Houston Defender: May 05, 2016

CONTEST

DEFENDER MOTHER’S DAY LOOK-ALIKE WINNERS ANNOUNCED P7

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Volume 85 | Number 27 MAY 5, 2016 | FREE

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ENTERTAINMENT TYLER JAMES WILLIAMS goes back in time

P6 HEALTH DR. TOICHA VINCENT claims healthy numbers count

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CITY PENSIONS

HS SPORTS KAMERON HYPOLITE qualifies for state

City Controller Chris Brown

How It Impacts Blacks H PAGE 8

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Deric Muhammad sets Summit, May 21

Houston Texans mission accomplished

“Inspiring young Black males to accept the responsibility of greatness” is only one part of the Smart’n Up! Summit at the Shrine of the Black Madonna. Find out more about the exciting plans for this free program.

Speed is the name of the game as Houston comes up with six players that fit the bill including top pick Will Fuller (left). Pro Sports editor Max Edison got a little insight from GM Rick Smith and Coach Bill O’Brien on the Texan plan.

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TOP EVENTS

Yates instructor Ray Carrington with guest speaker Kim Gagne

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DEFENDER | MAY 5 | 2016

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newstalk

Flooded residents to landlords: no repairs, no rent

By ASWAD WALKER Defender

The standoff continues between Greenspointarea apartment residents and apartment managers over rent payments for apartments damaged by Houston’s recent record floods. Residents argue they should not have to pay rent for apartments damaged to the point of being unlivable. Managers, however, are holding firm to their demand for rent, and have begun towing the vehicles of residents who don’t comply.

Working with the Texas Organizing Project (TOP), many residents drew a line in the sand against landlord demands.

“I have a pregnant wife and an eight-monthold daughter,” said Angel Lopez, a resident of The Woods of Greenbriar. “They can’t live here. The smell, the mold, the damage; this place is not livable.

It doesn’t make sense to pay rent when repairs are not being done.”

According to Lopez and others, members of management continue to downplay apartment damage, claiming that the most effected elements, namely the sheetrock and carpets, have been removed. Residents further contend that managers are blaming the slow pace of repairs on city inspections that have yet to occur.

Tarsha Jackson, TOP’s Harris County director, is calling for specific manager actions including suspending rental payments until FEMA and insurance payments can be secured, and assisting residents in finding temporary housing.

“The first step in getting people back on their feet is finding them a suitable place to live,” Jackson said. “Then, the apartments’ repairs should be expedited so they can return to their homes and lives.

We are calling on the managers to waive rent for families in unsuitable conditions.”

Recently, TOP helped move several residents to hotels. Jackson said relocation efforts will continue until every person who needs suitable housing has it.

Texas Organizing Project representatives talk to the media about apartment conditions.

Houston Black Male Summit kicks off Saturday May 21 With the theme “Smart’n Up! Deric Muhammad prepares to kick off the annual Black Male Summit on Saturday, May 21 at the Shrine of the Black Madonna, 5309 MLK Blvd from 12:30 pm to 5 pm.

The free event focuses on education, survival and success for young men and Muhammad explains why another Black summit is important.

“There has been an alarming uptick in murders among young Black males in Southeast Houston.

Part of this area has been ‘crowned’ the second most dangerous neighborhood in America. The Harris County District Attorney has executed a ‘gang injunction’ that initially aimed at banning 94 Black

males from the Southlawn area for the remainder of their lives. For these reasons, we’ve decided to host the summit in the Southeast area,” stated Muhammad.

“Those of us who have solutions cannot be afraid to go where the problem is. The primary goals of this year’s summit are to inspire each attendee to create a concrete plan for the future.

If you are a Black male in America without a plan then you have a problem. We want to emphasize the importance of ownership and job creation and inspire digital entrepreneurs. Our young people must use social media to “make

money; not mischief,” added Muhammad.

The summit program includes digital entrepreneurship; Stop the Violence (conflict resolution), developing a P.L.A.N. and a new drone exhibition promoting opportunities in the aviation industry. Scheduled speakers are Pastor E.A. Deckard, Motivational Speaker Karl “King Motivator” Mayes, Reginald Gordon, Philip Scott and Deric Muhammad.

Muhammad said he wants the summit to “inspire young men to accept the responsibility of greatness while providing for them the resources by which it can be obtained.”

occurs in women after childbirth during the first year after a baby is born.........NEW HPD OFFICERS were welcomed to the ranks by Mayor Sylvester Turner and HPD Acting Police Chief Martha Montalvo. The 64 new graduates from the academy took the oath to serve and protect the citizens of Houston........TEXAS A&M STUDY shows risk factors associated with injurious falls in residential care facilities, which are different from nursing homes in that elders require less help in everyday living. The first study of its kind nationwide was conducted by Samuel Towne Jr. and found

that Black adults had the lowest rates of injurious falls compared to all other racial groups at 5.5 percent.........BIG TEXAS WIN ON MEDICAID is the way some are describing the move by the federal government approving Texas’ request for a temporary extension of a $3.1 billion annual Medicaid waiver.

Even though the state Republican-controlled Legislature has opposed the White House’s signature health care law, this move leaves the door open. It extends for 15 months, through 2017, a waiver set to expire Sept. 30 that reimburses hospitals for urgent care provided to uninsured Texans.

localbriefs TAX DAY FLOODS were the topic of discussion as Congressmen Al Green and Gene Green stood on the floor of the House of Representatives seeking $311 million for Army Corps flood control construction projects in the Houston area........MAY IS POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION AWARENESS MONTH in Texas based on House Bill 2079, authored by State Rep. Senfronia Thompson (D-Houston) and passed by state lawmakers.

Considered one of the most common complications of childbirth, postpartum depression affects approximately 1 in 7 women and the mental illness

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DEFENDER | MAY 5 | 2016

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U.S.briefs

Mobile survey of Blacks reveals untapped opportunities

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ost African-Americans have access to mobile connectivity however the community lags in both awareness and participation in the $548 billion and 7 million jobs wireless innovation contributes each year to the U.S. economy.

A new nationwide poll of AfricanAmericans identifies a significant gap between the community’s enthusiastic embrace of mobile technology as consumers and their awareness of mobile technology as a tool for economic empowerment. Most important, the poll is among the first in the nation to ask respondents to help identify concrete solutions to unlock opportunities for full participation in our nation’s mobile-fueled innovation economy.

“African-Americans are way out front as avid wireless consumers, yet the community lags in terms of participation in the $548 billion and 7 million jobs mobile innovation contributes each year to the U.S. economy,” said pollster Cornell Belcher, president of brilliant corners Research & Strategies, which conducted the survey for Mobile Future. “With this project, we set out to engage the community to better understand not only why this gap exists, but far more importantly, to discover the pathway leading to economic empowerment and what concrete actions can help begin to turn things around.”

The poll of 800 African-Americans was conducted by telephone from January 14-25, 2016.

Crossing the new digital divide Key Findings

1. Despite overwhelming use of mobile technology, the African-American community has limited exposure to the economic opportunities that mobile tech makes possible.

Most African-Americans view mobile tech primarily as a consumer tool (59%) versus a means of economic empowerment (24%).

2. Focused effort is needed to bridge the gap. While millions of U.S. workers embrace the tech economy, many AfricanAmericans are not aware of the economic opportunities being created by the industry. A majority of respondents (53%) identify lack of skills and low awareness as the biggest barriers to pursuing mobile tech opportunities. Respondents say low cost training (47%) and relevant courses offered in communities (31%) and schools (26%) would increase their interest in mobile tech.

3. Time to ‘lean in’ for women and girls. Currently, AfricanAmerican women are far less likely to be interested in mobile tech jobs. As an example, while 45% of men expressed interest in becoming mobile app developers, just 31% of women said the same.

4. Strong entrepreneurial spirit. There is significantly more interest in mobile tech as an entrepreneurial tool (48%) than as a career path (33%).

