Houston Defender: April 29, 2021

One-on-One with HPD Chief

TROY FINNER Houston’s top cop talks about fighting crime, dealing with racism and community policing

NEWS

ENTERTAINMENT

AL GREEN

‘OUTSPOKEN’ Emanuelee Bean named Houston 2021-2022 Poet Laurete by Mayor Sylvester Turner.

The Congressman joins the fight for justice for Joshua Johnson, who was tragically killed by a deputy in Houston.

Volume 90, issue 26 April 29, 2021

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DN To the POINT

LET THE PEOPLE BE HEARD

Ma’Khia Bryant

Readers weigh in on the fatal shooting of 15-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant SK Boone “They would have talked to a 15 year old white girl...”

J.L. Woodson “If they can bring out a Mass Murderer alive... they clearly could have deescalated that situation...”

Stephanie Bullock Ferguson “Everyone knows teenagers do STUPID stuff, often things that will negatively impact their lives forever. However, OUR teens have no room for error. If these girls had not been black or brown the headline would be “Rowdy teen girls arrested after alleged fight” with no discussion about which girl was in the wrong.”

Sasha N Brown “I keep picturing the little girl in pink being my daughter or nieces...I would want the police to do whatever necessary to save their lives.

The young lady didn’t just have a knife... she was about to use it.”

Cherritta Smith “Their first reaction is to always kill our people. They capture and arrest active white mass shooters but don’t know how to do the same for us and all we have is a kitchen knife and sometimes no weapon at all.”

Dewain Smith “Hate that she lost her life but there are consequences.”

Cassandra Perkins “He didnt have to shoot that girl. All he had to do was fire a shot in the air.

Everybody would have ducked and or scattered.”

Attorneys for the family of Andrew Brown Jr., Wayne Kendall, left, and Ben Crump hold a news conference Tuesday, April 27, 2021 outside the Pasquotank County Public safety building in Elizabeth City, N.C., to announce results of the autopsy they commissioned. The attorneys say an independent autopsy shows that Brown, a Black man, was shot five times, including in the back of the head. Brown was shot Wednesday by deputies serving drug-related search and arrest warrant. -Travis Long/The News & Observer via AP

Message from the Associate Editor AMERICA’S PASTTIME

FUBU

It’s spring. You know, April showers, May Every awards season, like clockwork, we flowers, everyday allergies. With spring also get excited about folk who look like us who comes that timeless, seasonal tradition as are up for Oscars, Emmys, Grammys, etc., American as apple pie. Baseball? No. Someand pissed to high heaven when their greatthing even more fundamentally red, white ness gets overlooked. Every year, we declare, & blue: this country’s penchant for shooting “We’re gonna celebrate our people ‘irregardand killing Blackfolk. Oh wait, that’s not just a less.’” Yet, we still feel cheated when our peospringtime thing. It’s 24/7/365. I don’t need to ple don’t win. We try to get hyped about the run-down the entire 400-plus year history of BET, Soul Train and Essence awards, but we our mistreatment on these shores. Just look at know it just doesn’t feel the same. I’m calling Aswad Walker this past week in the “Black Trauma Chronion the NNPA (Black newspaper association) cles.” Elizabeth City, New Jersey’s Andrew to create an all-Black, all the time awards Brown Jr. killed execution-style by cops serving a warrant to show. We can call it the FUBUs, the Irregardlesses, the Sonnys the unarmed brother. And in Virginia, Isaiah Brown is in critical (please excuse the shameless kiss-up to my boss). Or we can condition after being shot 10 times by police WHILE ON THE give as much respect to our awards shows that already exist.

PHONE WITH 9-1-1. Each week, like the late Shock G said, But it’s time out for waiting to exhale, hoping one day those “All around the world, same song.” Activist Deric Muhammad who have historically downplayed our greatness to finally said, “They will stop killing us when the price gets too high. Not acknowledge it. a moment sooner. Not a moment later.”

CAN’T STOP, WON’T STOP

In 2008, while the world celebrated the election of Barack Obama as president and researchers touted the fact that America would soon become a majority Black/Brown nation, the Presiding Bishop of the Shrine of the Black Madonna, D. Kimathi Nelson said, and I’m paraphrasing, “White supremacy will not go quietly. They will resort to every trick in the book, even exchanging American democracy for South African-style minority rule.” Sadly, his prophetic call has come to pass, with the election of KKK-endorsed Trump, the Jan 6 insurrection to overthrow Black votes, and now the Arizona state “audit” of presidential election votes that have already been certified many times over. Arizona’s “audit,” conducted and overseen by hyper-pro-Trump folk is no laughing matter. It’s white supremacy on steroids, with those same fake “audits” coming to a GOP-led state near you.

