“Unprecedented violence”: Houston police chief says crime on the rise amid pandemic
Going back to the beginning of the Biden regime, the Washington Examiner quotes the then-police chief of Houston in a 21 May 2020 article regarding the wave of violent crime.
Violence is spiking in Houston during the coronavirus pandemic, according to Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo.
Following a shooting that left a woman who was seven months pregnant dead in the city, Acevedo pinned some blame on the coronavirus for a recent uptick in crime.
“The last few months have been a time frame of just some unprecedented violence,” Acevedo said during a press conference on Wednesday. “Put up some prayers for these evil series of events that are going on in our city.”
Many cities have seen a drop in violent crime since the coronavirus hit the country, but not Houston. The city saw a nearly 12% increase in crimes from March 16 to April 12, according to the Washington Post.
“Murder has just skyrocketed,” Crime Stoppers’s Andy Kahan said. “I haven’t seen levels like this in quite a while. And I think this is just the tip of the iceberg.”
He added, “You’ve got a powder keg out there waiting to explode.”
Acevedo previously railed against the uptick of crime in the city, saying in April that the number of burglaries was spiking.
“Right now, burglaries have spiked 20%,” Acevedo said. “Some people are seeing the shutdown of businesses as a target-rich opportunity. Habitual burglars should not be released.”
The Police Executive Research Forum analyzed crime data from 30 cities and found that 18 experienced a decrease in violent crime during the first month of the pandemic when compared to the same time last year.
(Read more at the )
Let’s not forget which party encouraged the BLM violence, called for “Defund the police,” and bailed criminals out of jail with funds from political campaigns
Remember how Joe Biden lauded the rioters of the Black Lives Matter movement in his speech:
After the historic movement for justice in the summer of 2020, I signed the most significant police reform executive order in history.
(Read more at NBC Montana)
On top of this, the statistics provided by the police and FBI may be slanted
In a 19 March 2024 article, The Guardian noted how crime statistics may be flawed due to a manner of “fudging the numbers” by the reporting agencies. (Bolding is mine — for emphasis.)
Crime in the US fell significantly in 2023, according to new FBI data, with a 13% decline in murder and drops in reported violent crime and reported property offenses.
Both robbery and aggravated assault dropped by 5% from 2022, the FBI data shows, while all violent crime declined by 6%.
However, the statistics are based on figures collected from only 79% of law enforcement agencies in the US. Experts have previously warned that data can be “patchy” given inconsistency in reporting by the local agencies who supply the numbers. And the new stats are unaudited as the FBI is not scheduled to release its official figures and analysis concerning crime in 2023 until this upcoming October.
The figures come as Republicans have made crime a central issue ahead of the November presidential election. Donald Trump has repeatedly talked about murder and violent crime at the former president’s campaign rallies, and Republicans have claimed crime committed by migrants is on the rise.
“In May 2021, the justice department launched our violent crime reduction strategy aimed at addressing the spike in violent crime that occurred during the pandemic,” said Merrick Garland, the attorney general, in a statement.
“Since then, our prosecutors, agents, and grantmaking experts have worked in close partnership with police departments and communities across the country to go after the recidivists and gangs that are responsible for the greatest violence; to seize illegal guns and deadly drugs; to make critical investments in hiring more law enforcement officers; and to fund evidence-based, community violence intervention initiatives.”
The data are based on the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program, which collects crime statistics from local law enforcement agencies.
Participation in the program is voluntary, however, which means not all crime reports are collected. And many experts generally say that crime levels fluctuate for reasons that are unclear, and they are not always influenced in the short term in any meaningful way by government policies or intervention.
The figures released on Tuesday are based on data collected from 15,199 of 19,152 law enforcement agencies, the FBI said.
Experts previously told the Guardian that the FBI’s findings should be viewed with caution given the incomplete information.
“You miss the full story when you have incomplete and patchy data,” Insha Rahman, vice-president of advocacy and partnerships at Vera Institute of Justice, told the Guardian last year.
The Appeal, a news organization which focuses on the criminal legal system, has also pointed out that 50% of violent crimes, and 70% of property crimes, are never reported to the police – meaning those crimes will be missed in the data.
(Read more at The Guardian)
More than 130 Harris Co. residents have lost their lives to violent offenders out on bond
In 2021, Houston’s Fox affiliate KRIV revealed the 130 locals who had died at the hands of repeat offenders released by Democrat judges in Houston and Harris County.
We’ve been telling you how judges are freeing repeat violent offenders from jail by granting them multiple felony bonds or personal recognizance bonds, which has cost more than 130 Harris Co. residents their lives.
A total of 138 residents who have died due to the courthouse’s revolving door system include an 83-year-old grandmother, 3 police officers, and three unborn children.
(Read more at KRIV)
Houston still suffers under repeat offenders who Democrat judges release
Houston’s Fox affiliate KRIV provides a 13 February 2024 report on a repeat violent offender who was released on a $100 bond.
Willie Issac Ewing has a documented criminal history of assaulting a family member. But that didn’t stop a magistrate from granting him a $100 bond.
The 33-year-old repeat violent offender has seven felony convictions under his belt.
“Five felony convictions of assault of a family member,” said Andy Kahan with Crime Stoppers.
Last October, Ewing was once again charged with felony assault of a family member and misdemeanor theft. He was released on bonds totalling around $16,000.
A month later, he’s charged with violating a protective order.
“And that’s pretty serious,” Kahan said. “That should have been the end to the story. But then he gets a $100 bond for that charge. He’s already on bond for two other cases, one involving assault of a family member. You’ve got five prior convictions of assault of a family member, and he gets a $100 bond? Wow.”