5.Personal experience matters. Half of respondents (50%) say they do not know anyone in their community who works in the tech industry. Those who do are 56% more likely to express interest in being a mobile tech entrepreneur.

6. More information leads to more interest. After a brief discussion of mobile tech opportunities, 8% shifted to express interest. A case study citing use of mobile tech for both economic gain and community empowerment proved most persuasive (67%). Millennial women (77%) found the flexibility often associated with mobile tech jobs most compelling

NO FLY FOR FOREIGN FIGHTERS ACT (H.R. 4240) was approved by voice vote in the House of Representatives. The legislation authored by the Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations Subcommittee ensures the terrorist watchlist is operating efficiently and effectively in light of evolving threats from ISIS. Subcommittee ranking member Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) said, “Within the first six months of 2015 alone, more than 7,000 foreign fighters have arrived in Syria and Iraq. Of those traveling to Syria and Iraq to fight for the Islamic State terrorist group, it is estimated at least 250 hold U.S. Citizenship.

The accuracy of our terrorist screening tools is more critical now than ever before. By ensuring the mechanisms that keep foreign fighters and terrorists from traveling to America are strong and sound, the No Fly for Foreign Fighters Act will enhance America’s security and defenses.” ........WOMEN COLLEGE GRADUATES MAKE $4 LESS PER HOUR THAN MEN – and the gap is getting wider. Right out of college, young male college graduates are paid more than their women peers – astonishing, given that these young people by definition have the same experience. While young men with a college degree earn an average hourly wage of $20.94 early in their careers, their female counterparts earn an average hourly wage of just $16.58, or $4.36 less than men. This difference would translate to a $9,000 annual wage gap for full-time workers........MALIA OBAMA plans to attend Harvard University after graduating from Sidwell Friends this spring. However the 17-year-old announced she “will take a gap year before beginning school” according to a statement from the White House meaning she will enroll in the fall of 2017........

DETROIT TEACHERS conducted a districtwide sickout shutting down 94 public schools after the Detroit Public School Emergency Manager Judge Steven Rhodes announced there may not be enough money to pay teachers after June 30.

VOLUME 85 • NUMBER 27 MAY 5, 2016

Publisher Sonceria Messiah-Jiles Advertising/Client Relations Selma Dodson Tyler Online Editor ReShonda Billingsley Art Director Tony Fernandez-Davila

Print Editor Marilyn Marshall

Multimedia Coordinator LaGloria Wheatfall Sports Editors Max Edison Darrell K. Ardison

The Defender newspaper is published by the Houston Defender Inc. Company (713-663-6996.. The Defender is audited by Certified Audited Circulation. (CAC). For subscription, send $60-1 year to: Defender, P.O. Box 8005, Houston TX 77288. Payment must accompany subscription request. All material covered by 2012 copyright. (No material herein may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher).

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MAY 5 | 2016 | DEFENDER

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Storm disaster relief for residents Unemployment aid available

Victims affected by the April 17-24 storms of severe weather, including destructive flooding, may now apply for Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) in four counties as a result the Presidential Disaster Declaration (FEMA 4269-DR). Workers who lost their jobs and self-employed individuals who have been unable to work due to storms in Fayette, Grimes, Harris and Parker counties may apply for DUA. Applications for DUA for these four counties must be submitted by May 27, 2016. Individuals affected by the severe storms in these counties can apply for benefits online through Unemployment Benefit Services or by calling a TWC Tele-Center, Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. at 800939-6631. Applications for DUA filed after the May deadlines will be considered untimely, unless the individual provides good cause for applying late.

Speed up recovery process

Disaster Recovery Centers (DRC) are open with representatives from Harris County, City of Houston, State of Texas, Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Small Business Administration, and

other agencies who will be at the centers to explain disaster assistance programs and help survivors apply for aid. The centers are located at: • Bayland Community Center, 400 Bissonnet St., Houston, TX 77074 • Greenspoint Office Building, 16800 Imperial Valley, Houston, TX 77060 • Cypress Creek Christian Church and Community Center, 6823 Cypresswood Dr., Spring, TX 77379 • Lone Star College Cy-Fair Library, 9191 Barker Cypress Rd., Cypress, TX 77433

Survivors can register for FEMA assistance by phone or online before visiting a center. Going to a DRC is not a requirement of registration, but specialists there can provide guidance regarding disaster recovery and rental resources, explain written correspondence received from FEMA, inform survivors of the status of their application, make referrals to other organizations and answer questions.

Survivors can apply online at DisasterAssistance.gov or by phone (voice, 711 or relay service) at 800621-3362. TTY users should call 800462-7585. The toll-free lines are open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week.

Applicants will be asked to provide: Social Security number, address of the damaged primary residence, description of the damage, information about insurance coverage, a current contact telephone number, an address where they can receive mail and bank account and routing numbers for those preferring direct deposit of funds.

Eligible survivors should register with FEMA even if they have insurance. FEMA cannot duplicate insurance payments, but under-insured applicants may receive help after their insurance claims have been settled.

Get vaccinated today Shingles and pneumonia have serious consequences, but getting vaccinated can help keep you healthy.

Talk to your pharmacist.

©2016 Walgreen Co. All rights reserved.

Vaccines subject to availability. State-, age- and health-related restrictions may apply. ©2016 Walgreen Co. All rights reserved. 217150-198

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DEFENDER | MAY 5 | 2016

entertainment

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Tyler James Williams

Goes back in time with ‘RePlay’

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orn in Westchester County, N.Y. in 1992, Tyler James Williams can be seen this spring co-starring as computer whiz Monty on CBS’ “Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders,” a new spinoff series.

Early last year, he guest-starred as Noah on AMC’s “The Walking Dead.”

In 2014, he impersonated Steve Urkel on “Key & Peele.” The skit received rave reviews and was named the No. 1 sketch of the year by New York Magazine.

On the big screen, Tyler starred as Lionel Higgins in the breakout film “Dear White People,” a satire about being a black face in a very white place. The picture was well-received, including winning the Special Jury Prize at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. The year before he appeared in “Peeples” opposite Kerry Washington and Craig Robinson.

Tyler might be best known for his work on the Emmy Award-winning series “Everybody Hates Chris” for which he won a 2007 NAACP Image Award for Best Actor in a Comedy Series. In 2012, he was nominated for another Image Award for his performance as a gifted rapper plagued by self-doubt in the Disney Channel Original Movie, “Let It Shine.”

Tyler began acting at the age of 4 on “Sesame” Street and he subsequently co-starred in the animated series “Little Bill.” His other television credits include “Law & Order: SVU,” as well as numerous appearances in sketches on “Saturday Night Live.”

An accomplished musician, Tyler recently released a mixtape with his brother Tyrel titled “Me, My Brother & a Mic.” Here, he talks about starring in “RePlay,” a scripted time-loop series from New Form Digital.

KW: What interested you in “RePlay?”

TJW: I just really liked the story and I loved the movie “Groundhog Day.” KW: How would you describe the series in 140 characters or less?

TJW: It’s DJ Allison Lee’s (Lyndsy Fonseca) 25th birthday party and she just has to impress promoters. She fails and wishes for another try. She gets 25 chances to get it right.

KW: The premise does sound a little like “Groundhog Day.” TJW: Yes, I would describe it as a modern-day “Groundhog Day.” I really liked RePlay because it wasn’t just Allison’s character that experienced a replay, but eventually her friends realize they are also reliving the same day.

And it is interesting to see how humans would act if they knew there were never any consequences for their actions

because the next day they could wake up and just redo it.

KW: If you had an opportunity to repeat the most important day of your life until you got it right, would you?

TJW: I would probably take a really bad date from when I was younger where just everything went wrong.

KW: How would you describe your character?

TJW: I play Nate who is Allison’s best friend, but he is secretly in love with her. He is in the “friends zone,” but really tries to get out of it. Each day, he gets a bit more desperate.