IN THIS WEEK’S DEFENDER

Managing Editor ReShonda Tate Billingsley gets a one-onone interview with Houston’s new police chief, Troy Finner.

City and state officials are scrambling to get the thousands of Texans who have missed their second vaccine shot, to go take care of business. And our dynamic Sports Department duo of Terrance Harris and Jodie B. Jiles tells us the latest in local high school, college and pro sports.

ON THE WEB

• Relatives of Texans killed by police find hope for justice in Chauvin verdict.

• The U.S. Justice Department opens a police probe into the Breonna Taylor killing.

• Captain Whiteness, Lindsey Graham says there’s no systemic racism in America because Kamala Harris is VP. C’mon son.

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DN News Georgia Provost, a TSU alumna and longtime TSU donor recently had the studios at KTSU 90.9 FM renamed in her honor, along with donor/supporter Alan Helfman.

Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez has been nominated by President Joe Biden to lead ICE. Gonzalez was a vocal critic of the Trump administration’s immigration policies.

Protestors speak out against Houston’s evicition policies. Texas Tribune

Houston evictions continue despite city ‘grace period’ Houston Public Media

Joshua Johnson

Congressman Al Green

U.S. Rep. Green questions police shooting of Joshua Johnson Defender News Service

The family of Joshua Johnson is getting some help from Congressman Al Green in the push for answers in Johnson’s death.

“They want to know what happened to their son,” Green said.

Johnson was killed last April by Tu Tran, a 12-year veteran HCSO deputy working undercover on the Gulf Coast Task Force. He was tracking a capital murder suspect the morning of the deadly encounter.

“He (Joshua) was not a capital murder suspect,” a family spokesperson, Hudson, said.

Johnson was house-sitting for an elderly neighbor not far from his parent’s house when investigators said he approached the officer’s unmarked vehicle with a flashlight and a BB gun. Words were exchanged and Tran opened fire.

“After he shot him twice, he left the scene,” Hudson said. “That on its own is enough to bring him to justice.”

Johnson’s family said the deputy’s story doesn’t add up. The family said they found one of the deputy’s bullets far from where Tran said the deadly encounter happened.

“That bullet is not going to go

NEWSBRIEFS STATE BILL WILL CRACK DOWN ON RIOTS A new bill in the Texas legislature purporting to crack down on “riots” would instead stifle people’s ability to peacefully protest, experts say. Senate Bill 912 would penalize someone for participating in a riot, sticking them with the bill for any damage to property, whether the individual demonstrator caused the damage or not. The measure is one of dozens of similar bills advancing in state legislatures across the country in the wake of last year’s Black Lives Matter demonstrations.

through Joshua’s chest, out his back, across the street, over four cars and around that corner, it is impossible,” Hudson said.

A grand jury is now investigating and expecting a decision any day.

Green is demanding transparency.

“When it’s shrouded in secrecy, this family will continue to grieve,” Green said.

Johnson’s family is praying the deputy is indicted for killing their son.

“It’s the right thing to do,” Hudson said. “You have good police and bad police and Tu Tran is a bad police officer.”

When Mayor Sylvester Turner announced an eviction “grace period” in February to give Houstonians impacted by the pandemic more time to pay rent, the city of Houston and Harris County were working to set up a program to distribute a combined $159 million from the federal government that they set aside for rent relief.

It was significantly more assistance than they’d been able to distribute in the past, with Turner calling it a game-changer.

“I do not think people ought to be evicted when these dollars are coming, in this time period, because the dollars are there,” Turner said.

Council members voted to approve a grace period ordinance that the mayor said would put evictions on pause from mid-February through the end of March, coinciding with the date a federal eviction moratorium was set to expire.

But an analysis of eviction data found that the grace period had little to no effect on stopping or delaying evictions in Houston. According to data from January Advisors, landlords filed 2,132 evictions and judges heard 2,959 cases. The federal moratorium was extended, while the city’s grace period was not.

In the Houston area, more renters have been evicted during the COVID-19 pandemic than almost anywhere else in the country. Turner’s recent effort to slow that down doesn’t appear to have had much of an impact, though January Advisors founder Jeff Reichman said it may have made a slight difference in the number of case filings.

