Houston Police Foundation: CEOs & Corporate Execs on the Board
The Houston Police Foundation (HPF) is a nonprofit with a board comprised of CEOs and corporate executives that raise money to fund grants and projects for the Houston Police Department (HPD). Recently, the City Council unanimously passed the Houston Public Safety Budget FY 2021 which gave 62% of the safety funds to the Houston Police Department. This number is $964,837,483, almost one billion dollars, and is an increase of 3.29% to their already inflated budget. With almost a billion dollars in taxpayer money, why does HPD need money from a foundation with a board of corporate executives? Apparently for construction of a Tactical Village with a billionaire’s name on it among other funding projects.
RELATED: Houston Police Union Donations
Who’s Who on the Board
Here’s the full list of people on the board. Below are ones I’ve pulled from the list that plainly highlights different areas of Houston’s corporate establishment:
- TILMAN J. FERTITTA: Chairman of the Board, President & CEO Landry’s, Inc.; President of Fertitta Hospitality; Chairman of the Board — Houston Police Foundation — Billionaire, owns the Rockets, Landry’s Restaurants, Inc., one of America’s largest casual dining and entertainment companies. Fertitta Hospitality, LLC is a hotel, development, and entertainment company.
- WILLIAM B. “BILL” NELSON: Capital Markets Partner — Shearman & Sterling LLP ; Secretary / Treasurer — Houston Police Foundation — the law firm focuses on corporate securities law, including public offerings and private financings, acquisitions, mergers, monetization transactions, securities law compliance and corporate governance.
- BRIAN K. COOK: Regional Manager — Americas Chevron Global Security — Chevron, the oil company, does have a global security department.
- JEFFERY D. HILDEBRAND: Chairman and CEO Hilcorp Energy Company — one of the largest privately held oil and natural gas producer in America.
- MICHAEL C. LINN: President and CEO MCL Ventures LLC — a publicly traded partnership focused on the acquisition and development of oil and gas properties.
- D. KEITH MOSING: CEO Mosing Group — from office buildings to cattle ranches and private charter jets, The Mosing Group is a family of companies primarily involved in commercial real estate investments and aviation charter.
- EDNA MEYER-NELSON: President Richland Investments, Inc. — Also president of Richland Management, Inc., and Richland Commercial Mortgage. Richland Investments, Inc. owns and operates retail shopping centers, office buildings, industrial parks and office/flex parks. Currently Richland has over 3½ million square feet under roof and a total of 25 to 30 properties at any given time.
- PHILLIP SAROFIM: Founder and CEO Trousdale Ventures — investment firm.
- TADD TELLEPSEN: President of Tellepsen — comprehensive construction services on buildings, infrastructure, industrial facilities and concrete structures.
- BLAKE TARTT, III: President and CEO New Regional Planning, Inc. — Blake is widely recognized for his ability to conceptualize, active and accelerate innovative real estate developments.
- DAVE H. WARD: Anchor KTRK-TV — Channel 13
The above is only some of the board members. Here’s the full list of people, mostly corporate executives, on the board.
What does the foundation fund?
HPF has funded projects for HPD ranging from life vests, helmets, and K-9 unit to tactical equipment and a HPD SWAT Tactical Shoot House. The newest project? A Tactical Village. Since the building is still in construction, one could buy a commemorative brick here.
“HPF’s newest project is a campaign to fund the construction of a $10 million Tactical Village for use by HPD. The facility will provide a space to train officers in how best to respond to the modern challenges and situations (e.g., active shooter, hostage, terrorists) officers face today.”
This Tactical Village will have Tilman Fertitta’s name on the building. For context, Fertitta is a billionaire ($4.4 billion) who, in the early stages of the pandemic, “temporarily” eliminated paid time off benefits for Post Oak Hotel employees. Fertitta did reverse his decision after scrutiny.
In what has been termed “copaganda,” this specific funding request pictured below for helmets plays a role in erasing the violence of the recent Houston protests. Since May 29, 2020, protests have been consistent in Houston over the catalyst that was George Floyd’s death. So far, the protests have peaked on June 2 with over 60k in attendance. Most of the protests have ended with the mobilization of militarized police being transported via Metro buses, and protesters and medics being met with tear gas, flash bangs, and violence. Not to mention, cops in tactical gear picking out individual protesters. They used kettling tactics to purposefully trap protesters to charge them with trespassing. Oh and more tear gas which is banned for use in war, but the US managed to create an exception to use on their citizens.
A Quick History, Local Actions & Resources
In the U.S, police departments were established in the mid-1800s in the urban Northeast to control the riots and disruptive street culture of the immigrant poor, protect the property of the middle class, and enforce fugitive slave laws. In the South police evolved out of slave patrols, and focused on preventing slaves and free black people from aiding escapes or carrying out insurrections. — For a World Without Police
In general, the origins of the police reflects an oppressive history of white and propertied elites protecting their interests by controlling black people, immigrants, and the working poor. As a result, our modern society has been saddled with a paradigm of social order which reflects the interests of white supremacy and private property. Just consider how white cops brutally murdered George Floyd after receiving a report of him allegedly purchasing merchandize with counterfeit money. — Law Enforcement Continues the Racist Legacy it was Born From
Class conflict roiled late-19th century American cities like Chicago, which experienced major strikes and riots in 1867, 1877, 1886, and 1894. In each of these upheavals, the police attacked strikers with extreme violence, even if in 1877 and 1894 the U.S. Army played a bigger role in ultimately repressing the working class. In the aftermath of these movements, the police increasingly presented themselves as a thin blue line protecting civilization (by which they meant bourgeois civilization) from the disorder of the working class.- The Police Were Created to Control Working Class and Poor People, Not ‘Serve and Protect’