KW: What is your favorite dish to cook?

TJW: I love breakfast food any time of the day.

KW: What is your earliest childhood memory?

TJW: Well, I remember everything from my days shooting Sesame Street. It was such an incredible experience. My mom also convinced me to steal one of Big Bird’s feathers, which I still have.

KW: What is the most important life lesson you’ve learned so far?

TJW: Patience, always be patient. I also believe everything happens for a reason.

KW: What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done?

TJW: How about shooting the “RePlay” party scene over and over again and doing the wake-up scene 25 times on the same day in a row! That was pretty crazy!

KW: What is your guiltiest pleasure?

TJW: When I am in New York, I love going to a Chinese restaurant and ordering chicken wings and fries.

KW: Finally, what’s in your wallet?

TJW: Money and a hair tie for my personal trainer Jimmy. You never know when he needs to put it up in a man bun. I am really into fitness right now and trying to bulk up.

what’sup KTSU 90.9 FM is making changes, giving students significant roles at the station. TSU students with shows are KRIS WALKER, with his show “After Hours Praise Party” (Mondays, 2 a.m.–5 a.m.); and NOEL VELASQUEZ, with his show Fiesta Nights, a mixture of Latin Jazz (Thursdays, 6 p.m.– 10 p.m.). New additions to the team include: KIM BURRELL, multiple Grammy-Award nominee and Dove & Stellar award-winner, hosting her own show “Bridging the Gap” with Kim Burrell on Sundays from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. starting Sunday, June 5; MIKE CAVIEL and TSU professor VAL WILSON, hosting “Mornings with Mike and Val Show” from 6:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m. and DJ CHILLY

BILL SMITH), former Radio One DJ, joins KTSU on Fridays hosting the “5 O’ Clock Blues Revue” from 5 p.m.-7 p.m………Ballet dancer MISTY COPELAND was honored by Mattel with her own Barbie Doll. The tribute to the first AfricanAmerican woman to be named principal dancer at the world-renowned American Ballet Theatre, is part of Mattel’s Sheroes Collection committed to diversity and inclusion which includes AVA DUVERNAY and ZENDAYA COLEMAN.…….

With two big music drops BEYONCE’ releasing “Lemonade” and DRAKE rolling out “Views From the 6,” Queen Bey has emerged with her sixth album to make it to No. 1 on the Billboard

200……..Looks like PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA could be a stand-up comedian. In his final appearance as “Comedian in Chief” at the White House Correspondents Dinner, Obama had a good time taking swipes at the Republican Party, Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton. Before leaving the stage, the President said, “Obama Out” and dropped the mic. Well done, Mr. President. An administrator for the PRINCE estate, Bremer Trust, has been appointed to handle matters involving the estate. However, sources indicate that investigators are looking into whether Prince died from an overdose and whether a doctor was prescribing drugs in the weeks beforehand.

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MAY 5 | 2016 | DEFENDER

ONE DAY SALE

Defender Mother’s Day Look-Alike Contest winners announced Defender News Service

Amber Davis

1st Place $300

In honor of Mother’s Day, The Defender wanted to showcase those mothers and daughters that could pass as twins. Our first mother/daughter look-alike contest brought in almost a hundred entries from mothers and daughters who could’ve passed for sisters.

Readers weighed in on their favorites and Amber Davis and her mother, Linda are our 2016 winners.

“We are best friends and twins!” Amber said. “I was actually born a twin. If she were here, we would be triplets!”

Linda and Amber received 623 votes and will win a $300 Visa gift card.

Our second place winners garnered 228 votes from people who said they looked most alike. Leah Hayes, and her mother, Opel will receive a $200 Visa gift card. Leah says sharing the win with her mother makes her proud.

“I have the best mom a girl could ask for,” said Leah.

“She comforts me, takes care of me, praises me, disciplines me, but I’m just so grateful that she’ll never stop loving me.”

Rounding out our winners are Lauren Slio and her mother, Debra, who received 177 votes. They will receive a $100 gift card.

Special thanks to all of those who entered. You can see all of the entries at http://bit.do/mothersdayentries.

SAT, MAY 7 9AM-11PM

ALSO SHOP FRI, MAY 6 9AM-1OPM HOURS MAY VARY. SEE MACYS.COM AND CLICK ON STORES FOR DETAILS

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Leah Hayes

2nd Place $200

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CANNOT BE USED ON DOORBUSTERS OR DEALS OF THE DAY Excludes ALL: cosmetics/fragrances, Deals of the Day, Doorbusters/web busters, electrics/ electronics, Everyday Values (EDV), furniture/mattresses, Last Act, Macy’s Backstage, rugs, specials, super buys, All-Clad, Breville, Dyson, Fitbit, Frye, Hanky Panky, Jack Spade, Kate Spade, KitchenAid Pro Line, Le Creuset, Levi’s, Marc Jacobs, Michele watches, New Era, Nike on Field, Sam Edelman, Samsung watches, Shun, Stuart Weitzman, The North Face, Theory, Tumi, Vitamix, Wacoal, Wüsthof, athletic clothing, shoes & accessories; Dallas Cowboys merchandise, designer jewelry, gift cards, jewelry trunk shows, macys.com, previous purchases, select licensed depts., services, special orders, special purchases, tech watches. Cannot be combined with any savings pass/coupon, extra discount or credit offer, except opening a new Macy’s account. Dollar savings are allocated as discounts off each eligible item, as shown on receipt. When you return an item, you forfeit the savings allocated to that item. This coupon has no cash value and may not be redeemed for cash, used to purchase gift cards or applied as payment or credit to your account. Purchase must be $25 or $50 or more, exclusive of tax and delivery fees.

CANNOT BE USED ON DOORBUSTERS OR DEALS OF THE DAY Excludes ALL: cosmetics/fragrances, Deals of the Day, Doorbusters/web busters, electrics/ electronics, Everyday Values (EDV), furniture/mattresses, Last Act, Macy’s Backstage, rugs, specials, super buys, All-Clad, Breville, Dyson, Fitbit, Frye, Hanky Panky, Jack Spade, Kate Spade, KitchenAid Pro Line, Le Creuset, Levi’s, Marc Jacobs, Michele watches, New Era, Nike on Field, Sam Edelman, Samsung watches, Shun, Stuart Weitzman, The North Face, Theory, Tumi, Vitamix, Wacoal, Wüsthof, athletic clothing, shoes & accessories; Dallas Cowboys merchandise, designer jewelry, gift cards, jewelry trunk shows, macys.com, previous purchases, select licensed depts., services, special orders, special purchases, tech watches. Cannot be combined with any savings pass/coupon, extra discount or credit offer, except opening a new Macy’s account. Dollar savings are allocated as discounts off each eligible item, as shown on receipt. When you return an item, you forfeit the savings allocated to that item. This coupon has no cash value and may not be redeemed for cash, used to purchase gift cards or applied as payment or credit to your account. Purchase must be $25 or $50 or more, exclusive of tax and delivery fees.

Lauren Selio

3rd Place $100

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ONE DAY SALE PRICES IN EFFECT 5/6 & 5/7/2016, EXCEPT AS NOTED. OPEN A MACY’S ACCOUNT FOR EXTRA 20% SAVINGS THE FIRST 2 DAYS, UP TO $100, WITH MORE REWARDS TO COME. Macy’s credit card is available subject to credit approval; new account savings valid the day your account is opened and the next day; excludes services, selected licensed departments, gift cards, restaurants, gourmet food & wine. The new account savings are limited to a total of $100; application must qualify for immediate approval to receive extra savings; employees not eligible. N6040097 50783_N6040097L.indd 1

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DEFENDER | MAY 5 | 2016

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he definition who oversees vice. In essen is making the point. As the State of the City plans w ing of the budget with th er talked to Houston Cit of the biggest financial Currently, there is a pension issue. First, the strategic part with pensi by the dot.com bust, the downturn in oil and gas

In an exclusive interview with Houston City Controller Chris Brown, the Defender delved into the pension problem and how it impacts Blacks.