TEXAS GAINS TWO CONGRESSIONAL SEATS THANKS TO CENSUS, MINORITIES

RELATIVES OF TEXANS KILLED BY POLICE HOPE TO SEE GEORGE FLOYD ACT ADVANCE

Texas will continue to see its political clout grow as it gains two additional congressional seats following the 2020 census. Thanks to its fast-growing population — largely due to an increase in residents of color, particularly Hispanics — the state’s share of votes in the U.S. House of Representatives will increase to 38 for the next decade. The new counts reflect a decade of population growth since the last census, which determines how many congressional seats are assigned to each state.

Despite a newly revived national movement against police brutality and racial injustice, Texas’ George Floyd Act has stalled in the state Legislature. After the conviction of Floyd’s murderer, Derrick Chauvin, relatives of Texans killed by law enforcement hope the historic verdict will propel forward the state’s major reform bill as well as other measures tackling police behavior and accountability.

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DN News Black man shot

by VA deputy Defender News Service

Kirk Rivers addresses demonstrators outside Elizabeth City, City Hall as they await members of the city council who held an emergency meeting. AP

NC protests erupt after deputy kills unarmed Black man Defender News Service

A Black man killed by deputies in North Carolina was shot in the back of the head and had his hands on his car steering wheel when they opened fire, attorneys for his family said after relatives viewed body camera footage.

The account was the first description of the shooting of Andrew Brown Jr., who was killed by deputies serving drug-related search and arrest warrants. His death led to nightly protests and demands for justice in the town of Elizabeth City. Authorities have released few details, and the video has not been made public.

Attorney Chantel Cherry-Lassiter watched a 20-second por- Andrew Brown, Jr. tion of body camera video with Brown’s family. Lassiter said Brown did not appear to be a threat to officers as he backed his vehicle out of his driveway and tried to drive away from deputies with guns drawn.

“There was no time in the 20 seconds that we saw where he was threatening the officers in any kind of way,” she told reporters at a news conference.

When asked whether Brown was shot in the back, attorney Harry Daniels said, “Yes, back of the head.”

An eyewitness account and emergency scanner traffic had previously indicated Brown was shot in the back as he tried to drive away.

“My dad got executed just by trying to save his own life,” said Brown’s adult son Khalil Ferebee, who watched the video.

Lassiter, who watched the video multiple times and took notes, said the shooting started as soon as the video began and that she lost count of the number of gunshots fired by law enforcement officers armed with rifles and handguns.

She said she counted as many as eight deputies in the video, some wearing tactical uniforms and some in plainclothes.

Attorney Chantel Cherry-Lassiter speaks after viewing 20 seconds of police body camera video.

AP/Travis Long

“They’re shooting and saying ‘Let me see your hands’ at the same time,” she said. She added: “Let’s be clear. This was an execution.”

The family’s lawyers were also angry about what they described as rude treatment by Pasquotank County Attorney R. Michael Cox, to whom they attributed the decision to limit the amount of footage shown. They criticized authorities for sharing only 20 seconds of video from a single body camera.

“They’re trying to hide something,” attorney Benjamin Crump said.

Pasquotank County Sheriff Tommy Wooten II has said that multiple deputies fired shots. Seven deputies are on leave pending a probe by the State Bureau of Investigation.

In a video statement, the sheriff said that Cox had filed a request to have the video released, which in North Carolina must be authorized by a judge. He asked for patience while the State Bureau of Investigation probes the case.

“This tragic incident was quick and over in less than 30 seconds, and body cameras are shaky and sometimes hard to decipher. They only tell part of the story,” he said.

A Virginia man is in intensive care after a sheriff’s deputy shot him 10 times outside his home, his family said.

Isaiah Brown, a 32-year-old Black man, was walking down the street away from his house in Spotsylvania County and was on the phone with a 911 dispatcher when the Virginia sheriff’s deputy responded to his house following reports of a “domestic incident,” according to a police statement, as well as body camera footage and 911 audio.

The footage and audio appeared to show the deputy then yelling “drop the gun,” multiple times and saying over his radio, “he’s got a gun to his head.” The deputy then yells, “stop walking towards me, stop walking toIsaiah Brown wards me” and “stop, stop” before shooting Brown.

The Virginia deputy mistook a cordless house phone Brown was holding for a gun, David Haynes, his attorney, said in a statement. Brown was unarmed at the time of the shooting and “clearly told dispatch that he did not have a weapon more than 90 seconds before the deputy arrived,” he said.

“Isaiah is now fighting for his life as a result of these completely avoidable errors by the deputy and dispatch,” Haynes said.

The release of the recordings comes after family members and the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia demanded they be made public. Up until then, little information had been made available, though it was shared that a special prosecutor had been appointed to the case and that the deputy had been placed on administrative leave.

Brown’s family said the same deputy had given Brown a ride home from a gas station after his car broke down earlier that day. He later called 911 for an unrelated dispute with his brother.

