• About Us
  • Paper Locations
  • Contact
Hispanic News || Shirley Ann Flower Shop || RS Deer Ranch
June 10, 2023
MEDIA KIT
African American News and Issues
63 °f
Houston
  • National
    • Politics
  • Local
    • Community
    • Announcements
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • Education
  • Lifestyle
    • Entertainment
    • Health
  • Afram TV
  • Events
  • E-Editions
    • Archives
  • Resources
No Result
View All Result
African American News and Issues
  • National
    • Politics
  • Local
    • Community
    • Announcements
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • Education
  • Lifestyle
    • Entertainment
    • Health
  • Afram TV
  • Events
  • E-Editions
    • Archives
  • Resources
No Result
View All Result
African American News and Issues
No Result
View All Result
  • AframNews Media Kit
  • About
  • Paper Locations
Home African American News & Issues

Trellis Sykes’s Life Mattered Then and Still Matters Now

Travis McGee by Travis McGee
6 months ago
in African American News & Issues, Columnists, Editorial, Opinion
0
Trellis Sykes’s Life Mattered Then and Still Matters Now
82
SHARES
1.4k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
FacebookTwitterPinterestLinkedIn

Year after year, one of the main complaints other than drainage and undrivable streets, illegal dumping, abandoned buildings, etc., are WEEDED LOTS! The city ordinance concerning weeded lots is a joke. The ordinance says the grass or weeds can’t exceed nine inches. However, some lots are well over 10 feet tall or taller.  Even though residents are told time and time again to call 311 to report weeded lots, you may receive three hundred eleven excuses as to why they can’t be cut or have to wait three hundred and eleven days before they finally get cut.

You might also like

Kristen Welker Making History as First Black ‘Meet The Press’ Moderator

Texas Southern University EMPA Program and League of Women Voters-Houston to Collaborate on Effort to Reach Young Voters

Preserving Black History Through Heartfelt Collectibles

Weeded lots near senior citizens, churches, or schools are supposed to be priority but they haven’t been for decades. For example, you have HISD schools, Sunnyside elementary AKA, Young elementary, Attucks middle and Evan E. Worthing all with in a two-mile radius of student’s neighborhood or home, meaning the children attending these schools, don’t qualify for transportation to and from provided by the district.

One would think that neighborhoods with the highest registered sex offender count in Harris County other than licensed facilities which house them, that safety would be top priority. But it isn’t, not now nor twenty-eight years ago.  It’s still not a priority to the city, county nor state elected employees, the so-called elected officials.  Even if that means making meaningful legislation at the state level and equal ordinances at the city and county level.

The provisions and changes must be proactive and routine vs reactive and temporary. There should never be a time when our local government waits until tragedy after tragedy occurs before they finally decide to fix a problem.  A problem that if given the proper attention, could be corrected within thirty minutes to an hour, sparing a family a lifetime of heartache and pain.

In May of 1994, the village lost a very special young lady who was multi-talented, and WNBA bound for certain. Her name was, Trellis Sykes, a six-feet freshman, student-athlete at Evan E. Worthing High School of the Sunnyside Community in Southeast Houston. On the morning of May 13, 1994, Trellis left home walking to school as many kids do. Unfortunately, that morning Trellis never made it.  This day became Trellis’s parent’s and loved one’s worst nightmare.  Not knowing her whereabouts only to find out she was brutally raped and murdered in a neglected and overgrown weeded lot easement.

Who would have ever thought walking to and from school could be so dangerous?  We’ve all done it at one time or another long walks and short cuts because that’s what kids do after a long day of school, basketball practice, or a long walk to school. Either way, our children are supposed to be safe.  What good are city ordinances and such, if they are not being enforced, especially if some of the property and easement are owned by the city of Houston are in violation?

With all the weeded lots abandoned building, and over saturation of half-way houses that are unregulated, who knows who and what’s residing in them? Sunnyside isn’t the most dangerous neighborhood as much as it is the most neglected and the most infamous dumping ground for everything that’s bad for our community.

Eight years after Trellis Sykes’s body was found in the overgrown weeded lot, our local government named one of our neighborhood basketball pavilions after her. This was one way to honor Trellis as she would often practice there. However, a better way to honor her is to be proactive with making sure that something like that would never happen again to anyone else by ridding the saturation of sex offenders, weeded lots, and abandoned buildings in the communities.

Sunnyside is at its capacity for sex offenders and halfway houses whether registered or unregistered. Houston is now the home of roughly 7,500 sex offenders of which Sunnyside and the surrounding area zip codes make up over 10% of that number. That’s alarming to say the least.

