Houston Style Magazine Vol 31 No 22

Houston Style Magazine May 28 – June 03, 2020

Houston’s Premiere Weekly Publication, Since 1989

CORONAVIRUS – US WEEKLY NUMBERS – March 19, 2020 Cases: 10,442 Deaths: 150 March 26, 2020 Cases: 75,233 Deaths: 1,070 April 02, 2020 Cases: 226,374 Deaths: 5,316 April 09, 2020 Cases: 455,876 Deaths: 16,314 April 16, 2020 Cases: 661,813 Deaths: 33,490 April 23, 2020 Cases: 854,722 Deaths: 48,412 April 30, 2020 Cases: 1,075,643 Deaths: 62,342 May 07, 2020 Cases: 1,278,341 Deaths: 76,052 May 14, 2020 Cases: 1,433,613 Deaths: 85,342 May 21, 2020 Cases: 1,573,777 Deaths: 93,705 May 28, 2020 Cases: 1,757,174 Deaths: 102,795

Volume 31 | Number 22

MILLIONS SHOW SELFISHNESS

BY NOT SOCIAL DISTANCING

#MaskUp #SocialDistancing #ContactTracing

Jesse Jackson It’s Time For Our Leaders To ACT

Mayor Sylvester Turner MayorTurner Pens OP-ED On Memorial Day 2020

Words By Jo-Carolyn Goode, Managing Editor

STAY SMARTHWORK SAFE COVID-19 Reports on State of Texas, Harris, Fort Bend Counties & City of Houston

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MAYOR TURNER: MASK UP! #MASKUPHOU

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AMY COOPER – CENTRAL PARK LIAR FIRED

TEXAN – J.J. WATT Holds Press Conference About Upcoming 2020 NFL Season

George Floyd Murdered By Police

N E W S | C O M M E N TA R I E S | S P O R T S | H E A LT H | E N T E R TA I N M E N T Support Black Owned Businesses

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May 28 – June 03, 2020

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Publisher Francis Page, Jr. fpagejr@stylemagazine.com Associate Publisher Lisa Valadez lisa@stylemagazine.com

Managing Editor Jo-Carolyn Goode editorial@stylemagazine.com Social Media Editor/Videographer Reginald Dominique reggiedominique@me.com Sports Editor Brian Barefield

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NATIONAL WRITERS

Jesse Jackson jjackson@rainbowpush.org Roland Martin www.rolandmartin.com Judge Greg Mathis www.askjudgemathis.com

PHOTOGRAPHERS Vicky Pink vhpink@gmail.com William Ealy Williamealy1906@gmail.com Semetra Samuel semetra@artistikrebelcreative.com Mike Munoz artrepreneur91@gmail.com Robert Franklin editorial@stylemagazine.com

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d.b.a. Houston Style Magazine & StyleMagazine.com Phone: (713) 748-6300 • Fax: (713) 748-6320 Mail: P.O. Box 14035, Houston, TX 77221-4035 ©2020 Houston Style Magazine, a Minority Print Media, L.L.C. Company. All Right Reserved. Reproduction in whole or within part without permission is prohibited. Houston Style Magazine has a 2019 audit by Circulation Verification Council (CVC). Houston Style Magazine is a member of the Texas Publishers Association (TPA), Texas Community Newspaper Association (TCNA), National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), Independent Free Paper of America (IFPA), Association of Free Community Papers (AFCP) and Members of Greater Houston Partnership(GHP). National Association of Hispanic Publications, Inc. (NAHP, Inc.), Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (HHCC), League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), Latin Women’s Initiative (LWI), National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), Houston Association of Hispanic Media Professionals (HAHMP), National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ), and Members of Greater Houston Partnership(GHP)

MURDERED: Fired Minnesota Police Officer – Derek Chauvin With His Knee On The Neck of Houstonian – George Floyd – The Horrific Video Made Us Angry and Made Us Cry. . .

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May 28 – June 03, 2020

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COMMENTARY

It’s Time For Our Leaders To Act

By Jesse Jackson, National Political Writer

W

e live in a time of bitter divisions. Today, even the wearing of masks has become a partisan question. Yet, as Memorial Day reminds us, this country has united before to meet external threats.

The calamity that has been wrought by the coronavirus is the result of an external attack - this time by a virus rather than an armed enemy. It too should be a time of national unity, of rallying together to share the sacrifices, to help one another through the crisis, and to rebuild the country afterwards.