Brown is heard on the call regarding the dispute saying his brother won’t let him into his mother’s room in the house, and that he couldn’t get into his car. The dispatcher tells Brown that his car is broken down and has been towed.

VOLUME 90 - NUMBER 26 - APRIL 29, 2021 Publisher | CEO Sonceria Messiah-Jiles

Managing Editor ReShonda Tate

Strategic Alllance Clyde Jiles

Associate Editor Aswad Walker

Creative Director Michael Grant

Sports Terrance Harris Jodie B. Jiles

Photographers Ray Carrington III Jimmie Aggison

The Defender newspaper is published by the Houston Defender Newspaper Inc. and audited by Alliance for Audited Media (AAM).

Only digital subscriptions are available at: www.defendernetwork. com/subscribe No paper subscriptions available. All materials covered by 2020 copyright. No materials herein may be reproduced without the written permission of the Publisher. 713-663-6996 | P.O. Box 8005, Houston, Tx 77288

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Moving forward together

in Houston

Over the past year, we’ve all been challenged in one way or another by this health crisis — physically, emotionally, financially. And while questions remain about what lies ahead, we know one thing for certain: The only way to move forward is together. To that end, Bank of America remains fully committed to supporting the health and economic recovery of our clients, communities and teammates.

We know that small businesses, so critical to our local economy, have been greatly impacted. Through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), to date we’ve delivered 478,731* PPP loans — totaling nearly $34.5 billion* in funding — to help our clients continue to operate and pay their employees. Importantly, more than 99% of those loans went to companies with fewer than 100 employees.

Partnering with local nonprofits, we’ve distributed more than 27 million masks for vulnerable populations as part of our ongoing efforts to address health-related disparities accelerated by the coronavirus.

We’ve offered new and expanded benefits to help our employees balance family and work, including over 3.7 million days of back-up child and adult care. That’s an investment of more than $370 million in child and adult care reimbursement.

I’m so proud of the way our community has come together to help those who need it most. And I’m certain that Houston has the power to be stronger than ever as a result.

Helping Houston move forward: • Delivered PPP funding to over 11,911 of our small business clients for more than $771 million in relief • Distributed 822,000 masks through our local partners including: – Houston Community ToolBank – Legacy Community Health Centers • Expanded benefits for our employees to include additional child and adult care services plus virtual medical and behavioral health consultations at no cost

Hong Ogle President, Bank of America Houston

Go to bankofamerica.com/community to learn more about the work we are doing with our incredible partners.

*PPP data as of 04/04/2021 Bank of America, N.A. Member FDIC. Equal Credit Opportunity Lender. © 2021 Bank of America Corporation. All rights reserved.

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DN InFocus FOCUS SOCIAL

Troy Finner

ONE-ON-ONE

ReShonda Tate

T

roy Finner has always had a passion for serving. But it was a Criminal Justice class at Sam Houston State University that led the Houston native to his hometown police department. Now, more than three decades after joining the force, Finner is facing his toughest job yet, as the new police chief responsible for leading the 5,200-member police department, and 870 civilian personnel.

The Defender talked with Finner about his plans for the department, how he is ready to tackle a fractured criminal justice system, mend relationships in the community and reduce the crime rate.

Defender: You admit that leading the department is a heavy lift, but you’re ready for the task. What is your first order of business?

Troy Finner: We have to build trust. A lot of people talk in terms of transparency right now. And we know we have a lot of work to do in that. We’ve got great relationships here in Houston with the police in our community, but there’s always room for improvement. A lot of other things are going on around the nation right now, controversial cases. And that has direct ties to Houston. So we have to be planning and concerned about everything.

Troy Finner speaking to members of the community.

Defender: The Derek Chauvin case has riveted the country and shined a light on rogue police officers. How do we keep something like that from happening here in Houston?

Finner: You have to pray, first of all. Because we’re in a dangerous society and police work a lot of times, is not pretty, and I’m not gonna butter that up. We have our problems here in the city of Houston, but the sanctity of life has to be number one. That has to be driven down from me and everybody else.

We have to make sure that we have policies and procedures set in a way that everybody is able to go home safely. Now, I do know that there are going to be those occasions when somebody loses their life or gets seriously hurt. We want to really minimize that through a lot of good communication, a lot of training and conversations between our community and police officers.

Finner: It’s how we’ve been trained. And we’ll continue to do that. And we continue to improve. Deescalation is in all parts of training now. And we’re always looking for ways to even improve on that. Sometimes deescalation is just learning how to talk to people. You know, your initial contact with the public.

