at work on your behalf...

Museum Park Neighborhood Association (MPNA), in conjunction with Museum Park Super Neighborhood (MPSN), continues to seek resolution of the issues in our neighborhood arising from the health and safety concerns in the Encampment under US 59 from Caroline to Almeda.

October 24, 2017 – MPNA adopted a Resolution (Click on “Resolution” to download a copy) Requesting Relief, followed by MPNA presentation to City Council.

Here is the link (Select 'Public speakers” on right hand side, and go to time of 11:00 to 36.40 on the video) to view the presentations, as well as to hear the informative responses by the Mayor and several Council Members, 

SUMMARY:

•       MPNA Resolution seeks immediate relief in the form of additional patrols     and lighting, in and around the Encampment area.
•       CM BOYKINS gave enthusiastic support for our Resolution and offered the Mayor $30,000 of his CM District budget to provide overtime for bicycle patrols to frequently ride through the Encampment.
•        Mayor Turner explained:

1.     Federal Hearing on the TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER (TRO) is scheduled for Tuesday, October 31, 2017. The TRO was issued to restrain the City from implementing the Ordinances adopted on 4.12.17 regarding No Camping and Panhandling

2.     The Mayor continues to be optimistic that the City will prevail in getting the TRO lifted. Evidence to be presented by the City, at the hearing may include information on the increased number of tents, crime reports, and health violations since the TRO was ordered. The City Health director has made a recent visit to the Encampment and declared the area a public health hazard.

3.     In the meantime, the City does not want to do anything that might be perceived by the Judge as violating the TRO or risk any charges of harassment. HPD has and will continue to respond to reports of crime, investigate, and make arrests, as determined appropriate.

4.     It is important for the City to prevail in this hearing to have the TRO lifted.  Consequences of having an INJUNCTION issued instead would result in an appeal process while leaving the Encampment in place; in any event the lawsuit is likely to continue and will be ongoing.

Please review the entire video

THANKS to all who participated in initiating, drafting, and finalizing the Resolution:

Kathleen O’Reilly, Museum Park Super Neighborhood (MPSN) President and MPNA Board member and Quality of Life/Infrastructure Committee Chair, for initiating MPNA presentation at City Council and for her actionable items to the MPNA resolution, among her many other efforts for this neighborhood.

Lindsay Williams, for drafting the initial resolution and submitting it to the MPNA Ad Hoc Committee for further review.

Louis Selig, Chair, Gene Voss, Matt Shafley, Chris Ericksen, Christine West, and Kristy Bridges, as members of the Ad Hoc Committee, along with MPNA Board members Sandy Stevens and Greg Quintero, for reviewing, making revisions to the draft resolution, and submitting it to the MPNA Board, with a request for adoption.

MPNA Board members, particularly Kathleen O’Reilly and Kim Mickelson, for reviewing and making revisions to strengthen the wording of the Resolution prior to adoption by the MPNA Board.

Sandy Stevens, Barbara McGuffey, and Cindy Woods, MPNA Board members, for presenting the Resolution at the 10.24.17 City Council session. (See link above to view the presentations)

History

April, 2017 – City of Houston adopts No Camping and Pan Handling Ordinances

Kathleen O’Reilly worked closely with the Mayor’s Office, and others, to draft and finalize the Ordinance wording.

Kathleen O’Reilly and Sandy Stevens met individually with District D CM Boykins and At Large CM’s to seek support for the passage of the ordinance.

Kathleen O’Reilly, Sandy Stevens, and Barbara McGuffey spoke on behalf of MPNA Residents at the 4.11.17 Council meeting to ask for Council to vote in favor of the Ordinances. To see those presentations, please use this link.  (See Public Speakers, Part 1 of 3 and go to time of 60:15 to 69:37 in the video.)

 For More Information:                             

NEWS updates posted on our website during the past year include information regarding this issue and other MPNA Board efforts.

If you have questions or want to get more involved, please send us an email at info@museumparkna.org.