Houston Style Magazine Vol 31 NO 40

Houston Style Magazine October 1 – October 7, 2020

Houston’s Premiere Weekly Publication, Since 1989

Volume 31 | Number 40

Complimentary

Jesse Jackson SCOTUS Nomination Is An Insult to All Ginsburg Stood For

ARE YOU REGISTERED TO VOTE? WORDS BY JO-CAROLYN GOODE

Sunnyside Supporting and Prioritizing The Sunnyside Community

STAY HOME H WORK SAFE CORONAVIRUS – US NUMBERS: 7,469,356 Deaths: 212,147

TAG: #TeamStyleMag

Twitter @HoustonStyle

Instagram @HoustonStyleNews

Facebook: @HoustonStyleMagazine

Mayor Turner’s New Cite and Release Program Texans Lose Three Games Straight

Breast Cancer Fighting For The Care You Need During COVID-19

Al Sharpton

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

FREE Testing Sites

Houston COVID-19

1. UMMC Tidwell | Drive-thru | 510 W Tidwell Rd, 77091 | Sept. 21-25 | 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. | No appt. required.

2. Ibn Sina Community Clinic | Drivethru | 5012 N Shepherd Dr, 77018 | Until September 30 | Appt. required via 832-426-3760.

3. Northeast Multi-Service Center | Drive-thru | 9720 Spaulding St, 77016 | Sept. 21 & 23: 8 a.m.—4 p.m. | Sept. 22: 1-6 p.m. | Appointment required via txcovidtest.org 4. Forest Brook Middle School | Drive-thru | 7525 Tidwell Rd., 77016 | Sept. 21-25 | 8 a.m.—3 p.m. |No appointment required.

5. Delmar Stadium | Drive-thru | 2020 Mangum Rd, 77092 | Monday – Saturday | 8 a.m. - 3 p.m. | Call 832393-4220 for access code.

6. HCC - Northeast | Drive-thru | 555 Community College Dr, 77013 Sept. 24-26 | 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. | Appt required via txcovidtest.org 7. Kashmere Multi-Service Center | Drive-thru or walk-up | 4802 Lockwood Dr, 77026 | Sept. 22-24 | 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. | No appt required.

Week of Sept. 21, 2020

8. Minute Maid Park, Lot C | Drivethru or Walk-up | 2208 Preston St, 77002 | Fri-Tues: 8 a.m.—4 p.m. | Weds- Thurs: 12 p.m.—8 p.m. | Appt not required but available via texas.curativeinc.com.

9. Guatemalan, El Salvador & Honduras Consulate Consortia | Drivethru | 6300 Richmond Ave, 77057 | Sept. 26-27 |10 a.m. – 3 p.m. | No appointment required.

10. Southwest Multi-Service Center | Drive-thru | 6400 High Star Dr, 77074 | Sept. 21-26 | 10 a.m.-7 p.m. | Appt not required but available at doineedacovid19test.com.

11. PlazAmericas | Drive-thru | 7500 Bellaire Blvd, 77036 | Sept.

21—25 | 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. | No appointment required.

12. Cullen Middle School| Drivethru | 6900 Scott St., 77021 | Sept.

21-25 | 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. | No appointment required.

13. HCC - Southeast | Drive-thru | 6815 Rustic, St., 77087 | Sept. 21-25 | 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. | No appt required.

14. Sunnyside Multi-Service Center | 9314 Cullen Blvd, 77033 • Sept. 21-23: Drive-thru | 8 a.m.—4 p.m. | Appt req at txcovidtest.org • Sept. 24-26: Walk-up | 10 a.m.—3 p.m. | No appointment required.

15. HCC - South | Drive-thru | 1990 Airport Blvd, 77051 | Sept. 24-26 | 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. | Appt required at txcovidtest.org 16. Butler Stadium | Drive-thru | 13755 S Main St, 77035 | Monday– Saturday | 8 a.m. - 3 p.m. | No appt required.

17. LeRoy Crump Stadium | Drive-thru | 12321 High Star Dr, 77072 | Sept. 21-24 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. | Appointment required via txcovidtest.org.

18. Ibn Sina Comm. Clinic | Drive-thru | 11226 S Wilcrest Dr, 77099 | Until Sept.

30 | Appt required via 281-495-7462.

19. Christia V. Adair Park | Drive-thru | 15107 Cullen Blvd, 77047 | Sept. 21-25 | 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. | Appointment required through txcovidtest.org 20. Multicultural Center | Drive-thru | 951 Tristar Dr, Webster, 77598 | Sept.22-26 | 8 a.m.–3 p.m. | Call 832393-4220 for access code.

Rev: 09/20/20 8:45 a.m.

Rev: 08/28/20 PM

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October 1 – October 7, 2020

www.StyleMagazine.com

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

NATIONAL WRITERS

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

PHOTOGRAPHERS Vicky Pink vhpink@gmail.com

#VOTE

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

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Houston Style Magazine & www.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 Supporters of Greater Houston Partnership(GHP)

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October 1 – October 7, 2020

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COMMENTARY

SCOTUS Nomination Is An Insult to All Ginsburg Stood For

By Jesse Jackson, National Political Writer

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pon the untimely death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Donald Trump promised to name “a woman” to fill her seat, as if the sum of Ginsburg’s identity was her gender. In fact, the woman that Trump has nominated -- Amy Coney Barrett -- is an insult to all that Ginsburg stood for.

We witnessed this cynical ploy before when George Bush chose a black man -- Clarence Thomas -- to fill the seat of Thurgood Marshall, the champion of civil rights. Although of the same race, the two were of opposing judicial complexions. The nomination of Thomas like that of Barrett demonstrated scorn, not respect for the civil rights heroes they were named to replace.

Barrett’s appointment is the first since Clarence Thomas that transforms the ideological balance of the Supreme Court. A radical right-wing justice is replacing a progressive champion. The conservative successors oppose the very advances that opened the doors for them to sit where they are.

Thurgood Marshall was the legal giant who sculpted the campaign to challenge segregation, ultimately winning Brown v. Board of Education that ruled it unconstitutional. As a justice, he wrote many decisions that expanded civil rights and criminal justice protections, particularly for racial minorities.

Clarence Thomas had neither Mar-

shall’s qualifications nor his record.