Today, however, it is too easy to slip into small-minded partisanship, or to hold onto ideological blinders, even when it has never been more important to revive the better angels of our spirit.

Consider about 35 million people have filed for unemployment, with millions more unemployed but not counted. Hundreds of thousands of small businesses have closed, never to open again.

Major retailers like JC Penny and J. Crew are declaring bankruptcy. Manufacturing plants like Ford that reopened have had to close again as workers got struck by the virus. Major industries like the airlines are alive primarily because of assistance from the government and the Federal Reserve.

This stunning reality - beyond anything suffered since the Great Depression itself - takes massive human causalities. Over 90,000 have now died from the virus itself, with tens of thousands more weakened or crippled from its ravages. But the casualties are far greater.

Homeowners and renters can’t pay their mortgages or rent. Graduates can’t stay up with their student loans. Small businesses exhaust their reserves and are forced to lay off the team of workers they have

assembled. Front-line workers deal with staggering stress, while at constant risk of infection. States and localities faced with plummeting revenues and rising costs have already started to lay off vital workers and cut vital services. People are sensibly scared, worried, and angry at plans and hopes that were suddenly dashed through no fault of their own.

At this time, as in wartime, the government must act. It must act to organize our collective response to the attack, to organize needed medical and protective gear, to figure out testing and tracing strategies, to distribute health resources, to galvanize an all-out press for a remedy.

It must also act to limit the damage - to keep families in their homes, small businesses in their offices or stores, workers in their jobs, and more. This cannot descend into partisan posturing.

In recent days, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has stated that he feels no “urgency” to aid states and localities, suggesting that states could go bankrupt, and that the crisis was largely one of “bluestate” mismanagement. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has stated that any extension of supplemental unemployment benefits would occur only over “our dead bodies.” McConnell dismissed the rescue package passed through the House as simply “aspirational,” and adjourned the Senate until June.

The casualties are not partisan. They are Republican and Democrat, liberal and conservative, small business owners and small farmers, meat packers and more. They are disproportionately the most vulnerable: middle- and low-income families, the poor, the old, the sick. They are in red states and blue states.

McConnell knows this. Just as the causalities

are not partisan, the response cannot be. Let us hope he uses this break to think through a response that is of the scale necessary to meet the crisis. Let us hope that he can move from obstruction to negotiation, figuring out the compromises needed to move legislation through the Senate.

Most Americans would agree that aiding those unemployed through no fault of their own is not controversial. Some conservative Senate Republicans have joined with the most progressive House Democrats to champion a paycheck guarantee program that would support small business owners to pay their employees even when their businesses are locked down.

That would enable workers to keep their benefits, get their pay, and owners to sustain their teams.

That is neither a blue nor a red program, it is common sense.

Similarly, most Americans would agree that we have to ensure that everyone can get treatment and testing without worrying about how to pay for it. Most would agree that we shouldn’t bankrupt the post office.

Most would agree that we have to make voting safe in the fall. Voting by mail is not a partisan agenda; it is a safety agenda.

This is a time when leaders must emerge, move beyond their comfort zone, and offer bold responses to a stark crisis. This is not a moment for posturing. It is a time for patriotism, for solidarity, for action. Let us hope that Memorial Day celebrations may help our leaders remember that challenge.

You can write to the Rev. Jesse Jackson in care of this newspaper or by email at jjackson@rainbowpush.org. Follow him on Twitter @RevJJackson.

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May 28 – June 03, 2020

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Mayor Sylvester Turner Post-Memorial Day Op-Ed

By StyleMagazine.com Newswire

T

he global pandemic has created a new normal for everyone. It’s hard to adjust to following the public health recommendations from medical professionals and accept the daily inconveniences necessary to stay safe from the coronavirus.

I get that. We’ve been living our lives isolated from family and friends and away from our regular routines. For many people, Memorial Day weekend felt like a chance to escape lockdown and let loose, fellowship with friends and family, cool off at the beach or in pools, and party at bars and nightclubs.

But as our city’s businesses reopen and we resume more of our usual activities, we still need to follow the CDC guidelines for social distancing, masking up and sanitizing.

