12 Comment

• Shannon September 23, 2014 at 10:50 am

  HISD should be commended for saving the fascades of Milby, Davis, Austin, and Lamar, they add historic heft to the new buildings. These buildings are landmarks to the neighborhoods and give the areas around them character.
  The new JW Marriott looks great, they really did Houston a service by rehabing that building.
  How on Earth do Police Officers get that much overtime? If you need more officers, hire them, don’t pay all these overtime, it’s obtuse. I think many municipalities get screwed by the police and firefighters riding the clock. Where is the oversight and how did these cops get away with this ticket writing scheme for so long? We deserve answers, we’ll see in Annise makes this a “priority”
• Brian September 23, 2014 at 10:50 am

  I can care less about what the statues “show”… but I do think they’re a little freaky for kids. My 3 yo daughter was scared of them esp when she came across the one at the top of the hill by the grb with a missing face.
• DNAguy September 23, 2014 at 11:33 am

  Mr. Lopez doth protest too much…..
• toasty September 23, 2014 at 12:25 pm

  Maybe the artwork could be moved to a location not right by the kids main play area, but for serious, it’s artwork. It’s not like it’s celebrating sex, or anything. parents should be willing and able to discuss art with their kids. SMH.
• KC September 23, 2014 at 1:40 pm

  Re 1000 Main

  No doubt the new owner will file a property tax protest next year saying the place is only worth $100 mil.
• joel September 23, 2014 at 1:58 pm

  “The four officers agreed to the suspensions under a “last chance agreement,” which means McClelland agreed not to fire them in hopes of salvaging their careers.

  In exchange, the officers give up their right to appeal the suspensions and signed documents acknowledging any another offense could result in termination.”
  ***
  absurd, these dudes belong in jail as well as mclclelland if this how he handles issues like this. i know well enough never to trust HPD in my first-hand accounts with them, but i would hope they’re actively involved in kicking out the cheats and crooks that bring the whole bunch down,. obviously that’s never been the case though so take their word with a grain of salt.
  ***
  and Shannon, it’s called unions. they’ve been screwing over the city for a long time now. at least the police were willing to work with Parker. the firefighters union refused and continue to jeopardize the safety of houstonians day in and day out by not allowing a sufficient workforce to be hired in order to protect their overtime. i’m sure there’s more detailed reasons, but the end result remains the same regardless.
• Shannon s September 23, 2014 at 2:50 pm

  As long as the statues are not lewd, who cares in they’re “anatomically” correct. Maybe it would give these uptight parents a chance to educate their kids on freedom of speech and body image, use it as an education tool then STFU.
• Shannon s September 23, 2014 at 2:55 pm

  Why is it so hard to fire a damn cop. These “officers” should be fired and prosecuted. What other profession would you not be prosecuted for this? Some poor kid goes to jail for shoplifting a DVD Box Set and these cops not only don’t get prosecuted but they get to keep on bring shirty, dishonest cops. Yeah, and you’re right HPD and the Houston Firefighters suck. Fire them all and let’s start over.
• Neil September 23, 2014 at 5:14 pm

  Dishonest cops have to be among the lowest forms of life. Not the worst, mind you, but pretty bad. The lame punishment is to forego an average of $5,000 in exchange for stealing an average of $250,000. Any thief would take that deal. The article also included this gem: “Ray Hunt, president of the Houston Police Officer’s Union, said defense attorneys often challenge citations if not all officers involved in the offense are not listed on the citation. “I’m confident none of those officers put (themselves) on it for the sole purpose of getting overtime,” Hunt said.” So, Hunt believes it is more honorable for the officers to have lied about witnessing offenses, and be prepared to do so under oath, than to receive the overtime pay. Where is the moral compass in HPD?
• Dan Denson September 23, 2014 at 9:19 pm

  In Europe, such statues are common in public places frequented by kids. As usual, the U.S. is backwards about such things. I hope these parents realize their kids have seen a whole lot more than this in their internet browsing. That’s what I would be more concerned about.
• Fernando September 23, 2014 at 9:28 pm

  It frustrating to hear about police officers and firefighters (in CA) who abuse overtime. I really cannot understand why it is allowed to occur. There should at least be a cap on how much overtime a particular person may earn.
• Ross September 23, 2014 at 9:55 pm

  Shannon, those officers got overtime for attending court for traffic tickets they issued. Nothing to do with understaffing.