In his decades on the court, Thomas is famous mostly for his hostility toward civil rights, affirmative action and the rights of the accused. His furious dissents are so extreme that he often stands alone.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg was known as the Thurgood Marshall of gender equality. She litigated the lawsuits that eventually led the Supreme Court to rule that sexual discrimination was unconstitutional. As a justice, she continued that work. Even in dissent, her arguments were so compelling that the “Notorious RBG” moved Congress to act when the conservative majority of the court refused to.

Barrett has benefited from the triumph of the women’s movement. A mother of seven, she was able to balance family life and career in the law largely because Ginsburg and others broke down the locked doors and busted through the glass ceilings that so limited women of earlier generations.

Sadly, Barrett espouses an ideological agenda that would undermine the very rights that Ginsburg fought so successfully for. And unlike Thomas, her addition to the Supreme Court now consolidates the right-wing, pro-corporate majority.

In the Senate hearings on her nomination, Barrett will no doubt seek to soften her record. She’ll likely claim

to be an “originalist” as opposed to an activist judge. She’ll perhaps nod to the importance of precedent and duck any questions about substance.

Do not be deluded. Behind the gentle smile and experienced academic, Barrett is a committed ideologue, well vetted by right-wing judicial activists.

She claims to be someone grounded in the original intention of the founders, but notes that some changes are baked into society, leaving her free to decide what stands and what falls. She says judicial precedent isn’t important if the original case is decided incorrectly, leaving her free to discard precedents like Roe v. Wade, which she opposes.

If she is confirmed, the rightwing majority on the court will be emboldened. The Affordable Care Act, which the Trump administration seeks to have overturned, affirmative action, sensible controls on guns, and centrally, women’s right to an abortion are all likely to be weakened or overturned.

Moreover, an emboldened conservative majority will expand its efforts to limit the power of Congress to protect the environment, to get money out of politics, to regulate big corporations or to tax wealth.

Worse, Barrett’s nomination -- made when people have already started voting in a presidential election -- maliciously denies Americans a voice in who should make this lifetime

NBC News/WSJ/Telemundo Latino Poll:

Joe Biden Leads President Donald Trump Among Latino Voters 62% to 26% By www.StyleMagazine.com Newswire

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ith just over six weeks until Election Day, a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal/ Telemundo poll published today offers the latest snapshot of Latino voters’ views on the 2020 presidential election.

The nationwide poll was conducted as part of Telemundo’s “Decision 2020” initiative, a non-partisan multiplatform news and civic engagement effort to provide Latinos with comprehensive information and resources on this year’s election. The poll is the latest in a yearlong series of Telemundo local and national surveys focused on the Latino electorate.

A story about the results of

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the NBC News/Wall Street Journal/ Telemundo poll is available in Spanish at Telemundo.com. Highlights of the results will also be featured on Noticias Telemundo’s Sunday newscasts at 6:30 p.m EDT/5:30 pm CT and 11:30 p.m. EDT/10:30 CT. Some of the key findings include: 62% of Latino voters say they

October 1 – October 7, 2020

will vote for Joe Biden compared to 26% for President Donald Trump. Biden’s support draws heavily from younger voters (71%), women (67%) and Latinos who primarily speak Spanish at home (68%).

30% of Latino voters approve of President Trump’s job performance compared to 59% who disapprove. Catholic voters are more likely to disapprove

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appointment. Worried about losing the election, Trump and his Republican Senate enablers are rushing to confirm someone that they assume is out of step with the majority of the country. Barrett has been nominated by a president elected with a minority of the popular vote and would be confirmed by a Senate majority representing a minority of the voters. Worse, Trump argues that the nomination must be rushed through before the election so that Barrett is in place when the legal challenges to the election that he is planning come before the Supreme Court.

The Senate should allow the people to elect the president who makes this lifetime appointment. If Republicans force the issue, Barrett should make it clear that she will remove herself from any case relating to the election. Nothing will do more to undermine the legitimacy of the Court and the viability of this Republic than for a Trump nominee, crammed through at the last moment, to sit on cases brought to frustrate the will of the electorate and calling on the Court’s conservative majority to decide who the president will be.

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.

Share this story online at www.StyleMagazine.com. of Trump (63%) compared to other religions (47%).

While Biden holds a stronger favorable rating at 46% compared to 26% for Trump, the president’s unfavorable ratings are at a lower level when compared to the same time in the last election cycle. In September 2016, 78% of Latinos had a negative view of Trump compared to 56% now.

Among Latino voters, the most important issue in this year’s campaign is the economy (41%), followed by health care (29%) and the coronavirus pandemic and protecting immigrants’ rights (23%).

Latino voters view Trump and Biden almost evenly in terms of managing the economy, with 41% believing Joe Biden would do a better job compared to 39% for Trump. www.StyleMagazine.com Newswire

Hope.

It’s our greatest feature.

It all started in 1998 when a group of Hyundai dealers wanted to make a difference for kids facing cancer.

Their idea blossomed into Hyundai Hope On Wheels®. Now, every time a new Hyundai is sold a portion goes to Hyundai Hope On Wheels to help fight childhood cancer. To date, over $172 million and 1,000 grants have gone to support research at children’s hospitals with the hope of finding a cure. And during the COVID-19 crisis, Hyundai has also donated $4.4 million for drive-thru testing to help expedite diagnosis for health-compromised and at-risk children. September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, a good time to remember that hope is our greatest feature. And it comes standard on every Hyundai.

Model pictured for illustrative purposes only. For every new Hyundai vehicle purchased, $14 is donated by Hyundai to Hyundai Hope On Wheels. Funds are used for pediatric cancer research grants and to raise public awareness. For more info visit HyundaiHopeOnWheels.org.

Hyundai is a registered trademark of Hyundai Motor Company. All rights reserved. ©2020 Hyundai Motor America.

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October 1 – October 7, 2020

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Mayor Sylvester Turner Authorizes New Cite and Release Program

By Jo-Carolyn Goode, Managing Editor

less than $750 6. Contraband in a Correctional Facility, if the offense is a Class B misdemeanor 7. Driving with an invalid license

Mayor Turner signs exrecutive order.

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rogram allows officers to issue tickets for low-level offenses instead of making arrests

Beginning Tuesday, Sept. 29, Houston Police officers will be able to issue citations instead of arresting individuals for certain Class A and Class B misdemeanors. Mayor Sylvester Turner signed Executive Order No. 1-68 Monday afternoon, authorizing the City of Houston to join Harris County’s Cite and Release Program.

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The Cite and Release policy is expected to help reduce the jail population for non-violent offenders, reduce the amount of time police officers spend on jail processing procedures, and improve response times by getting officers back into service more quickly.