DEFENDER: Why is the pension problem so important?

BROWN: The important thing to know when discussing the pension is these are contractually obligated agreements. These are promises we have made to hardworking employees—and we have to be respectful of those agreements. If you look at Detroit or Chicago, they’ve tried to drastically reduce those benefits. They’ve been unsuccessful at the state/supreme court level. I don’t think Houston’s any different—I don’t think Texas is any different. So we have to work to respect that promise and work to come up with a mutually agreed upon solution that we can pass in the state legislatures. Ultimately it will pass the legal test. That’s a very important point when you’re talking about pension reform.

DEFENDER: What impact is the city’s pension program having on the current budget planning process? Can you break it down in simpler terms?

BROWN: It’s a very complicated situation but in its essence we owe more money than what we could afford to pay right now.

And we owe more money because we have benefits that we have promised retirees that are turning out to be much more expensive than anyone had estimated when they agreed to these back in 2001. We thought at the time that was only going to have a slight impact around 11-13 percent or maybe go up to 15 percent. Today, many of those plans are over 30 percent. That’s 30 percent of the payroll cost—so if you’re paying an employee $50,000 a year, you’re paying an additional 15 percent a year so you’re actually paying $65,000 to pay for his pension benefits. So those benefits essentially are more expensive

what we call a ‘crowd-out effect’. Essentially, thos mandatory payments are growing at a rate that is crowding out the dollars that will be spent on servi and the communities across Houston, especially in Age: 40 the African-American community.

DEFENDER: Explain what you mean abou Work experience: ‘crowding-out’. w Chief deputy, city controller 2010 - 2015 BROWN: Pension and the way it’s structured w Chief of staff, City Councilman Ronald we have payments we have to contractually make, Green 2004-2009 and those payments are growing every year. They’ Education: growing at a rate that’s faster than the increase in w Texas Christian University, B.S. Business our tax revenues. Essentially, it’s like any expense, for example, if your car payment is doubling every Administration month, then that’s less money you’ll have to spend w University of Houston, MBA groceries. It’s essentially crowding out the money w Family: can spend on those vital city services. w Wife, Divya, an attorney, and daughter DEFENDER: When you look at the African American community—and the fact that often tim services aren’t as high, frequent, or the quality than what we thought. We had an actual firm advise us on the costs of the services sometimes is questioned. Does tha of restructuring this pension plan and unfortunately they were wrong. mean the African-American community may be affected more They were very wrong. So the situation we are in today as a result of disproportionately in relation to the services? the increase cost of these benefits-- we are essentially having to pay BROWN: I think absolutely. It’s something I’ve witnessed more money in. That number has grown now from $100 million a unfortunately over the last 12 years I’ve been at City Hall. Every ti year that we were annually contributing for our pension payments to we have a budget crisis, it seems like African-American communit now in the $300 million range that will continue to go up. And that’s are first to feel that impact. From cutbacks on after school program putting a drain on the resources in the general fund—the general fund multi-services center hours, swimming pools; those effect the com is police, municipal employees, fire departments, libraries, parks, munities that need them the most, and that a lot of the times happen trash-pick up, all those city services. So if you have a drain on the to be African-American communities. general fund, essentially you have to reduce the quality of services DEFENDER: Considering a substantial number of city em you are getting because you have these increases in the pension costs. ployees are Black, what does this discussion about the city pensio DEFENDER: How is or will the Black community (residents) program have on them? What percentage of the city workforce is be impacted by the city pension problem?

Black?

BROWN: I think ultimately what you’re going to see in our preBROWN: I think it’s definitely been having an impact. The dominately African-American communities—is you’re going to see mayor has talked about his theme of ‘shared sacrifice’ and what he a reduction of services because the increased cost of pensions creates asking now is that each of the plans (police, municipal, fire) go out

Who is Chris Brown?

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erfold

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TY PENSIONS ow It Impacts Blacks

By VON JILES Defender

of the city controller is a watchdog, s the finances of the city and offers adnce, the controller ensures that the city e right moves from a financial stande mayor takes the stage to roll-out his which include the phenomenal balanche $160 million shortfall, the Defendty Controller Chris Brown about one issues facing the city: PENSIONS. trifecta or three factors impacting the economy has traditionally played a ions from the investments impacted e downfall of ENRON to the current prices. Second, the city revenue are

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down because Houston will rebate an estimated $100 million to taxpayers in the form of a reduced tax rate resulting from the city ordinance on revenue caps. And third, the cost of health care is going up- benefit cost and people are living longer.

The pension problem weighs heavy on the backs of Black city employees not to mention how a shortage of city service funds could impact Houston residents especially AfricanAmericans. In 2013, Blacks made up 48 percent of municipal employees or one out of two. When you look at the total number of city employees which includes police and fire, Black are 36 percent or one out of three. No matter how you look at this issue, African-Americans in Houston will be disproportionately impacted.

and come back with recommendations on how they will essentially make some sacrifices and if you look at municipal employees plan, for examples, about 48% of participants are African-American—so that’s going to disproportionally affect African-Americans if there are changes made in municipal employees plan, which historically has had the most plan revisions out of all 3 plans.

DEFENDER: What are the short-and long-term effects of the city pension program on city services?

BROWN: Short term—will continually grow that unfunded liability and I’ve talked a lot about this—that we’re at a unique

5

Facts about pension plan

• There are three pension plans – municipal, fire department, and police • Police and fire department personnel do not collect Social Security benefits when they reach retirement age.

• If a city pensioner dies, those benefits go to the spouses for the remainder of his/her life.

• In the U.S. 90 percent of pensioners stay in the city in which they work, thereby continuing to contribute to the local economy.

• The pension liability is calculated based on life expectancy tables and it reflects the expected total pay-out of pensions over the remaining lifetimes of all employees in the pension plan and the employees’ spouses who would continue receiving the pension payments following the pensioner’s death.

he Houston area for over 85 years

point where we can put together a mutually agreed upon plan that would allow us to be able to make some slight revisions in the plan, mutually agreed upon by the plan participants. It will help us bridge an unfunded gap. If we wait another five or 10 years, that unfunded liability is going to grow to a point where you no longer can make incremental changes—you have to make sweeping reforms. Based on the [initial] promise that we have made to these hard-working employees—they’re counting on that benefit. It is up to us to work together now to put a plan in place that everyone could mutually agree upon. If we don’t get that done and wait another 5-10 years, we’ll be asking so much of them. From making major cuts, deficits, and quite frankly, people cannot afford to do that. It’s already hard enough to make these changes now.

DEFENDER: What impact is the city’s pension program having on the current budget planning process?

BROWN: It’s definitely having an impact on the budget. Pension costs are continuing to rise each year. The Mayor has recently found $160 million to balance the budget. But the pension cost puts additional pressure (on the budget). Again, that will continue to grow if we don’t get some mutually agreed upon reform in place that will stop the rate of growth on pension.

DEFENDER: What actions need to happen at the state level?

BROWN: What has been lacking in the past is a mutually agreed upon plan which we will take to the state legislature in the form of a bill and the state legislature has to approve it. What we’ve lacked in the past is a mutually agreed upon plan that the pension and retirees have agreed upon that the state legislature can then pass in enact reform.

Mayor Turner and his 26 years’ experience in State legislature, I’m very confident has the relationships. He obviously knows a lot about reforms—he’s been able to do that at the state level. He will work with the unions to try and develop that mutually agreed upon plan to bring to the state legislature. I’m optimistic and confident that we would be able to get something passed this next legislative session that begins in 2017.

