Government
BY MELISSA ENAJE
Violence prevention center coming to Spring Harris County Public Health officials are prepar- ing to open a new community center in Cypress Station that will serve as a neighborhood hub to help reduce violence and crime in the area. “We want [residents] to achieve self-sufficiency and really adopt a pro-social lifestyle,” said Lupe Washington, HCPH’s director of the community health and violence prevention services division. “So if that’s helping them work through some of the trauma that they’ve experienced because of violence or gun violence, we are there to try and help meet those needs for the participants.” Digging deeper The new center, the RISE Empowerment Center, hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new facility June 3. Once staffing needs are filled later in the year, Washington said, the facility will open to the public.
New chief public defender named
RISE Empowerment Center
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Harris County commissioners unani- mously approved the appointment of Harris County’s next chief public defender, Judge Genesis Draper, a veteran public defender and criminal court judge, on June 12. Draper began this role July 7, replacing former Chief Alex Bunin, who will retire in December after serving 15 years in his position as the county’s first chief public defender, according to a June news release. Quote of note “I will be stepping into this role after 13 years as a public defender and now six years as a judge,” Draper said. “Those years have deepened my belief that justice depends on not just the law, but people being willing to defend it, and I appreciate the opportunity to do so.”
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Cypress Station was selected for the new facility after county officials determined the area not only had high rates of gun violence, but also lacked resources such as transportation and programming. The team at the center will work to ensure residents get the necessary services, Washington said. Community outreach specialists are already engaging with individuals who are at the highest risk of being perpetrators or victims of crime and help them if they need access to jobs and medical or mental health services.
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