* 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. [00:00:17] GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE. UM, MY NAME IS JOAQUIN MARTINEZ. I'M A HOUSTON CITY COUNSELOR FOR DISTRICT. I, UM, FIRST AND FOREMOST, I JUST WANNA, UM, IF WE CAN ALL, UM, ESPECIALLY AFTER A HUGE LOSS THAT WE'VE HAD YESTERDAY WITH FORMER MAYOR, UH, CONGRESSMAN, UH, TURNER, IF WE CAN, JUST A QUICK MOMENT OF SILENCE, UM, WORK THAT HE DID FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON AS A STATE REP, AS A MAYOR, AND AS A CONGRESSMAN. UH, REALLY FOCUSED, FOCUSED ON A LOT OF BLACK AND BROWN COMMUNITIES. AND SO, WITH THE GENTLEMEN THAT ARE UP HERE WITH ME, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN HONOR HIM AS WELL FOR A BIT. THANK YOU. SO, I WANT TO FIRST START OFF BY SAYING THAT, UM, I'M INCREDIBLY, UH, GRATEFUL, UH, TO KNOW FOLKS THAT ARE, UM, WILLING AND WANTING TO DO WORK OUT IN THE COMMUNITY. UM, I'M, I'M HERE TO CO-HOST THE PRESS CONFERENCE, UH, TO DISCUSS CRITICAL WORK, UH, AHEAD WITH JUVENILE RIGHTS. THIS WORK IS TO EMPOWER OUR YOUTH IN DISTRICT, IN DISTRICT I, BUT QUITE FRANKLY, ALL OVER THE CITY OF HOUSTON, UH, JUVENILE RIGHTS IS FOCUSED ON ADVOCATING FOR YOUNG, YOUNG PEOPLE FACING CHALLENGES OF JUVENILE JUSTICE, CHILD WELFARE, IMMIGRATION, AND HOMELESSNESS. UM, SOME QUICK NUMBERS. UM, HERE IN HOUSTON AND ACROSS THE STATE, UH, WE KNOW THAT THERE'S BEEN AN INCREASE IN TEEN VIOLENCE. UH, JUST RECENTLY, THIS PAST WEEKEND, WE'VE HAD ABOUT FIVE, UH, INVOLVED, UH, TEENAGE INVOLVED SHOOTINGS, UH, WHERE FOUR, UNFORTUNATELY, TEENAGERS, UH, TRI TRAGICALLY LOST THEIR LIVES. UH, THESE NUMBERS ARE STAGGERING. UH, JUST A FEW YEARS AGO, THE, UH, WE AVERAGE ABOUT 20 TO 25 HOMICIDES, UH, A YEAR COMMITTED BY YOUTH UNDER 16. LAST YEAR IN 2024, THE NUMBER DOUBLED 49. MOST OF THE VICTIMS OF THESE HOMICIDES ARE ALSO YOUTH THEMSELVES. STATEWIDE, THE, THE TEXAS JUVENILE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT, UH, DEPARTMENT REPORTS THAT JUVENILE HOMICIDES HAVE RISEN BY 108%. UH, FROM 2019 TO 2020 CASES INVOLVING GUNS HAVE GONE UP 44%. UH, THIS VIOLENCE AFFECTS US ALL. UM, I'M A FATHER OF FOUR. I HAVE A 18-YEAR-OLD, A NINE, SIX, AND 4-YEAR-OLD. AND WHEN I THINK OF HOUSTON AND, UH, PUBLIC SAFETY AND JUST, UH, QUALITY OF LIFE, YOU KNOW, I NOT ONLY THINK OF THEM, BUT I KNOW THAT THERE'S OTHER FAMILIES THAT HAVE KIDS, YOUNG KIDS, UM, THAT ARE ALSO BEING IMPACTED. AND SO, YOU KNOW, AS, AS WE WORK TO ADDRESS, UH, YOU KNOW, WE SOME URGENCY TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE, WE START PARTNERING WITH EACH OTHER, UM, AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. UM, WHILE THESE, THESE, UH, WE FACE THESE CHALLENGES, THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES FOR EARLY INTERVENTION AND REFORM. THIS IS WHERE JUVENILE RIGHTS, UH, COMES IN. THEY'RE COMMITTED TO CREATING EFFECTIVE SOLUTIONS, NOT JUST THROUGH POLICY, BUT THROUGH ACTION. BY PROVIDING RESOURCES AND SUPPORT, UM, RESOURCES FOR, FOR ALL OF OUR YOUTH THROUGH MENTORSHIP, BOXING AND FITNESS PROGRAM, INNOVATIVE THERAPIES LIKE HORSE ASSISTED HEALING. WE'RE GIVING THEM THE TOOLS THEY NEED TO BREAK THE CYCLE OF VIOLENCE AND TRAUMAS. UM, THERE'S A GROUP OF FOLKS THAT ARE BE COMING UP SPEAKING TO YOU, BUT I JUST WANNA HIGHLIGHT IF I, IF I CAN A, A FEW, UM, PARTNERS THAT ARE HERE AS WELL. UH, WE DO HAVE SOMEBODY FROM COUNCIL MEMBER ABBY CAYMAN'S OFFICE. UH, WE HAVE, UH, SOMEONE HERE FROM COUNCIL MEMBER ASHA JACKSON'S OFFICE. UH, WE ALSO HAVE, UH, UM, SOME PARTNERS THAT ARE HERE WITHIN THE CITY OF HOUSTON, DEPARTMENT OF NEIGHBORHOODS, AND THEN THE POLICE ACTIVITY LEAGUE. UM, AND I HIGHLIGHT THE POLICE ACTIVITY WITH SERGEANT BROWN, WHO'S HERE IN SOME OF HER TEAM MEMBERS. UM, I WAS ONCE A P KID, A POLICE ACTIVITY LEAGUE KID AS WELL. I PLAYED LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL. UM, OFFICER BRYANT, NOW HE'S A CONSTABLE DEPUTY, UH, CONSTABLE FOR PRECINCT, UH, SIX DEPUTY BRYANT. I STILL TALK TO HIM TO THIS DAY. UH, UNDERSTANDING THAT THESE, UH, THESE, THESE ROLES OUTSIDE OF YOUR CORE FAMILY ARE IMPORTANT AS WELL. AND SO, UM, WE'RE GONNA HAVE A FEW FOLKS COME UP HERE FROM COOL DAD, FROM BOSS LIFE FOUNDATION, COGNITIVE JUSTICE, INTERNATIONAL CREATIVE GROUP, ECONOMICS, UM, TO COME AND SPEAK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT SOME OF THE WORK THAT WE'RE GONNA BEGIN TO DO, QUITE FRANKLY, SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE A BIT MORE CONSISTENTLY AND, AND, UH, COALESCE A LOT. WE SHOULD HAVE COALESCED A LOT, UH, A WHILE BACK. UM, BUT BECAUSE OF WHERE WE ARE NOW, UM, IN THE, THIS PAST YEAR SPECIFICALLY, I HAVE MILBY HIGH SCHOOL. THERE'S BEEN SOME ISSUES OUT THERE AS WELL. UM, I HAVE AUSTIN HIGH SCHOOL, WHERE WE ALSO HAD A SHOOTING ABOUT THREE MONTHS AGO, NOT TOO FAR FROM THE, THE HIGH SCHOOL. AND SO THIS IS SOMETHING THAT'S IMPORTANT TO ME. I HAVE AN AFFINITY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE EMPOWERING YOUNG FOLKS AND THERE IS NO BETTER [00:05:01] PERSON, UM, TO, TO BE ABLE TO WORK WITH ALONGSIDE, UM, YOU KNOW, TO JUST MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE MAKING HOUSTON SAFER FOR OUR YOUNG FOLKS. AND, AND SO WITH THAT, I WANNA CALL UP DIETER CAN TOO, AND I'LL, AS HE COMES UP, I WANT TO JUST SHARE A, JUST A QUICK STORY. UM, I MET DIETER PROBABLY ABOUT A GOOD FIVE, SIX YEARS AGO. UM, I WORKED FOR THE, UH, MY PREDECESSOR, THE, THE PREVIOUS COUNCIL MEMBER. AND, UH, HE WAS DOING A LOT OF, A LOT OF THIS WORK BY HIMSELF, UH, QUITE FRANKLY, IN THE EAST END OFF OF LAWNDALE. UH, HE HAD A BOOK DRIVE TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE WAS LIBRARY RESOURCES FOR, FOR SOME OF THESE KIDS. UM, AND, AND WHEN YOU SEE SOMEBODY THAT IS PASSIONATE FIRST AND FOREMOST, BUT THEN ALSO, UM, IS NOT GONNA, IS NOT GONNA TO WAIT FOR ANYONE ELSE TO DO THE WORK, UM, THERE'S NOT, THERE'S NOTHING ELSE THAT I CAN, THAT I CAN OFFER, UH, OR MORE THAT I CAN OFFER OTHER THAN MAKE SURE THAT HE KNOWS THAT I GOT HIS BACK 100%. AND WHAT YOU'LL SEE IS, UM, AT THE, AT THE CORE OF ALL THIS, WE