9

City of Houston Workforce

Racial Make-up 2013 w City Municipal Workers Black 48% White 21% Hispanic 23% Asian 8% w City Police Black 21% White 48% Hispanic 25% Asian 6% w City Fire Black 16% White 61% Hispanic 22% Asian 1% w TOTAL CITY WORKFORCE Black 36% White 35% Hispanic 23% Asian 6% Source: City of Houston

10

DEFENDER | MAY 5 | 2016

defendernetwork.com

opinion

The fight for what is possible

B

By DR. JULIANNE MALVEAUX

lack Lives Matter activist DeRay Mckesson deserves high props. The young man used his activism as a platform to run for Mayor of Baltimore, and he placed better than expected in the April 26 election.

Initially projected to get just one percent of the votes, he ended up with two percent, or 3,077 votes. That’s a miniscule number when compared to the more than 45,000 votes garnered by State Senator Catherine Pugh, the winner with 37 percent of the votes, or with the 42,000 plus votes (34 percent) scored by her key challenger, former Mayor Sheila Dixon. Mckesson placed sixth, which isn’t bad for someone who entered the race last (in February) and without prior political experience. He is to be congratulated, and encouraged to continue participating in electoral politics.

Social change happens from both inside and outside.

Inside, legislators and leaders make public policy that heralds change, albeit slowly and imperfectly. We all might have liked an Affordable Care Act, for example, that looked more like universal health care, but the legislative process of compromise left folks out. The legislative process is, by necessity, a compromising process where people rarely get everything they want.

On the other hand, from the outside, people can yell, scream, march, write, and influence. From the outside, the practicalities of legislation aren’t especially relevant. Outside protesters are trying to get attention. They count on legislators to respond to their protest song by paying attention to their issues and legislating them. That’s why I was just a bit chagrined when President Obama told the Black Lives Matter folks to stop yelling. Yelling is their job. His job is to translate their yelling to change, if he so chooses.

The Black Lives Matter folks have been instrumental in this Presidential campaign in forcing Democrats Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders to deal with race in ways they might not have.

Neither of them has gone far enough, although both have conceded some attention to reparations issues, and talked more explicitly about racial economic justice.

DeRay Mckesson says he “challenged the status quo of Baltimore’s politics”, and in many ways he did. He and his team took the pain of the Freddie Gray murder and turned it into the power of a galvanizing campaign. His scant 3,077 votes (with 99 percent of the votes counted) underestimate the impact of his race in that his race is empowering for other young people. Especially young people who are considering electoral politics, and his race establishes him as a meaningful voice in Baltimore politics. Presumptive Mayor Catherine Pugh should figure out a way

Patrick Chappatte, The International New York TimesQ

Pat Bagley, Salt Lake Tribune

to use his talents (perhaps on the Police Commission) as Baltimore continues to heal.

“While we did not win tonight, what we did was very important, and I want you to be as proud of our work together as I am,” Mckesson wrote to his supporters. “We did something very special, and it sets the table for what else is possible.” Almost anything is possible for Mckesson and the Black Lives Matter activists. It is my hope that these activists connect the immediate reality of anti-black violence in law enforcement with

the more systemic reality of structural antiblack violence that manifests itself through economic oppression, political subjugation, and social inequality. In the United States, this violence demonstrates through income, wealth and unemployment gaps, through voter suppression and biased laws, and through microaggression. The extent of the violence is clouded by the myth of postracialism. Even with an African American president activists needed to assert that #Black Lives Matter because the Obama presidency offered no protection for Tamir Rice, Eric Garner, Michael Brown and so many others. The myth of postracialism is insufficient to quell structural and persistent anti-black violence.

Hopefully Mckesson will not be the last Black Lives Matter activist to involve himself in electoral politics. This 2016 Presidential season has been great in illustrating some of the shortcomings of our electoral system, but also some of its strengths. That Bernie Sanders could enter a race with just a 3 percent approval rating and amass a war chest $27 (on the budget) at a time is amazing. That he could seriously rival the presumptive front-runner and push her agenda to the left is commendable. That DeRay Mckesson could go from outside agitator to inside candidate is a measure of what is possible. Imagine what would happen if there were more voter participation, if more people understood the complementarity of inside and outside approaches.

defendernetwork.com • Serving the Houston area for over 80 years

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11

MAY 5 | 2016 | DEFENDER

health

A Defender and Kelsey-Seybold Clinic Alliance

Being healthy starts with your numbers

By TOICHA VINCENT, M.D.

A

re you at risk for diabetes, heart disease and other chronic diseases? How do you know? Fortunately, there are “numbers” to tell us. By knowing your numbers, you can make positive changes to help prevent the onset of chronic health conditions.

Blood sugar levels, blood pressure, Dr. Toicha Vincent cholesterol levels, waist size and weight – these are the numbers everyone should know about themselves and check regularly, even if you don’t feel sick. Many of the diseases affecting African-Americans are “silent killers” that affect you before you feel anything wrong. This is why knowing your numbers is so important.

Monitoring blood sugar levels

Testing fasting blood sugar (FBS) measures your risk for diabetes, a chronic disease that can lead to blindness, cardiac disease, kidney failure, nerve problems and an impaired immune system. Diabetes is particularly high in the African-American community.

Your FBS can be determined with a blood test.

Why blood pressure is important

High blood pressure may cause several serious medical problems, including cardiovascular disease, kidney disease and stroke, which can strike suddenly. Over 50 million American adults have high blood pressure (or hypertension), with 1 out of every 3 not knowing they have it. Knowing your blood pressure can be a warning that you have health risks even if you feel fine.

Blood pressure is measured as two numbers.

Systolic pressure is the top number and is the pressure when the heart is contracting. Diastolic is the bottom number and is the pressure when the heart is at rest between beats. Consult with your doctor about what a “normal” or healthy range is for you.

‘Good’ vs. ‘bad’ cholesterol

Cholesterol is a fat-like substance found in the blood that comes from two sources: Food and your body, which actually makes cholesterol.

High cholesterol is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Too much bad cholesterol can

lead to a hardening of your arteries and put you at risk for a heart attack or stroke.

There are two important cholesterol numbers you should know. LDL is the bad cholesterol, which can clog your arteries. HDL is good cholesterol, which helps clear fat from your bloodstream. If your levels of LDL are high, your doctor will help you make lifestyle changes to lower your cholesterol and prescribe medication if necessary.

Waist size and weight

Being overweight puts you at risk for diabetes, heart disease, cancer and more. A waist size over 35 inches in women and over 40 inches in men greatly increases the risk of chronic diseases.

Stepping on a scale to find out your body weight is one of the easiest numbers to calculate. Invest in a home scale and weigh yourself regularly to ensure your weight is within a healthy range determined by your doctor.

Dr. Toicha Vincent is a board-certified Internal Medicine physician at Kelsey-Seybold’s Tanglewood Clinic near the Galleria. To schedule an appointment with her, call Kelsey-Seybold’s 24-hour Contact Center at 713-442-0000.

Get KelseyConnected

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As a Kelsey-Seybold patient, your entire healthcare team can share your medical history through one Electronic Medical Record and collaborate on medical care that’s right for you.

Being KelseyConnected makes your experience with us easy and convenient with: n

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112

DEFENDER | MAY 5 | 2016

defendernetwork.com

Don’t let sleep apnea take your breath away a person’s sleep and experts identify those periods where there is narrowing of airways and oxygen levels are low. Some patients may also qualify for an at-home sleep test if most of their symptoms point toward sleep apnea and no other sleep issue.

By BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE

There are some moments in life that take your breath away, but if those moments are happening while you’re asleep, it might be time to see a sleep expert, according to a sleep specialist at Baylor College of Medicine.

“Sleep apnea is caused by a narrowing or complete collapse of the upper airway that occurs in some people while they are sleeping, and this can affect one’s ability to get oxygen to the body, making the body work harder to breathe,” said Dr. Fidaa Shaib, associate professor of pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine at Baylor and director of the Baylor Sleep Center. “This results in a brief arousal period, sometimes just three seconds, where the brain wakes up and the airway opens to restore breathing. For those with sleep apnea, this will happen several times throughout the night.”