The following Class A and B misdemeanors are eligible for tickets instead of jail time: 1. Possession of a controlled substance, if the controlled substance

October 1 – October 7, 2020

2.

3.

4.

5.

is four ounces or less Criminal Mischief, if the amount of pecuniary loss is $100 or more but less than $750 Graffiti, if the amount of pecuniary loss is $100 or more but less than $2500 Theft, if the value of the property stolen is $100 or more but less than $750 Theft of Service, if the value of the service stolen is $100 or more but

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“Cite and Release is a more humane way to handle low-level offenders because the program allows them to face responsibility for their actions without the stain of an arrest or serving jail time,” said Mayor Sylvester Turner. “It is the equivalent of being given a second chance on the spot, as long as the suspected offender meets the requirements for Cite and Release and complies with the rules.”

The Houston Police Department’s Class C Policy is currently be

ing revised in consideration of the new Cite and Release policy.

“This is not a matter of getting soft on crime. It’s about getting smart on crime,” Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said. “The Cite and Release program is a long time coming and long overdue. It is something we are very proud to implement.”

Mayor Turner acknowledged Houston City Council Member Abbie Kamin, Chair of the Council Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee, who could not attend Monday’s news conference because of the Jewish Holiday Yom Kippur. The mayor also thanked the five City Council Members who sent him a list of recommendations on policing reforms, including Cite and Release.

“This is a great day in the City of Houston. On behalf of my city council colleagues, activists, and organizations that have worked on policing reforms, we are moving in the right direction. We all agree that Cite and Release is a policy that we can live with and something Houstonians deserve.

This is a great step forw the Houston Area Urban League also spoke in favor of Cite and Release.

Mayor Turner also said the objective of implementing Cite and Release is to achieve a measurable change in how Houston Police offers are handling low-level offenses. Therefore, the Executive Order also clarifies that the Houston Police Department will track and report the data on citations issued under this program.

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October 1 – October 7, 2020

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October 1 – October 7, 2020

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Are You Registered to Vote?

By Jo-Carolyn Goode, Managing Editor

Chris Hollins - Harris County Clerk y vote won’t count. I missed the deadline. The process is too hard.

What are these statements? Excuses used by Americans as reasons why they don’t vote. And there are more than that with regards to black and brown people faced with lack of transportation, voter IDs laws, distrust of the system, and a lack of education of the process.

However, I am of the belief that for every excuse there is a solution to resolve it. Stop thinking you won’t be heard. Your vote is your voice.

The voter registration deadline is Oct. 5th so you still have a little time to get registered. The process is far from difficult. Finally, you may

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get all the education on the election process at HarrisVotes.org or Vote411.org. Before Election Day arrives we must remove all excuses from the minds of voters. This election is far too important to watch from the sidelines. Political participation is needed by all. The first step in the election process is to register to vote.

“I was beaten, my skull was fractured, and I was arrested more than 40 times so each and every one of us can register to vote.

Do your part.” – Congressman John Lewis.

“I was beaten, my skull was fractured, and I was arrested more than 40 times so each and every one of us can register to vote.

Do your part.” – Congressman John Lewis.

Lewis was a man who often got in good trouble to make sure he was doing his part.

Now that he has completed his life’s work it is up to all of us to continue his fight and do our part. Our part consists of getting registered to vote and showing up during early voting or on Election Day to vote for the best candidates for the job.

Your step in fulfilling your part is to apply to register to vote. However, you apply make sure you qualify. In the state of Texas, there are five points of voter eligibility. A person must be: • A United States citizen; • A resident of the Texas county in which application for registration is made; • At least 18 years old on Election Day; • Not convicted of a felony, or, if so convicted must have (1) fully discharged the sentence; or (2) been pardoned or otherwise released from the resulting disability to vote; and • Not determined by a final judgment of a court exercising probate jurisdiction to be (1) totally mentally incapacitated; or (2) partially mentally incapacitated without the right to vote.

If you meet all those criteria move on to the next step – applying to vote. Applications can be download from HarrisVotes.org, requested by mail, or picked up from County Voter Registrar’s office, the Secretary of State’s Office, libraries, many post offices, or high schools. The application is very simple to fill out with just 10 questions that are all about you.

It takes all of a couple of minutes to fill out.

Read all instructions carefully. Fill in all the

blanks. Mail the completed application to the County Voter Registrar, or hand-deliver it to the County Voter Registrar’s office. The application must be received 30 days before the election.

There is also one other way to register to vote, online. Texans can register to vote or update their voter’s information online when renewing their driver’s license.

Once the complete application is received and processed, registered voters can check their status with the Texas Secretary of State Ruth R. Hughs at /teamrv-mvp.sos.texas. gov/MVP/mvp.do. On the website, voters can find a polling location near them, jot down key election deadlines, and see additional registration information. Everything you need to know is at your fingertips in one spot.

This election cycle is expected to turn out an unprecedented number of voters.

In anticipation of this and the knowledge that COVID-19 is still very serious coupled with the flu season, the Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins wants to make sure that this entire process is safe, accessible, and easy to do. Many have been encouraged to vote by mail and to request voting material now to ensure they are indeed registered and get their application and ballot in by the deadline.

Deadlines are important since fifty-five days before the election the voter system is set by the number of registered voters from the voter registrar’s records. The number of registered voters is not the same number as the number of actual registered voters eligible to vote. www.HarrisVotes.com

BUILD BACK BETTER

JOBS AND ECONOMIC RECOVERY AGENDA Joe Biden believes we cannot build back better without a major mobilization of effort and resources to advance racial equity across the American economy.

Visit joebiden.com/racial-economic-equity to learn more PAID FOR BY BIDEN FOR PRESIDENT www.StyleMagazine.com

October 1 – October 7, 2020

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City of Houston Support and Prioritize The Sunnyside Community www.StyleMagazine.com Newswire

hen I became mayor in 2016, I said I did not want to be the mayor of two cities – the haves, and the have nots.

As a lifelong resident of Acres Home, I have watched good people struggle through no fault of their own – simply because their neighborhoods, usually predominately minority and low income, were ignored or under-resourced for decades. Some policymakers want to move folks out of these communities into so-called “opportunity neighborhoods” – neighborhoods with middle-and upper-income residents and more access to jobs, schools and health care.

That’s all well and good, but why should we tell our young people that they must leave the communities where they grew up with their families, went to school, worshipped and made friends in order to succeed in the world? Instead of telling them to move to neighborhoods with more opportunity, why not bring opportunity to their neighborhoods?