KNOW THAT WE'RE IN A MAJORITY MINORITY CITY. UH, SO BLACK AND BROWN, UH, COMMUNITIES ARE HIGHLY IMPACTED IN, IN A LOT OF WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TODAY. AND SO WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN DEFINITELY BREAK SOME OF THESE, UH, DIVISIONS, BARRIERS, UH, YOU KNOW, MAYBE JUST, UH, NOT KNOWING EACH OTHER'S COMMUNITY AS WELL, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE FOCUSED ON THE, THE CORE, WHICH IS, UH, YOUNG FOLKS AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE SUCCESSFUL. AND SO, I WANT TO THANK DIETER FOR BEING HERE, FOR PUSHING ME TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE DOING SOME GOOD WORK. AND I'M HERE WITH HIM. A HUNDRED PERCENT. YES, SIR. THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING, EVERYBODY. UH, FIRST AND FOREMOST, THANK YOU COUNCILMAN MARTINEZ FOR, UM, HAVING US HERE. UM, AS YOU KNOW, THIS IS A PRESSING ISSUE IN OUR COMMUNITIES. UH, MY NAME IS KEVIN BARNETT. I AM THE CEO FOUNDER OF COOL DAD. UM, WE'RE A 5 0 1 C3 NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION BASED HERE IN HOUSTON, TEXAS. UH, WE'RE A NATIONAL ORGANIZATION AT THAT, AND OUR FOCUS IS ON CREATING SPACES FOR FATHERS. UM, WE SEE THE IMPORTANCE BEHIND MENTORING OUR FATHERS. UM, I ALWAYS ASK A QUESTION ON HOW CAN WE HOLD OUR YOUTH ACCOUNTABLE TO SOMETHING THAT MORE, MOST OF THE TIMES THEY DON'T KNOW, RIGHT? UM, AND WHAT THEY DON'T KNOW IS THAT THEY DON'T HAVE A MODEL BEHAVIOR BEHIND. A LOT OF THESE YOUTH ARE GROWING UP IN A HOUSEHOLD WITHOUT A FATHER FIGURE, WITHOUT A MALE ROLE MODEL. UM, AND THAT'S WHERE WE STEP INTO PLACE. UM, FOR THE LAST FOUR AND A HALF YEARS, WE'VE BEEN SERVICE IN HOUSTON, UM, AND WE ARE HERE, UM, TO STAND BEHIND WITH THE REST OF THESE BROTHERS TODAY TO CALL, UM, AN ACTION. AND WE, WE, WE WANT PEOPLE TO COME AND UNDERSTAND THAT WE ARE HERE NOW BECAUSE WE BELIEVE IN OUR COMMUNITY AND WE WANT TO SERVICE OUR COMMUNITY, AND WE'RE TAKING ACTION BY DOING THAT. AND FOR US AT COOL, THAT IS THROUGH MENTORSHIP. YOU KNOW, WE, WE NEED MORE BROTHERS THAT WANT TO STEP IN AND THINK BEYOND OUTSIDE OF THEIR HOUSEHOLDS. UM, BECAUSE OUR COMMUNITIES ARE BEING AFFECTED AND OUR AND OUR YOUTH ARE BEING AFFECTED. WE'RE NOT GIVING THEM, UH, THE OPPORTUNITY TO SEE THE OTHER SIDE, UM, A LOT OF THE TIME, BUT MOST OF THE TIMES BEHIND THAT, IT'S ALSO BECAUSE THERE'S NO ONE THERE TO REALLY TELL 'EM THAT THERE IS ANOTHER SIDE. UM, AND, AND THAT'S THE IMPORTANCE OF, OF THIS COALITION COMING TOGETHER. I, AND I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT, AGAIN, I THANK YOU, UH, COUNCILMAN FOR GIVING US THIS PLATFORM TO SHARE OUR VOICE OUT HERE AND, AND OUR CONCERNS ABOUT THAT. THANK YOU. HEY, Y'ALL DOING TODAY? UM, MY NAME IS CHARLES HARGRAVE. I'M A PART OF JUVENILE RIGHTS, AND I JUST WANT TO BRING AWARENESS ABOUT WHAT I DO AND WHAT I'VE BEEN THROUGH. UM, IN 2005, I WAS SENTENCED TO 15 YEARS FOR A AGGRAVATED ROBBERY. A ROBBERY, AND THREE BURG APPLICATIONS. I WAS SENT TO TYC AT 13 YEARS OLD AS A DETERMINED SENTENCE OFFENDER. THAT WAS ONE OF THE, UM, HARDEST THINGS THAT I HAD TO GO THROUGH IN MY LIFE, BEING AWAY FROM MY FAMILY, UM, LOSING LOVED ONES, JUST DEALING WITH THINGS THAT I NEVER THOUGHT I'D HAVE TO DEAL WITH AS A CHILD. SO I'M GONNA TELL Y'ALL A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT I WENT THROUGH. UM, I WENT TO TYC AT 13, AND I WAS A DETERMINED SENTENCE OFFENDER. SO WHEN I WENT TO TYC, I WAS TOLD THAT I HAD TO COMPLETE A CAPITAL OFFENDER PROGRAM IN ORDER TO GO HOME. SO I'M 13 YEARS OLD. IN ORDER TO GET INTO THE CAPITAL OFFENDER PROGRAM, YOU HAD TO BE 16. SO, AS A DETERMINED SENTENCE OFFENDER, I HAD TO DO THREE YEARS. SO I'M ALREADY 13. SO MY THREE YEARS PRETTY MUCH DIDN'T COUNT AS FAR AS PROGRESS WITHIN THE SYSTEM. SO I FELT HOPELESS, AND I, UM, ACTED OUT BECAUSE OF IT, BECAUSE I FELT LIKE I WAS TRAPPED. I WASN'T GOING TO BE ABLE [00:10:01] TO GO HOME NO TIME SOON. I DIDN'T. I FELT IT WAS, IT WAS, IT WAS SOMETHING THAT, UH, I DON'T EVEN THINK Y'ALL CAN TRULY UNDERSTAND. SO, BEING INCARCERATED IN TYC, I LOST MY BROTHER AT THE AGE OF 15. AND, UM, SEEING HOW THAT AFFECTED ME, UH, I WAS DEALING WITH A LOT OF, I WAS ACTUALLY GRIEVING BUT DIDN'T UNDERSTAND THAT I WAS GRIEVING. AND, UM, I REALLY DIDN'T HAVE ANYBODY TO TALK TO OR FELT LIKE I DIDN'T HAVE ANYBODY THAT UNDERSTAND WHAT I WAS GOING THROUGH. SO I CHOSE TO, UM, PRETTY MUCH DO THINGS THAT WAS AROUND ME AS FAR AS I WAS INFLUENCED BY THE THINGS THAT WERE GOING ON IN TYC. NOT SAYING THAT IT WAS RIGHT, NOT SAYING THAT IT WAS WRONG. SO MY WHOLE TIME I WAS IN TYCI, PRETTY MUCH, FOR THE FIRST THREE YEARS, I WAS ONE OF THE WORST INMATES THERE. JUST, UH, GETTING WROTE UP, GOING TO SECURITY, BEING HOUSED IN SOLITARY CONFINEMENT FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME. I WENT THROUGH A LOT. AND, UM, PART OF THAT TIME WHILE I WAS IN TYC, THE DOJ DID AN INVESTIGATION AND A LOT OF CHANGES WENT ON WHILE I WAS THERE. THEY CHANGED THE, UH, COP OUT FROM 21 TO 19. SO IMAGINE BEING IN TYC AT 13 YEARS OLD WITH GROWN MEN THAT ARE 19, 17, 20, YOU KNOW, BEING INFLUENCED BY THESE DUDES, THE SAME DUDES THAT I WAS POSSIBLY INFLUENCED BY WHILE I WAS HOME. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? SO, THE, UM, CYCLE NEVER BROKE. IT NEVER, IT NEVER BROKE. IT CONTINUED. I WAS INFLUENCED BY OLDER PEOPLE IN MY COMMUNITY, AND THAT LED TO ME BEING SENTENCED TO 15 YEARS. AND I ALSO WAS CONTINUED TO BE INFLUENCED BY OLDER PEOPLE THAT WERE INCARCERATED WITH ME AND CONTINUED TO INFLUENCE MY MIND. SO I DIDN'T HAVE POSITIVE ROLE MODELS. I DIDN'T HAVE ANYBODY TELLING ME THAT, YOU KNOW, PRISON IS NOT A PLACE THAT YOU WOULD WANT TO GO. I HAD PEOPLE ENCOURAGING ME, TELLING ME, HEY, YOU NEED TO GO TO PRISON. YOU MIGHT CAN GET OUT FASTER IF YOU GO TO PRISON OR THIS PLACE, MAN, COME, LET'S GO TO PRISON. THAT WAS THE MIND FRAME OF JUVENILES AT GIDEON STATE SCHOOL WHEN YOU DIDN'T HAVE ANY HOPE. THE ONLY THING THAT YOU KNEW WAS IF YOU WAS A DETERMINANT SENTENCE OFFENDER AND YOU DIDN'T COMPLETE CAPITAL OFFENDER PROGRAM, THAT YOU WOULD BE TRANSFERRED TO PRISON. SO MY SITUATION WAS A LITTLE DIFFERENT. I WENT BEFORE MY JUDGE AND I WAS GRANTEDLY. HE DIDN'T TRANSFER ME OVER TO PRISON BECAUSE HE WANTED TO GIMME A SECOND CHANCE. HE WANTED TO, UH, HE BELIEVED IN ME. HE, HE TOLD ME TO GO BACK AFTER 90 DAYS AND JUST DO WHATEVER I GOTTA DO TO COME HOME AND DON'T COME BACK WITH ANY WRITE-UPS. I KNOW THIS MIGHT SOUND STRANGE TO Y'ALL, BUT I WAS SENT TO PRISON FOR HAVING AN INAPPROPRIATE RELATIONSHIP WITH A JUVENILE GUARD AT GIDEN STATE SCHOOL. SO I WAS SENT TO PRISON. I DID, UH, THREE YEARS IN, UH, TDC. UH, I CAN'T EVEN EXPLAIN WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO BE A, A YOUTH BEING TRANSFERRED TO DOPE PRISON, BUT I WOULDN'T WISH THAT ON ANYBODY. MY FRIEND KEN, TOO, I MET HIM IN GIDDENS. I THINK I WAS 15, HE WAS 16. HE GAVE ME A BOOK, THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MALCOLM X. HE TAUGHT ME I NEEDED TO READ IT. AND, UM, I READ IT, AND IT, AND IT, IT, IT DID SOMETHING TO ME, BROUGHT SOME AWARENESS TO ME, LIKE JUST, JUST, UM, IT, IT FOR A LITTLE BIT. BUT I KNEW THAT IT WAS JUST LIKE A SEED BEING PLANTED, YOU KNOW? SO HE KEPT UP WITH ME WHILE I WAS IN TTDC. HE WROTE ME, YOU KNOW, TOLD ME HE WAS GOING TO COLLEGE. SO I'M SEEING MY FRIEND GETTING OUTTA TYC, GOING TO COLLEGE, BEING A, LIKE, SOMETHING DIFFERENT THAT I AIN'T NEVER SEEN, LIKE GOING TO COLLEGE, LIKE JUST BEING A PART OF THE COMMUNITY. AND I TOLD MYSELF THAT I WANTED TO DO THAT. YOU KNOW, I WANTED TO BE ABLE TO BE A MENTOR TO KIDS AND, YOU KNOW, TELL 'EM WHAT I'VE BEEN THROUGH OR WHATEVER. BUT I DIDN'T, I DIDN'T HAVE THE COURAGE TO STEP UP TO BE THAT. I CONTINUED TO DO THINGS THAT WASN'T MEANT FOR ME TO DO. AND THEN I GOT OUT AGAIN, AND I WENT BACK TO PRISON FOR EVADING ARREST IN A MOTOR VEHICLE. AND I END UP DOING THREE MORE YEARS. SO I FINISHED MY DETERMINANT SENTENCE. I WAS RELEASED IN 2001, I MEAN 2021. AND, UH, ME AND KENTU, WE LIKE, BASICALLY LIKE CAME [00:15:01] TOGETHER. HE TOLD ME WHAT HE WAS DOING. HE TOLD ME WHAT HE WANTED US, WANTED ME TO BE A PART OF, AND HE ASKED ME COULD I CHANGE MY LIFE AND STOPPED DOING WHAT I WAS DOING TO HELP KIDS. AND I DECIDED TO DO THAT. SO, UH, WE STARTED A CONSULTING FIRM CALLED JUVENILE RIGHTS. AND, UH, WE WERE ABLE TO PARTNERSHIP WITH TJJD BEFORE THIS NEW DOJ UH, INVESTIGATION CAME OUT. SO WHEN IT CAME OUT, WE WERE KIND OF LIKE STUCK IN THE MIDDLE OF IT, BUT WE WANTED TO STEP UP AND SAY, HEY, LET'S BE A CHANGE THAT THE DOJ IS LOOKING FOR. LET'S, LET'S BE A CHANGE AND WORK WITH TJJD AND, AND, AND OFFER THEM SOLUTIONS TO THE PROBLEMS THAT DOJ HAS BASICALLY DISCOVERED. BECAUSE THE SAME THING THAT'S GOING ON HAS BEEN GOING ON. IT'S A CONTINUOUS CYCLE. SO, TO BE HONEST WITH Y'ALL, WE, UH, WE DID A GOOD JOB AND, UM, WE DID A 10 WEEK PILOT PROGRAM WITH THEM. WE WERE ABLE TO CONNECT WITH JUVENILES THAT ARE INCARCERATED IN GIDEN STATE SCHOOL, THE SAME STATE SCHOOL THAT WE WERE IN. SO IT'S KIND OF DIFFERENT BEING ABLE TO TALK TO KIDS THAT ARE GOING THROUGH THE SAME THING THAT YOU ARE GOING THROUGH BECAUSE YOU ARE SEEING, IT'S LIKE A FLASHBACK OF WHAT THEY'RE GOING TO. AND I HOPE THAT I CAN BE LIKE A BECKING THE LIGHT TO THESE KIDS AND SHOW THEM THAT, HEY, YOU DO HAVE A FUTURE. YES, YOU DID MAKE A MISTAKE, AND I'M HERE TO HELP YOU IN ANY WAY POSSIBLE THAT I CAN. I'M THANKFUL FOR THE, UM, CONGRESSMAN FOR HAVING US HERE TODAY AND BEING ABLE TO BRING AWARENESS AND, UM, WE JUST WANT TO JUST CONTINUE TO GROW. UH, JUST TO BRING Y'ALL A LITTLE INSIGHT ON WHAT I'M DOING IN DALLAS, I GOT THREE MENTORS THAT WERE RELEASED FROM TJJD. AND, UM, I'M HELPING THEM JUST GET BASIC LIFE NECESSITIES AS FAR AS LIKE A BIRTH CERTIFICATE, A, A SOCIAL SECURITY CARD, A ID, AND LEADING UP TO, UM, GETTING A DRIVER'S LICENSE. SO WE HAVE ONE THAT WE JUST ENROLLED IN REAL ESTATE SCHOOL, AND, UM, THAT'S JUST SHOWING PROGRESS ON WHAT WE DOING WITH THE KIDS AND WHAT WE PLAN ON CONTINUING TO DO WITH THE KIDS. SO I THANK ALL Y'ALL FOR Y'ALL SUPPORTING COMING OUT, AND, UM, I'M HONORED TO BE HERE TODAY. THANK Y'ALL. WHAT'S GOING ON EVERYBODY? THANK Y'ALL FOR BEING HERE. UM, THANK YOU TO DEIDA. THANK TO ALL MY PARTNERS, THE COUNCIL MEMBER. UM, MY NAME IS LAURA FORD, UM, FOUNDER OF CREATIVE GROUP ECONOMICS, ALSO SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD PRESIDENT OF 76 AND 77. ANYBODY THAT KNOW WHAT WE BRING AND WHAT WE TRY TO DO IN THE COMMUNITY, IT, WE ALWAYS, ALWAYS SPEAK ON SOLUTIONS. UM, ANYBODY THAT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT CREATIVE GROUP ECONOMICS, WE ALWAYS FOCUS ON COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, UH, ECONOMIC SOLUTIONS, AND ALSO DEALING WITH OUR EDUCATION. UM, I SAID THIS BACK IN THE DAY WHEN I WAS IN SCHOOL AT JACKIE YATES IN RYAN MIDDLE SCHOOL IN MCGREGOR ELEMENTARY, RIGHT HERE IN THIRD WARD. WE DIDN'T HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE COMING BACK AND SPEAK TO US. NOW AT THE SCHOOL LEVEL. THEY SEE US AT EVERY LEVEL, FROM ELEMENTARY TO MIDDLE SCHOOL, TO HIGH SCHOOL, TO COLLEGE AND POST-COLLEGE. SO THESE THINGS THAT WE JUST DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT, WE WANT TO BE ABOUT 'EM. AND SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE ALREADY LOOKED TO DO IS WHEN WE TALK ABOUT PUTTING OUR MONEY WHERE OUR MOUTH IS, WE RAISE A HUNDRED THOUSAND USING A POWERPOINT TO BRING BUSINESS IN OUR COMMUNITY. UM, GAVE BUSINESSES, BLACK BUSINESSES A DIFFERENT OUTLOOK ON HOW WE DO. SO WHEN WE DEALING WITH THE YOUTH, WE JUST DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT HOW WE WANT TO HELP THEM GET OUT TROUBLE. WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY THAT WE WANT TO GIVE THEM ONCE THEY GET OUT. AND I KNOW SOME OF THE COUNCIL MEMBERS AND PEOPLE KNOW, WE NOT ONLY TRY TO WORK WITH WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO, BUT WE ALSO BRING THE SOLUTIONS BACK TO THE COMMUNITY. CHANGING THE ORDINANCES, REWRITING DIFFERENT RULES TO HELP YOU GUYS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT ABLE TO HELP US CHANGE THE FABRIC