(Read more at KRIV)
Then, among the mass illegal immigration and the release of criminals by Democrat judges, Lina Hidalgo blames Republicans for the murder of a girl by Venezuelan illegal aliens
KRIV reports on 25 June 2024 how Lina Hidalgo blamed the death of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray on Republicans (instead of the Venezuelan illegal aliens who surveillance videos show going under a bridge with the girl and then returning alone).
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo contending “evil happens regardless of immigration status” urged fellow leaders not to politicize the 12-year-old’s alleged murder at the hands of two undocumented Venezuelan men.
Hidalgo then launched a criticism of Republicans in Congress and former President Donald Trump for creating the conditions which contributed to Joceyln Nungaray’s death.
“When the former President decided that he didn’t want Biden to have a lid on immigration, he told his party to pull out of that agreement. So, blaming things on the current immigration policy is absolutely political, and it really breaks my heart that people would politicize the sadness of that tragedy,” said Hidalgo.
FOX 26 challenged Hidalgo’s criticism of Republicans and former President Trump asking if the blame she assessed was a violation of her own request to abstain from “politicizing” the murder.
“I think I answered the question,” said Hidalgo.
FOX 26 insisted the question was not answered, but she avoided.
“Again, the Biden administration reached an agreement with leader McConnell to address this. This is not about immigration. I’m not going to feed into that,” said Hidalgo.
(Read more at KRIV)
Need I remind you that three of Lina Hidalgo’s staffers are under indictment?
Not only are the three staffers from the Hidalgo office under indictment, but now it is the entire office that is under investigation by the state of Texas.
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Corruption charges filed against former Houston Public Works employee in $700,000 water line repair scheme
Houston Public Media reported in a 31 May 2024 article on the public corruption charges leveled against the former head of Houston Public Works.
A former Houston Public Works employee has been criminally charged for allegedly defrauding more than $700,000 in emergency city funds in a scheme related to water line repair and inspection contracts.
Patrece Lee, a former maintenance manager with Houston Public Works, is charged with abuse of official capacity and four counts of bribery. She’s among seven people who’ve been criminally charged in connection to the alleged scheme.
So far, at least three city employees have been fired. The investigation is still ongoing.
(Read more at Houston Public Media)
Corruption charges filed against former official with Midtown Redevelopment Authority accused of laundering $8 million in public funds
In another break from their usual covering for corruption, Houston Public Media reported in a 21 June 2024 article on the corrupt land deal where the city paid inflated prices for land to be turned into “affordable housing.”
An official with the Midtown Redevelopment Authority (MRA) and two contractors are facing corruption charges after allegedly laundering more than $8 million in taxpayer dollars.
Todd Edwards, a former real estate asset manager for the MRA, is charged with abuse of official capacity, money laundering and theft. Veronica Ugorji and Kenneth Jones, two former contractors for the same authority, are charged with abuse of official capacity and money laundering.
Investigators say Edwards was in charge of invoicing and contracting with potential vendors. He allegedly used his position, with the help of Ugorji and Jones, to misuse millions in public funds — initially meant to cover the cost of landscaping and maintenance throughout Midtown — to buy expensive cars, houses, lavish trips and even pornography.
They were all in custody as of Friday afternoon.
The Midtown Redevelopment Authority and Midtown’s Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone 2 were both created in the 90s and work together to “foster economic development” by making quality-of-life improvements to streets, sidewalks and utilities, according to the authority’s website. Houston’s Tax Increment Reinvestment Zones, or TIRZs, collect a majority of a neighborhood’s property taxes to cover the cost of these projects. Each zone is made up of a board of directors who decide how the money is spent.
The board of directors for the MRA and the TIRZ 2 consist of the same nine members.
(Read more at Houston Public Media)
William-Paul Thomas, aide to former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner sentenced to 1 year in prison for federal corruption
Houston’s ABC affiliate KTRK reported in a 5 February 2024 article on the sentencing of a member of the team of Mayor Turner.
The former top aide to previous Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner faced a judge on Monday morning, when he was sentenced for his role in a bribery scheme in 2020.
William-Paul Thomas pleaded guilty in July 2022 to a federal bribery charge.
(Read more at KTRK)
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Mark 1:1 
Hidalgo is a quick “political study.” Her opponent in 2018 should have done a little more op-research. Despite her progressivism, you must admit that she is very effective as a politician, particularly when relying almost exclusively on identity politics. She is not doing anything worthwhile for Houston or its people, and certainly not for the state — but that may not matter. What matters is that she can convince low-information voters to queue for her on Election Day.
As for her subordinates facing indictment for being bad boys and girls, I don’t have enough facts to say that their behaviors have anything to do with her leadership style (or lack thereof). I will say that her “acute” depression is typical for a progressive — they are all sociopaths — every last one of them.
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There have been a number of times that Lina has stabbed herself (at the funeral of slain Corporal Charles Gallowayand when being investigated for directing a COVID contract to an unqualified Hillary supporter who is now the state’s witness against her staffers and her.
So you read of Lina’s “acute depression” that came just after the 2022 election? On the part of Lina, it seemed odd that she would get depressed just after an election where so many Republican voting stations ran out of ballots. On the part of Alexandria Moral Mealer, it was too bad that she did not stick out challenging the results as did Tami Pierce.
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While I did not initially say it in the previous response, I have to say that I agree with you on Hidalgo (but only to a degree).
Should you ever really want to psychologically torture a conservative, tie them to a chair and play audio of this woman. Her points are rarely thought out and often stand in contradition one to the other. Furthermore, her tone and inflection is that of a 10-year-old (whether she speaks in English or Spanish).
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To exemplify how Lina can contradict her own point, I was going to try to find a video of her exchange with Mr. Grogan (one of the few remaining balanced journalists left in Houston). However, Sky News in Austrlia beat me to it.
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