Videos posted from crowded Houston clubs, bars gaining national attention amid pandemic

Houston made national news over the holiday weekend for videos posted from crowded Houston clubs and bars.

The videos posted publicly to Snapchat and Instagram show large crowds of people at establishments downtown, the Galleria, and along Washington Avenue.

One man speaking with FOX 26 Monday says he drove from New Orleans to attend concerts inside Houston clubs over the holiday weekend. We asked him if he’s worried about getting sick with COVID-19.

"No," the Louisiana man said. "Cause I’m dangerous."

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In Harris County, bars and clubs currently aren’t allowed to be open because of COVID-19 closures. However, many of them have re-opened with new licenses designating themselves as restaurants.

We asked the man from Louisiana why he traveled to Houston for the weekend.

"Houston was a little more open than New Orleans," said the man from Louisiana. "It was either Houston or Atlanta. We went to Houston."

Clubs and bars that have re-opened as restaurants, must follow a list of Coronavirus prevention methods in order to stay open.

"TABC’s number one priority is the safety of all Texans," said a spokesperson from Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission. "To that end, we continue to work with our health and law enforcement partners to respond to any potential violations of Gov. Abbott’s Executive Order GA-32. While the vast majority of businesses are working hard to follow the law, TABC does receive complaints from local officials about specific businesses in their communities. When this happens, TABC agents immediately conduct a follow-up inspection to determine if a violation has taken place."

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner had a back-and-forth conversation on Twitter with rapper Bow Wow. Bow Wow is one of several artists that performed at Houston clubs over the weekend. The event was called, "Larry Morrow’s All Black Birthday Party."

In a message posted to Twitter, Bow Wow said, "Safe to say the Mayor of Houston hates my guts. I can’t believe I get the blame for a whole weekend. This is ridiculous."

Mayor Turner held a press conference Monday afternoon. Reporters asked Turner about the back-and-forth with Bow Wow.

"I love the artists [and] the entertainers," said Turner. "I love them. People cannot ignore the fact there’s a pandemic in the city and it’s spreading. The City of Houston is not open for concerts and these big parties that they cannot hold in other cities outside of the state."

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Houston Fire Marshals visited Club Spire early Sunday morning. According to TABC, Spire’s event Saturday into Sunday is under investigation for violating COVID-19 restrictions.

"I don’t want to have to shut down a club either," said Turner. "If you’re a community spreader, I’m sorry. Chill. Lay low."

"TABC is currently investigating the events which took place at Club Spire this weekend," said a TABC spokesperson. "If the investigation finds evidence of a violation, the agency could assess a penalty as specified in GA-32. In the meantime, we will continue to work with our local partners in the city of Houston and Harris County to ensure the safety of all residents and visitors."