HOUSTON — Harris County Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia, law enforcement and labor representatives gathered Sunday to make a call to end threats against crews working to restore power across Harris County following Hurricane Beryl.
Garcia said over the last week, linemen at one camp were forced to relocate after being threatened with a drive-by shooting. He said others have been subject to individual threats of violence. In one case, a man was arrested after pointing his gun at a CenterPoint worker.
"All that does is make it harder and longer to get your lights back on," Garcia said.
The business manager of IBEW Local 66, Ed Allen, helps to represent more than 4,800 utility workers across Texas. At the news conference, he said they represent CenterPoint workers and contractors who work on CenterPoint property.
"We've had guys have guns pulled on them, we've had guys had rocks picked up and slung at them, we've had people brandishing AK-47s and it needs to stop," Allen said.
REALTED: Full Beryl coverage
Allen said he's had several companies tell him that if the harassment doesn't stop, they're going to "get in their trucks and drive off."
Allen said a crew out in Sugar Land told him a man across the street holding an AK-47 was "menacing" them.
"We have people constantly harassing these folks and in 42 years in this industry working here in this community. I have never seen a response like this from the community," he said.
Allen said a crew from Kansas working in Kingwood was trying to eat lunch when people pulled up, yelling at them calling them lazy and saying they didn't deserve to eat.
"Please God, stop harassing these people," Allen said.
Houston police's acting chief Larry Satterwhite said the department has been actively working to keep CenterPoint crews safe during this time.
"It's devastating first and foremost because you're threatening men and women that are out there just trying to make a difference in our community," Satterwhite said.
Satterwhite said a crew staged at Houston ISD's Barnett Stadium had to move their operation because of constant threats.
"That slows down everything and that meant more people were going to be without power even longer because of the distance they're going to have to travel just to get back," he said.
Satterwhite said they've had one confirmed break-in to a CenterPoint vehicle.
Chief Deputy Mike Lee spoke on behalf of Sheriff Ed Gonzalez at the news conference. He said that anyone caught committing a crime related to Beryl's aftermath will receive enhanced charges.
Harris County Precinct 6 Constable Silvia Treviño also spoke at the news conference. She previously worked with Deputy Esqueda, a 28-year-old HCSO deputy who was killed in an ambush early Thursday morning while searching for a man accused of attacking a pizza store employee.
Trevino said she will do her part as a proactive approach to assign patrol deputies to where linemen are working to restore power to communities.
"An attack on our linemen is an attack on our community especially under this crisis and disaster," she said.
The executive director of the AFL-CIO Hany Kalil said Houstonians need to respond with hospitality, not hostility.
"We can and must do better to support these linemen and women who are working their hardest to get power on if you want," he said.
Garcia said anyone experiencing anxiety or any type of stress during this time can utilize the 988 hotline.
"We're all in this together and so we recognize the anxiety that everyone is experiencing, help us work with you to de-escalate the sense of anxiety," he said.