OF OUR OWN COMMUNITIES. THESE ARE THINGS THAT WE LOOKING TO DO. WE JUST DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT. WE WANNA BE ABOUT IT. WE SPEND OUR MONEY, WE SPEND OUR TIME. EVERYBODY KNOW, EVEN OUR CONNECTING WITH OUR COMMUNITY. WHEN WE GO TO OUR CIVIC CLUB AND OUR SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD MEETINGS, MOST OF THE AVERAGE AGE IS ABOUT 65 YEARS OLD. HOW ARE THEY CONNECTING WITH OUR COMMUNITIES? ONE OF OUR PROGRAMS IS WE BUILD FREE WEBSITES FOR ALL OUR CIVIC CLUBS AND SUPER NEIGHBORHOODS TO CONNECT WITH THE COMMUNITY, AND WE DO OUTREACH FOR THEM FOR FREE. THESE ARE THE THINGS IN THE WAYS THAT WE GET OUR INTERNS, OUR COLLEGE STUDENTS, OUR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, OUR MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS ENGAGED. WE'VE HAD OVER 15 INTERNS JUST FROM ATTICS MIDDLE SCHOOL. AND I'M SURE MOST PEOPLE KNOW LIKE, HEY, MAY NOT HAVE THE BEST REP, BUT GUESS WHAT? THEY CAME AND THEY WAS READY TO WORK. SO THESE THINGS, WE WANT TO CATCH THEM BEFORE THEY EVEN GET THERE. SO THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT WE WANT TO BUILD INTO OUR FABRIC OF OUR COMMUNITY AND SHOW [00:20:01] THEM HOW TO DO COMMUNITY OUTREACH. ONE OF OUR PROGRAMS DEALING WITH, RIGHT NOW, WE DEAL WITH THE COLLEGE STUDENTS, T-S-U-A-C, CU OF H, RICE, HOW ARE THEY CONNECTING WITH OUR COMMUNITY? AND I FEEL LIKE THAT WAS A GAP THAT WAS MISSED WHEN WE CAME UP. WE DIDN'T HAVE THAT END ROUTE. I FELT LIKE I HAD TO GO SEARCH, WORK, DIG TO FIND OUR ELDERS THAT WANTED TO GIVE BACK AND WHO WANTED TO POUR INTO US AS WELL, BECAUSE THAT'S NOT ALWAYS A THING. SO WHEN WE DEALING WITH THIS, WE NOT ALSO WANNA SHOW WHAT WE CAN DO FOR THEM, BUT WE WANNA SHOW HOW WE BRING THE OPPORTUNITY BACK TO OUR COMMUNITY. SO AS WE BRING THE OPPORTUNITY TO OUR GUYS HERE, WE WANT TO BUILD THE REVENUE SOURCES TO SHOW THEM HOW TO BRING MONEY BACK TO OUR COMMUNITIES. UM, SO AS WE SPEAK, AND I HOPE THAT THESE THINGS THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO WORK WITH THE CITY COUNCIL, UH, OUR MAYOR, OUR PEOPLE THAT CHANGED THE RULES WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY. HEY, I'M SURE EVERY ONE OF US IN BENTON, MLK, CULLEN, UM, SCOTT, AND WE SEE PEOPLE HANGING OUT AT THE STORES ALL DAY. A LOT OF THESE THINGS, THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT WE GOT TO ADDRESS IN OUR COMMUNITIES. WE HAVE TO ERASE THESE SAFE HAVENS OF BAD BEHAVIOR IN AREAS THAT WHERE THEY CAN PARTAKE. THE MORE THAT WE ELIMINATE THESE AREAS AND ELIMINATE THESE THINGS IN OUR COMMUNITY, THE BETTER WE WILL BECOME AND HAVE THESE AREAS. AND GUESS WHAT, REPLACE THEM WITH PROGRAMS. I WON'T SPEAK PROACTIVELY, BUT WE DEFINITELY, ME AND A COUPLE OTHER PEOPLE, UH, STEVE, FRIENDS, WE ALL ARE WORKING ON THINGS TO BRING TO OUR COMMUNITY TO BRING THAT OPPORTUNITY BACK. BUT I SAY WE ALWAYS HAVE TO BE PROACTIVE. SO AS WE BRING ALL OUR DIFFERENT SOLUTIONS AND ACTIONS, UM, I TELL PEOPLE, YOU CAN COME AND FIND US. WE HAVE A COMMUNITY MEETING EVERY SECOND MONDAY OF THE MONTH. WE WANT TO BE SO VISIBLE IN BRINGING THAT RELATIONSHIP BACK TO OUR CIVICS, OUR PIP MEETINGS WE GO TO ON MACKAY. WE WANNA SEE HOW ARE WE AFFECT THEM WITH OUR DRT TEAM AND HOW ARE THEY AFFECTED IN BRINGING THESE COMMUNITIES BACK TO OUR COMMUNITIES. WE HAVE TO ANSWER THE CALL WHEN IT COMES TO WHAT WE'RE DOING, JUST NOT PASS BY THESE THINGS FOR ANOTHER 10, 20 YEARS. SO WE ALWAYS ABOUT BRINGING THE SOLUTION. SO HOW CAN WE WORK AND KEEP DOING THAT? WE WANT TO BRING THAT. SO IF ANYBODY WANNA BE A PART OF THAT SOLUTION, WE'RE WORKING WITH MY MAN, DIETER, AND AGAIN, THE FOUNDER OF CREATIVE GROUP ECONOMICS. WE APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. YES, SIR. HOW'S EVERYONE DOING TODAY? MY NAME IS ANTHONY TURNER. UM, SO A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ME. UM, I AM A PART OF BOSS LIFE, IF YOU WANNA CALL IT BOSS LIFE FOUNDATION. BUT I GUESS MY STORY'S A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, WHERE I CAME UP FROM AND, YOU KNOW, HOW I GOT TO THIS POINT. UM, OF COURSE, FROM THE NORTH SIDE OF HOUSTON, FROM THE INNER INNER CITY, UH, FROM THE GERS HOME AREA. UM, WHAT I CAN TELL YOU IS, IS THAT MY UPBRINGING WAS VERY SIMILAR TO EVERY GENTLEMAN THAT WAS UP HERE. WHAT I CAN SAY IS I'VE UNDERSTOOD, AND I'VE LEARNED THAT LIFE IS ABOUT CHOICES. UM, SOME HAVE CHOICES, SOME MAKE THE WRONG CHOICES. BUT WHEN I WAS COMING UP, YOU KNOW, I WAS SURROUNDED BY A GROUP OF GREAT FRIENDS. I WOULD SAY EVERYBODY, UM, THAT I'VE, THAT I'VE COME UP WITH HAVE ACTUALLY PUSHED ME TO GO FORWARD. 'CAUSE MY ASPIRATIONS WERE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT THAN OTHERS THAT I'VE COME UP WITH. UM, I'VE BEEN IN THE CORPORATE WORLD FOR ABOUT 20 YEARS. UM, YOU KNOW, I'VE HAD MULTIPLE, MULTIPLE DEGREES FROM A BUSINESS STANDPOINT. AND WHEN I GO BACK TO ALL THOSE, YOU KNOW, ACCOLADES AND THINKING ABOUT ALL THESE THINGS THAT YOU COULD DO, SOMETIMES YOU WANNA PATCH YOURSELF ON THE BACK. BUT FOR ME, UH, IT JUST WASN'T ENOUGH. AND IT, IT'S NOT REWARDING WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU CAN PROVIDE FOR YOUR KIDS IF YOU'RE UNABLE TO DO IT. FOR A COMMUNITY THAT I CAME FROM, UM, I WAS BLESSED ENOUGH TO HAVE A STRONG FOUNDATION AND A MOTHER, GRANDPARENTS, UH, AUNTS, UM, AND JUST FAMILY THAT TRULY LOVED ME TO KEEP ME ON THAT, THAT, THAT RIGHT ROAD, RIGHT? BUT EVERYBODY DOES NOT HAVE THAT. SO FOR ME, UM, BEING ABLE TO NOT ONLY BE A STUDENT OF LIFE, RIGHT, BUT ALSO TO HAVE, UH, DEGREES THAT ARE SAYING, YOU KNOW, I HAVE THE ABILITY, UH, WHEN I STARTED IN THE CORPORATE WORLD, UH, ABOUT 20 YEARS AGO, I CAN TELL YOU THAT I DID NOT KNOW WHAT I WAS DOING. I WAS COMING IN, YOU KNOW, THINKING YOU GET YOU THIS YOUNG, YOUNG GUY, YOU'RE COMING OUTTA SCHOOL AND YOU'RE SAYING, HEY, COME IN, MAKE MONEY AND DO SOME GREAT THINGS. UM, I CAN TELL YOU THAT WHEN I STARTED OFF, I WAS REALLY A LITTLE BIT MISGUIDED FROM MYSELF. AS I LOOK BACK AT IT NOW, I'M A SENIOR LEADER, UH, WITH A TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANY, A