If you just calm down, slow down, explain things to people, it can help. And let’s be honest, you go in the neighborhoods.

I’m from the hood. And I’m very proud of it. It’s not a lot of money, not a lot of prestige in some of these neighborhoods.

The only thing a man has is his name and his pride. And that’s what I try to drill down. Young police officers understand that, respect that even when somebody is wrong, and you won’t have a whole lot of problems. If you talk to people, right, treat them right, it’s going to get you through the day. Now, there are those occasions where you just run up to somebody and they are intent on having conflict with you and not listening to what you. But that’s the exception rather than the rule. So deescalation is learning more than anything, how to respect people, slow down and give them some dignity.

Defender: Most of these issues with Black people and police could be prevented if police took a deescalation approach. Is that something you plan on increasing training with?

Defender: Community policing is a big part of your platform. How do you do that effectively?

Finner: Basically, every contact that you make with a per-

DN

DefenderNetwork.com

NEW HOUSTON POLICE CHIEF son, you have to understand that is a contact where you can gain respect and fuel trust. But I go a little bit deeper than that. When people from all communities can say, “Hey, that’s my chief,” “Those are our police officers,” “That’s our department,” when you get there, I think you have arrived. And that’s what I’m really striving to do.

Defender: How can the community help you achieve your goals?

Finner: We have to get more involved. People sometimes beat up on the police about this crime. And look, I’m always taking responsibility. I’m the chief, the buck stops with me and we have to do better in driving those crime numbers down. But I told people and I meant it. It’s a heavy lift and we can’t do it alone. Everybody needs to get involved.

If you see something, you say something. Don’t be afraid. Have enough trust in us. Be a good witness.

Because today the crime or the death may be at your next door neighbor’s door. And if you just turn a blind eye to that and don’t get involved, tomorrow it might be at your door. So, we all have to get involved. And especially our men, our young men and middle-aged and older men. Take control of your block. It takes a village to have a safe city, and it should be a lot of villages.

Defender: How do you plan to tackle racism in the Houston Police Department?

Finner: Just like there is racism in society, I believe it filters into police departments.

Now, do I think it’s systemic in HPD? Do I think it’s out of control? No, I don’t. Most police officers are good people. But I’m also not going to just turn a blind eye on a racist officer. We can’t tell someone what to think, but when you act out and you speak out and that ugliness comes out, we’re going to handle you. There’s no place for it in a police department for a racist individual. So, I have no problem and I will make no apologies when we get rid of racist officers. And I don’t care what race you are.

Watch the video and hear how Chief Finner plans to push de-escalation tactics, what his ultimate goal is for the department, and more.

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DN Health COVID-19 VACCINES

COVID-19 vaccine demand drops Texas Tribune

A nurse administers a shot of COVID-19 vaccine to a wincing patient during a pop-up vaccination event. Getty Images

More than 50K Houstonians have missed their 2nd COVID shot Defender News Service

Nearly three million people in the US have missed their second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to data released by the CDC. Doctors recommend getting a second shot three to six weeks after the first shot. Someone is considered overdue for their second dose six weeks after getting their first dose.

Health officials say about 5% of Texans who have gotten the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine are overdue for their second dose.

A spokesperson for the Houston Health Department says 4.5% of Houstonians have received their first dose only.

Dr. Luis Ostrosky, an infectious

diseases specialist with cine and thinking they’re UTHealth and UT Physicians, going to be fine,” said Dr.

BY THE says one shot does offer some Ostrosky. “It’s creating a false NUMBERS protection, but efficacy drops sense of security. Thinking to around 70 percent. you’re vaccinated with one “We know that for two dosdose puts you at higher risk, People who es you have antibodies for at because you’re going to be missed 2nd dose least six months and countdoing higher risk activities. ing. But with one dose, you You’re going to be putting may have no antibodies at all your community and family Overdue for after three months,” he said. at risk as well.” second shot The latest statistics from Harris County Public the Texas Department of State Health has been much more Health Services show 570,399 people successful when it comes to people getare overdue to get their second shot, ting fully vaccinated. Of the 330,000+ which is 5.35 percent of people who got people vaccinated, HCPH said roughly a Pfizer or Moderna shot.

3,100 people have not returned for their “Very, very concerned about this second dose appointments, which is less trend of people getting only one vac- than one percent.

51,881

570,399

After months of not having enough COVID-19 vaccines to meet demand, Texas suddenly appears to have plenty of shots but not as many people lining up to receive them, even though more than three quarters of the state still isn’t fully vaccinated.

