Public Interest

HOUSTON, TX – Activists and community members, led by Quanell X and Dr. Matthews, held a protest at Fuel Depot in the Sunnyside area after allegations involving a child. https://youtu.be/S5Cj0ESGkMQ The store is located at 4420 Bellfort Ave between Scott and Cullen. According to statements made at the scene, those gathered said a young boy was forced to use the restroom outside, and that a store clerk later shared video of the incident with other students. The situation prompted calls for the store owner to respond and for changes to be made. The incident is now at the center of a police investigation after a report was filed regarding a video of the situation being circulated, leading to bullying at school. The report was filed after the child’s grandmother contacted police ...

HOUSTON, TX – Quanell X and Dr. Candice Matthews confronted the owner of a Hartz Chicken location following a viral video that allegedly shows an employee using a racial slur toward a customer. https://youtu.be/ff4wbnVEQxo The incident happened at a Hartz Chicken Buffet in north Houston, located at 12231 Eastex Fwy, Houston, TX 77039. During remarks on-site, Dr. Matthews stated the group responded after seeing the video and said the employee involved no longer works at the location. She said they would not normalize the use of racial slurs toward customers and demanded action from the business. Quanell X demanded several actions, including immediate termination of the employee, improved customer service training for staff, a public apology from the owner to the Black communit...

HOUSTON, TX – Local activists, led by Quanell X and Dr. Matthews, held a press conference and protest outside Houston Police Department headquarters regarding officer Ashley Gonzalez. https://youtu.be/dnelBILjyLs During the event, speakers demanded the immediate termination of Ashley Gonzalez, citing a video rant they described as offensive and unacceptable. They stated opposition to any option allowing resignation instead of firing and called on department leadership to take decisive action. Activists warned that allowing resignation could enable Gonzalez to seek employment at another agency and described it as a pattern that allows misconduct to go unaddressed. They also called for her state license to be revoked. Speakers urged the Houston Police Officers’ Union to decli...

HOUSTON, TX – Community concerns have been raised after allegations surfaced that an individual sought to obtain the home address of civil rights activist Dr. Candice Matthews following public exposure of concerns involving Nikki Jones. Brianna Gatlin and Dr. Nikki Jones via Facebook According to documentation provided to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, Dr. Matthews reported that screenshots of conversations show an individual identified as Brianna Lacole Gatlin asking whether “Dr. Matthews’ info [was] public” and inquiring about her location. In one exchange, the individual allegedly stated someone was “tryna black mail my momma.” Dr. Matthews stated the communications were brought to her attention by an informant and that she viewed the inquiries as retaliatory in...

HOUSTON, TX – Dr. Candice Matthews held a press conference stating that newly elected Congressman Christian Menefee missed eight House roll call votes following the State of the Union address. https://youtu.be/xCtygceNh2Y Dr. Matthews said information was provided to her by what she described as “political watchers” . She outlined multiple House roll call votes, including motions related to H.R. 6329, aviation safety legislation, and energy-related bills such as the Home Appliance Protection and Affordability Act and the Homeowners Energy Freedom Act. Menefee Missed VotesDownload According to Dr. Matthews, Menefee was listed among members who did not vote on several measures identified as roll calls 71 through 78, with varying totals of Democrats and Republicans recorded as n...