CORPORATE COMPANY, UH, WHICH I'VE PROBABLY RAN LOCATIONS AMONGST THE HOUSTON AREA, UH, FROM THE SOUTH SIDE, ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE OTHER SIDE OF TOWN. SO WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? I THINK FOR ME, WHAT IT MEANS TO ME IS, UM, I WANTED TO BE ABLE TO HAVE NOT JUST A PLATFORM, BUT GIVE OPPORTUNITY TO OTHERS THAT DON'T HAVE THAT CHOICE. NOR DO THEY UNDERSTAND WHAT IT'S GONNA TAKE TO GET THERE. I KNOW A LOT OF US MAY GO DOWN THAT, THAT WRONG ROAD. I HAVE BEEN BLESSED AND FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO WHERE MAYBE I DIDN'T GO DOWN THE WRONG ROAD, BUT A LOT OF GOOD PEOPLE THAT WERE SURROUNDING ME HELPED ME TO NOT GO DOWN THAT WRONG ROAD. WHAT I WAS ABLE, UH, ALSO WITH THE HELP OF MR. CANTU HERE, UH, WE ARE STARTING, UM, NOT JUST A COALITION, BUT ALSO A PODCAST, WHICH IS CALLED RECOVER. IT'S NOT JUST AROUND ONE ETHNICITY. UH, I THINK IT'S AROUND EVERYONE, UH, THAT IS A YOUNG MAN OR A YOUNG INDIVIDUAL THAT ARE TRYING TO MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICES [00:25:01] IN LIFE. UM, AND IT'S CALLED RECOVER. AND RECOVER ISN'T ABOUT BEING REACTIVE TO BAD DECISIONS THAT YOU, THAT YOU MAKE, BUT BEING PROACTIVE TO PREVENT, ALSO TO SUPERSEDE ANY NEGATIVE THOUGHTS, BUT ALSO TO PUSH A LOT OF THESE INDIVIDUALS FORWARD. SO WHEN I THINK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE FUTURE AND WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO, TRULY APPRECIATIVE, UH, TO MR. MARTINEZ HERE, WHICH ME AND CANTU HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET WITH AND DISCUSS SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE WANT TO DO. BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, WHAT I WANT TO BE CLEAR ON IS THAT WE HAVE TO BE ABLE AS INDIVIDUALS TO UNDERSTAND. I KNOW WE ALWAYS TALK ABOUT NEVER JUDGING A BOOK BIAS COVER. I'M A BIG BELIEVER ON THAT UNTIL YOU READ A COUPLE PAGES IN THAT CHAPTER OR IN THAT NOVEL THAT YOU MAY, UH, READ WHEN YOU'RE ENCOUNTERING NEW PEOPLE. SO FOR ME, WHENEVER I APPROACH SOMEONE, I'M ALWAYS VERY, YOU KNOW, PAYING ATTENTION TO DETAIL AND ENSURING THAT I, I HELP SOMEONE AND KNOW WHAT VALUE THAT I BRING. AND I THINK A LOT OF INDIVIDUALS, ESPECIALLY YOUTH, DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE VALUE THAT THEY BRING OR WHAT THEY CAN DO TO CHANGE THE FUTURE. NOT ONLY TO MAKE THEIR LIVES EASIER, BUT MAKE SOME OF THE SUPPORT THAT'S IN THIS ROOM LIFE EASIER, BUT ALSO MAKE THE COMMUNITY A SAFER ENVIRONMENT. SO THAT'S WHY WE'RE HERE. WHAT I WILL SAY IN CLOSING IS THIS, IS THAT EVERYONE UP HERE TODAY IS NOT ABOUT JUST TALK, RIGHT? IT'S GONNA LOOK GOOD, VERY GOOD TODAY FOR US TO SPEAK ABOUT SOME THINGS THAT WE'RE GONNA DO. BUT WE'RE GONNA TAKE ACTION AND MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE POSITIVE INFLUENCES, NOT JUST FROM THE HOUSTON, LOCAL HOUSTON AREA, BUT WHETHER WE'RE ON ONE SIDE OF TOWN OR THE OTHER. TO ENSURE THAT WE REPRESENT OURSELVES, WE REPRESENT OUR BRAND. AND FROM ME SPECIFICALLY, I REPRESENT MY FAMILY AND THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN MY LIFE ALONG THE WAY. WHAT I WILL SAY IS THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY AND I LOOK FORWARD TO PARTNERING. UH, AND YOU GUYS WILL HAVE MY SUPPORT AND HOPEFULLY WE WILL HAVE THE SAME FROM YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. GOOD JOB. NO, THANK YOU. GOOD JOB. UH, GOOD MORNING OR GOOD AFTERNOON, ALMOST. UH, MY NAME IS VICTOR GONZALEZ. I AM THE DIVISION MANAGER OF THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF GANG PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION. UH, I'VE BEEN HERE 26 YEARS, UH, BEEN IN THIS FIELD SINCE I WAS 18. I'M 59 NOW, SO I'VE BEEN IN IT A LONG TIME. 40 YEARS I'VE WATCHED THIS STUFF, UH, WITH OUR KIDS GO IN A DIFFERENT DIRECTION FOR MANY, MANY YEARS. YOU GO IN WAVES IN HOUSTON, THERE'S YOUTH VIOLENCE, UH, DEPENDING ON WHAT SIDE OF TOWN YOU'RE ON, IS GONNA DETERMINE WHAT TYPE OF VIOLENCE YOU'RE GONNA HAVE. BUT THE GANGS AND THE CLIQUES IN OUR CITY ARE VERY, THEY'RE HERE. AND IF WE DON'T REALLY ADMIT THAT THEY'RE HERE, THEY'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE. THEY'VE BEEN HERE FOR A LONG TIME. I WAS DEALING WITH THIS IN THE NINETIES. IT, IT LOOKED DIFFERENT THEN IN OUR OFFICE. WE'RE TRYING TO DO WHAT WE CAN TO GET IN THE MIDDLE OF THOSE COMMUNITIES, UH, THAT HAVE THOSE KIDS THAT ARE INVOLVED IN GANGS AND INVOLVED IN NOW MORE OF THE CLIQUES AND TRYING TO PULL SOME OF THOSE AND GIVE THEM THOSE OPPORTUNITIES AND HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS AND THAT MENTORING AND CASE MANAGEMENT TO GET THEM TO SLOWLY MOVE AWAY FROM THAT. 'CAUSE ONCE YOU'RE ENTRENCHED, IT'S NOT AS EASY AS, OH, TELL 'EM LEAVE THE GANG IS GOOD. THERE'S CONSEQUENCES. THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT I HAVE TO CONSIDER. SO STRATEGICALLY WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT OUR OFFICE, PREVENTION IS A BIG THING ON OUR END. SO EDUCATION AND AWARENESS IS A BIG THING. WE'LL DO STUFF AT ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. WE GOT SOMETHING PLANNED, UH, WITH SOME FOURTH AND FIFTH GRADERS COMING UP SOON. ANOTHER SCHOOL REACHED OUT AT A MIDDLE SCHOOL. CAN YOU SPEAK TO OUR SEVENTH AND EIGHTH GRADERS? WE GONNA DO SOMETHING NEXT WEEK WITH OUR JUVENILE PROBATION KIDS ON GANG CASELOAD, UM, AROUND GUN VIOLENCE AND GUN AWARENESS. A LOT OF THE KIDS THAT THAT WE WORK WITH ON THAT PARTNERSHIP WITH HARRIS COUNTY JUVENILE PROBATION DEPARTMENT ARE KIDS THAT HAVE BEEN CAUGHT IN A GANG RELATED CRIME OF SOME SORT. UH, MOST OF THE TIME AGGRAVATED ROBBERIES, UH, THAT ARE COMING HOME GUN CASES. THEY'RE IN GUN POSSESSION, DRUG CASES, UH, DISTRIBUTION AND POSSESSION. AND WE'RE THE REFERRAL SOURCE FOR PROBATION. HELP US GET THIS KID BACK ON TRACK. THE GOAL IS TO LIMIT THE RE-OFFENDING. WE WANT TO, WE WANNA REDUCE THE, THE ABILITY TO RE-OFFEND. SO YOU GOTTA PUT PEOPLE IN PLACE WITH THOSE YOUNG PEOPLE THAT NEED THAT SERVICE ON AFTERSCHOOL STUFF. WE PARTNERED WITH FUTO HERE NOT TOO LONG