Public Interest

HOUSTON — Richard Collins, whose Harris County criminal court records span nearly five decades, threatened members of the media in a courthouse hallway before a scheduled court hearing, telling them to "watch your ass." The encounter occurred before Collins entered the courtroom for the hearing. The remarks were directed at members of the media covering the proceedings. According to Harris County court records, Collins has been the subject of criminal cases dating back to 1976. Those records include charges of murder, aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon, burglary with intent to commit theft, unauthorized use of a vehicle, felony possession of a weapon, credit card fraud, terroristic threat involving a family or household member, and two aggravated sexual assault cases involvi...

HOUSTON, Texas — Dr. Matthews hosted the Bless the Block back-to-school event Saturday at Wesley Square Apartments, bringing together community organizations, volunteers and local leaders to provide backpacks, school supplies, food and family-friendly activities ahead of the new school year. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTwNblxJFSY The event was held in conjunction with Hoodies for Healing, Each One Feed One and 4 Corners Kids. Families enjoyed music, free food and community fellowship while children received backpacks and school supplies to help them prepare for the upcoming school year. Representatives from Harris County Precinct 7 were also in attendance to support the community event. Speakers, which included Quanell X, encouraged residents to come together as one comm...

HOUSTON, Texas — Civil rights activist Quanell X used part of his remarks during a back-to-school event at Wesley Square Apartments on Saturday to express concerns about President Donald Trump's future plans. https://youtu.be/qgCJ5eZw5IA Addressing attendees, Quanell X called on people to resolve their differences and unite, saying communities "cannot be hating, destroying, and killing one another." He then claimed that President Trump has "no plan to leave office" and alleged that Trump intends to remain in office by invoking the Insurrection Act and declaring martial law. Quanell X further claimed that minority neighborhoods would be among the first areas affected if such actions were taken. Quanell X did not provide evidence to support those claims during his remarks. His ...

HOUSTON, Texas — Dr. Candice Matthews held a press conference Friday after a Harris County judge denied a protective order that had been sought against her by Jennifer Knighton, calling the ruling a victory and alleging the case was an attempt to weaponize the judicial system. https://youtube.com/live/bJj08i-gk5g Speaking outside the Harris County Civil Courthouse, Dr. Matthews said the petition did not meet the legal requirements for a protective order and argued that such orders should be reserved for people facing legitimate threats or abuse. Throughout the court proceedings, Houston Stringer repeatedly requested comment from Jennifer Knighton regarding the allegations and the protective order case. Knighton declined to comment on multiple occasions. During the press confe...

GALVESTON COUNTY, Texas — Quanell X traveled to the Galveston County Courthouse to support a young Hispanic man whose family sought his organization's help after alleging a Houston police officer falsified information in a police report. https://youtu.be/BaoyJhD095g According to Quanell X, the young man contacted his office while on probation, claiming an officer lied about the circumstances of his case. Quanell X said his organization helped the family file an Internal Affairs complaint and worked with multiple jurisdictions involved in the matter. Quanell X said video evidence was presented to the court that he claims showed the Houston Police Department officer fabricated facts in the police report. He alleged the evidence demonstrated the young man had been telling the truth...

HOUSTON, Texas — Dr. Matthews visited the Each One Feed One warehouse as volunteers prepared backpacks, school supplies, food and other donated items for an upcoming back-to-school drive serving residents of Wesley Square Apartments. Organizers said the nonprofit has been serving families throughout the year since 2019. https://youtube.com/live/HR2m7zlK9HA During the warehouse visit, Dr. Matthews toured the facility where donated food, household items, backpacks and school supplies are being sorted for distribution. She said she selects apartment communities each year for outreach efforts focused on families in need. Representatives with Each One Feed One said the organization rescues donated items from retailers and redistributes them throughout Houston. They said the program p...

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — Dr. Matthews is calling on elected officials, political candidates, and political campaigns to review publicly available court records involving political consultant Aubrey Taylor and determine whether continuing to hire, promote, or financially support him is consistent with the values they publicly represent. In a public statement, Dr. Matthews said every candidate, elected official, and campaign has a responsibility to exercise sound judgment when deciding who they associate with and pay using campaign funds. Dr. Matthews said the publicly available records should prompt campaigns and elected officials to conduct meaningful due diligence before continuing professional or financial relationships with Taylor. According to Dr. Matthews, publicly availabl...

HOUSTON - Dr. Matthews visited the Mira Bella Apartments on Imperial Valley Drive in north Houston after residents reported a ceiling collapse inside an apartment that killed a dog and injured two people. https://youtube.com/live/8wW6tH3CPEk Residents said the collapse happened the previous afternoon while two people were inside the apartment. One resident said his girlfriend had stepped outside moments before the ceiling gave way, while he and another man were trapped beneath falling sheetrock. Both were taken to a hospital for treatment. The family's dog later died following the ceiling collapse. Dr. Matthews toured the damaged apartment, where large sections of the ceiling had collapsed into the living area. Other sections of the ceiling appeared to be bulging, and visible mo...

HOUSTON - Dr. Matthews issued a public notice Friday warning that future campaign payments to Aubrey R. Taylor Communications by public officials and political candidates will be highlighted and discussed publicly as part of her ongoing transparency efforts. According to Dr. Matthews, public campaign finance records show that Harris County District Judge Damiane "Dianne" Curvey, State Rep. Ronald Reynolds and Germaine Tanner previously paid Aubrey R. Taylor Communications for campaign-related services. Dr. Matthews said she believes those candidates may not have been aware of information that has since become part of the public discussion regarding Taylor's criminal history and what she described as concerns about his business practices. She characterized that statement as her op...