Almost seven million Texans have been vaccinated against COVID-19 — more than 23% of the state’s population — and health officials say they are starting to see lower demand at public vaccination sites. Recent data shows reported vaccine doses have decreased: The number of people who have gotten at least one shot in Texas grew by over one million during the week ending April 14; the following week the number dropped to about 660,000.

Across Texas, local leaders are trying to ramp up outreach efforts and fill more appointments.

Houston’s FEMA hub at NRG Park is now offering walk-in slots, a shift from prior appointment-only requirements that kept some residents from getting early doses. The state will also be rolling out a TV campaign to boost vaccinations, Department of State Health Services spokesperson Chris Van Deusen said.

Local health officials say efforts to vaccinate older Texans have been successful: As of April 21, nearly 60% of Texans age 65 and older have been fully vaccinated. Since the state opened vaccinations to all adults on March 29, around one-fifth of Texans between 16 to 49 years old — who make up the biggest proportion of eligible adults — have been fully vaccinated.

“It seems we’re getting to the point that most people eager to get vaccinated have gotten at least their first dose,” Imelda Garcia, associate commissioner of laboratory and infectious disease services for DSHS, said during a press conference. “The next phase will be about helping ensure that vaccine is more easily available to those folks who are not going to go as far out of their way.”

Nationally, vaccine supply may outpace demand within the next month, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, a health nonprofit.

Texas’ vaccination efforts are still missing people who have faced obstacles for months, said Catherine Troisi, an infectious disease epidemiologist with UTHealth School of Public Health in Houston. Some lack internet access or the computer skills to make an online appointment, while others lack transportation to reach a vaccine provider.

And Black and Hispanic Texans continue to be vaccinated at lower rates than whites, even as appointments become more available across the state.

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SCHEDULE YOUR COVID-19 VACCINE TODAY

Houston Methodist offers online scheduling for free Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines Houston Methodist has safely administered more than a half-million vaccines. Getting a COVID-19 vaccine means that we are getting closer to returning our lives to normal — back to school, back to work and back to spending time doing the things we love with the people we care about. Here’s why our experts stand behind the COVID-19 vaccine:

EFFECTIVE Current evidence indicates it is up to 95% effective.

TESTED There has been rigorous testing and external review.

TRUSTED Most side effects are minimal, including sore arms, muscle aches, fever.

houstonmethodist.org/vaccine COVID-19 vaccinations are provided free of charge to Texans 16 years of age and older.

SCAN HERE

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DN Sports Rockets forward Jae’Sean Tate has 672 points, 324 rebounds, 141 assists, 78 steals, 34 blocked shots and has converted 48 3-pointers for a rare rookie season.

Prairie View long jumper Mia Heard jumped into the SWAC’s top spot with a distance of 6.25 meters during the Fred Duckett Twilight meet.

MANY QUESTIONS, NO EASY ANSWERS FOR TEXANS IN DRAFT

Sports Briefs

By Terrance Harris

LeBlanc picked in Puerto Rico lottery Isaiah LeBlanc, a former standout basketball player at Kinkaid and Ridge point, has been drafted seventh overall in the Baloncesto Superior de NacioIsaiah LeBlanc nale league in Puerto Rico.

The 6-foot-3 combo guard made the decision last year to turn pro straight out of high school instead of going to college. He spent a year preparing at Bruster Academy before putting his name in for the draft in Puerto Rico.

With the NFL Draft in play, this is normally the time when Texans’ fans are excited about using the early rounds to fill specific needs.

Any given year it’s the defensive line needing to be addressed or cornerback or a game-breaking wide receiver or maybe even a potential franchise quarterback. The problem for the Texans in this current draft, which kicks off Thursday, is all of these areas are real needs, yet the team doesn’t have a pick until Day 2 in the third round (67th overall).

Texans fans have former head coach and general manager Bill O’Brien to thank for sending the team’s first (third overall) and second round picks to Miami for the services of left tackle Laremy Tunsil and then getting virtually nothing in return for sending DeAndre Hopkins to Arizona.

Making this draft more perplexing is that the man now in charge for the Texans, general manager Nick Caserio, is calling the shots on his own for the first time while he has sat in the New England Patriots’ war room the last several years where their lack of recent draft success has forced the perennial NFL power to spend record money in free agency this offseason.

Suddenly, you understand what it feels like to have to plug five holes in a dam with just four available limbs.

But if you believe the first-time general manager, he has done his homework and is ready.

“I think the most important thing is to evaluate the players, have an understanding of the board top to bottom, and whatever opportunity you have to pick, whenever that is, just be ready to pick the player that you feel most comfortable with,” Caserio said in a recent pre-draft talk with the media. “To answer your question, quite frankly, it’s not that difficult.”