AGO. AND, AND RA IS ANOTHER AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAM THAT I'LL BE WORKING WITH COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, MARTINEZ ON, IS THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO PUT OUT AFTERSCHOOL SOCCER IN CERTAIN LOCATIONS OF THE CITY. BUT MIND YOU, THE DYNAMO DOESN'T HAVE A LARGE GROUP. WE DON'T HAVE A LARGE GROUP. BUT WHEN WE COME TOGETHER, WE'RE ABLE TO CREATE SOMETHING THAT'S PRETTY EFFICIENT AND NOW WE'RE GONNA EXPAND IT. WE WENT TO A, THEY WENT TO A TRAIN THE TRAINER, UH, TO SOME SCHOOLS. AND I'M ACTUALLY HAPPY TO HEAR THE ADDICTS ACTUALLY WANTS TO PLAY WITH FOOTBALL. LITO. UH, THEY WANT TO GET INTO SOME SOCCER. I WAS HAPPY TO HEAR THAT. SO I'M GONNA GO CHECK THAT OUT, SEE WHAT'S GOING ON. BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO PUSH THAT IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY. THERE'S SOME KIDS THAT CAN PLAY SOCCER. MY SON PLAYED SOCCER AND SOME OF HIS BEST FRIENDS WERE BLACK ATHLETES THAT DIDN'T KNOW THEY COULD TOUCH THE BALL THE WAY THEY DO. AND THEY MADE, THEY WENT TO COLLEGE AND THEY DID SOME GOOD THINGS. I BELIEVE IN THROWING ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING AT KIDS [00:30:01] ON THE PREVENTION SIDE, YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT THEY'RE GONNA JUMP ON. ART, DANCE, MUSIC, PRODUCING IS A BIG DEAL. MAKING BEATS. THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT KIDS GET INTO. SO MY JOB IN THE OFFICE TO TRY TO LOOK FOR THOSE PEOPLE THAT HAVE THOSE TALENTS AND SKILLS AND ORGANIZATIONS AND RESOURCES AND PUT 'EM IN FRONT OF THE KIDS. THAT'S THE BIG THING FOR ME, IS GETTING THEM INVOLVED IN OTHER THINGS, EVEN IF THEY'RE NOT INVOLVED WITH OUR OFFICE. ON THE INTERVENTION SIDE, IT'S A LITTLE MORE INTENSIVE. SO I HAVE STAFF THAT IS IN CERTAIN AREAS OF THE CITY ONLY 'CAUSE I HAVE A VERY SMALL STAFF, BUT THERE ARE CERTAIN AREAS OF THE CITY WHERE WE HAVE A LOT OF GANG VIOLENCE. IT JUST IS WHAT IT IS. IS IT HOT RIGHT NOW IN SOME AREAS? NO. IT'S PRETTY QUIET IN SOME AREAS. BUT HAS IT BEEN AN ISSUE AT OTHER TIMES? UH, HERE IN THE CITY, YES, IT HAS. YOU GOTTA KEEP PEOPLE THERE. YOU HAVE TO HAVE GENTLEMEN LIKE THESE GUYS THAT ARE FROM THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS GOING BACK DOING WHAT THEY CAN WITH THE, THE SKILL SETS THAT THEY HAVE, THE OPPORTUNITIES AND THE RESOURCES THAT THEY HAVE. ANYBODY AND EVERYBODY NEEDS TO GET IN THE GANG. I THINK THE BIGGEST THING THAT HAPPENS THAT I LEARNED THROUGH INTERVENTION WAS THE RESOURCES THAT WE HAVE. THE PEOPLE THAT WANNA SERVICE THIS POPULATION SOMETIMES DON'T KNOW HOW TO, IT'S ONE THING TO TALK TO A GANG MEMBER, BUT CAN YOU WORK 'EM, CAN YOU GET 'EM TO A POINT WHERE HE'S COMFORTABLE IN GETTING THAT ID AND, AND GETTING THAT SOCIAL SECURITY CARD AND GOING TO THAT INTERVIEW AND DRESSING DIFFERENT. 'CAUSE JUST PUTTING ON SOMETHING DIFFERENT IS A CHALLENGE FOR SOME OF MY GUYS. I GOT A GUY JUST DID 20 YEARS OUTTA THIRD WARD AND HE'S A SOMEBODY AND HE'S BEEN HOME FOR TWO MONTHS AND WE GOT HIM LOCKED IN. WE GOT HIM LOCKED INTO A LOCATION. HE'S WORKING. WE JUST GOT HIM ENROLLED AT HCC. HE'S GONNA START SOME AC WORK, UH, SOME AC TRAINING. AND HE'S, HE'S EATING IT UP. BUT I'M, WHEN WE FIRST STARTED TALKING TO HIM, HE WAS VERY NERVOUS. ALL I KNOW IS PRISON VIC. I DON'T KNOW NOTHING ABOUT NOTHING ELSE. ALL I KNOW IS PRISON. I KNOW WHEN I COME HOME, THE FELLOW'S GONNA WANT ME TO REENGAGE AND I'M REALLY NOT TRYING TO DO THAT. SO WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT THESE FOLKS COMING OUTTA PRISON, COMING OUTTA THE JUVENILE SETTING OR THEY'RE ON PROBATION, WE'RE TRYING TO KEEP THOSE RESOURCES AVAILABLE. BUT I NEED THE PARTNERSHIPS. I NEED THINGS THAT THE KIDS ARE INTERESTED IN. I HAVE TO EDUCATE YOU ON HOW TO HANDLE OUR KIDS. 'CAUSE OUR KIDS ARE DIFFERENT. AND ONCE YOU GET THEM GOING AND THEY GET COMFORTABLE AND THEY GET CONFIDENT AND THEY GET THROUGH THAT, THEY GET THAT ENCOURAGEMENT AND THEY, THEY FINALLY GET OVER THE, THE ISSUE OF, I DON'T KNOW IF I CAN DO THIS. ONCE THEY GET OVER THAT HUMP, IT'S AMAZING TO SEE THE ACCELERATION OF HOW MUCH THEY IMPROVE BECAUSE YOU'RE INVOLVED WITH SOMEBODY THAT GETS ME. YOU UNDERSTAND ME. THE FINAL THING THAT WE GET INTO IS WHAT EVERYBODY CALLS NOW VIOLENCE INTERRUPTION. I'VE BEEN DOING THAT SINCE 1992. I'M FROM THE HOOD WHERE COUNCIL MEMBER MARTINEZ IS. I'M FROM THERE. I HAD A BACKGROUND. I KNEW PEOPLE, I DID THINGS. AND IN THOSE DAYS IT WAS NOTHING MORE THAN GO GET TO THE PEOPLE THAT CAN HELP YOU TURN THE KEY, TURN THE KEY, GET THE VIOLENCE TAKEN CARE OF. LET'S SQUASH THIS. LET'S GET THIS UNDER CONTROL, GIMME A MINUTE, COOPERATE WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT. AND WE KNOW HOW THAT GOES. SO IT TAKES SOMEBODY LIKE MYSELF AND PEOPLE THAT I HIRE AND BRING INTO THE OFFICE TO BE ABLE TO STRATEGICALLY WORK WITH THAT AND HAVE THAT SKILLSET TO BE ABLE TO WORK WITH MANY DIFFERENT PEOPLE, INCLUDING LAW ENFORCEMENT. BECAUSE ME AND YOU DIDN'T GET ALONG WHEN I WAS FIRST HERE. THEY DID NOT LIKE ME. THEY DIDN'T LIKE MY HISTORY, THEY DIDN'T LIKE WHO I ASSOCIATED WITH. SO I HAD TO TAKE A LOT OF HITS. BUT I'M OKAY WITH THAT 'CAUSE I'M A DIFFERENT PERSON NOW. AND WE HAVE A GREAT RELATIONSHIP WITH HPD WHEN WE NEED TO HAVE IT. IT'S THERE WITH PAL WITH THE GANG UNITS IF I NEED TO HAVE 'EM WITH THE GANG UNITS. THE ISSUE IS MAINTENANCE. EVERY TIME WE GET NEW PROGRAMS AND WE GET NEW PEOPLE, YOU GOTTA HAVE THE MAINTENANCE BECAUSE PEOPLE WILL LEAVE. AND WHEN YOU HAVE A GOOD THING GOING, ONCE THAT PERSON LEAVES, IF NOBODY'S DOING MAINTENANCE, IT'S HARD TO KEEP THESE THINGS GOING. SO WHEN WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF INCIDENTS AT MILBY AND THE INCIDENTS AT AUSTIN, WE WERE IN THAT IMMEDIATELY AND WITHIN DAYS WE HAD THINGS UNDER CONTROL. WE WERE WITH THE RIGHT KIDS, WE GOT THE RIGHT PEOPLE TO TABLE. THAT STUFF WENT AWAY. BUT IT TOOK TIME. BUT WE'VE BEEN DEVELOPING RELATIONSHIPS OUT THERE FOR A LONG TIME. SO HE HAS AN ADVANTAGE IN HIS DISTRICT BECAUSE I STILL KNOW PEOPLE