Mattress Mack, Crime Stoppers announce summer public safety campaign for kids as violent crime spikes

Citing an uptick in violent crime, Houston businessman Jim McIngvale on Tuesday said he is working with Crime Stoppers to help keep kids safe this summer. “We are going to be very involved and we think it’s life or death for Harris County to lower the rampant crime increases we’ve had and reverse the tide,” McIngvale said at a news conference at his Gallery Furniture location in north Houston. McIngvale, who is known to Houstonians as Mattress Mack, said after the news conference that he had reached out to the agency to offer his help. He and Crime Stoppers Executive Director Rania Mankarious outlined their safety campaign targeting families and children heading into summer break. “Summer is a time we look forward to, which provides a break from routine and lazy days for kids,” Mankarious said. “But within those lazy days we are seeing crime escalate, some of which is turning deadly.”

Houston police on Tuesday said that murders are starting to trend downward compared to last year. In April, police officials said that volent crime has diminished since the worst of the pandemic increases. Mankarious stood alongside the family of 9-year-old Arlene Álvarez, who was fatally shot in the aftermath of an ATM robbery on Valentine’s night. She said families need to be aware of issues including firearm access, drug prevention, road rage and child online safety. Makarious also encouraged parents to have frank conversations with their children about risks they encounter outside of the home. “For the parents who say ‘That’s too scary, we don’t want to talk about that’ in this current day and age we have to have honest conversations in an age-appropriate maner with our children,” she said. “We have got to raise our kids to know what’s going on, to be prepared to protect themselves and especially online where they have access to everything, everyone and any time.”