Quite frankly, I was deeply disturbed by the Memorial Day weekend news reports on large crowds of people gathering throughout our city. The social media pictures I saw of the start-of-summer festivities were alarming because very few people were social distancing or wearing masks or face coverings of any kind.

And I thought, maybe the people in these crowds and walking around without masks haven’t been tested for the coronavirus like I have.

Maybe, unlike me, no one in their lives has tested positive for the virus and quarantined themselves from their loved ones to prevent them from getting sick.

Maybe, unlike me, no one in their lives has been hospitalized with COVID-19 and forced to breathe through a ventilator because their lungs are filled with fluid and unable to work on their own.

Maybe, unlike me, no one in their lives has died from the COVID-19 illness alone in a hospital bed without any loved ones there to hold their hands and kiss them goodbye.

Maybe, unlike me, no one in their lives has been remembered at a funeral service that only a handful of people could attend because of the threat of the virus.

COVID-19 hasn’t left the City of Houston. This virus kills. And we cannot afford to let our guards down.

I am a father, an uncle and a friend. As your mayor, I am asking you to Mask Up to save lives, including your own.

Mask Up and stay six feet away from others to protect yourself and them.

The CDC says that keeping space between you and others is one of the best tools we have to avoid being exposed to this virus and slowing its spread here in Houston and across the country and world.

Mask Up and go get tested at one of our free testing sites. The CDC now estimates that a third of all people in the US who have this virus do not exhibit symptoms and that 40 percent of coronavirus transmission occurs before people feel sick.

Mask Up to show your love for your family and friends. Using bandanas and other simple cloth face coverings helps to slow the spread of the virus by people who may have the virus and don’t know it.

And don’t let the fear of missing out dictate your life. Even if an establishment allows crowds, be a leader and make a different choice.

So far in Houston, more than 125 people have died from COVID-19 and hundreds more have been diagnosed.

Right now, hospital intensive care units in our region have enough beds to take care of everyone who gets sick. But, if too

MASK UP!

many people have the virus at the same time, we will run out of beds. We will run of out ventilators. And that means we could lose many, many more people.

Tony Pierce, one of my fraternity brothers, died this month from complications of pneumonia and COVID-19. His wife Gayle and daughter Nia are now living a new normal that will never change.

Their future will always be without Tony by their sides.

“Stop being macho. Stop trying to be cute. Put the mask on,” Gayle Pierce said at a recent news conference at City Hall.

Please listen to the warnings from the Pierce family, the physicians, public health officials and government leaders.

Every person in this city is responsible for keeping everyone safe and well.

We can’t afford for this virus to get out of control. If we have another large outbreak, our economy will stop again, and the stay-at-home orders could go back into place. But, most importantly, more people will die.

Start or continue to Mask Up with a proper mask or face covering. Wash your hands. Keep a physical distance of six feet from others who are not members of your household.

All of our lives depend on each one of you.

HOUSTON VISION ZERO

N

By StyleMagazine.com Newswire

o loss of life by traffic crash is acceptable and we can prevent people from dying on our roadways. Everyone deserves safe, accessible streets and sidewalks.

No matter how you move around Houston, whether you drive, walk, use a wheelchair, bike, scoot, skate, or ride transit, we all contribute to safe streets. By acknowledging our role, we can help to prevent traffic deaths and serious injuries.

Join us in pledging to commit to streets that are safe and accessible, shared by everyone with appropriate driving speeds, no distractions, and no impairment.

Among the 12 largest metro

areas in the U.S., Houston has the highest record for roadway fatalities in terms of deaths per capita from 2001 through 2016.

Data from the Texas Department of Transportation over a five-year period from 2014 – 2018 indicates 1,097 fatal traffic crashes and 5,556 serious injury crashes in Houston. On average, that is 219 people per year whose lives are lost and 1,111 people per year who lives are incapacitated by traffic crashes occurring on Houston roadways.

The City of Houston (“City”) recognizes traffic deaths as an unacceptable and preventable public health issue.

In its role to equitably support the common good and the Plan Houston Vision Statement: “Houston promotes healthy and resilient communities through smart civic investments, dynamic partnerships, education, and innovation”, the City of Houston will adopt Vision Zero with a goal to end traffic deaths and

Mayor Sylvester Turner with the HOUSTON – VISION ZERO Executive Leadership serious injuries among all road users.