Many people with sleep apnea are not aware of the number of times they are waking up briefly throughout the night. However, this sleep disruption causes them not to feel refreshed or rested when they wake up in the morning.

“It’s almost as if someone is waking you up every 10 seconds to breathe and then you go back to sleep,” said Shaib.

Symptoms

Sleep apnea is associated with multiple health issues including heart problems, high blood pressure, risk for stroke, poor diabetes control and weight gain. Common symptoms include snoring, stopping breathing and choking or gasping for air that is reported by the bed partner. Other common symptoms are not feeling refreshed in the morning or feeling tired throughout the day. Other signs that could indicate sleep apnea include restless sleep, waking up multiple times to use the bathroom, excessive sweating at night and heartburn or reflux.

Treatment

“It’s important to note that women with sleep apnea may show symptoms of snoring and difficulty going to sleep or staying asleep,” said Shaib. “Their presentation is different from men, whose symptoms are usually snoring and feeling tired throughout the day.”

Risk factors and diagnosis

Risk factors of sleep apnea are obesity and anatomy, meaning that one’s facial structure may cause them to be at more risk for sleep apnea. People with nasal congestion, allergies or who are on pain medications or sleeping pills may be at a higher risk for sleep apnea.

A diagnosis of sleep apnea is made through a sleep study.

Most patients will have to stay overnight at a sleep center where they are monitored for brain activity, breathing, oxygen levels, heart activity and movement. The sleep study gives a summary of

CONGRATULATIONS! Amber Davis

LOOK-ALIKE CONTEST

1st Place $300

THANK YOU

To View Entries Visit: http://bit.do/mothersdayentries

classified The HARRIS CENTER for Mental Health and IDD (formerly known as MENTAL HEALTH MENTAL RETARDATION AUTHORITY OF HARRIS COUNTY) will be accepting proposals for the following:

AGENCY WIDE JANITORIAL SERVICES Specifications may be secured from The HARRIS CENTER, Purchasing Department located at 9401 SW Freeway, Houston, Texas 77074; telephone (713) 970-7116 and/or via The HARRIS CENTER website www.mhmraharris.org beginning Tuesday, May 10, 2016. A Mandatory Pre-Proposal Conference is scheduled for, Wednesday, May 18, 2016 @ 10:00 a.m., 9401 Southwest Freeway. Site visits are also mandatory, schedule is Wednesday, May 18 to Friday, May 20.

Deadline for prospective vendors to submit questions to this RFP is Thursday, May 26, 2016. Proposals must be submitted to Purchasing Services, 9401 SW Freeway, Houston, Texas 77074 by 10:00 a.m., Tuesday, June 7, 2016 in a sealed envelope marked "PROPOSAL DO NOT OPEN UNTIL - TUESDAY, JUNE 7, 2016, “AGENCY WIDE JANITORIAL SERVICES ". Any questions pertaining to this solicitation should be addressed in writing to James Blunt, Buyer II via fax at (713) 970-7682 or E-mail questions to james.blunt@mhmraharris.org cc: sharon.brauner@mhmraharris.org.

The HARRIS CENTER reserves all rights to reject any and/or all proposals, to waive formalities and reasonable irregularities in submitted documents as it deems to be in its best interests, and is not obligated to accept the lowest proposal.

ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS HOUSTON DOWNTOWN MANAGEMENT DISTRICT MAIN STREET SQUARE FOUNTAIN REHABILITATION The Houston Downtown Management District (the “Downtown District”) will receive sealed bids for the Main Street Square Fountain Rehabilitation project, located in Downtown Houston. Bids will be received until 2:00 PM, local time on Wednesday, June 1, 2016 by the Director of Construction, Downtown District, 2 Houston Center, 909 Fannin, Suite 1650, Houston, Texas 77010. Bids received after this time will not be accepted.

WINNERS everyone who entered and voted

Once a diagnosis is made, the CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine remains the best treatment for sleep apnea.

The machine works by gently blowing air into the windpipe to keep the airway open.

“The technology for CPAP machines has advanced and the treatment is usually very well tolerated in patients,” said Shaib.

After starting the use of the CPAP machine, which must be used every night, people usually have improved sleep quality, feel more refreshed in the morning and have better daytime function as well as better memory during the day. Patients also see benefits in blood pressure control and a lower risk of heart problems.

If patients do not tolerate the CPAP machine, other treatment options can include a custom made oral appliance or surgery.

Leah Hayes

2nd Place $200

Beginning 11:00 AM, Thursday, May 5, 2016, Bid Documents may be purchased for $50 per set from the Downtown District by cash; or by cashier's check, certified check, or money order (payable to the Houston Downtown Management District); or by credit card (MasterCard, Visa, or Discover). The cost for up to two sets will be refunded to Bidders who submit a valid bid for this Project and return bidding documents to the Downtown District. Addenda are free of charge and will be distributed by email to those who purchase Bid Documents and attend the Pre-bid Conference. Bid Documents may also be examined at plan rooms of the Minority Business Development Center (2302 Fannin Street, #165, Houston, TX 77002), Amtek Information and Plan Room (9000 Hempstead Suite 130, Houston, TX 77008) or viewed online at isqft.com.

A MANDATORY Pre-bid Conference will be held at 2:00 PM on Tuesday, May 17, 2016, in the Downtown District’s Conference Room, 2 Houston Center, 909 Fannin, Suite 1650, Houston, Texas 77010. All bidders (general contractors) are invited to attend. Bids will be ruled non-responsive if received from a bidder who did not attend the Pre-bid Conference. Late arrivals will not be admitted to the Pre-bid Conference.

Get ready for our Father’s Day Look-Alike contest coming soon!

Lauren Selio

3rd Place $100

Bidders shall comply with City Ordinance 95-336 (March 29, 1995) and Exec. Order No.1-2 (June 14, 1995), and City of Houston Affirmative Action and Contract Compliance Division Minority/Women Business Enterprise (M/WBE) Procedures (June 1995). The successful Bidder will be required to make good faith efforts to achieve an M/WDBE participation goal of 20 percent.

defendernetwork.com

MAY 5 | 2016 | DEFENDER

13

Agencies unite

Locating local missing persons

L

ocal agencies and missing person’s advocates will host the second annual Missing in Harris County Day at the University of Houston-Clear Lake on Saturday, May 14, 2016, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

This multi-agency collaboration is a proactive approach to obtain quality information used to locate or identify missing loves ones.

“Through this event, we’re able to bring all the elements of the Missing Person’s reporting process to the community and offer a comfortable place in which to do that,” said Sharon M. Derrick, Ph.D., forensic anthropologist, Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences. “Changes in technology and streamlined access to resources allow our agencies to combine our efforts for this important annual event.”

Law enforcement agencies from within Harris, Galveston and Brooks counties will be represented and available to take missing persons reports at the event. Missing persons will be entered into National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUS) databases, and voluntary familial DNA samples can be submitted.

Last year, DNA submissions from several family members led to six successful identifications.

In addition, the event is an opportunity for advocates of missing persons to gain valuable knowledge about available resources as well as about vulnerable populations and how

citizens can play a vital role in supporting missing person’s recovery efforts.

Missing in Harris County Day 2016 will feature: local law enforcement agencies accepting missing persons reports and updates from families of the missing, trained DNA collection specialists collecting voluntary family reference DNA cheek swabs to upload into the NamUS database, bilingual assistance to complete a missing person’s report or direct attendees to resources, panel discussions on the following topics: 11:30 a.m. – Missing and Exploited Persons 1 p.m. – Missing Children, electronic fingerprinting of children and child ID kits, activities for children and free refreshments provided by H-E-B. To report a missing person or update information on an existing case in the national missing person’s database, event attendees should bring the following: photos of the missing person with identifying features, such as tattoos or birthmarks, or personal items, such as favorite earrings or shirt, x-rays, dental or medical records, police reports or other identifying documents that can be scanned and placed on file, two of the missing person’s closely related family members from the mother’s side to voluntarily submit DNA samples.