That’s why I created the Complete Communities initiative. Complete Communities is about improving neighborhoods so that all of Houston’s residents and business owners can have access to quality services and amenities. It’s about working closely with the residents of communities that haven’t reached their full potential, understanding their strengths and opportunities and collaborating with partners across the city to strengthen them with enhanced access to quality affordable homes, jobs, well-maintained parks and greenspace, improved streets and sidewalks, grocery stores and other retail, good schools and transit options, while also working to ensure existing residents can stay in homes that remain affordable.

I value and treat our ten Complete Communities equally, but some in the media are trying to paint one— Sunnyside—as still being neglected and have tried to portray it negatively.

This does a disservice to the residents of Sunnyside who are hardworking, God-fearing people from close-knit families, deeply rooted in their faith who are proud of this historic community and have worked to improve it over the years.

In Sunnyside, the Complete Communities planning effort began by summarizing existing neighborhood and citywide plans and conducting outreach and small group meetings with key leaders and stakeholders.

Meetings were held with faith leaders, nonprofits, community-based organizations, business owners, and other civic, educational, and institutional leaders. Overall, 262 people were engaged in this process, which you can read about, as well as review Sunnyside’s draft Action Plan, on the City’s website at https://www.houstontx.gov/ completecommunities/sunnyside/index.html.

In those planning sessions,

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Sunnyside stakeholders learned more about the City projects and programs that are underway or planned for their community.

Housing and Community Development During my time as mayor, the City of Houston has invested more than $8 million to preserve and rehabilitate 81 existing homes in the Sunnyside community. We have also provided $712,516 in direct assistance to help 34 low- and moderate-income families and individuals achieve the dream of homeownership.

Through the Home Repair Program, 43 houses in Sunnyside have been repaired. Another 15 homes have been restored through our Disaster Recovery program. I also started expedited the “Blue Tarp” program to REMOVE blue tarps and repair storm-damaged roofs, many of which had been covered since Hurricane Ike. I knew we would not build a city of complete communities when so many of our citizens could not count on the roof over their heads to keep them dry in a storm.

The City also provided nearly $200,000 in funding to boost capacity for 10 critical nonprofits in the Sunnyside area that provide such essential services as: • Transitional housing or services for individuals experiencing homelessness • Health clinics for low- and moderate-income residents • Housing and health services for people living with HIV/AIDS= • Job training and educational opportunities for adults • Supportive services for adults living with disabilities • Childcare and early childhood education • Substance abuse recovery aid To support renters and keep the Sunnyside area affordable for the people living there now, the City invested $4.2 million into rehabilitating Sunflower Terrace, a residential community that offers 160 affordable apartment homes and on-site educational services to residents.

Public Health & Welfare When the COVID-19 pandemic began spreading in our community earlier this year, the Houston Health Department and its partners provided five COVID-19 mass testing sites in the Sunnyside area—Cullen Middle

October 1 – October 7, 2020

School, Houston Community College South, Mt. Hebron Baptist Church, Worthing High School and Caldwell Elementary School.

Sunnyside has a high CDC Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) score – 0.9446 on a scale of 0 to 1 with 1 being the highest level of vulnerability and zero the lowest. The CDC defines social vulnerability as the potential negative effects on communities caused by external stresses on human health, which include natural or human-caused disasters and disease outbreaks. Aware of how reducing social vulnerability can decrease decreasing both human suffering and economic loss, Houston Health has implemented several successful physical health and emotional well-being initiatives for young people. The Youth Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion program and the Social Justice Learning Institute Urban Scholars Program, both at Attucks Middle School, as well as the My Brother’s Keeper initiative, are data-driven programs with quantifiable outcomes improving the lives of adolescents, teenagers and young adults.

New Sunnyside Multi-Service Center and Health Facility My administration’s commitment to help d future opportunities also means improving the built environment of Sunnyside so that Generation Z and beyond wants to inherit and live in the homes that their parents and grandparents worked so hard to buy and maintain. So, we are building a new bigger and better Sunnyside Multi-Service Center and Health Facility that will make the community proud.

The City purchased land and provided funding at 4410 Reed Road for a two-story, 60,000-square-foot building with its own health clinic and community park. The facility is currently in the final design phase, with construction expected to begin in the summer of 2021 with ompletion at the end of 2022. The new building will offer more parking a nd an updated space for families and community groups to gather. The $25 million project was created with close community collaboration.

Infrastructure I recently joined Houston Public Works in Sunnyside to launch my Street Rehabilitation Initiative, a citywide program designed to improve streets, curbs and gutters citywide. The work will focus on council districts and in Complete Community locations, including Sunnyside.

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Houston Public Works has completed or started construction on more than $18 million of improvements to rehabilitate and reconstruct City street, drainage and utility infrastructure in the Sunnyside Complete Community during my time in office.

These infrastructure improvements include: • $12 million for thoroughfare and neighborhood street rehabilitation, including $4.4 million for Bellfort, Airport and Jutland through the new Mayor’s Street Rehabilitation Initiative and more than $1.5 million to replace the pavement on Sunbeam St east of Cullen; • More than $1 million in other mobility enhancements addressing the needs and safety of all users including sidewalks, ADA ramps and traffic calming; • More than $4 million in drainage system rehabilitation, including a current $2.3 million project to restore the roadside ditches and culverts in the neighborhood between Sunnyside Park and Scott Street • More than $1 million to replace aging water lines along Holmes Road and the area south of Worthing High School Proposed Drainage Improvement Project Another possible massive investment into Sunnyside is a proposed $111 million drainage improvement project that will replace and improve existing storm sewers and construct larger storm sewer trunk lines throughout the neighborhood. The project could reduce ponding on 12 miles of street, reducing flood risk to approximately 3,460 properties. Public Works is submitting its proposal for the project next month to the Texas General Land Office. This is a competitive funding process that is open now for public comment. Please add your voice to the conversation by getting more information here. https://hpwgeo-ms. houstontx.gov/drainageStudy/05_sunnyside.pdf Sunnyside Solar Energy Farm Something else that has tremendous possibility to transform Sunnyside is the development of the nation’s largest urban solar energy farm in the heart of the neighborhood. The City coordinated with C40 and the Reinventing Cities initiative to host a competition for a plan to redevelop the 240-acre landfill site bordered by Bellfort on the North, Reed Road on the South, east of 288 and west of Comal. Sunnyside Energy was selected in 2019 and its plans include offering job training programs and supplying the Sunnyside community with the amount of power equivalent to what is typically used by about 10,000 Houston homes over the course of a year. It’s important to me that all of Houston has access to climate-friendly energy sources . www.StyleMagazine.com Newswire

www.HarrisVotes.com www.StyleMagazine.com

October 1 – October 7, 2020

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Fighting For The Breast Cancer Care You Need During COVID-19

By Lotus Felix / www.BlackDoctor.org

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he COVID-19 pandemic ushered in a new challenge for those battling breast cancer today. This hydra-headed challenge manifests across issues relating to equity, advocacy, and access to care for cancer patients as the pandemic rages.