CORE ELEMENTS

Vision Zero – the strategy to eliminate traffic fatalities and severe injuries – is being adopted by a growing number of communities across North America and beyond. While safe mobility is not a new concept, Vision Zero requires a shift in how communities approach decisions, actions, and attitudes around safe mobility.

A fundamental part of this shift is moving from a traditional approach to a Safe Systems approach toward traffic safety. A traditional approach accepts

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that a certain number of traffic deaths and severe injuries will occur as unavoidable consequences of mobility and focuses on changing individual behavior to reduce the frequency of these incidents. In contrast, Vision Zero is built on the basis that traffic deaths and severe injuries are preventable. Vision Zero emphasizes a Safe Systems approach, which acknowledges that people make mistakes, and focuses on influencing system-wide practices, policies, and designs to lessen the severity of crashes.

For more Information, go to: www.houstontx.gov/visionzero

May 28 – June 03, 2020

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Federal District Judge – Fred Biery

Harris County Precinct 1 Constable Alan Rosen Tested Positive For COVID-19

there’s

NO REASON NOT TO

By StyleMagazine.com Newswire

The official statement from Office of Constable Alan Rosen, “I appreciate everybody being so thoughtful and kind in sending well wishes. We will get past this. It is more important than ever to continue to wear a mask, wash your hands and socially distance.”

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Constable Alan Rosen Harris County Constable’s Office Precinct 1 1302 Preston, Suite 301 Houston, TX 77002 713-755-5200

Amy Cooper – Central Park Liar – Fired

By Christina Maxouris CNN / StyleMagazine.com Newswire

LoneStar.edu/HoustonNorth

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he white woman – Amy Cooper who called police on a black man in Central Park during an encounter involving her unleashed dog has been fired from her job, her employer – Franklin Templeton said Tuesday.

“Following our internal review of the incident in Central Park yesterday, we have made the decision to terminate the employee involved, effective immediately. We do not tolerate racism of any kind at Franklin Templeton,” the company said on Twitter.

Amy Cooper was walking her dog Monday morning while Christian Cooper (no relation) was bird-watching at a wooded area of Central Park called the Ramble. They both told CNN their dispute began because her dog was not

www.StyleMagazine.com 4/30/20 3:18 PM

on a leash, contrary to the Ramble’s rules, according to the park’s website.

Christian Cooper recorded video of part of their encounter and posted it on Facebook, where it has since been shared thousands of times and became a trending topic on Twitter. In the video, he is largely silent while she frantically tells police he is threatening her and her dog.

“I’m taking a picture and calling the cops,” Amy Cooper is heard saying in the video. “I’m going to tell them there’s an African American man threatening my life.”

In comments to CNN as the video spread widely, Amy Cooper said she wanted to “publicly apologize to everyone.”

“I’m not a racist. I did not mean to harm that man in any way,” she said, adding that she also didn’t mean any harm to the African American community.

The incident is another example of white people calling the police on African Americans for mundane things.

The New York Police Department told CNN when officers responded neither Christian Cooper nor Amy Cooper was present. No arrests or summonses were made, according to NYPD.

“I videotaped it because I thought it was important to document things,” Christian Cooper said, a board member of the New York City Audubon Society.

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May 28 – June 03, 2020

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GEORGE FLOYD’S Family In Houston Says – The Four Officiers Involved Should Be Charged With Murder

By Christina Maxouris, CNN / StyleMagazine.com Newswire

T

he family of George Floyd -- who died after pleading that he couldn’t breathe while a police officer held him down with a knee on his neck -- say they want the four Minneapolis officers involved charged with murder.

“They were supposed to be there to serve and to protect and I didn’t see a single one of them lift a finger to do anything to help while he was begging for his life. Not one of them tried to do anything to help him,” Tera Brown, Floyd’s cousin, told CNN’s Don Lemon.

In an emotional interview Tuesday night, Brown and Floyd’s two brothers held up his picture and spoke of a man who “didn’t hurt anybody” and who they described as a “gentle giant.”

“Knowing my brother is to love my brother,” Philonise Floyd said.

“They could have tased him; they could have maced him. Instead, they put their knee in his neck and just sat on him and then carried on.”

“They treated him worse than they treat animals,” he said.

Four officers involved were fired Tuesday, the police department said, and state and federal authorities are investigating the case. That includes Officer Derek Chauvin, the man seen on video restraining Floyd with his knee, Chauvin’s attorney Tom Kelly said.

