Readers of The Iranian will be familiar with HP Parvizian, whose heroic volunteering we previously detailed in a post last year. As a franchise operator of multiple Sit Means Sit locations throughout Texas, Parvizian got to know his community over a 12-year career (which doesn’t account for time spent as a child in his father’s rug shop), one that is now branching out into congressional representation.
Next month, HP hopes that residents of Texas’ District 2—a hotspot for contentious and storied gerrymandering, a topic we get into below, among others—will consider him as their Democratic Candidate for US Congress. With incumbent Republican Ted Poe choosing not to seek reelection, District 2 has the potential to become a newsworthy victory site for Democratic change in the Lone Star State.
And yet, now having spoken with HP in February, we find the same frank, candid, and caring individual we encountered waist-deep in the flooded unpredictable Houston waters of September, 2017. What seems to have changed is his perspective and drive towards securing the safety and success of District 2 families on a grander scale, and promulgating the message that, in spite of what President Trump’s Twitter account may imply, Americans are actively seeking a force for unity rather than separation.
The Iranian thanks HP Parvizian for taking some time to speak with us today. You can donate to his campaign here, and find more information about how you can help at his website, HP Parvizian for United States Congress.
The Iranian: What’s been your experience thus far in running the campaign? How do you feel today?
HP Parvizian: I feel great. It’s been a passion, and something we’ve talked about for the past four years or so. Looking at America today, it’s been a perilous fight, and the American dream is getting pushed away for so many people. The direction we were once headed has been rerouted. At some point, I was talking to my wife and looking at my daughter, saying that the world she’s growing up in today is not the world, not the future, that my father saw when he immigrated here. We decided that it was the right time to go ahead and step into the race.
When we decided on doing that, that was about the same time that my father had passed. We delayed a little bit, wanted to make sure that my mother was being taken care of, the family was being taken care of. Then, when my wife and I talked about it, we realized that we needed to move forward. My father was the type of person who always persevered. The values that were instilled in me growing up included hard work, education, accepting everyone, and perseverance. Having the hard work to do is great, but you need to persevere through it.
So, we decided to throw our hat in the ring and go make that difference. We spoke to quite a few people, and the amount of support that we began to receive, and the volunteers who said, “Whatever we can do, let’s do it,” just inspired me. Since we’ve gotten into it, every day we’ve gotten further and further and support’s been growing. People are calling and emailing. Today I received an invitation to talk on a national podcast regarding my work with autism and children. It’s been inspiring. It’s been one of the best decisions that I’ve made, and each day that we continue forward it’s been reinforced that this is the right direction.
The Iranian: It’s interesting because it seems to me that you’re the type of person who exerts an energy that is resonantly reflected back. What you’re telling me sounds like the exact same person I spoke with after the Hurricane. this is the same HP.
HP: My father was always a man of action, he always believed that talk was cheap, and everything about who you are is your actions. That’s what’s drawn a lot of people to this campaign: they knew who I was, and the goals that I have, the passion. There’s a connection. Right now, one of the biggest issues when we look at government today, we ask, “Are they working for the citizens? Are they working for themselves? What’s going on?”
When I’m talking to people, when I’m going door-to-door and knocking, I start off by saying “I’m HP Parvizian, Democratic candidate for congress in District 2, and I’d like the opportunity, if I can, to come inside and speak with you.” It’s surprising the members of our district who invite us in, and many people have even said, “We’ve never had a politician come by and knock on our doors, let alone listen to what we have to say and talk to us.”
As a congressman, you’re meant to be the representative of the district. He or she is supposed to be available to all citizens, not just members of your same party. They’re representing a district, all of it, and need to be available to all, even if you agree or disagree. That’s been a big focus of our campaign: uniting. We need to come together as a society in order to progress, in order to grow. It doesn’t mean we’ll always agree, but we need to come to solutions in order to move forward. Right now, as a nation, we’re not moving in that direction correctly.
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You look at the statesmen, you look at the JFKs of the world, the Martin Luther Kings, the Rosa Parks—those are people who inspired greatness. We need to come back to our roots, we need to look at the citizens, and the decisions we make are not always the easiest ones. We need to make decisions that take care of our district, take care of our citizens, take care of our country. It’s about children and grandchildren, it’s about their future, we need to preserve this country for them, and give them all the opportunities to grow and achieve that American dream that we all aspire to.