AND MY STAFF IS REALLY GOOD AT KNOWING PEOPLE. I HAVE STAFF IN THIRD WARD. WE'RE DEALING WITH A SITUATION RIGHT NOW. IF WE DON'T GET UNDER CONTROL, SOMEBODY GONNA GET SHOT IN A FEW HOURS. SO WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF THAT RIGHT NOW. THAT'S WHY MY STAFF IS NOT HERE. SO ANYTIME THERE'S A YOUNG VICTIM, WE'RE IN IT. WE'RE EITHER INDIRECTLY OR DIRECTLY IN IT BECAUSE WE UNDERSTAND HOW THAT VIOLENCE, IF YOU DON'T INTERVENE IN IT, IT'S IN ESCALATING. YOU'LL HAVE TWO OR THREE MORE BODIES GETTING SHOT AND WE'LL HAVE MORE AND MORE VIOLENCE. AND THE LAST THING, WE NEED RESOURCES. WE NEED RESOURCES. A LOT OF FUNDING. IT'S A CONSTANT BATTLE IN MY OFFICE EVERY YEAR WITH OUR CITY BUDGET THE WAY IT IS. IT'S DIFFICULT BECAUSE WE'RE LOSING MONEY EVERY YEAR 'CAUSE OF THE DEFICIT THAT WE'RE IN. AND SO IT JUST GETS PASSED ON LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE DOES. SO I HAVE TO MAINTAIN WHAT I HAVE THE LITTLE STAFF THAT I HAVE, BUT I HAVE TO DO IT WITH PARTNERSHIPS. THAT'S THE LAST THING I REALLY WANNA REALLY EMPHASIZE. THE PARTNERSHIPS, HOW WE DO THINGS IN THE CITY, FROM THE DA'S OFFICE TO LAW ENFORCEMENT, TO OUR SCHOOLS, TO OUR POLITICIANS, TO OUR CITY GOVERNMENT, [00:35:01] COUNTY GOVERNMENT STATES, STATE FOLKS. HOW ARE WE GOING TO WORK TOGETHER AND GET OUT OF THIS THING ABOUT, WELL, I NEED THIS AND I NEED THAT. WELL, WE ALL NEED STUFF. BUT WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT KIDS, I'VE BEEN IN THIS A LONG TIME. I GET TIRED OF WATCHING 'EM DIE. AND THEY'RE MY PEOPLE AND IT'S THEIR PEOPLE. I GET TIRED OF WATCHING IT. SO WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT BLACK AND BROWN KIDS DYING AND GETTING INCARCERATED, YEAH, SOMETIMES, YOU KNOW WHAT? YEAH, IT MIGHT BE OUR FAULT AND THE WAY WE GREW UP AND THE SURROUNDINGS WE'VE BEEN IN, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT, YOU CAN STILL GIVE US AN OPPORTUNITY. 'CAUSE I'M LIVING PROOF RIGHT HERE TODAY. LIKE SOME OF THESE GENTLEMEN, THEY WENT THROUGH WHAT THEY WENT THROUGH, THEY, THEY WERE ON THEIR JOURNEY AND NOW THEY'RE HERE SUPPORTING WHAT IT IS THAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO FOR THE CITY. SO AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE NEED TO ALL COME TOGETHER AS BEST WE CAN WITH RESOURCES, ORGANIZATIONS, AND REALLY HAVE GOOD WORKING, SOLID COMMUNICATION AND COLLABORATION. 'CAUSE UNTIL WE COORDINATE AND WE STAY WORKING IN SILOS, IT WILL BE DIFFICULT. BUT THAT DOESN'T STOP WHAT I'M DOING. I'M GONNA KEEP MOVING REGARDLESS, BECAUSE THE KIDS ARE VERY IMPORTANT. THE FAMILIES, THE COMMUNITIES THAT ARE IMPACTED BY GANGS AND VIOLENCE, YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND THE MAGNITUDE UNTIL YOU GET IN THEIR HOUSE. UNTIL YOU GET IN THEIR FACE AND YOU HEAR THEM TALK. WHEN SOMEBODY TELLS YOU, I'VE BEEN SEXUALLY ABUSED. NOBODY DID NOTHING. WHEN I GOT BEAT UP EVERY DAY AND NOBODY DID NOTHING. WHEN YOU BULLYING ME EVERY DAY, VIC AND I CAN'T FIGHT. AND I KNOW I CAN'T FIGHT. SO I HAD TO SHOOT 'EM. VIC, WHAT YOU WANT ME TO DO, SIR? I HAD NO OTHER CHOICE. UNTIL YOU GET IN THERE AND UNDERSTAND THE TRAUMA, UNTIL YOU GET UNDER THERE AND UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY'VE BEEN THROUGH, IT'S HARD TO, IT'S HARD TO WORK 'EM. AND SO IN OUR OFFICE, I THINK WE DO A PRETTY FINE JOB WITH WHAT I HAVE AND WITH THE SUPPORTIVE COUNCIL MEMBER MARTINEZ, COUNCIL MEMBER SHABA, SHE'S, SHE'S WORKING WITH US AS WELL. IT'S ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING THAT WE HAVE THAT WE CAN PUT OUT THERE TO HELP THE YOUNG PEOPLE IS GONNA BE BENEFICIAL AND IT'S GONNA HELP. THANK YOU. APPRECIATE IT. INCARCERATED CONS, RUN INCARCERATED CONS, RELIGIOUSLY RUN MARATHONS, BUT NOT IN THE NAME OF FITNESS. HE RUNS DAILY TO VISIT AT WHICH HE MISSES WHILE TRYING TO BLOCK OUR VISIONS OF HIS EX-BEST FRIEND SLEEPING WITH HIS EX MISSES, HE GET RIDICULOUS. BUT IN THERE YOU DON'T GET THE PRIVILEGE TO SHED TEARS TO SHOW EMOTION. YOU CRY ON THE INSIDE, WHICH DROWNS YOUR HEART, LEAVING NO EMOTION. HOPING ON COURT CASES THAT KEEP US ROLLERCOASTER, PRAYING FOR BETTER DAYS WHEN OUR FLAWS ARE WIDE OPEN. SO HOW ARE WE COPING WITH DREAMS OF GETTING OUT AND DOING THE BIG, BUT OUR DREAMS ARE WHAT GOT US DOING THE BID. WE NEED TO CHANGE 'EM, REARRANGE 'EM TO THAT STRANGE LIFE. IT'S STILL A STRUGGLE AND STRIFE, BUT NOT THE SAME LIFE. I'M TALKING ABOUT THAT NINE TO FIVE DAY TO DAY LIFE, THAT MINIMUM PACE, DAY OUT THE WAY LIFE YOU MIGHT THINK YOU LOSE A LOT, BUT YOU SUSTAIN LIFE. AND LIFE IS WHAT WE MAKE IT. YEAH, WE IN PRISON TRYING TO FAKE IT. THINK BACK TO THE STREETS AND WE MISTAKEN. NOBODY THOUGHT YOU WAS THE MAN BUT YOU. I'M SNITCHES TO KNOCK YOU ON THE CANVAS, DUDE, YOU OUT AWAKE. BUT IN THE DREAM STATE, DON'T TRY TO TELL 'EM TO ME. I GOT MY OWN TO MAKE. NOBODY BELIEVES YOU. SO NOW YOU WANNA RETALIATE. YOU BETTER GET YOUR MIND OUTTA HELL AND FLY STRAIGHT. BUT IF NOT, GO AHEAD AND ACCEPT YOUR FATE. I'M MARK OWENS. I'M A PROFESSIONAL FIGHTER. UM, I'M THE OWNER OF MARK OWENS BOXING, UH, AND A FOUNDER OF TRUE RINGLEADERS. BUT I ALSO DID 10 YEARS INCARCERATED. UH, AMIDST MY INCARCERATION. UM, I DID EVERY PROGRAM THAT YOU COULD THINK OF, UH, AND NONE OF THEM HELPED. UM, IT'S A TON OF PROGRAMS WHILE YOU ARE INCARCERATED, BUT LITERALLY THEY JUST PAPERWORK. THEY JUST SOMETHING TO DO. IT'S JUST SOMETHING TO KEEP YOU BUSY. SO ON MY RELEASE, I CREATED A PROGRAM MYSELF, A NONPROFIT CALLED TRUE RINGLEADERS. 