Chemotherapy – for all its effectiveness in combating cancer – unfortunately, suppresses the immunity of the patient. Generally designed to inhibit the aggressive growth of cancerous cells, chemotherapy could eventually handicap the patient’s immune response, as seen in its impact on their red and white blood cell count.

You will, therefore, agree that cancer patients face even higher risks from the pandemic. Sad, isn’t it?

Well, the reality is that the pandemic has sparked a structural overhaul not only in society but also in the healthcare system. Many treatment algorithms and previously established medical traditions are helplessly morphing in adaptation to the disruptions triggered by the virus.

It is definitely not heartwarming to see the swathes of COVID patients strewn across hospitals today, extensively stressing the system. Come on, there was no way cancer patients weren’t go-

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ing to be affected.

With an exponentially hectic schedule, healthcare providers have been forced to reschedule critical treatment procedures for patients like surgery, sometimes repeatedly. You guessed right!

This comes with an alarming possibility of derailing the treatment’s progression.

Undoubtedly, such a scenario can be traumatic for breast cancer patients who, having undergone chemotherapy (with its accompanying nightmares like quick fatigue, nausea, and pain), now lack the typical stability and agility we are lavished with as totally healthy individuals.

In some cases, patients have been put on pills to compensate for the delays in surgery (possibly due to the inappropriateness or endangering nature of the prevailing hospital environment for such treatments), helping the patients shrink their tumors in the short term. In truth, there isn’t much this can do.

The scale of preference has greatly changed – mostly adversely for cancer patients. You would have noticed how the COVID has jiggled prioritization procedure for specific treatments and screening.

Effectively, access to quality health care for cancer patients has been severely threatened. Not the best of news for 2020, I suppose.

There is even more to worry about. There is also the financial component of securing vital cancer treatment when you need it. Here, oral parity plays a huge role. The manner of administering a drug largely determines its affordability.

The coronavirus storm has

October 1 – October 7, 2020

forced some patients to pay more to obtain oral medications from their local pharmacies due to the hospital’s relative inaccessibility and scarcity of in-person consultancy from their physicians.

These aggravated costs can be biting, particularly for patients of color in underserved communities, facing a fierce economic war of survival.

All these evils gang up to pump the comorbidities which we have seen painfully seen inflated in face of the pandemic.

But guess what? Amidst this apparent flood of gloom for cancer patients, there is equally an enormous opportunity to stay healthy and happy, easily securing the medication and care you need.

Admittedly, this is more practical than Utopian – in that you, society, and other healthcare stakeholders have a significant role to play in its realization.

How about we explore how you can maximize this glimmer of hope, living your best life as a cancer patient or survivor?

Play a bigger role in the process Would you be flattered if I tell you that you are a major stakeholder in the American healthcare system? Truth is you are! Rather than justwaiting meekly for the results, it is crucial to boldly jump in and partake in the process determining the results.

For instance, there are loads of emerging technologies and therapies for cancer patients and survivors. According to Dr. Keith Crawford, director at PHEN (Prostate Health Education Network), Black men and women must tap into this, and massively partake in the clinical

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trials.

It is more imperative for Black women to champion this and get their hands on the steering wheels driving their destinies. A peep at black cancer statistics could get your heart leaping in fright.

Do you know that black women are 40% likelier to die from breast cancer than white women? This is even more prevalent for American states like North Carolina, Arkansas, Georgia, and Tennessee.

Indeed, there is a higher possibility of Black women (compared to white women) getting triple-negative breast. This is the infamous breast cancer known for its aggression and notoriety for resurging even after treatment.

Today, the need has never been higher for localized medicine. Rather than the generic approach that has plagued us with mediocre results for decades, it is more urgent now to have medications personalized to a specific genome. How can we achieve this if we know sparsely about our genetic identity as Black cancer patients or survivors?

Therefore, Black people must take a massive chunk of responsibility in the formulation of these emerging technologies and therapies. More than just piling up the numbers for the clinical trial, more Black people should be allowed into critical decision positions involving clinical trial designs and securing posts in these trials’ advisory boards. www.BlackDoctor.org

Mayor Turner’s Task Force On Policing Reform – Releases 153-Page Recommendations

T

www.StyleMagazine.com – NEWSWIRE

he Mayolr’s on Polikcing today reThe Mayor’s TaskTask ForceForce on Policing Reform today leased a highly anticipate153-page reportwith witha a released a highly anticipated 153-page report of recommendations proposed th 45-memlist oflist recommendations proposed by theby45-member ber citizen group. citizen group.

Led by Chairman Larry Payne, the task force spent months listening to Houstonians and organizations about the type and kind of police department they desire and demand. The task force engaged in extensive research on issues and best practices around the country and received more than 7,000 responses from a community survey.

“In the events of recent months, it is clear in Houston and across the nation that our community, mayor, city council, police chief, officers, and the union must all work together to protect and serve the constitutional rights of all citizens,” Chairman Payne wrote in the report’s introduction.

The recommendations are divided into six categories: Community Policing, Independent Oversight, Power dynamics, Crisis Intervention, Field Readiness, and Clear Expectations.

“We have worked hard on this being a document that is not going to sit on a shelf. It has actionable items that can be implemented,” Payne said. “We are also going to stay committed to the mayor. As a task force, we are not going away.”

The 104 recommendations are available online. (Click the image below.)

This report urges Mayor Turner, the Houston City Council, and the HPD to take action. We ask them to reimagine Houston public safety by implementing the following reforms: 1: COMMUNITY POLICING Integrate respectful, consistent, and meaningful community engagement and

input into existing work practices, including recruiting, training, patrolling, and promoting.

2: INDEPENDENT OVERSIGHT Overhaul the current IPOB to support a fulltime, paid administrative and investigative staff, accompanied by a diverse civilian board, to hold the HPD accountable to a higher standard.

