OKAY? IT TAKES A COLLECTIVE EFFORT, BUT IT IS SOMETHING THAT CAN BE DONE. AND UM, BUT WE ARE GONNA HAVE TO CONSTANTLY, CONSTANTLY WORK AT IT. OKAY? WE CRITIQUED IT EVERY STEP OF THE WAY. I MISSPOKE. THE OTHER STOREFRONT IS THE GULF STOREFRONT. AND, UH, IT'S SIMILAR TO THE STOREFRONT OF THIS AREA SO FAR AWAY FROM, UM, THE STATION. UM, THAT'S WHY WE LEFT IT OPEN. AND THE VOLUME COMES THROUGH, UM, THAT STATION THAT'S 10 MILES, 11 MILES AWAY FROM THE STATION, UH, IT SUPPORTS THAT. SO, ALRIGHT, I HAVE A QUESTION. MY NAME IS Z HERE. AND THIS QUESTION IS SPECIFICALLY TO US ATTORNEY. UH, AND MY FRIEND ANI. I'VE KNOWN HAMANI SINCE HE USED TO WORK FOR HEAD LAW FIRM. AND WE ARE VERY PROUD OF THE FACT AS THE HOUSTONIAN, I SAY THIS, THAT ALL THE LEADERSHIP IS HERE TO TALK ABOUT SAFETY, SECURITY, AND CAPE CRIME. I'M A VERY PROUD MUSLIM AND ALUMNI. I APPRECIATE YOU MENTIONING THE EFFECTS OR I WOULD CALL ILL EFFECTS OF THE CONFLICT IN PALESTINE, WHICH WAS BROUGHT ON BY A TERRORIST ATTACK BY HAMAS ON ISRAEL. I HAVE NO PROBLEM SAYING THAT. BUT [00:45:01] COMING BACK TO HOUSTON, THERE'S LOT OF APPREHENSION, FEAR, PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO HIDE WHAT THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT. CONCERN, ONCE AGAIN, I APPRECIATE CITY AND HPD FACILITATING PROTESTS ON BOTH SIDES. BUT HOW DO WE, HOW DO WE GIVE OUT THIS, THIS MESSAGE FROM THE US GOVERNMENT, FROM THE LOCAL AUTHORITIES THAT IT'S OKAY TO CALL OUT FOR THE CEASE FILE LAST TIME CHECK CEASE FILE WAS SUCCESSION OF HOST HOSTILITIES BY BOTH SIDES. AND, AND YOU WON'T BE BLINDED ASIDING WITH ONE SIDE OR THE OTHER. HOW DO WE MAKE HOUSTONIAN FIELD SAFE? BECAUSE THIS SOFTWARE IS NOT PAINTED. IT'S PROBABLY GONNA GO ON FOR A WHILE, I HOPE SO YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT? THERE'S LOT OF APPREHENSION IN THE COMMUNITY. THANK YOU. YEAH, NO, UM, WHAT I'LL TELL YOU IS WHAT MY ROLE IS AS THE US ATTORNEYS. AND SO MY ROLE AS THE UNITED STATES ATTORNEY IS TO MAKE SURE THAT, UM, THOSE WHO COMMIT HATE CRIMES BROUGHT TO JUSTICE, THOSE WHO BROUGHT THE CIVIL RIGHTS OF YOUR FEDERAL AMERICANS OF LAW TO JUSTICE. UM, AND THAT IS WHAT I CAN CONTROL AND THAT'S WHAT MY TWO 20 FEDERAL PROSECUTORS WILL CONTROL. AND SO, BUT I APPRECIATE, UH, YOU BEING HERE AND AS HIS LAWYER, EVERYBODY, NOT TO ANSWER THAT ONE, YOU KNOW, BUT ABOUT, AGAIN, LOOK, LEMME JUST SAY THIS, IRRESPECTIVE OF WHAT SIDE WE MAY BE ON, WE ALL SHOULD BE WILLING TO STAND UP FOR OUR KIDS. AND WHEN I SAY OUR KIDS, YOU CAN BE A JEWISH KID. YOU'RE MY KID. YOU COULD BE A PALESTINIAN KID. YOU ARE MY KID, OKAY? THESE ARE OUR CHILDREN. WE ALL ARE ABLE TO STAND UP FOR INNOCENCE, CIVILIANS, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER, UM, AND THAT'S WHAT WE SHOULD DO. AND INNOCENT CIVILIANS AND CHILDREN SHOULD NOT GET CAUGHT UP AND LOSE THEIR LIVES IN THIS IF, IN THIS WHOLE ISSUE. AND SO, UH, I THINK ALL OF US HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE FIND OUR, THE RIGHT MORAL COMPASS, OKAY? AND WE ALL HAVE TO SPEAK TO IT. AND I THINK IF WE DO THAT, UH, THEN I THINK WE CAN REACH AT, IN RESULT, UH, THAT WILL WORK IN THE BEST INTEREST OF ASSAULT. OKAY? UM, UH, AND THAT'S, AND THAT'S HOW TO DEAL WITH THAT