'CAUSE BEING IN THERE AND SEEING HOW MANY BAD PROGRAMS THEY HAD, I KNEW IT WAS SOMETHING THAT THAT WAS REALLY NEEDED, UH, FOR PEOPLE THAT REALLY, REALLY WANTED TO CHANGE THEIR LIFE. OR FOR THE ONES OUT HERE THAT DON'T REALLY UNDERSTAND THAT, IT'S A REAL CHANGE THAT CAN BE MADE. SO I USE MY STORY. I TRY TO USE MY PLATFORM AND EVERY OPPORTUNITY THAT I GOT TO REALLY PREACH AND TEACH TO THE YOUNG ONES COMING UP UNDER ME. TRUE LEADERS IS THE NAME OF THE PROGRAM, THE NONPROFIT THAT I STARTED. UH, AND TRUE RING LEADERS, WE TEACH THE KIDS HOW TO PUT THEIR DECISIONS INTO [00:40:01] A RING AND LET THAT RING. AND IN THAT RING ALLOW YOUR DECISIONS OR YOUR THOUGHT PROCESS TO FIGHT IT OUT AND SEE WHAT REALLY, WHAT REALLY WEIGHS HEAVY AND WHAT REALLY IS IMPORTANT. NOW, RING IS ACRONYM NOW. IT STANDS FOR RESPONSIBILITY, INTEGRITY, NOBLE CHARACTER, AND GOOD STEWARDSHIP. NOW YOU LET YOUR DECISIONS OR WHATEVER IT MAY BE, FIGHT, FIGHT WITH THOSE CORE VALUES AND SEE WHAT STANDS. AND THAT'S WHEN YOU KNOW WHAT'S YOUR DECISION. SO TRUE RINGLEADERS, I LOVE THIS PROGRAM. AND I THOUGHT ONCE UPON A TIME, I THOUGHT THAT TRUE RINGLEADERS WAS THE WAY HE WAS. GOD BREATHE. HE, I KNOW HE GAVE IT TO ME. BUT I SOON REALIZED THAT IT IS NOT JUST THE WAY, IT WAS JUST MY RESPONSIBILITY. ONCE I MET CANTU AND A COUPLE OF OTHER MEN, UM, AND ALSO WITH BEING IN THE SYSTEM, I KNEW THAT THIS WHOLE THING IS ACTUALLY A WAR. LIKE A WAR THAT HAS TO BE FOUGHT ON MULTIPLE FRONTS. TRUE RINGLEADERS, WHAT I DO AND A LOT OF THESE OTHER MEN DO. LIKE, THAT'S JUST ONE BATTLE FRONT. GETTING INTO THE MINDS AND THE HEARTS OF THE PEOPLE AND REALLY UNDERSTANDING THAT WE MUST DO BETTER. IT IS ONLY ONE PIECE OF THE FIGHT. IT'S ONE PIECE OF THE WAR. WE ALSO GOTTA ADDRESS THE, THE THINGS THAT HAPPEN INSIDE OF THESE INSTITUTIONS. WE NEED THE GOOD COS WE NEED GREAT LAW ENFORCEMENT. IN, IN TRUE RINGLEADERS IS THE KIDS I WORK WITH TEACHING THEM BOXING AND FITNESS. MOST OF THEM HATE OR ARE SCARED OF LAW ENFORCEMENT. SO WE TRY TO BRIDGE THAT GAP, THAT BRIDGE THAT UNDERSTANDING TO UNDERSTAND THAT WE FIGHTING TOGETHER. WE'RE NOT FIGHTING EACH OTHER. WE FIGHTING A, A SYSTEM, A, A MINDSET. A, A, A PRINCIPALITY, A POWER. WE ARE NOT FIGHTING PEOPLE, WE'RE NOT FIGHTING AGAINST EACH OTHER. BUT IN ORDER FOR THIS WAR TO BE FOUGHT APPROPRIATELY, LIKE EVERYBODY GOTTA FIGHT TOGETHER, BUT SAY THEY GOT PEOPLE LIKE MYSELF, I LOVE IT. I BELIEVE IN WHAT I'M DOING, CAN'T YOU? A LOT OF THESE MEN LOVE IT, BELIEVE IN WHAT WE DOING, YET THE FUNDING ISN'T THERE SOMETIMES. SO, YOU KNOW, YOU COULD LOVE IT. YOU COULD BE A PASSION PROJECT. YOU REALLY WANT TO DO THIS. YOU GOT A HEART FOR IT. BUT THEN YOU GOTTA STEP INTO WHAT WE CALL REAL LIFE, RIGHT? WE KNOW THE FUNDS ARE OUT HERE. I'VE, I'VE SEEN IT, I'VE TOUCHED IT IN DIFFERENT GRANTS OR FOR, AND WE USE IT FOR THIS OR FOR THAT. BUT WE REALLY NEED IT WHERE IT IS TO REALLY EMPOWER A WHOLE GROUP OR GENERATION OF INDIVIDUALS THAT'S REALLY GOING TO FIGHT THIS FIGHT THAT'S REALLY GOING TO GIVE 150% TO THIS WAR. BECAUSE IT'S NOT A PART-TIME WAR. IT'S SO IT CAN'T BE FOUGHT PART-TIME WHEN WE ATTEMPT TO FIGHT IT PART-TIME. WHEN WHEN I SPEAK FOR MYSELF, WHEN I TRY TO DO IT ON THE SIDE OF MY JOB, IT'S SO OVERWHELMING AND IT OVERTAKES EVERYTHING THAT I, IT GETS HARD. THE WORK IS HARD THOUGH. I'M NOT COMPLAINING ABOUT IT BEING HARD YET. IT NEEDS TO BE DONE. IT NEEDS TO BE DONE APPROPRIATELY. SO THE FUNDING NEEDS TO BE IN PLACE. THE PEOPLE NEED TO BE IN PLACE. WHAT THE BIBLE SAY THAT THE, THE, THE HARVESTS IS THE, THE HARVEST IS, IS PLENTY, BUT THE LABORERS ARE FEW. BUT YET, IF WE COULD EMPOWER THE LABORERS AND GET THE RIGHT PROGRAMS AND SYSTEMS, THE RIGHT PROGRAM, THE RIGHT PROGRAMS AND SYSTEMS IN ORDER AND IN PLACE WITH THE RIGHT PEOPLE AND EVERYBODY FIGHT TOGETHER, THEN WE HAVE OURSELVES SOMETHING. UNTIL WE DO THAT, WE AIN'T GOT NOTHING. I, I THOUGHT RING LEADERS WAS THE WAY, BUT IT'S JUST A PIECE OF THE PUZZLE WITHOUT YOUR PEACE OR WITHOUT YOUR PEACE. WE PLAYING. SO UNTIL WE GET SERIOUS AND REALLY COME TOGETHER, GET THE FUNDING IN ORDER, GET THE PEOPLE IN ORDER, AND REALLY FIGHT, IT IS TIME TO FIGHT. IT'S A WAR AND IT'S TIME TO FIGHT. THAT'S REALLY WHAT I'M HERE FOR. THAT'S WHAT I GOTTA SAY. THANK Y'ALL. YEAH. MY NAME IS DIETER CANTU. UM, I DON'T REALLY HAVE MUCH TO SAY. I JUST WANTED TO, UH, COORDINATE THIS SO WE CAN CONTINUE TO FIGHT. UM, PLEASE, LET'S GET TOGETHER AFTER THIS. LET'S NETWORK EXCHANGE CONTACT INFORMATION AND UM, THANK YOU A THOUSAND TIMES OVER FOR, UH, HAVING US, [00:45:01] FOR SHARING THIS SPACE. AND, UM, I'VE BEEN WORKING. I WORK, WE GONNA KEEP WORKING AND, UM, WE GOT SOME MORE NEWS ON THE WAY, BIG NEWS. SO GET TO WORK. THAT'S IT. AND APPRECIATE YOU. I'M GONNA SAY A FEW WORDS IN SPANISH IF, IF YOU, UM, ALLOW ME, UM, MARTINEZ, UM, UM, I'LL CLOSE WITH THIS. UM, THIS IS A, A CALL TO ACTION. THIS IS, UM, I APPRECIATE, UH, DIETER AND THE GENTLEMEN THAT ARE HERE, AND WE INVITED OTHER FOLKS THAT WE KNOW NEED PARTICIPATE IN THIS. UM, NOT ONE PERSON CAN DO THIS JOB ALONE. I RECOGNIZE THAT AS A ELECTED OFFICIAL. UM, ALSO GROWING UP IN THE EAST END, UM, WORKING IN NONPROFIT. AND SO THE CALL TO ACTION IS IF YOU CAN GIVE OF YOURSELF, AND I, I APPRECIATE SOMEBODY, I CAN'T REMEMBER WHO SAID IT, BUT POUR BACK INTO THE COMMUNITY OR POUR BACK INTO THESE GENTLEMEN, WHAT HAD BEEN POURED INTO YOU THAT HAD BEEN POSITIVE. UM, I KNOW ONE OF MY COLLEAGUES HAD, UH, UH, POLICE PASTORS AND, AND UM, PEOPLE, UM, AS YOU CAN SEE, WE'RE TRYING TO ADDRESS THIS ON DIFFERENT FRONTS. IT CANNOT BE DONE ALONE. AND SO YOU HAVE A, A ENERGIZED GROUP OF YOUNG FOLKS THAT UNDERSTAND THE SPACE FIRST AND FOREMOST, UH, BUT THEN ALSO UNDERSTAND THEIR RESPONSIBILITY. IT CANNOT JUST FALL ON LAW ENFORCEMENT CANNOT JUST FALL ON CIVIC LEADERS. IT ACTUALLY, THE, THE HEAVIEST PART IS CARRIED BY COMMUNITY. AND YOU HAVE A FOLK, A GROUP OF FOLKS THAT ARE READY TO STEP UP AND HELP CARRY THIS. SO, UH, FOR THOSE THAT ARE INTERESTED IN, IN THIS PROGRAM, INTERESTED IN WANTING TO CONNECT WITH US, YOU CAN REACH OUT TO MY OFFICE. UM, IT'S, UH, DISTRICT I@HOUSTONTX.GOV. UH, NUMBER'S 8 3 2 3 9 3 3 0 1 1. MY TEAM IS HERE TO SUPPORT EVERYBODY THAT IS HERE STANDING ON THIS STAGE TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE CREATING A SPACE WHERE PEOPLE CAN LIVE, WORK, AND THRIVE IN, IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON, SPECIFICALLY OUR YOUNG FOLKS. UM, AND SO WITH THAT, GOD BLESS YOU. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS, YOU KNOW, ON THE PROGRAM OR ANYBODY UP HERE THAT Y'ALL WOULD LIKE TO ASK ANY QUESTIONS, WE'RE HERE TO ANSWER THOSE. THANK YOU. * 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.