Kelly said he wouldn’t yet release a statement on Chauvin’s behalf.

No charges have been filed.

The Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis said in a statement the officers were cooperating in the investigation and urged “now is not the time to rush to (judgment)” while the officers’ actions are examined.

Minneapolis police said officers were responding to an alleged forgery Monday evening and were told a person later described as the suspect was sitting on a car. They found Floyd, who at that point was inside a car and police said he “physically resisted” after he got out.

Officers handcuffed Floyd, who police said “appeared to be suffering medical distress.” He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said.

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This what cell phone Contact Tracing looks like to trace and mitigate COVID-19.

Video captured by bystanders at the scene of the arrest shows an officer with his knee pressed against the neck of the 46-year-old, who was handcuffed on the pavement, complaining that his body hurt and he couldn’t breathe. Two officers handled the man on the ground while another stood nearby with his eyes on the bystanders as traffic passed.

Surveillance video obtained from a nearby restaurant showed the first point of contact police had with the man. An officer escorts a handcuffed Floyd out of a car and Floyd sits on the sidewalk. Moments later, the officer and another escort Floyd away, still with his hands behind his back.

George’s brother Rodney Floyd

May 28 – June 03, 2020

told CBS that he didn’t believe George was resisting arrest.

“You have eyes. I have eyes.

You can see what you saw,” Rodney Floyd said in an interview that “CBS This Morning” aired Wednesday. “And I saw, and the nation saw ... and every black person saw, the same thing, because it don’t happen to nobody else.”

“They need to be charged with murder because what they did was murder,” Brown told CNN. “And almost the whole world has witnessed that because somebody was gracious enough to record it.”

George Floyd’s sister Bridgett Floyd told ABC on Wednesday that she also wants the officers arrested.

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The officers’ firings are “definitely not enough justice for me and my family,” she told “Good Morning America.” I feel those guys need to be put in jail. They murdered my brother.”

A day after Floyd’s death, hundreds gathered at the same intersection where he was pinned to the ground and they later marched to a police precinct to protest.

The protesters chanted “No justice, no peace,” and “I can’t breathe.”

Some demonstrators wheeled a shopping cart full of rocks just outside the precinct and dumped it on the ground for people to throw, a CNN team there reported. Police used tear gas to disperse the crowd after some people turned unruly, a spokesman for the police department said.

Findings on the cause and manner of Floyd’s death remain pending and it is being investigated by local, state and federal law enforcement, the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office said in a statement.

Mayor Frey offered his condolences to Floyd’s family Tuesday, adding that what the video shows was “utterly messed up.”

“For five minutes, we watched as a white officer pressed his knee to the neck of a black man,” Frey said in a news conference.

“When you hear someone calling for help, you are supposed to help.

This officer failed in the most basic human sense,” he said.

“Being black in America,” he added, should not be “a death sentence.”

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has opened an investigation into Floyd’s death, which will focus on whether the Minneapolis Police Department officers involved “willfully deprived (Floyd) of a right or privilege protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States,” according to a statement from the FBI Minneapolis Division.

BE SAFE HOUSTON! MASK UP!

Mayor Sylvester Turner (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

A MESSAGE FROM THE MAYOR

* WE MUST CONTINUE TO BE VIGILANT about being safe and careful even though our city is in the process of gradually re-opening. * We cannot afford to become too relaxed, THE CORONAVIRUS IS STILL HERE with us. * WE MUST CARE ABOUT OUR LOVED ONES and continue to protect them by wearing masks and gloves. * SOCIAL DISTANCING IS VITALLY IMPORTANT to protect you and your loved ones. * WE HAVE NO VACCINE and there won’t be one available for several months according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC).

So don’t believe the hype about returning to normal because we are living in a new “norm” in order to remain HEALTHY and SAFE.

PROTECT YOU, YOUR LOVED ONES AND THOSE AROUND YOU!!!