What we found, with everyone we spoke with, the one common thing I heard over and over again was neighborhood safety. In the end, we all want the same thing in life: to be safe, to know that our kids are safe.
The Iranian: So what have been some surprises as a result of some of these impromptu chats? Has something come up that was unexpected? Like, “Wow, this is something my future constituents are concerned about that I hadn’t thought of?”
HP: I met a woman named Julia—a mutual friend of ours told her I was running—and she invited me over to her mom’s 100th birthday party. Pearl was turning 100 years old and I was invited to her birthday, it was just incredible, an experience you only dream of. Now, Julia is 81 years old. She sat me down and said, “I need to talk to you. I’m on a fixed income, and I’m concerned because my insurance rates seem to be rising every day. I don’t know how I’m going to be able to afford to continue living.” It tears me up. That was heartbreaking, because we have to protect our senior citizens, we have to support Social Security, Medicare. We need to make sure we’re taking care of our senior citizens.
The more and more we talk to people, once we get past the obvious topics of conversation, you get to the root. What we found, with everyone we spoke with, the one common thing I heard over and over again was neighborhood safety. In the end, we all want the same thing in life: to be safe, to know that our kids are safe. Even with the school shootings going on today, that in and of itself is the big fear. Parents shouldn’t have to worry about their kids being in school, but now, even sending them to a local park, letting them play with their friends, if they’re not in sight, there’s considerable fear about what could happen. Shootings, robberies, feeling safe enough to walk around the neighborhood—these were the common concerns for everyone.
It was amazing to hear, because I was expecting to hear the usual, like health insurance, jobs—and we did hear that often—but neighborhood safety was the big one.
We want to put together a neighborhood committee, bringing everyone together to come up with things we can do to create and protect a safe neighborhood for all to enjoy.
The Iranian: Let’s shift gears. From what I’ve researched, there seems to be a wide assortment of candidates, including several from the MENA and Indian regions. Are there any reasons you think that District 2 is of special interest this year?
HP: I think everybody is waking up and seeing what’s going in the world today. The number of candidates that have stepped up to make that difference—we call it “The Blue Wave”—we stand up to have our voices heard.
Nobody felt that District 2 would ever have a chance for any Democrat to win. Now, even The Washington Post has essentially stated that it’s a coin-flip to win. There’s a lot of things going on and word is spreading, and people are starting to wake up and realize that their voices need to be heard.
In terms of both sides of the party, they seem to be wanting to move towards that, and it’s progress. The direction has shifted, and we have some great candidates in District 7, District 2, 29—all over, we have been spreading out with great leadership. Having Beto O’Rourke who’s running for senate, he’s been such an inspiration to listen to and talk to. We’ve met a couple times and we’ve discussed my campaign. He’s the one who told me, “Knock on every door. Don’t count someone out. Go spread your message, talk to each and every one of them.” That’s what he’s done, and we’re excited to see him have that opportunity to move forward, because we need leaders that are going to inspire.
District 2 has the potential of actually becoming a Democratic district, which it used to be, back in 2010, when the census came out. In 2012, they redistricted. It’s probably one of the most gerrymandered areas, and it runs from the north area of Humble and Kingwood, and comes all the way down towards the center of Houston and into Rice Village and Rice University. They built that district for somebody with name recognition, like Judge Ted Poe.
Judge Poe had, in my opinion, him and Congressman Culberson have failed our district, because they knew our reservoirs were failing, they knew something had to be done, and they never took action. That’s part of the problem with our government today: they’re not proactive, they’re reactive. We never look at moving towards the future, we always react to whatever happens in the current situation. Well, all the flooding that’s occurred, and has continued to occur, nothing’s ever been done to resolve it until after the fact, when people lost their homes. Like you and I discussed last interview, being in the water and seeing the faces of everyone who lost everything, who had never seen such a flood in their lives. We see an opportunity for change, there.
One of the benefits of District 2 which makes it such a viable campaign for myself is that, in the end, we need that same name recognition. Now, my father has been an institution here in Houston since 1979, and I’ve worked for almost 12 years of my life up and down my district with every person from every walk of life, with their dogs. A lot of my clients, Republican and Democrat alike, have fully come on and supported me because of the difference made in their lives, because of who I am as a person. The following that I’ve received really shows all the years I’ve worked here, and it was very humbling. Seeing them come with us, go block-walking with us, it’s inspiring.