Register at: http://online.centerforthemissing.org/2016missing-in-harris-county-day

INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIPS Letter to the Community: #2 in a series of updates on progress.

DEAR COMMUNITY: In today’s ever-changing world of business and technology, it is essential to constantly adapt to ensure that our students are prepared for a successful future. That is why we continue to work on new innovations, to scale our results and rethink our approach — necessary steps for all high-performing organizations. Over the last year, we have begun to revolutionize the way students experience the college and transform how we work with businesses and industry.

We have established many new and innovative partnerships with leading businesses and organizations — all working together for the students’ benefit. These partnerships will have tremendous impact on our region and help supply a smart, progressive workforce.

We have a co-enrollment program with Texas A&M University that addresses the growing need for engineers.

HCC engineering students are taking their core classes here and will get their bachelor’s degrees at the Texas A&M Dwight Look College of Engineering in College Station. Our partnership with UT-Tyler allows HCC students to take their last two years at HCC and earn a four-year engineering degree from UT-Tyler, thus never leaving Houston.

HCC’s engineering partnerships with UT and A&M create seamless pathways for our students, leading to faster completions and no loss of credit. As a result, the number of engineering students has increased significantly with even larger increases projected based on students in our pipeline - doubling the number of engineering graduates for UT-Tyler over last year.

We are also working with The Greater Houston Partnership on UpSkill Houston, one of the most important workforce and education initiatives in the city - especially as we work to support those searching for career opportunities - finding new pathways for their success. By aligning our educational offerings with our city’s priorities, we all win.

HCC, along with San Jacinto College, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, and Jones County Junior College recently signed an agreement for the newly formed Upstream/Midstream Skills Training and Safety Collaboration. Our commitment through this agreement is to change to fit the needs of industry to produce the next generation of rig crew members, management and leaders in the industry.

We are dedicated to helping our students develop critical education and skills, supporting the businesses that drive our economy and being fully engaged with each other.

Because this college does not belong to a few, but to the whole of our great city, it is essential that all of our major stakeholder groups – students, society and taxpayers – benefit from their investments. We will continue to work tirelessly to do all we can to support the exceptional faculty and deserving student population — all aligned with business and industry needs.

We are also part of a consortium with Lone Star College, San Jacinto College and the Houston Airport System to provide training to airport employees through the Houston Area Construction Education Collaborative.

HCC is partnering with leaders from public and private sectors for the White House initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics. HCC’s role is to develop a Adriana Tamez, Ed.D. program offering seamless student transfers from HCC Board Chair to the University of Houston.

Houston Community College

In service,

Cesar Maldonado, Ph.D., P.E. Chancellor Houston Community College

14

DEFENDER | MAY 5 | 2016

defendernetwork.com

sports

Texans go for speed in 2016 NFL draft

T

By MAX EDISON Defender

Will Fuller

Miller [4.50 in the forty] was selected in the third round [85th overall]. Miller is a two-time winner of the Silver Football Award as the best player in the Big Ten as quarterback. Because of reoccurring shoulder injuries he moved to receiver, caught 26 passes for 341 yards and three TDs, and rushed 42 times for 281 yards and a score as a senior.

Miller listed the qualities NRG can expect from his game this fall: “Explosiveness, big-play ability, speed, quickness, strength and just making people miss in a smaller area.”

In the fourth round (119th overall) the Texans selected running back Tyler Ervin [4.41 in the forty] from San Jose State. Ervin (5-feet-10, 192 pounds) has been one of the most versatile players in college football. He has scored touchdowns rushing, receiving and on kickoff and punt returns.

he 2016 NFL draft has come and gone and the Houston Texans are feeling pretty good about the six players that they selected.

When evaluating the Texans’ choices you get the distinct impression that increasing team speed offensively was a major objection going into the draft. With that being the case, all you can say is, “mission accomplished.”

Head coach Bill O’Brien said the desire to increase team speed via the draft was the strategy going into the draft. “[GM] Rick Smith and I sat down and that takes a lot of time,” O’Brien said. “Based on that, you start the strategy of the free agency period and the draft period. I think one of the things we identified while we were evaluating our team was how can we become a little faster, a little bit more athletic in certain areas.”

With the free agent acquisition of strong-armed quarterback Brock Osweilder, Smith and O’Brien thought it was best to get him some speedy new weapons to work with.

The first step in the “get faster” movement was the drafting of Notre Dame speedster and wide receiver Will Fuller with the 21st selection of the first round.

Fuller (6-feet, 186 pounds) had the fastest time of any receiver at the NFL Combine, posting a blistering 4.32 in the 40-yard dash. As a junior, he had 62 catches, 1,258 receiving yards and 14 receiving touchdowns. He was named an AP second team All-American.

Rick Smith explained Fuller’s skillset.

“He’s fast,” Smith said. “He can run. That’s his greatest attribute, obviously. I think if you go back to our conversation a couple days ago at the press conference, we talked about the two types of speed that we look for.

Not only is he straight-line, 40yard dash fast. This guy plays Ervin is the San defendernetwork.com extremely fast and quick.”

Jose career record What’s next for the Rockets after For Fuller, just being holder for allplayoff loss? drafted was a childhood dream purpose yardage come true.

(6,146).

“My goal ever since I was seven and started playing “Again, if there’s a theme to the draft, I think it’s addfootball was to play in the National Football League,” ing dimensions, adding speed, that kind of thing,” Smith Fuller said. “It was never to go in round one, round two or said. “[Ervin] is a very versatile player, a young man who round three, but wherever I got picked I was going to be has some return ability, but actually dual-return ability in satisfied. I’m just happy I got this down the first day.” the sense that he could do some punts and maybe even With their second round pick (50th overall), the Tex- kickoff.” ans stayed on the Notre Dame campus and selected Nick Rounding out the Texans’ draft choices are K. J Martin, a 6-foot-4, 299-pound center. Martin played in 50 Dillion (6-feet, 210 pounds), a safety from West Virginia games with 37 starts at Notre Dame. He is the younger (fifth round, 159th overall) and D.J. Reader (6-feet-3, 327 brother of Dallas Cowboy Pro Bowler Zack Martin. pounds), a defensive tackle from Clemson (fifth round, Former Ohio State QB turned wideout Braxton 166th overall).

Nick Martin

Braxton Miller

Tyler Ervin

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MAY 5 | 2016 | DEFENDER

h.s.zone

sportsbriefs

Dawson’s Hypolite rises to the occasion in track

By DARRELL K. ARDISON Defender

15

said. “We know it’s going to be competitive.”

Hypolite believes there’s a reason for the recent success of Dawson athletes.

“I think we have the greatest coaching staff in the state of Texas and probably in America,” he said. “They’re not just coaches, but mentors for us and push us to be the best even when we don’t necessarily see it. That’s the great thing about Dawson track.”

While the Dawson coaching staff that includes Patrick Zarate may have modeled the work ethic for Hypolite, his father Vincent Hypolite deserves credit for Kameron’s talent level.

The elder Hypolite won a state long jump title in 1990 with a mark of 25 feet, 2.25 inches while attending La Marque High School.

“We have the father-son rivalry going so I still have something to shoot for,” Kameron Hypolite said. “What better stage than at the state meet to have my best jump.

“A lot of it may depend upon the weather,” Hypolite said. “If the weather is hot at the state meet, maybe I can

LEAGUE CITY – Kameron Hypolite is making a habit of saving his best for last.

Following the preliminary round of the Region III-6A long-jump competition at Clear Creek ISD’s brand new Challenger Columbia Stadium, the senior from Pearland Dawson High School found himself in fifth place.

