Save the Date - School Supply Drive on Aug. 13 As the new school year is just weeks away, there are students throughout our local communities excited to return to in-class learning for the upcoming school year. Join us for a Back 2 School Supply Drive on August 13th at 10am at the South Gessner Gulfton Storefront. With a goal to supply 200 kids with school supplies, this event promises to provide children with the supplies they need to kick of a wonderful academic season. Help us spread the word if you know someone who may be interested in donating supplies.

District J Job Fair: Register Your Business Are you looking to hire new employees for your business? Register to be a vendor at the District J Job Fair, where you can interview job candidates on the spot. The job fair takes place Saturday, August 21st at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, Gethsemane Campus – 6856 Bellaire Blvd. Register at districtjjobs1.eventbrite.com.

Police Reform Initiative Update with Mayor Turner and Council Member Pollard   In the last year, the City of Houston has expanded its focus on social justice issues and police reform. Hear Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and Council Member Pollard discuss police reform initiatives including: 8 Can’t Wait, the body camera policy to support crisis intervention and mental health units Independence Police Oversight Board, which reviews and implements policies and necessary reforms Police Transparency Dashboard, a publicly accessible website for complaint filing and data repository for police activities and access to current HPD policy and guidelines Watch the full video here.

PEACE: Supporting Our Police Officers Improving the wellbeing of our officers to reduce potential community issues and keep our neighborhoods safer is paramount. Council Member Pollard's office has partnered with International Yoga Alliance Certified Instructor Jazmin Porter to create the Police Enlightenment and Collective Education (PEACE) program. This initiative offers 90-minute classes in yoga, meditation, sound therapy and prompted discussion in an effort to help strengthen the overall quality of self for police officers. PEACE is a pilot program that runs for two months.

Video: Council Member Talks District J Diversity and Progress Recently Council Member Pollard was a guest on the SD Talk Show and discussed plans for the neighborhoods in District J. See the full interview below.

District J Welcomes Nuro Technology As Houston continues on the journey to becoming an innovation hub, tech companies are starting to take notice. District J is now the home of the Nuro headquarters in Houston. Nuro provides the first custom, self-driving delivery vehicles designed to provide convenient, on-demand services available to everyone. Residents will be able to order items online from participating retailers and have products delivered to their door via Nuro vehicles. For more information, visit www.nuro.ai/houston.

Fox 26 Features District J Patrol Recently, Fox 26’s Tom Zizka covered the great efforts of the District J Patrol community-led policing initiative and how the community is collaborating with HPD to address neighborhood issues. Watch the video here.

Nurturing Connections: Alliance Against Crime Event

Neighborhoods maintaining a solid connection with law enforcement is critical for community success. District J is prioritizing events for the police to engage with the community to enhance relationships between law enforcement and the public. Most recently, the District J office hosted the Alliance Against Crime event in Gulfton. This event offered residents an opportunity to speak directly to officers, get resources, information, and essential items to keep their neighborhoods safe and improve quality of life. A huge thank you to all of the community partners, supporters and organizations for making this event a phenomenal success.

Welcoming Our New Residents

District J is the most diverse district in the City of Houston, so it's only natural that some new U.S. residents are calling our area home. The District J office partnered with the Houston Police Department, Houston Fire Department, The Charity House, Ashford Communities and the Houston Health Department during the Eid Giveaway Event to welcome new residents . They received clothing and other items essential for family life. Many thanks to CM Alcorn, Chief Pena, and Judge Morris, and all of the community partners and volunteers for helping to make this event a success.

Art Mural Event Community artwork gives neighborhoods a unique identity, allows a show of pride and provides cultural enrichment for both residents and visitors. Recently, our Newly Resident youth community at the Ashford Crescent Apartments got a special treat with the unveiling of cultural artwork by Amy Malkan. Talented artists, Amy Malkan Art and Thaddaeus Arvie created “Together We Play” and “All Hands In” in collaboration with our Newly Residents participating in the CHAT Academy. Attendees enjoyed theatrical and musical performances by Brave Little Company and CHAT students. A special thanks to CHAT Academy and to H-E-B and Sweets by Belen for the generous refreshments. Many thanks to the Houston LISC and 1st Choice Accident & Injury for the amazing art murals.

Snow Cone with a Cop It’s imperative that interactions between the public and the police are not just negative incidents, but positive and friendly connections. In partnership with the Houston Police Department, District J hosted the “Snow Cone with a Cop” event. Attendees enjoyed snow cones and snacks while engaging with the police officers who serve our neighborhoods. Many thanks to all of the community supporters for making this event a great success.

