Mayor's message about Washington Ave safety overshadowed by comment on 'barely clad ladies'

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Houston Mayor John Whitmire’s Friday announcement was meant to be a show of collaboration, of law enforcement and the city coming together to improve public safety. But some comments from the mayor overshadowed that collaboration.

Early parts of the press conference focused on talking points the mayor has been making for over a year now.

“Public safety is our highest priority. If we don’t make people be safe, feel safe, hold bad actors accountable, nothing else matters,” Whitmire said.

But some of the comments made were out of left field.

“I will do it, encourage the owners of the club to get their barely clad young ladies off the street on Washington,” Whitmire said.

Eyewitness News visited the restaurants, bars, and clubs in the area. Off camera, bouncers and managers said the dress of their patrons and employees shouldn’t concern anyone.

The mayor said that as part of the crackdown on Washington Ave, he’d be riding along with police on Friday and Saturday nights to witness and crack down on concerning and illegal behavior. Partnered law enforcement agencies said as more people are celebrating around the holidays, they want everyone to be safe.

“This is a very dense area; there are a lot of folks that are traversing back and forth from different clubs, for parking areas and things like that; it’s nighttime; drive safely,” Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said.

A partner at Rain HTX, a soon-to-open restaurant on Washington, said he understood he was entering a mixed social and residential area when he picked this spot, and he’s tried to be accommodating to his neighbors.

“We soundproofed the walls. We put foam in the walls. We set our amps at a certain volume, and no matter who comes into DJ or turns the music on, they can’t go past a certain volume,” Rain HTX partner Sean Foskey said.

However, he also feels concerns can be addressed by meeting face-to-face.

“Every business here is trying to do the same thing, survive, pay their bills, pay their staff, and take care of their families, and I just think a conversation is a good compromise besides just trying to shut things down,” Foskey said.

The mayor noted that he rode the emancipation and downtown area a few weeks ago.

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