FROM THE OFFICE OF THE MAYOR For more information about the city of Houston visit: www.houstontx.gov/mayor/ For more Covid 19 testing sites info call 832.393.4220

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May 28 – June 03, 2020

9

2020

COMCAST 2020 MAYOR’S HISTORY MAKERS AWARDS THE POST OAK HOTEL • HOUSTON www.StyleMagazine.com

HSM Throwback Thursday Haute Shots from March 3, 2020 – the 3rd Annual Comcast Mayor’s History Makers Awards – We Really MIss These Good Times

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COMCAST MAYOR’S HISTORY MAKERS AWARDS

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Photography by Francis Page, Jr.

ntrepreneurs, business owners, and others were in attendance at The 2020 Mayor’s History Makers Awards luncheon presented by Comcast. This years event was held at the beautiful Tilman Fertitta’s The Post Oak Hotel. This years honrees were Dr. Anastasia Anderson of BakerRipley, Jacqueline Bostic of the Emancipation Park Conservancy, Donald Bowers of Houston East End Chamber, Charlotte Bryant of Comerica Bank, Argentina James of the NAACP Houston Branch, Marvin Pierre of Latinos for Education / Texas Children’s Hospital and LIVING LEGEND Award Winner - Zinetta A Burney of Mayor Sylvester Turner.

#MASKUPHOU 10

May 28 – June 03, 2020

MASK UP! www.StyleMagazine.com

#MASKUPHOU

Remembering Keith Wade

Keith Wade, a Special Adviser to Mayor Sylvester Turner and an Advocate for Labor and Civil Rights, was laid to rest Thursday During a Private Funeral Service

By StyleMagazine.com, NewsWire

A

n important figure in the history of the University of Houston has died.

In 1977, Keith Wade became the first African American elected president of the UH Students’ Association, serving as president from 1977-1978. He would go on to remain actively involved at UH and in Houston politics throughout his life. On Thursday (May 21), Wade died after contracting COVID-19.

“Our journey in politics started on the UH campus. Throughout his life, Keith championed the causes of labor, people who have been disenfranchised, and he advocated for the rights of people to vote,” Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said on Twitter. “He was instrumental in so many campaigns in all levels of government. And that is true in my case as well.”

The two met more than 40 years ago when both were students at UH. “Keith Wade and I go back 46 years, to our days on the campus of the University of Houston. After I was speaker of the @UHSGA (UH Student Government Association, then Students’ Association), he was president. Our journey in politics started on the University of

Houston campus,” Turner tweeted following news of his death.

Wade and vice president running mate Susan Guinn, campaigning on the Students Party ticket, won the offices of UH Students’ Association president and vice-president in 1977. The year prior, Wade served as vice president of the student senate.

A lifetime of public service followed his years at UH. Wade served as a special advisor for mayors Turner and Annise Parker and was an aide to U.S. Rep. Mickey Leland. He also remained an active part of the UH campus as a longtime advisor to the UH Hobby School of Public Affairs, where he focused on providing opportunities for students to be involved in the civic and governmental affairs.

Wade played an active role in the Hobby School’s Civic Houston Internship Program (CHIP), which offers government internships to UH students each fall and spring semester, and the Mickey Leland Congressional Internship Program, which gives students a first-hand experience in our nation’s legislature.

“He worked diligently to prepare the Leland Fellows, Hobby Fellows and Civic Houston Interns for their foray into public service every year,” said Alice Aanstoos, Hobby School advisory board chairperson. “His guidance, experience and unwavering good nature will be deeply missed by the entire Hobby School family. He was a gentle person, but fiercely devoted to the University of Houston and the Hobby School. We will miss his wisdom.”

“This is a sad day for a lot of people because Keith wasn’t just a consultant or a Special Advisor,” Turner said in a tweet. “He was a friend and a brother.”

Mayor Turner announced funeral services scheduled for Keith Wade, special advisor to Mayor Sylvester Turner.

At the request of the family, only invited family and friends will be able to attend the funeral service in person. Mayor Turner will attend the service and present a proclamation to the Wade family. The public was invited to watch the service online.

Keith Wade at University of Houston

Mayor Sylvester Turner and his most trusted special adviser – Keith Wade

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May 28 – June 03, 2020

11

Mayor Sylvester Turner

Protecting Yourself and Others from COVID-19 What is COVID-19?

• Coronavirus Disease 2019 is an illness caused by COVID-19, a virus that is highly contagious and spreads very easily from person-to-person. We are still learning how it spreads.

• COVID-19 is a new coronavirus, and there is currently no vaccine.

• Coronavirus Disease 2019 symptoms can range from mild (or no symptoms) to severe illness.

How does COVID-19 spread?

