Late-Night Chaos Returns to Emancipation Avenue in Third Ward

Hinzugefügt: 2026-05-14

[00:00:00]Welcome back to the fact around sensor.

[00:00:01]The outrage is back again. A constant flow of traffic and noise until 3:00 or 4:00 in the morning on the weekends.

[00:00:09]Yes, we're talking about emancipation in the Third Ward Riverside Terrace area.

[00:00:14]It was a major problem last year and according to those who call the area home, it's back again with a vengeance this year. We were there today. Let's take you there now.

[00:00:31]Scott, just how bad has it become here in the Third Ward Riverside Terrace? I remember the mayor and the police department making promises last year saying, "Look, we won't allow this.

[00:00:43]There are people who live in this area."

[00:00:46]And you're saying the problems never stopped. It's exactly. The cars that come to these clubs and stuff, they they're still coming. They still cruise up and down Emancipation. They still stop at the Son and Co. before the clubs and after the clubs. And they play music so loud it shakes the windows on your houses. It'll they'll set off car alarms. And it's just non-stop. If HPD's not sitting at the store here, there's somebody else there's a car that's there that's partying in the parking lot and keeping everybody in the neighborhood awake. Or they're driving up and down Emancipation doing the same thing. It's it's insane.

[00:01:21]And have you guys reached out to HPD?

[00:01:23]Have you reached out to city leaders to complain about this? We have extensively and it has gotten better. They have put more officers on duty, um but they just can't seem to stop the motorists that are making all the noise.

[00:01:37]They may help with some of the bars, you know, keeping their levels down, but then the traffic up and down the through the neighborhood is just it's insane, especially Sunday nights. And it starts really like 4:00 in the afternoon on Sundays and runs till 2:00 in the morning on Monday morning. Wow. And how difficult does that make your life and many of your your uh neighbors around [music] here? Well, I don't sleep in my bedroom. I have to use another room. I sleep with ear plugs in at night so I can get some sleep. Um and it's yeah, you can't have, you know, an event out in your backyard without being disturbed by anybody. And it's uh yeah, it's no fun. You know, and I when I initially read into you, I said, "Well, the mayor and and HPD addressed this last year."

[00:02:20]But you're saying we still have problems here in this area.

[00:02:24]>> Absolutely.

[00:02:25]Yeah, absolutely. They The mayor came out with, you know, 60 officers, which is probably what this area needs, um for one night. And then after that night, everything just kind of turns back to normal.

[00:02:36]And it's still noisy.

[00:02:40]And and what do you think it will take [music] to make a difference to allow you guys to live in your neighborhood, your community, in peace?

[00:02:50]Um more citations to the motorists.

[00:02:53]Trying to get them to get in compliance.

[00:02:55]Um a lot of these cars and motorcycles, they don't have mufflers on them, which doesn't meet any sound ordinance criteria. Doesn't even meet state law.

[00:03:03]And there's nothing to stop them. So, you know, when inspections would be a great place to stop them if they could do something to to get that done to to stop those guys or just, you know, simply pulling them over. And finding a way to pull over a lot of them at once cuz they'll be in a whole row of cars.

[00:03:17]And HPD, they don't They used to be able to pull over multiple cars at once, but they felt it was too unsafe.

[00:03:24]Um so they stopped doing it. I'm surprised they didn't find a safer way to do it instead and still accomplish the same goal of, you know, stopping these people.

[00:03:33]So, you just heard from Scott, one of the residents in Riverside Terrace, complaining about Emancipation. Now, we are talking to City Council Member Dr. Carolyn Evans Shabazz, who represents that area. Dr. Shabazz, what would you tell your constituents if they're having problems again this year? I remember we dealt with this last year and there were a lot of police out there. They made their presence known. So, what can be done now?

[00:04:02]I mean, it's an ongoing issue.

[00:04:03]Certainly, people are coming from everywhere. This is the district of destination. And so, they're coming and they're partying and I don't think most of them live in the area, but it is a problem and certainly Scott has really had a tough time because he lives right behind a gas station, which is right there on Southmore and Emancipation. So, we are coordinating with the OST Almeda Towers and the Greater Southeast Management District to identify approximately $300,000 in additional public safety funding to support overtime for HPD and Harris County Precinct 7. It's going to take that in the peak nightlife hours along Emancipation, Almeda, OST, and the Dixie Corridor. And so, the goal is to build on the success of Mayor Whitmire's club task.

[00:04:57]There is a club task that that does address some of these issues, but we're going to have to put some money into public safety to support both, as I said, Precinct 7 and HPD so that they can come out during those peak hours and I think that that's going to make a difference. Certainly, it's focused on public safety, the traffic flow is very important, the noise concerns, and the overall quality of life for the residents. So, I am so very aware of it. It's an ongoing issue and one that we are working very, very hard to abate, which is going to be difficult. You know, without zoning in Houston, clubs are everywhere on every corner and the residents are having to deal with that, particularly those that live around those areas. And really quick, Dr. Shabazz, how soon can Scott and others start seeing the presence of those officers with the $300,000 allocated for overtime? We want to get that done very quickly because it's an ever-set and ongoing problem, and we know that help needs to be on the way immediately. All right, Dr. Carolyn Evans-Shabazz, Houston City Council Member, we appreciate your time on The Factor and addressing the concerns of your constituents like you always do here on The Factor. We appreciate your time.