But if it were that easy, chances are teams would not be paying general managers millions of dollars to make these decisions.

The problem Caserio and even new head coach David Culley, to a lesser degree, face is when you get into the third round there are few obvious choices.

This is where spot-on evaluations and finding the proverbial diamonds in the rough come into play. Let’s remember that Joe Montana and Tom Brady – two of the greatest quarterbacks to play the game

Clemson’s Deshaun Watson, left , poses with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell after being selected by the Houston Texans during the first round of the 2017 NFL football draft , Thursday, April 27, 2017, in Philadelphia. -AP Photo/Matt Rourke

were picked in the third and sixth rounds, respectively.

But barring a miracle, Caserio has made some 70 transactions which include 19 free agent signees in hopes of improving on the Texans 4-12 mark last season. But with all of the uncertainty surrounding the quarterback position with Deshaun Watson’s availability in question and even if he is able to play there is still the tricky issue of the franchise quarterback not wanting to play for owner Cal McNair or the Texans again.

Good luck getting Caserio to verbally reveal his thoughts about Watson’s status.

“We’re not really going into a lot of

hypotheticals and a lot of speculation,” said Caserio, who is scheduled to have eight picks spread out between the third and seventh rounds this weekend. “I’m not really good at that. Maybe somebody else is better than I at that than me. If you want to speculate, you should probably go buy Bitcoin, focus on that.”

But Caserio’s actions this offseason says he is preparing for Watson not to be here this fall and for the team not finding a franchise quarterback in the later rounds of the draft. Caserio has signed during free agency veteran quarterback Tyrod Taylor along with capable backup Ryan Finley.

Sterling Brown assaulted in Miami Rockets guard Sterling Brown is back in Houston recovering after being assaulted outside of a Miami strip club. Brown sustained Sterling some serious Brown injuries. He will also face questions about being at a strip club that violates the NBA’s COVID-19 protocol.

Rockets shakeup Rockets point guard John Wall is done for the season after sustaining a right hamstring strain, the team has John Wall confirmed. He sustained the injury against the Clippers on April 23.

April 29, 2021 |

| 11

DEFENDER NETWORK

DN Sports HIGHTOWER HIGH SCHOOL

SENIOR JAIDEN ITSON CAN GO THE DISTANCE

By Jodie B. Jiles

Fort Bend Hightower High School senior Jaiden Itson, a University of Iowa commit, appears to be the frontrunner to watch in the 400-meter dash and 800-meter run after dominating her competition at the Class 5A Regional Track Meet.

Itson finished with a first place 2:13.30 time in the 800-meter run and a second place 55.35 time in the 400-meter dash, earning her a lane in both state track meet events during the first weekend of May. Itson also helped the Hurricanes 4 x 400-meter relay team advance to the state meet with a first place 3:46.81 time.

The Defender spoke with Itson after her Regional meet to discuss her start in track, University of Iowa commitment, keys to success and more.

RUNNING START

“My mom put me in it when I was little and it kind of just stuck with me.”

IOWA COMMITMENT “I just really like the way that they recruited me.

They were always constantly reassuring me they wanted me to be there more than the majority of schools I was looking at. They told me what they wanted right when I got the first call and when I went on the visit I really loved the campus.”

REGIONAL MEET VICTORIES

“I really got out fast to made sure I got out of the pack (of runners). Then I just tried to stay out of the pack, honestly.”

FOCUS ON STATE

“For me, I haven’t had that much competition this year. So, when I get to state I feel like I am going to be able to get with those girls who are running good in each race and be able to get my PR (“personal record”) while putting out a good time.”

ABOUT JAIDEN ITSON

Twitter: @jaidenitson Runners She Studies: Raevyn Rodgers Favorite Musicians: Lil Durk and Youngboy World Problem She Would Solve: Police Brutality Shoutouts: “My mom, my coaches and everyone who helped me.”

12 | April 29, 2021 |

DEFENDER NETWORK

DN Entertainment

OUTSPOKEN

Mayor Turner names Emanuelee Bean Houston Poet Laureate Defender News Service

Monique Mogilka of the Mayor’s Office of Commemorating National Poetry Cultural Affairs and Carmen Peña Abrego Month, Mayor Sylvester Turner, Houston with the Houston Public Library.

Public Library Director Dr. Rhea Brown Outspoken Bean’s two-year term begins Lawson and the Mayor’s Office of Cultural April 2021 and runs through April 2023.