• People who are infected often have symptoms of illness, but some people without symptoms may be able to spread virus.

• COVID-19 spreads from respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks.

• These droplets can land in a nearby person’s mouth or nose or possibly be inhaled.

Does COVID-19 spread from contact with contaminated surfaces or objects?

• When a person coughs, sneezes, or talks, respiratory droplets land and may contaminate surfaces or objects.

• COVID-19 may persist on a surface for a few hours or up to several days.

• If you touch a surface or object contaminated with COVID-19 and then touch your mouth, nose, or eyes, you can become infected.

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May 28 – June 03, 2020

How do I prevent COVID 19 infection?

• Stay home, except for essential items like groceries or medication.

• Use a cloth face cover when in public, for example when going to grocery store.

• Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds often.

• If you don’t have soap and water available, use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Cover all surfaces of your hands and rub them together until they feel dry.

• Always avoid touching your nose, mouth, eyes with unwashed hands.

• Always cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue and throw it away, or use the elbow of your sleeve; clean hands afterward.

• Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces and objects daily with EPA-approved disinfectants.

• Take care of yourself. Get rest and stay hydrated.

• Always practice social distancing.

• Wear a face cloth or mask.

What is social distancing?

• • • •

Stay at least six feet from others.

Do not gather in groups.

Avoid crowded places.

Avoid close contact with others and those who are sick.

• Stay at home as much as possible.

• Stay away from people who are at higher risk of getting sick. Note that older adults and people of any age who have serious underlying medical conditions are at higher risk.

Am I sick with COVID-19?

• If you have primary symptoms of a fever, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, new loss of taste or smell, call your doctor.

• Call 911 if you have a life-threatening medical emergency.

• If you think you have COVID-19, avoid public transportation, ride-sharing, or taxis and stay away from other people and pets.

Mayor’s Health Equity Response Task Force #HER

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COVID-19 Call Center: 832-393-4220

Millions Show Selfishness

By NOT Social Distancing #MaskUp #SocialDistancing #ContactTracing

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By Jo-Carolyn Goode, Managing Editor – StyleMagazine.com

ow selfish can you be? There are 5.64 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide with the United States accounting for 1.72 million of them. Still you choose not to follow the rules. The US leads the world in the number of coronavirus deaths toppling over 100,000. Yet, still you choose not to follow the rules. Even though you know the coronavirus is a respiratory disease that is highly contagious and does not discriminate or show any mercy to those who are infected.

You still choose not to follow the rules.

You put your needs before the health of others all in the name of having fun. You totally disregard public health by going out in large crowds unprotected and not social distancing raising your chance of being infected with COVID-19. Despite knowing that, you still once again chose not to follow the rules. You say it is a violation of your rights to be forced to wear a mask. But not violating your rights violates the rights of others. That is of no concern to you because you still choose not to the follow the rules.

So. again I ask how selfish can you be?

During a weekend meant to honor military men and women who

fought for our freedom and pursuit for happiness, millions across the country packed pools, parks, bars and other public spaces without wearing masks or practicing social distancing. CNN reports that four parks in Travis County in Texas had to close for overcrowding.

South Padre Island saw unusual size crowds on their beaches and in bars.

Houston saw of influx of gatherings throughout the city.

Governor Greg Abbott has been slowly loosening the restrictions of stay at home orders to allow nonessential businesses like bars to reopen with diminished capacity. A disappointed Mayor Sylvester Turner spoke about all the photos he received of people packing out facilities. Over 300 complaints were received by city officials about those violating the state’s capacity order. The Houston Fire Department will now have to change their focus of educating business owners to enforcing the 25% capacity order or the business will be shut down for noncompliance. Houston Fire Chief Sam Pena said business owners were taking advantage and stretching the rules under the guise of opening as a restaurant vs. a bar to increase their capacity.

“We want people to voluntarily comply with the rules that apply to everyone. Others intentionally, blatantly, publicly violate them,” said Mayor Turner.

Those who were in these celebratory gatherings are encouraged to get tested for COVID-19 as a precaution since some individuals are asymptomatic.

“You are exposing everybody who is there,” said Mayor Turner as he added that other rights stop where his begin.

The decision of the mayor to have firefighters step up their efforts to make business owners comply with the rules was met with controversy by the Houston Professional Firefighters Association. The organization argues that more clarity and guidance is needed for firefighters to carry out the directive.