3: POWER DYNAMICS Balance the power dynamics between the HPD and Houstonians by releasing bodyworn camera footage of critical incidents in a consistent and timely manner, further restricting the use of force, treating people with due respect, and committing to fundamental transparency by releasing audit and performance data on a regular basis.

4: CRISIS INTERVENTION Expand existing partnerships between the HPD, mental health professionals, and social services organizations to lighten the load on officers when responding to vulnerable populations, such as those experiencing mental health crises, domestic violence, human trafficking, substance abuse, and homelessness.

5: FIELD READINESS Equip and prepare officers for better engagement in the field through initiatives like reviewing and updating officer training, expanding mental health and wellness programs for officers, and instituting a mentorship program.

6: CLEAR EXPECTATIONS Set clear and unambiguous expectations for officers so that they feel supported, know exactly what behavior is required, and understand the consequences of their action or inaction.

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Mayor Sylvester Turner and Larry Payne – Chair And The Entire Mayor Turner’s Task Force On Policing Mayor Turner said he plans to take time to thoroughly review the report before making decisions about implementing any or all of the task force’s recommendations.

“I know people in our community recognize the importance of our police officers, want good policing, accountability, and transparency within the Houston Police Department,” said Mayor Turner.

“This is a transformational moment for our city as we seek to improve how policing is done in our community in a time when people are calling for reform and demanding we address racial and social injustices.”

DOWNLOAD REPORT + www.HoustonTX.gov/Boards/ Policing-reform-report.pdf

October 1 – October 7, 2020

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15

Panic Mode Texans Lose Third Game In A Row To Start The Season

By Brian Barefield, Sports Editor

S

Houston Texans Randall

ometimes life comes at you very hard and very fast. It is something you wish you could control, but I have learned that it is something you can’t. For the Houston Texans, they are trying to do their best to just get out of the whirlwind that this early 2020 NFL season has them in. Houston (0-3) dropped their third game of the season to the Pittsburgh Steelers (3-0) losing in Heinz Field by a score of 28-21.

This is the second time in three years that the Texans have opened a season 0-3, the last coming in 2018 when they dropped the first three

games to the Patriots, Titans, and Giants. Although they won the division that year and made the playoffs, this is not how the organization pictured this season would start.

“Everybody knows 0-3 is not where we want to be,” said head coach Bill O’Brien when asked about his team’s rough start to the season. “It’s urgency more so than panic. There is no panic. It’s just we got to get over the hump here somehow.”

Houston jumped out to an early 7-3 lead behind the brilliant play of Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson

who found wide receiver Randall Cobb for a 28-yard touchdown strike in the first quarter. They would increase that lead to 14-3 after running back David Johnson scampered two yavºrds for the score. Pittsburgh responded with two touchdowns led by future Hall of Fame quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to take the lead 17-14, but Watson pulled some late first half heroics and connected with Will Fuller V for a 14-yard touchdown score to put the Texans up 21-17 at the half.

It was the first time all season that Houston led at the half after being down by double digits in the previous weeks against the Kansas City Chiefs and the Baltimore Ravens.

Steelers head coach Mike

Tomlin is known around the NFL as a student of the game. He is able to process everything he sees and make the necessary adjustments for his team to make them successful and that’s exactly what he did on Sunday. Pittsburgh pitched a shutout in the second half holding the Texans scoreless and making life very difficult for Houston’s offense.

After giving up 202 passing yards to Watson in the first half, the Steelers held him to 62 yards by mixing up the blitz packages and making sure the run game never got on track.

The Texans rushed for 29 yards for the game with 8 of those yards coming after the intermission.

“We just mixed some things up with our coverages and we rushed a little bit differently,” Tomlin said. “We made minor technical adjustments to both the rush and the coverage, and I think that was the difference.”

The Texans must now prepare for a desperate Minnesota Vikings team coming into NRG Stadium this week. Minnesota is also winless on the season and they are coming off of a heartbreaking one-point loss to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.

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Al Sharpton Talks Misconceptions About His Place at the Center of Civil Rights

By Allison Kugel, Special to Style

N

ow, with his new book, Rise Up: Confronting A Country At The Crossroads, Reverend Al Sharpton outlines his unrelenting position on the weightiest political and societal issues of our time, recounts some hard lessons learned, and offers an inside glimpse into the mentors who shaped the man we see today. Most importantly, Reverend Sharpton outlines his plan for an America at the crossroads.

Allison Kugel: In light of recent news in the Breonna Taylor case (no criminal charges were filed in her death), what was your first reaction when you heard that decision?

Reverend Al Sharpton: It was alarming, but not surprising. I didn’t have confidence in this investigation, because of the obvious policies of the prosecutor. The prosecutor guides the grand jury and there is nobody in there besides the prosecutor.

This prosecutor is a protégé of Mitch McConnell. I did not think that he was going to do anything. I did feel that the indictment of the other officer, [Brett] Hankison, for the endangerment of everybody but Breonna was just as offensive. What they are saying is that he was reckless in who he was shooting at and putting others at risk.

What about who they shot, and her being at risk? It is one of the reasons why we do what we do, in saying there needs to be new laws. We just had a big march with tens of thousands of us, three weeks ago. Among two of the things we wanted are The George Floyd Policing and Justice Act that sat in the House, but the Senate hasn’t taken it up. It would strengthen the laws that would have eliminated the no knock laws and put this whole thing in a different perspective. That’s one of the things I talk about that in this new book (Rise Up, Hanover Square Press).

Allison Kugel: Many people believe that you just show up wherever the action and media attention is. It’s important for people to know that you and your National Action Network (NAN) are the ones who work to bring national attention to these cases in the first place. Without your hard work, the world wouldn’t know the names Trayvon Martin or George Floyd. Why isn’t this common knowledge?

Reverend Al Sharpton: A lot of the media just doesn’t say it.

Reverend Al Sharpton

Ben Crump (Attorney for the Floyd family) and the families have said it.

In fact, Breonna Taylor’s mother’s first interview was on my show (MSNBC’s”PoliticsNation”). They couldn’t get a national show before my show. Sybrina Fulton (Trayvon Martin’s mother) wrote about it her book on Trayvon. Ben Crump brought them to New York to ask me to blow up Trayvon [in the media]. Trayvon had been buried for 2 weeks. I didn’t even know about Trayvon until they came and met with me in my office. We made it an issue and called the first rally and had about 10,000 people out there. It ended up being the day my mother died, and I went ahead with the rally anyway. I said in the eulogy to George Floyd that people call me to blow things up, and I have an infrastructure with NAN where we support the family, we help them get legal advice and media advice, and we stay with them. Sometimes people can’t cover their expenses if they need to do a rally. Some of them need to pay their rent, and NAN helps with that.