On his second jump in the final round, Hypolite uncorked a leap of 24 feet, one inch to take over first place. “I knew it wasn’t necessarily my best jump,” Hypolite said. “I knew I had a little more left in the tank.”

With momentum on his side, Hypolite leaped a personal record 24 feet, 3.50 inches on his final attempt to hold off runner-up Thomas Davis of Galena Park North Shore (240.50) for the regional title and About Kameron Hypolite advance to the state meet in Birth date – April 1, 1998 Austin (May 12-14).

Birth sign – Aries “My coaches always tell Favorite subject – Math (calculus) me to keep my head up, remain competitive and never stop Possible college major – Economics (marfighting until the end because keting or investment) you never know what’s going to What he does to relax – Ride longboard, happen,” Hypolite said. “That’s listen to music, hang out with family the kind of mindset I carry World problem he would solve – Hunger throughout the entire event. It ended up paying off.”

In the meet’s final event, Hypolite combined with Freddie Lewis, defendernetwork.com Vincent Fisher and Mykul Fort Bend ISD school sets Mitchell to give Dawson nation’s best time a gold medal in the boys’ mile relay (4X400) with an impressive time of three minutes, 13.56 seconds. really improve.”

Katy Tompkins placed second (3:13.789). “We That’s got to be a daunting thought for the ended the meet the best way you can – by winning a remainder of the state Class 6A long-jump field. gold medal,” said Dawson coach Troy Myers.

When Hypolite concludes his stellar prep career, “We’re going to remain humble and hope to he’ll take his considerable academic and athletic run the best race we can at the state meet,” Hypolite talents to the University of Pennsylvania.

SWAC players sign Although the Southwestern Athletic Conference didn’t have any players taken in the recent NFL Draft many conference standouts have already signed free agent contracts. Texas Southern All Conference punter Cory Carter has signed with the Texans. Grambling wide receiver Chester Rogers has signed with the Indianapolis Colts.

Prairie View all purpose, All Conference running back Johnta Hebert has signed with the Washington Redskins. Jackson State receiver Devin Fosselman has joined the Seattle Seahawks. Alcorn State defensive back Warren Gatewood, the 2015 SWAC Football Championship Defensive MVP, has signed with the Green Bay Packers.

This is an early list. Expect more SWAC standouts to sign in the days to come.

TSU legend Winston Hill dies Former Texas Southern University standout Winston Hill recently died at his home in Denver. Hill was born on Oct. 23, 1941, in Joaquin, Texas, and was a high school tennis champion in Gladewater, Texas. He was drafted by the Baltimore Colts in 1963 out of TSU, where he was an all-American. He was released by the Colts before playing for them and signed with the Jets.

Hill joined the Jets in 1963. In his rookie year, he began a streak of 195 consecutive games played, including 174 consecutive starts. Both streaks remain Jets records. He was part of a line that protected QB Joe Namath as the underdog Jets’ defeated the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III. TSU honored Hill and 29 other former players during a homecoming celebration in 2015.

Cypress Springs prevails The Cypress Springs High School girls’ track and field squad collected its third consecutive regional title recently. The Lady Panthers amassed 100 points at Challenger Columbia Stadium with all three relay teams advancing to the state meet in two weeks at Austin’s Mike A. Myers Stadium.

Sierra Smith, Essance Sample, Samiyah Samuels and Rachel Hall gave Cy Springs a gold medal in the 400-meter (4X100) relay with a time of 45.35 seconds. Hall, Sample, Samuels and Tiffany Mack won the 800-meter (4X200) relay in one minute, 36.83 seconds. The Cy Springs mile relay quartet of Erica Cormier-Jordan, Ariah Mack, Nikesha Keith and Sierra Smith placed second to Fort Bend Hightower with a state-qualifying time of 3:39.95. Cypress Springs also had state qualifiers in four open events to give head coach Ruqayya Gibson a shot at the one title she hasn’t won – a state championship.

“We’re going to state in every event we competed in today,” she said.

Manvel boys repeat After getting over the initial shock of its mile relay team not getting out of preliminaries, the Manvel boys displayed why they are the defending Class 6A state champions. Caleb Jolivette, Reggie Hemphill, Jaren Colbert and D’Eriq King combined to run 40.56 seconds and place first in the boys’ 400-meter relay. The Mavericks also won the 800-meter relay with Daniel Ford joining Jolivette, Hemphill and Colbert in 1:24.49.

Howard Fields won the 400-meter dash to help Manvel total 79 points. The Woodlands High School swept the boys and girls divisions at the Region II-6A meet in Waco.

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DEFENDER | MAY 5 | 2016

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Happening in Houston For event coverage email: events@defendermediagroup.com

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YATES SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION……..Yates School of Communication Lemonade Day in Third Ward at the Blue Triangle Community Center. Lemonade Day (SOC) “Best of the Best” Awards program honored students in the categories of photography, is a free, fun program that teaches youth how to start, own and operate their own business printing technology, graphic design, television broadcast and radio broadcasting. Speaker – a lemonade stand. Judges for the best lemonade included HISD Trustee Wanda Adams, Kim Gagne, supervising producer of the “Steve Harvey Show” and two-time Emmy Winner, Michael Garfield, Risa Hall, Courtney Johnson Rose, Warren Luckett and Kai Shakir. gave a $1,000 scholarship to Rebecca Williams. Yates SOC Magnet Coordinator Ted Irving Guests included Lucy Bremond, Colleen McCauley, Charlotte Bryant, Amy Jones, was proud of his students and his team of instructors: Ray Carrington III, Ronnie Morgan, Allison Jones, Calvin Simmons, Kandace Cooks and Sola Lawal……….BEAUTY Dalilah Whitmore, Tyrone Dargins and Andrea Brown. Irving acknowledged the support MENTORING HIGH TEA FUNDRAISER……..B.E.A.U.T.Y (Biblically Edifying And of Yates principal Kenneth Davis. Special thank you goes to Margo Uniquely Training You) Mentors hosted their 2nd annual Royal Handy of MWH firm for her efforts to make the program a beautiful Tea party at the Ensemble Theatre. Kim Roxie of Lamik Cosmetics Defender TOP EVENTS event. Attendees included Gagne’s 90-year-old mother Gertrude served as the emcee and Ashley Turner as keynote speaker with Mayor More photos on defendernetwork.com Sylvester Turner. BEAUTY introduced a new segment of the tea party, Gagne, husband Emilian White (who just launched a new radio which will honor the non-profit foundation Pretty Girls With Cancer station Amazing 102.5FM) and their children, Yates National Alumni (PGWC). The foundation helps cancer patients, caretakers and survivors overcome obstacles.

V.P. Carolyn Scantlebury, HCCS board secretary Dr. Carolyn Evans-Shabazz, Carl Those in attendance included BEAUTY Mentoring Founder Sherrell Ogletree, Aventer Gray, Davis, Jerome Gray, John Smith, Robert Gilmore Jr., Defender Publisher Sonny Messiah Dr. John Gray, La Tonya Johnson, Destini Maddison, Erika Maddison, Renee Looper Jiles, Oqunisha Wofford, Neyla Cantu, Stephanie Bension, and Jacob Tadesse…….. and Veronica Turner.

LEMONADE DAY IN THIRD WARD………..Young entrepreneurs set up shop for

Principal Kenneth Davis, Carolyn Scantlebury, Kim Gagne, Carolyn EvansShabazz, Carl Davis,

Lucy Bremond, Colleen McCauley

Aventer Gray, Sherrell Ogletree

Ted Irving, Sonny Messiah Jiles, Robert Gilmore Jr.

Calvin Simmons, Kandace Cooks, Sola Lawal

Dr. John Gray, Mayor Sylvester Turner

Oqunisha Wofford, Neyla Cantu, Stephanie Bension, Jacob Tadesse

Michael Harris, Risa Hall, Warren Luckett, Courtney Johnson Rose

Erika Maddison, Kim Roxie

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