Open Carry: Fifth Ward event postponed

Here's a look at the Texas open carry movement.



With guns in hand, a group of more than 20 people with the pro-gun organization, Come and Take it Houston, assembled at City Hall before walking through downtown carrying their guns as part of a rally Thursday, July 4, 2013, in Houston. "This is a Come and Take it Houston walk to help inform citizens about the gun laws here in Texas," co-organizer Kenneth Lindbloom said. "In Texas there are no restrictions on the open carry of long arms like rifles and shotguns. We want people to realize that in the hands of good people, guns are not dangerous and they don't kill people. When good people have guns it serves as a deterrent to stop crime."( Johnny Hanson / Houston Chronicle ) less Here's a look at the Texas open carry movement.



With guns in hand, a group of more than 20 people with the pro-gun organization, Come and Take it Houston, assembled at City Hall before walking through downtown ... more Photo: Houston Chronicle Photo: Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 42 Caption Close Open Carry: Fifth Ward event postponed 1 / 42 Back to Gallery

Update: In a news release emailed to the Houston Chronicle late Thursday, Open Carry Texas says the planned event in Fifth Ward this weekend has been postponed indefinitely.

"It became obvious over the past few days that certain individuals in the area were intentionally pitting us against the community," the pro-gun group says in the statement. The group met with community leaders, including activist Quanell X, on Wednesday.

Previous report:

Last night representatives from the Fifth Ward community, Quanell X, and the Open Carry Texas delegation met to discuss this weekend’s upcoming demonstration by the pro-gun group.

A KPRC-TV report from Wednesday's meeting shows the two sides getting into a heated exchange outside the Fifth Ward Neighborhood Civic Club, close to where Open Carry Texas plans on demonstrating for two hours on Saturday afternoon at the corner of Lyons Avenue and Lockwood.

Activist Quanell X raised eyebrows by being flanked by members of the New Black Panther Party who themselves were armed with assault rifles. At one point during the KPRC-TV report the Open Carry Texas representatives were called “insurgents” by the New Black Panther for coming into their neighborhood.

The whole meeting lasted less than an hour before it was adjourned.

“The emotions were so high that it was time to go home,” Quanell X said on Thursday.

Officials from the Houston Police Department were on site to make sure that the discussions, didn’t devolve into physical violence. They told both sides that on Saturday they will be kept separate and that no intermingling will be allowed. Neither group will be allowed on the streets either to hinder traffic in the area.

Open Carry Texas’ leader C.J. Grisham said Thursday that he left the meeting with a bad taste in his mouth.

“They wanted to make this a racial issue and talk over us. They were big on accusations and not much else,” Grisham says.

He claims that in private discussions leading up to the event that Quanell X and company wanted to talk to the group openly to find out their exact point of view and were willing to come with an open mind. Grisham says that when the cameras showed up things changed.

Quanell X says that is not true and that he voiced his misgivings to Open Carry Texas member David Amad before the two groups even sat down on Wednesday.

“I told him that emotions would run very high on the outset and that there were better ways to come into our community,” Quanell X says.

“I would never tell a black man or anyone that he is not welcome in any part of this country, but that’s what they did to us,” Grisham says.

“He needs to do some history homework. He will learn and see why black people don’t like white men coming to the Fifth Ward,” said Quanell X on Thursday. He points to a history of racial unrest in the area dating back decades, of night riders and blacks being told to get inside before sundown.

He says that the New Black Panthers do in fact teach CHL classes once every three months and teach their members and the surrounding communities about how to properly open carry.

“We didn’t bring any firearms as we didn’t want to feel intimidating,” says Grisham. He did notice later that members of the New Black Panther Party on site were holding AK-47s and AR-15s. He personally doesn’t understand the difference between the Black Panthers carrying rifles and Open Carry Texas carrying rifles.

“It sends a very confusing message I think,” Grisham added.

“We were open carrying for years before they were,” Quanell X says. He points to past demonstrations where his group openly carried assault rifles. His personal security detail also openly carries firearms.

Did you the two groups have any common ground last night?

None at all, Quanell X says. As for how Open Carry Texas could have gone about the situation, he offered up an alternative scenario.

“They could have first found people in the community that believe in the Second Amendment and sit down with them and see how they can help each other,” Quanell X says. Reading between the lines he sees it as an invasion.

“The way they are doing this, they aren’t going to get a warm welcome,” he added.

I’m very suspicious of their motive for coming

HPD spokesman Kese Smith says that although the department cannot discuss tactics or numbers, they did meet with both sides to hash out a plan for Saturday.

“We met with both sides and we will monitor the scene as we do all such situations like this,” Smith said.