Gathering in large crowds with no masks and not social distancing is just like committing a crime since the action to disregard others’ health in such a global pandemic could lead to the death of others. People need to understand if they continue to not wear masks and social distance a second wave of positive coronavirus cases could rise.

With the increase number of cases authorities and hospitals may not be able to get a hold on it thereby returning the now loosen restrictions. In others words, we would go backwards instead of forward in fighting the coronavirus. It

is the essence of one bad apple spoiling the bunch.

Although health officials know more about the coronavirus than they did when it first made light in December 2019 in China, they are still don’t know everything. Medical personnel are still learning all aspects of the illness from the way it spreads to how it attacks the body. Version of it may be linked to new illnesses found in children. Treatments are continuingly being tested. A vaccine has not even been found. And there is still so much more that is unknown about COVID-19.

Sure you may be healthy now showing no signs and symptoms but tomorrow is not promise to anyone.

Why tempt fate like that. Realize the global pandemic has changed our world and the way we live and interact with one another has to change in order for it and us in it to survive. That is going to take the help or cooperation of every person in this city, state, America, and the world.

We must wear masks when out in public. We must practice being six feet apart from each other. We must follow the guidelines of governmental officials. For so long we have been behind the ball of this thing and now is our time to try to get in front it.

Be smart. Be responsible. Think of others. Stay safe. Wear a mask. Social distance. We are all in this together.

If I could do one thing, I’d have a daycare closer to work.

If you could do one thing for your community, what would it be? More daycare centers? More funding for Head Start? Completing the 2020 Census is a safe and easy way to inform how billions of dollars in funding flow into your community for hundreds of services.

Respond online, by phone, or by mail.

Complete the census at:

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May 28 – June 03, 2020

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AMPED Up and Ready

J.J. Watt Holds 2020 NFL Season Press Conference

By Brian Barefield, Sports Editor – StyleMagazine.com

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s sports fans in Houston and surrounding areas cling to the possibility of sports returning soon, one of the biggest superstars in “The H” held a press conference via Zoom to reassure fans that he is ready for the season. He also gave a little insight on what he has been doing since being quarantined during this global pandemic (COVID-19).

“I don’t really leave my house a whole lot,” said Texan defensive end J.J. Watt. “I go pick up food, but other than that it’s me and the dogs sitting here. K (Kealia Ohai Watt) is actually up in Chicago training. So, now it’s just me and the dogs down here in Houston.

They love that because I throw the tennis ball 650 times an hour and when I’m not

training that’s literally all I do.”

At age 31, Watt is heading into his 10th season in the NFL (all with the Texans) and is looking forward to having a very productive season under new defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, but wants to help the team in every way possible to be successful. In order to do that he must avoid the only thing that can slow him down and that’s the injury bug. Watt has played a total of 32 regular season games since 2016, the last full season was in 2018 where he made the NFL All-Pro team.

“My goal for every season is the same, it’s to do whatever possible to help the team win,” Watt responded when asked what his goal is for the 2020 season. “Obviously, number one that means staying healthy. You have to be out on the field in order to help the team win. Then it’s to play at the peak physical level that I’m capable of. I mean, I know exactly what I’m capable of doing on the field. That’s my goal, is to play at that level, because that’s the level that helps a team win the best. It’s just

Houston TEXAN Defensive End - J.J. Watt making sure that I’m in the best possible shape and the best possible condition to perform that way.”

The overall 11th pick in the 2011 draft and three-time Defensive Player of the Year also weighed in on a social matter that has hit close to home (Houston). A video was recently released of a Houston native (George Floyd) being detained by Minneapolis Police officers in response to business owner’s call for police help that would eventually lead to the death of Floyd.

The video was graphic in nature and

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would lead to the four officers that were involved with the death of Floyd to be terminated from the department.

“I’ve seen the video and I think it’s disgusting,” said Watt. “I think that there’s no explanation for it, to me it doesn’t make any sense. I don’t understand how that situation can’t be remedied in a way that doesn’t end in his death. I mean, it’s terrible. It’s extremely difficult to watch and it’s upsetting.”

May 28 – June 03, 2020

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Texans Helping Texans Bringing us together during uncertain times.

To learn more go to heb.com/texanshelpingtexans 16

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