Council Members Connect with Community, West Side Council Forum It’s essential to bring together groups within the community to exchange ideas. During the West Houston Association West Side Council Forum at the Marriott Westchase, Council Members Edward Pollard, Tiffany D. Thomas, Amy Peck, Greg Travis, David Robinson, Sallie Comstock Alcorn provided valuable insights on infrastructure, crime, budget, and the livable places to study. A special thank you to Alan Steinberg and the West Houston leadership for organizing this event and all of the community supporters who attended.

Special Send-Off for Pastor Jeter   For many neighborhoods, churches are the cornerstone of the community. Thanks to the phenomenal leadership of Pastor Mike Jeter, the Sharpstown Baptist Church consistently maintains this reputation. Over the years, Pastor Jeter has provided tremendous service to our community. As he moves on from ministering to the people in District J, we wish him and his family well and hope that God continues to bless him and his family.

Pet Food Donation Drive-Thru   Our furry family members were the highlight of the free Pet Food Distribution at Sharpstown Baptist Church. The District J office partnered with the Houston Human Society to provide dog and cat food to families during this drive-thru event. A very special thank you to the District J office staff and volunteers for supporting families in need of feeding their pets.

Road Closures Continue In an effort to greatly enhance safety and improve mobility for motorists, the Texas department of Transportation has closed two connection ramps. As part of the I-610 West Loop/I-69 Southwest Freeway interchange project, the closures will allow for demolishing of the current ramps and reconstructing new and improved ones. Closures: I-69 Southwest Freeway northbound connector ramp to I-610 West Loop northbound I-69 Southwest Freeway southbound connector ramp to I-610 West Loop northbound Motorists should expect delays and may want to consider an alternate route. Police officers are on site to assist with traffic control.

Celebrating the 4th of July The 4th of July is truly a day of celebration filled with food, fun and, of course, fireworks. Despite a few summer showers, the Sharpstown 4th of July Celebration at PlazAmericas Sharpstown mall was exactly that. Throughout the event, attendees enjoyed tasty items from various food trucks, younger guests enjoyed the Kids Zone area, while vendors were onsite to sell their wares. The event culminated with a colorfully festive fireworks display. Many thanks to all of the community partners, organizations and volunteers for making the event a success and fun-filled evening for all who attended.

Neighborhood Project Updates Playground Clean Up - Crain Park Crain Park playground was littered with various debris, from plastic bottles, broken glass, cardboard, food items, diapers, dried-up grass blocking the sidewalk and drug/tattoo paraphernalia. Clean-up crews cleared the area providing a clean and safe area for walking and playing.

Corner Ramps Replaced Ramps along the west side of Mary Bates Blvd, from Sharpcrest St. to Langdon Ln. were replaced to make them easier to see and use. Thanks to Public Works for the completion of this project.

Speedbumps Added on Elm Traffic calming devices - or speedbumps - were added to the road as a safety measure on Elm St. between Rampart and Westward Streets in Shenandoah III. This work was completed by employees in Houston Public Works.

Tire Dumping - 9500 Ruffino Due to illegal dumping occurring near West Belfort and Ruffino Hills intersection, a constituent reported a build up of trash and other debris including: yard waste 50+ tires in vicinity scattered litter black trash bags bottles couch with a black bag emitting a foul stench Crews worked to clear all debris from the area.

District J Patrol District J Patrol is a three-pronged approach to public safety bridging the gap between the law enforcement officers in District J and the communities they serve. Sponsored by the District J office, this pilot initiative includes community patrolling by Houston Police Department’s Differential Response Team (DRT), the use of two Polaris vehicles and the District J Patrol Task Force. Residents may report small neighborhood violations and infringements, such as panhandling, loitering, overgrown lots, graffiti, homeless encampments and other public nuisances. To file a report, visit the online portal at www.DistrictJPatrol.com.  To learn more about our new modern approach to community policing, or to file a report regarding a quality of life issue, please visit www.districtjpatrol.com. To retrieve data, research policy, or to file a complaint online, visit houstontx.gov/policetransparency.

HOT Team The HOT Team assists with picking up scattered debris, removing heavy trash, tree waste and illegal dumping, and handling specific landscaping issues. All requests for assistance from the HOT Team should be submitted via 311. The HOT Team makes pickups according to the following schedule: 1st Thursday - Sharpstown 2nd Thursday - St. George, Gulfton and Richmond Plaza South 3rd Thursday - Braeburn Area 4th Thursday - Alief/Westwood

District J Programs There are many organizations in District J that are beneficial to our community. Each month, we will include some of those events in this newsletter. India House hosts the following events. Each event takes place at: 8888 West Bellfort, Houston, TX 77031

Council Member Edward Pollard City Hall Annex, 900 Bagby, First Floor, Houston, TX 77002 Phone: (832) 393-3015