I believe meaningful legislation should be established in honor of Trellis Sykes and create a Bill bearing her name the “Trellis Sykes Bill.” The Bill would include no registered sex offenders within at least a 4-mile radius of schools and parks. No half-way housed within at least a four-mile radius of any school. There should be no waiting period on cutting the weeded lots and a regular maintenance schedule to maintain the upkeep should be implemented. Also, all kids would qualify for transportation provided by the district with safe routes to and from schools. No more sex offenders dumped in our communities with unsolved cases and back logged DNA tests.

If everyone does something, everything will get done! So, what are our elected employees willing to do and will the village hold them accountable for meaningful change and legislation in honor of Trellis Sykes?  Her life meant something then and still means something now.  We will never forget Trellis “Tree” Sykes.

Share33Tweet21
Travis McGee

Travis McGee

Recommended For You

Kristen Welker Making History as First Black ‘Meet The Press’ Moderator

by Chelsea Davis-Bibb, Ed.D.
6 months ago
0
Kristen Welker Making History as First Black ‘Meet The Press’ Moderator

NBC’s long-standing political panel show, “Meet the Press,” will experience a history-making change as Chuck Todd, the current moderator, announces his departure after nearly a decade. Stepping into...

Read more

Texas Southern University EMPA Program and League of Women Voters-Houston to Collaborate on Effort to Reach Young Voters

by aframnews
6 months ago
0
Texas Southern University EMPA Program and League of Women Voters-Houston to Collaborate on Effort to Reach Young Voters

Photo Credit: Edmond Dantes (Houston) June 7, 2023 – Texas Southern University’s Executive Master of Public Administration Program and the League of Women Voters-Houston have signed a Memorandum of Understanding...

Read more

Preserving Black History Through Heartfelt Collectibles

by aframnews
6 months ago
0
Preserving Black History Through Heartfelt Collectibles

By: Jennifer Magdalene Photo Credit: Skylar Yang It is absolutely crucial that black history in the USA is preserved, especially as the diversity and inclusion of black people comes under...

Read more

Lone Star College awards Chancellor Emeritus title

by aframnews
6 months ago
0
Lone Star College awards Chancellor Emeritus title

HOUSTON (June 8, 2023) – The Lone Star College Board of Trustees awarded the title of Chancellor Emeritus to Stephen C. Head, Ph.D., LSC Chancellor, during its June Workshop...

Read more

A Rising Star

by Crystal LaShan
6 months ago
0
A Rising Star

Committed, focused, hilarious, and leaving everything on the stage, are perfect descriptions of the super-talented actor, Nicholas Lewis. Born and raised in Houston, TX, he is a 2005...

Read more
Next Post
Top Ladies of Distinction

Top Ladies of Distinction

Latest Articles

Trump Indictment Reveals 37 Felony Counts Relating to His Mishandling of Classified Documents

Trump Indictment Reveals 37 Felony Counts Relating to His Mishandling of Classified Documents

6 months ago
Kristen Welker Making History as First Black ‘Meet The Press’ Moderator

Kristen Welker Making History as First Black ‘Meet The Press’ Moderator

6 months ago
Texas Southern University EMPA Program and League of Women Voters-Houston to Collaborate on Effort to Reach Young Voters

Texas Southern University EMPA Program and League of Women Voters-Houston to Collaborate on Effort to Reach Young Voters

6 months ago

NEED PAST ISSUES?

Search our archive of past issues Receive our Latest Updates
* indicates required
  • Local
  • National
  • Community
  • Education
  • Politics
  • COVID-19
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Sports

ARTICLES

  • Local
  • National
  • Community
  • Education
  • Politics
  • COVID-19
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Sports

CONNECT WITH US

  • Home
  • Advertise With Us
  • Contact

OTHER PUBLICATIONS

  • Hispanic News
  • Shirley Ann’s Flower Shop
African American News and Issues

African American News & Issues
6130 Wheatley St
Houston, TX 77091
(713) 692-1892

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Copyright © 2023. African American News & Issues. All rights reserved. Private Policy | Terms of Use |

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • National
  • Local
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • Education
  • Health
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • Announcements
  • Events
  • Afram TV
  • Contact

Copyright © 2023. African American News & Issues. All rights reserved. Private Policy | Terms of Use |

Are you sure want to unlock this post?
Unlock left : 0
Are you sure want to cancel subscription?