ISSUE. WE ARE THE MOST DIVERSE CITY. WE HAVE PEOPLE COMING, WE ARE LIVING IN OUR CITY COMING FROM ALL OVER. BUT I DON'T CARE WHERE YOU COME FROM OR WHERE YOU STAND, WHAT YOUR POLITICAL FAITH IS. UH, OUR CHILDREN SHOULD BE SACRED. I DON'T CARE WHERE CHAPTER YOU STAND. HI, UH, MY NAME IS MONIQUE WELCH. I'M A REPORTER WITH THE HOUSTON LAND. I JUST, OUR QUESTION IS FOR, UH, CHIEF BANNER. I JUST WANTED TO ASK, UH, JUST HOW MANY IN THE LAST THREE YEARS SINCE WE KIND OF SAW THE RISE OF A API HATE CRIMES IN 2020. UM, HOW MANY CASES OR CRIMES HAVE BEEN ACTUALLY REPORTED AND HOW MANY HAVE BEEN CHARGED IN THE LAST THREE YEARS? UH, AND THEN I ALSO HAVE A MANY, UH, TWO PART QUESTION TO THAT. WHAT CHALLENGES EXIST, UM, TO ACTUALLY PROSECUTING THESE HATE CRIMES? AND LET ME, UH, WHAT MIGHT THE DEPARTMENT BE? LOOK AT 2023 AND I'LL GET BACK WITH YOU ON, ON THE PREVIOUS TWO YEARS. UH, SO WE RECEIVED, UH, EIGHT CRIMES, UM, REPORTED CRIME CRIMES THAT WERE, UH, REPORTED AS HATE CRIMES, ZERO OR CONFIRMED AS HATE CRIMES. OKAY. UM, SO THAT, THAT'S, THAT'S REALLY GOOD. HOWEVER, WE STILL HAVE TO DEAL WITH PERCEPTIONS. AND THAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING. AND THE CHALLENGES ARE WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE KEEP STRONG RELATIONSHIPS. AND THE CHALLENGES ARE SOMETIMES THINGS THAT WE DON'T CONTROL. UM, I'M NOT HERE TO VAST MEDIA OR ANYBODY ELSE, BUT THOSE INDIVIDUALS. AND, AND SOMETIMES IT COULD BE POLITICAL, IT COULD BE WHATEVER. UM, I, I RESPECT OUR MEDIA HERE. I SAY THAT THEY'RE SOME OF THE BEST, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, EVERYBODY, EVEN AT DINNER TABLES SPEAK THE TRUTH AND LOOK AT THINGS OBJECTIVELY, YOU KNOW, AND, AND, UH, DON'T PUSH IT AND SAY, WELL, LOOK, IT'S, IT'S A HATE CRIME WHEN IT'S NOT. THERE'S SOMEBODY IN A PARTICULAR SPECIALIST INTEREST, UH, GROUP, UH, COMMUNITY. IT'S KILLED OR ROBBED. IT DOESN DOESN'T MEAN THAT IT'S A HATE CRIME. WE GOTTA LOOK AT IT. WE GOT, [00:50:01] UM, A SPECIFIC UNIT. UH, AND TO ANSWER A QUESTION EARLIER, UH, I THINK THAT WAS A FORMER COUNSEL ROOM, FBI AND HPD, UH, OUR SPECIAL UNITS, EVERY TIME THAT'S REPORTED HATE CRIME, WE LOOK AT IT AS A COLLECTIVE TEAM, UH, TO DETERMINE AND, AND LOOK AT THE COURSE THAT WE, WE TAKE. THEY PROSECUTE, UH, HATE CRIMES, BUT THE NUMBERS ARE NOT WHAT PEOPLE THINK. BUT AGAIN, WHEN I FIRST CAME HERE, RELATIONSHIPS MEAN SOMETHING. WE HAVE TO CONTINUE TO BUILD STRONG RELATIONSHIPS AND KEEP PREVENTING, UH, HATE CRIMES. OKAY. AND WORK ON THE PERCEPTIONS. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. THANK YOU CHIEF. WELL, AT THIS POINT WE'RE GONNA END THE PROGRAM. I WANT TO THANK RICHARD TURNER FOR COMING. CHIEF NER US ATTORNEY, ANI ASAC PICKERING, AND ASSISTANT CHIEF HU. UM, WHAT I'D LIKE TO DO AT THIS TIME IS HAVE, UH, STATE REP JEAN WHO, AND THE MEMBERS OF THE ADVISORY BOARD COME TO THE STATE SO WE CAN TAKE A PICTURE. SOME OF THE SPEAKERS NEED TO LEAVE IMMEDIATELY, OTHERS ARE ALLOWED, ARE GONNA BE ABLE TO STAY BACK AND ANSWER ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS THAT WE HAVE. BUT WE NEED TO GO AHEAD AND CONCLUDE THE PROGRAM. SO THANK YOU AGAIN FOR COMING. * 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.