Cut short by press collapse

Mayor Parker makes a mother's vow to root out police brutality

A still from the videotaped beating
Mayor Annise Parker
A copy of the video was shown to the media on a laptop at a recent newsconference attended by Quanell X, in front, and other African-American communityleaders.
Chad Holley was tried and convicted of burglary last March, and the judge wouldnot allow the video to be shown. Holley, now 16, has filed a federal civilrights lawsuit against the Houston Police Department.
Quanell X of the New Black Panther Party talks about the videotape of theincident captured by an area business surveillance camera, which Quanell viewedand turned over to the mayor and police chief.
Houston Police Chief Charles McClelland

To address the concerns of the community, Houston mayor Annise Parker announced the creation of two new police oversight boards on Friday.

The announcement follows community outrage over a video of several Houston police officers beating burglary suspect Chad Holley, then 15. The incident, which took place in March of 2010, led to the firing of seven police officers and misdemeanor charges of official oppression being filed against four of them. The video only became public when KTRK. Ch. 13 aired it earlier this month, after community activist Quanell X handed it over.

The new Independent Police Oversight Board will replace the existing Citizens' Review Committee. It will be made up of 20 members appointed by the mayor with expertise in criminal justice, including retired judges, civil rights attorneys and academic experts.

The board will review all internal affairs investigations involving the discharge of a firearm, allegations of excessive force and other major incidents. According to Mayor Parker, it will have full access to police records and data and will review and make recommendations regarding hiring, training and evaluations of officer conduct to the chief of police and the mayor.

The Police Advisory Committee will be renamed the Public Safety Advisory Committee and will meet monthly with citizens around the city, and quarterly with the police and fire chiefs and the local Homeland Security office. Additionally the Houston Office of Inspector General will expand its role to be a confidential ombudsman to aid citizens in filing complaints of misconduct against the police. Both boards will be established immediately by executive order but will not be granted subpoena power.

In a press conference that was cut short when a member of the press corps collapsed and had to be taken out on an ambulance with breathing difficulties, Parker reiterated her commitment to changing the relationship between the public and the police.

"As a mother I understand the desire of parents to know their children are safe in the hands of the Houston police department .... If a culture exists at HPD that contributes to the behavior displayed in the video, we will root it out," she said.

The changes come from a report issued Jan. 20 following a months-long initiative to take public suggestions on improving police-community relations that was led by Houston council member Melissa Noriega.

State Senator Rodney Ellis also spoke of initiatives he was taking on at the state level to make it easier for cities to establish independent review boards and to step up police training in areas of ethics, civil rights and stress management, but he was frank in assessing that such changes will be difficult to implement on a state-wide level.

Ellis also called for District Attorney Pat Lykos to reconsider filing felony assault charges against the police officers in the video based on new evidence that Holley received significant bodily injuries.

"The important thing is that the mayor of the city realizes that this is a problem," Ellis said. "There is nothing like a crisis to get us to focus on reforms."

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Editor's note: It's time to look back at the top Houston news of the week, starting with a surprise visit — and big tip — from Shaq. Plus, Houston ranks among America's most overpriced cities, and rents rise in Sugar Land. Get the details on our most popular stories below, then find the best things to do this weekend here.

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Berwick's Birds of Paradise bar Robin Berwick Owner Robin Berwick took inspiration from hotel bars for BBOP. Photo by Vivian Leba

3. Houston is one of America's most overpriced cities, study finds. In what may come as a surprise to some local residents, a new study ranks Houston among the 10 most overpriced cities in America.

4. This Houston suburb had the highest apartment rent prices in June. Apartment rent prices in June were more expensive in Sugar Land than anywhere else in Houston, according to the latest monthly rent report from Zumper.

5. Houston influencer opens an antiques-filled boutique hotel in Montrose. 109 Stratford Street in Historic East Avondale has recently opened as a nine-room boutique hotel, The Marlene Inn, from owner and Instagram influencer Lily Barfield.