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Last weekend saw another round of violence at one of the many illegal after-hours clubs that have plagued the Houston area for the last few years. In one shooting incident on Easter, four different people were injured.
Unfortunately, because these violent nightclubs are already operating illegally, cracking down on them is slow-going, but the City Council is working on it. Councilwoman Abbie Kamin, who represents District C, says, "The bottom line is, enough is enough. The city council has previously passed ordinances to give HPD more tools, but we need to see much more aggressive action."
She went on to say that the fact that these nightclubs can pop up and spread in popularity so quickly makes it difficult to crack down on them, but you can help by reporting them to law enforcement if you become aware of any operating around you.
Kamin went on to say, "We need the community’s help, but once we know about these pop-ups, once HPD is alerted, there needs to be aggressive action."
She also stressed the importance of using official channels to alert authorities to these clubs, saying, "A lot of people go to social media to report things, but you have to remember that HPD isn’t monitoring that, nor do they have a way to."
She says be vigilant, and if you’re aware of any potential illegal activities, call the HPD non-emergency line, and of course, when necessary, call 911 as well.