They call us because they know we’ll come.

Allison Kugel: In your book you illustrate a parallel between The Great Depression and The New Deal put in place by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and our current economic crisis due to COVID-19 and the potential solution of a Green New Deal. Have you had the chance to speak with Kamala Harris or Joe Biden about this?

Reverend Al Sharpton: During the [primary] campaign, yes.

There was the meeting when Kama-

la came to Harlem and went with me to Sylvia’s soul food restaurant. I’ve talked to them separately. I’ve not talked to them at length since they were nominated. Obviously, we’ve talked on the phone, but this is something that I’m pushing out and I’m encouraging them to do. WithCOVID-19 this country is going to go through a tremendous economic challenge. We need a Marshall Plan and government involvement to bring the country back. If we don’t have that kind of engagement, we are going to have a very difficult 2021 and 2022.

Allison Kugel: With the worldwide protests that erupted after the murder of George Floyd, what do you ultimately see resulting from all the protesting?

Reverend Al Sharpton: The legislation is one, as I said, but the overall result should be how we as a culture redefine policing and move past police being above the law while questioning the actions of some police is thought to be anti-police. I think legislation can enforce this, or we need a cultural shift. One of the reasons the Floyd case caught on the way it did is that it happened in the middle of a pandemic and everyone was in lockdown. There were no sports, so people were watching the news to see what was happening with the lockdown. They kept seeing this footage over and over again, and they couldn’t turn to sports as a distraction.

There was no distraction with George Floyd, and I think that caused an eruption. How could somebody press their weight with their knee on someone’s neck for more than eight minutes unless there was some venom there?

Allison Kugel: I want to talk to you about Defund the Police. I read where you are not in favor of it, and I’m definitely not for it. Rather than defund the police, I am of the mind that some funds should be reallocated towards programs for compassion, empathy, tolerance, psychological competency, and things like that. What are your thoughts?

Reverend Al Sharpton: I think that we should redistribute how we do the resources like dealing with some of the things you outlined. A month after we did the eulogies for George Floyd, I did a eulogy for a 17-year-old kid killed by a stray bullet in the Bronx, and a eulogy for a one-year old baby that was killed by a straight bullet in Brooklyn. How can we say we don’t need policing when our communi-

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ties are disproportionately victims of crime? We are the only community that has reasonable fear of cops and robbers. I think we need to reallocate how we deal with the funds for police. We must have police in presence because right now we are inundating our communities with guns and drugs, and that is reality. Ironically though, I think what people don’t understand, Allison, is the one who has defunded the police is Trump. By Trump ineffectively handlingCOVID-19, most of these cities are going to be in deficit and will be laying off police. That is a bigger threat than people stating it at rallies.

They have run out of funds. They are laying off teachers and policeman in some cities.

Allison Kugel: Good point.

And whether you love Trump or hate him, every American should be aware that an important part of our democracy is a free press, as well as our postal service. When you have somebody in the highest office in the land who essentially gaslights the American public and says, “You can’t trust the media, you can’t trust the medical experts; only believe Me,” that is very dangerous rhetoric and undermines our democracy. Why do you think so many Trump supporters aren’t seeing that?

Reverend Al Sharpton: It baffles me on one level, and on another level, I think because the country is so divided, and they have been divided by the media. The media has convinced people that everybody but FOX {News] and a few radio talk show guys are buffaloing you or fooling you. They set a climate where a guy like Trump, who really is representing himself almost as an autocrat, can rise up and take advantage of that. He can say, “Don’t believe them, believe me. I’m one of you.” There is nobody more not one of them than Trump, with the glitzy billionaire lifestyle he lives. Whether he is a real billionaire or not, we don’t know. But he’s been able to sell that to people who are suffering through existence issues that are lower-middle class or poor, like I grew up. It’s appealing to them that they are doing this to me, and he has identified “they” as the liberal media. He gives everybody a blame game. In the interim, he does policies that don’t help them, but that they can feel that it is not his fault, instead it’s their fault. www.StyleMagazine.com Newswire

October 1 – October 7, 2020

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More Babies Born with Sickle Cell Disease in Greater Houston Area Than Other Regions of Texas Annual Summit Aims To Raise Awareness, Advocacy And Action Surrounding Painful Genetic Blood Disorder By www.StyleMagazine.com Newswire

A

pproximately 70 babies per year in the Greater Houston area are born with the painful genetic disorder called sickle cell disease, more than any other region

18

of Texas. Of the estimated 100,000 Americans living with the rare condition, approximately 7,000 are Texans.

Sickle cell disease causes red blood

October 1 – October 7, 2020

cells to become misshapen and look like a C-shaped farm tool called a “sickle,” sticking to vessel walls and preventing the easy flow of blood and oxygen. This ultimately causes organ damage, including severe episodes of pain that can last up to a week and can result in multiple hospitalizations throughout a lifetime.

The 2020 Sickle Cell Advocacy Summit, a free virtual event open to the public on October 8, aims to bring awareness to the forefront for increased resources and funding.

The annual summit brings together renowned advocates, congressional champions, disease specialists, policy makers, and other notable speakers.

“September is National Sickle Cell Awareness Month where affected individuals, their families, community organizations, and health care professionals work together to bring more attention to the disease,” said Dr. Titilope Fasipe, MD, PhD and chair of the Houston Sickle Cell Collaborative. We need more research and treatments for this devastating disease that affects so many people in our community.”

Fasipe understands on a very personal level the impact this disease has on patients and their families. She was diagnosed with sickle cell disease at just one-year-old.

Her only other family member known to also have the disease died at 17. Her experiences led to her mission: she wants every child born with sickle cell disease to have hope that they can lead a long, fulfilling life.

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Kennedy Cooper is one of the estimated 1,500 children in the Houston area living with the blood disorder. Every day she must make difficult decisions in order to stay healthy and prevent pain episodes that can cause other serious health problems. Kennedy has endured countless days at Texas Children’s Hospital instead of at school or hanging out with her friends. She, like other patients with sickle cell disease, need more people to care about their struggle.

The Houston Sickle Cell Collaborative is a partnership formed by the Houston Health Department (HHD) in 2016. Along with sickle cell community organizations and advocates, HHD Director Stephen Williams and his staff are devoted to bringing awareness of this genetic disease to the forefront. That’s why, together, they organized the Sickle Cell Advocacy Summit.