Affairs are pleased to announce Houston’s As Poet Laureate, he will work closely with fifth Poet Laureate. the Houston Public Library and the MayEmanuelee Outspoken or’s Office of Cultural Affairs Bean is known as a perforto implement his Commumance poet, writer, compasnity Outreach Project, “Space sionate mentor and electric City Mixtape,” an album of entertainer. In 2017, Bean 20-track spoken word and was the Houston Mayor’s creative audio experiences Office of Cultural Affairs Artof Houston and by Houstoist in Residence. He is also a nians. He will also conduct recipient of the 2016 Andy eight workshops in Houston Warhol Foundation’s The Idea Emanuelee Public Libraries, and create Fund grant, and was named Outspoken Bean videos and poems to share VICE Media’s “Poet of the on social media.

People 2018.”

“This is an incredible honor. My excite“It is my honor to select Emanuelee ment is over the moon,” said Outspoken “Outspoken” Bean as the fifth Houston Bean. “My intentions are to bring light, crePoet Laureate. I am confident he will ativity and to reach as many people through inspire Houstonians, from Northside to poetry and storytelling as possible through Sunnyside, in the form of spoken word,” my tenure as Poet Laureate.” said Mayor Turner. “Outspoken Bean will “From the beginning, the Mayor’s Office demonstrate to the state of Texas and the of Cultural Affairs has provided the hononation that Houston is resilient, and that rarium to each Poet Laureate,” said Debbie arts and culture are part of the strength of McNulty, director of the Mayor’s Office of our resilience.”

Cultural Affairs. “We get to know these “The Houston Public Library is pleased fantastically talented poets really well to join the Mayor in celebrating Houston’s during their terms, and it is inspiring to fifth Poet Laureate, Mr. Emanuelee Out- witness their service to our city. We welspoken Bean. We share in Bean’s passion come Emanuelee Outspoken Bean and can’t to create experiences through poetry and wait to start working together.” storytelling for Houstonian’s of all ages,” The Houston Public Library and the said HPL Director, Dr. Rhea Brown Law- Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs will host son. “We are thrilled to work with him to a special virtual program to meet and hear elevate and showcase these poetic experi- from the new Houston Poet Laureate Outences through a multifaceted approach that spoken Bean. Remarks by Mayor Sylvester will include spoken word and technology.” Turner and the 2019-2021 Houston Poet Outspoken Bean was selected through Laureate, Leslie Contreras Schwartz, will a competitive Poet Laureate application be followed by a performance by Apollo and interview process by a panel of lit- Chamber Players. erary arts experts as part of the Houston The virtual event will take place Friday, Poet Laureate Committee. The 2021-2023 April 30, 2021 from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Houston Poet Laureate Committee, a and is free and open to the public on Facediverse group of poets, scholars, literary book Live. Registration is not required. In experts and community representatives, order to view the livestream on Facebook, contributed to the selection process, and without an account, simply select “not consisted of the Poet’s Laureate emeritae: now” when prompted.

Gwendolyn Zepeda, Dr. Robin Davidson, The New Jersey born, San Antonio Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton, and Leslie Con- raised, H-Town-based Bean, who grew treras Schwartz. Also serving were Radu up a “military brat,” was introduced to the Barbuceanu of Visit Houston; Dr. Ginger arts and world cultures at a very young age Ko of Sam Houston State University; Jen- and has not let go of it. “An energetic pionifer Julian of Texas Southern University; neer for poetry, in all its different sizes and Roderick Robinson of Public Poetry; and shapes, Bean is dedicated to making sure Harrison Guy of the Fifth Ward Cultural that poets get heard,” Emily Hinds of Arts District. Non-voting members include and Culture Magazine wrote of Bean. Bean

uses poetry to engage different mediums and institutions to create new and engaging art, such as being the first poet to perform on Houston Ballet’s main stage with their production “Play.”

Bean has also been commissioned to write and perform a national campaign on diversity for Pabst Blue Ribbon and VICE while creating/producing his own

festival Plus Fest: the EVERYTHING plus POETRY Festival. In 2008, Bean helped develop Texas’ largest youth poetry slam organization and slam team, MetaFour Houston, with Shannon Buggs and DiverseWorks, through which he stills coaches and uses it as a vehicle to mentor Houston’s youth. He started performing spoken-word in 2005.

CLASSIFIED Collabra Music is bidding on Project # 18-01-06-B, Fine Arts Materials and Services for the Houston Independent School District. We are looking for possible M/WBE subcontractors to provide the following products and/or services: web design and graphic design. If you are interested in this opportunity, please contact Nate Antetomaso at nate@collabramusic.com by May 12th.