‘We are better than this:’ Officials call for end to violence, threats against linemen working to restore power

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas – Linemen from across the country have converged on Houston to restore power in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl. Despite their essential work, many are being met with verbal and physical attacks, highlighting the frustration and desperation felt by some residents.

The attacks on linemen not only endanger their lives but also slow down the crucial work of restoring power to Houston. Many of these workers have traveled far from their homes, working long shifts in dangerous conditions to bring electricity back to the city.

During a press conference today, Texas Governor Greg Abbott condemned these acts, urging residents to support the linemen rather than hinder their efforts.

SEE ALSO: CenterPoint Energy expects to restore 90% of power by Monday

“If you’re interfering with somebody who’s trying to get the power back up, you’re not speeding up the process of getting the power back on; you’re slowing that process down,” Abbott emphasized.

The Houston Police Department reported a recent incident where a man pointed a gun at an electric utility worker on Wilcrest Drive. The suspect, 38-year-old Anthony Aloric Leonard, was arrested shortly after the incident.

KPRC 2 Reporter Corley Peel spoke with the lineman who was allegedly threatened by Leonard. He told Corley he is from out of state and has been in town helping restore power since Beryl hit. He said he was not hurt and is letting police handle the investigation.

CenterPoint Energy has also addressed the increasing threats faced by their crews. In a statement, the company revealed that there have been multiple incidents of criminal behavior towards public utility property and workers. One particularly alarming report involved a drive-by shooting at one of their staging sites.

“The safety of our employees, contractors, mutual assistance crews, and support personnel is our top priority,” the statement read. “For that reason, we have decided to close the site until we can be sure it is safe.”

READ MORE: 90% of power restored by Entergy Texas; Remaining outages to be fixed by July 15

Harris County Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia, along with labor representatives for linemen and law enforcement leaders, held a press conference at 3 p.m. Sunday to call for an end to these threats. The event took place at the Leonel Castillo Community Center in Houston. Commissioner Garcia was joined by Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, HPD Acting Chief Larry Satterwhite, and union representatives from IBEW Local 66 who shared personal stories of the threats and attacks faced by linemen.

“Violence and threats against people who are working to get the lights back on is not the answer, never,” Garcia said. ““All that does is make it harder and longer to get your lights back on.”

Ed Allen, Business Manager fpr IBEW Local 66, said he has heard of multiple instances of violence and threats against linemen working to restore power.

“I’ve had several companies already tell me Ed, if it doesn’t stop, we are going to get in our trucks and drive off,” Allen said as linemen are in fear for their safety from the threats. ““In 42 years in this industry, working here in this community, I have never seen a response like this from the community.”

Allen addressed some of the violence the crews have experienced.

“We’ve had guys who have had guns pulled on them, we’ve got guys who have had rocks picked up and slung at them. I had a crew out in Sugarland, they had guys, with AK-47′s standing across from them. Never pointed it at them but menacing them,” said Allen.

HPD Acting Chief Larry Satterwhite said police are escorting linemen and watching over sites.

“We just are so much better than this,” he said.

Satterwhite said some crews were forced to move staging areas.

“They elected to move their operation from Barnett Stadium, all the way out to Barker-Cypress because they felt threatened. Well, that slows down everything which was ever close to the work being done. More people have to be without power because of the distance they’re going to have to travel just to get back and do that kind of work,” said Satterwhite.

Satterwhite said they will make arrests and because of the disaster declaration in place, charges for harassing or threatening linemen will be enhanced.

“We will find you, we will make arrests, we will charge you,” he said.

HCSO Chief Deputy Mike Lee echoed Satterwhite’s comments, noting that he believes the majority of people are doing the right thing and allowing the linemen to work without interference, but also mentioned the enhanced charges for those who threaten or commit violence against linemen.

“If it’s related to the storm, we are going to ask the DA to enhance the charges and they have been,” Lee said.

Lee used this time to urge the community to be a good neighbor. Check on those still dealing with the loss of power and air conditioning.

Additionally, this morning in Manvel, a CenterPoint crew from out of town, providing mutual aid, was assaulted. CenterPoint is currently working to gather more information on whether anyone was hurt, the exact location of the incident, and if the suspect was apprehended.

In a social media post, CenterPoint Energy CEO Jason Wells stressed the importance of keeping crews safe to maintain the restoration pace.

“Threats against our crews and employees are counterproductive and only hinder our restoration efforts,” Wells stated.

Harris County Precinct 4 Constable Mark Hermann also shared a statement from CenterPoint about the situation:

“We appreciate and understand the dissatisfaction with our response to this event. And we will be doing a thorough after-action review of this event that we will share publicly to ensure there is transparency on what went wrong, what went right, and the steps that we will take.

But with 14,000 personnel still in the field, the safety of our crews is our top priority. And we are concerned that even if the ongoing criticism is focused on management, not everyone understands the distinction between the company and our crews.

We are committed to doing an after-action review. But ask for your help in avoiding an escalation of the threats and actual violence directed to our personnel. Our mutual assistance crews, which are employed by other utilities and companies across the country, are here at our invitation.

They are not obligated to stay if their management believes their employees are unsafe.

We appreciate your partnership.”

• As power comes back on, Montrose apartment community still left without power; concerned about damaged transformer