“We aim to increase awareness of sickle cell by understanding the challenges faced by the people impacted by the disorder, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Williams. “We will also celebrate the winds of change from legislative successes and discuss call-to-action policy goals to keep the momentum going.”

Dr. Wayne Frederick, MD, president of Howard University who suffers from sickle cell disease, will serve as the keynote speaker at this year’s virtual summit on October 8. The summit is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

More information and registration for the 2020 Sickle Cell Advocacy Summit is

NATALIA CORNELIO: With Liberty & Justice For All

By Cecilia Smith, Feature Writer – www.StyleMagazine.com

A

rainy, gloomy day in Houston doesn’t stop attorney Natalia Cornelio from being full of life and energy. In an election year unlike any other, a day filled with conference calls, meetings and campaign initiatives deserves a reset. Cornelio, poised and calm, relayed to that making history in Harris County for Latinas wasn’t a new thing, its begun to be commonplace.

Harris County saw the election of Judge A.D. Azios in 1964 and Lina Hidalgo in 2018. Azios was the first Hispanic judge in county history and Hidalgo, the first Latina and female county judge. Despite these benchmarks, true diversity has been elusive on the bench, even as the county boasts a Latinx population of nearly 45 percent. The massive underrepresentation goes even further in regards to grand jury bodies in Harris County. According to a 2014 Houston Chronicle analysis, there are “three times more adult Hispanics living in Harris County than the number who serve on grand juries, 36 percent versus 12 percent.”

Cornelio is running for the 351st Criminal Court District seat to replace Democratic Judge George Powell, a district court that presides over felony-level cases including decision-related to pretrial releases, detention, sentencing and more. If elected, she would become the first Latina out of 38 in Harris County’s criminal court system.

Becoming the first doesn’t strike fear within Cornelio. She proudly embraces her Mexican-American heritage and her extensive community roots and legal expertise. Known as “Nata” in her East End community, she dove into law to fight and represent those around her. When she recalls a childhood that at times revolved around watching her parents fight for immigrant workers’ rights, educational opportunities and more, she beams.

As a bilingual attorney for nearly 15 years, Cornelio has used her legal skills to provide a voice for the voiceless. She graduated from the University of Chicago Law and dedicated herself to criminal justice and reform. She’s spent time in numerous roles, civil rights attorney, federal public defender, Director of Criminal Justice Reform at the Texas Civil Rights Project, Director of Legal Affairs for Harris County Precinct One and served on the esteemed Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Her time in and out of courtrooms has made one thing evident to Cornelio -- the cultural gap between those in charge of dispensing the law and those on the receiving end of it. The bridge that many have declared to be equal is riddled with faults and inadequacies, ones that Cornelio has addressed and worked on tirelessly.

One immigration case in particular bristles at Cornelio, of how victory can still wield defeat for unjust reasons. Her client emerged victorious from a case, only to be immediately arrested and later deported by United States Immigration & Customs Enforcement or ICE.

“It deepened my commitment to the law and ensuring it’s distributed in a fair and humane manner,” Cornelio said.

The emerging attorney and potential Criminal Court judge sat down with Houston Style Magazine, discussing a platform that includes reducing disparities, community-centered justice, improving the courtroom process and more.

On What Inspired Her To Go Into Law & Transitioning To A Political Run

The urgency of making our justice system better and enabling it to work for more people, for starters. In the 14 years that I’ve been an attorney, I’ve seen firsthand the inequalities and just how important a judge’s role is in ensuring your legal rights and making sure that people are protected. As a child, my parents were very invested in education, so I took it very seriously. As I became more educated about the law and institutions, I noticed that although my community was often impacted, we didn’t have any lawyers in the community to help us navigate these laws. So I wanted to use my background to bridge that gap and dedicated myself to being a lawyer who’s a public servant.

On How Her Time As A Public Defender Impacted Her Career & Humanized The Judicial Process

As a public defender, you see the areas that our system can improve in. You see the inequities in the system. People who don’t have money, they have a different fight. People from Black and brown communities, they have a different fight ahead. If you’re a single parent taking care of a child, and you don’t have paid time off, your fight is different. Or if it’s a family sharing one car, it definitely presents a different set of circumstances.

When I was a public defender I could count on two hands how many of my clients were white. Most of my clients were minorities that couldn’t afford an attorney, and facing serious charges. You also see how people in power often don’t have the background that allows them to empathize with these kinds of situations. I’ve had to do everything from giving rides to people to give them proper clothes to wear to court.

On changing of who to qualifies to be a On changing norms ofnorms who qualifies be a judge judge There’s been a shift.

At one point, there were There’s been a shift. At one point, there were barely any federal had previously been defenders. barely any judges federalwho judges who had previously been Only recently did public defense start being seen a defenders. Only recently did public defense startasbereal qualification a judge. It’s a real ing seen as a real for qualification forbeen a judge.

It’scultural been a shift. The takeaway is that we want judges, we want real cultural shift. The takeaway is that we want judgpeople in power, who have actually had to witness es, we want peopleofintheir power, who have had the consequences judgments.

To actually understand to witness the consequences judgments.

To the impact and power this hasofontheir families.

The best understand impact and power this has on families. litigators seethe both sides.

The best litigators see both sides.

www.StyleMagazine.com

Addressing BailReform Reform Addressing Bail On A Federal Felony Level Level

You can see why we need change from looking at the Harris County Bail System. A federal judge found that it was unconstitutional before it could get changed. You had people in jail because they couldn’t afford bail for misdemeanors, people who were presumed innocent until proven guilty, and people who died in pretrial custody because of it. Bail reform is a big thing facing felony courts right now. While misdemeanor courts have changed their practices, there’s still work to be done on the federal level.

On How Citizens Can Get Involved In November

I invite everyone to educate themselves on local candidates, because that’s definitely one way to shift the culture. Equal justice under the law is not an option, it must be mandatory. Ask candidates what that means to them and ask about the historical inequalities in our system.

Something You May Not Know About “Nata”

I’m committed to being very intentional.

Something I would also like my voters to know is that I am an Aztec dancer (also known as “concheros”) a cultural and spiritual dance rooted in prehistoric Mexico. It’s allowed me to study and connect to my roots and the land that my ancestors came from. Having a community, working towards something, culture - are all things that are important to me.

Want to learn more about Attorney Natalia Cornelio? Follow her on the campaign trail at: www.NataliaCornelio.com and online at: @NataliaCorneli

October 1 – October 7, 2020

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