The Iranian: Do you bring the dogs with you on the walks?
HP: We actually have! We’ve started taking our dogs. Quite a few of my clients are about to go out this weekend block-walking with us. I even said, “It’d be great training for rescue dogs!” We’re about to announce a dog-run soon as well, with the intention of meeting voters in the morning at 6am to go running. I’m going to have my dogs, and we’re just going to go for a jog, it’ll promote health and awareness all at the same time!
I also want to create a walk in the evenings, to meet up in the park and go for walks with the dogs, just enjoy the outdoors, spread awareness, and unite. Let’s find that core value, all of us coming together, finding something to agree on, to talk, and to listen.
Next month, I want to host an open house for all my constituents. I want to be available for all of them to ensure that all of their voices are heard. Not in a partisan way, but I want to be available to them, not just for individuals who are high-dollar fund raisers. Let’s figure out how to make Houston better, how to make this country better, how to move forward.
The Iranian: I’ve noticed that animal rights and safety are a front-loaded part of your message (including in your new campaign video).
HP: It’s not necessarily a central point—my top priorities that I’ve stood behind are that I’m going to be a fighter for jobs and the economy, healthcare for children, and equality for all. On that last point: any discriminatory legislation against any person in society, let it be women, African-Americans, Middle Easterners, Muslims—is seen as an opportunity to discriminate against a member of a group. Animals are also a group that’s been forgotten about. As a society, I believe that it’s our responsibility to take care of those who can’t take care of themselves. When you look at the majority of the homeless being veterans, as well as having mental illness issues—we must take care of them, that’s what’s going to make society better. The more that you help people in need, the more you can improve society. Animals are a part of that.
Animals don’t look at people in terms of partisanship. They just want to know who you are as a person, and if they trust you. And animals unite everybody! Republicans and Democrats, people from all walks of life, they bring a lot of people together, and the joy and therapy that they give helps alleviate the stress and worries of the world. They have true unconditional love, and it’s our responsibility to take care of them in kind.
The trend of animal abuse legislation that’s recently occurred has actually been reducing the penalties for animal abuse. That’s the wrong direction. If we can’t take care of our animals, or if we can’t effectively care for our homeless or for those who need help, how can we take care of our citizens? That means not just giving, but nurturing and providing opportunities for those who want to live a better life.
The Iranian: Getting back to a discussion on safety: I’ve always felt like Republicans erroneously emerged as the party that’s more concerned with safety. Listening to you speak reminds me that Democrats have something important and crucial to say about safety, and may be better positioned to speak on and develop potential solutions for people feeling unsafe, and to champion these topics and issues.
How would you frame this notion, that a Democrat who’s running to represent this district has issues of safety close to heart?
HP: When we look at safety, and look to safer neighborhoods, we have to look at the challenges we’re all facing. Right now, when we look at the way that many Republicans are talking about immigrants, we see that they’re talking about dividing us, building fear and hate, and painting immigrants as awful people who commit all these extreme crimes, when that’s not the majority, by far. When you look at immigrants, they come here because they want a better life. In many cases, they come here because they are escaping the tyranny of their own countries, and America has always been a country that’s been open to immigrants who want to do better.
When we talk about DACA, we talk about Dreamers, the ones who came here for their families, for a chance at a better life, and they entered America before being 16 years old. They have to be enrolled in school, they have to be pursuing that better life, and they cannot have any felony convictions or they will be deported. They’re being held to a higher standard than everyone else, but somehow they’re being promoted as a leech on society, and it’s just not true.
When we look at healthcare, where one out of every two Americans are considered to have pre-existing conditions, and we look at our senior citizens who either can’t afford or can afford higher premiums, many still can’t afford the deductible. We just had a school teacher in Dallas who died from the flu because she waited too long to go to the doctor, being unable to afford a $150 deductible. That is a school teacher, who is inspiring the lives of our children. We must take care of them.
So when we look at safety, it’s all connected. We look at infrastructure, creating more jobs. One of the big things we need for safety is to take people away from crime and give them an opportunity. We need family-wage-paying jobs and a work-life balance. I recently spoke with Howard, who’s a paramedic. I met him when he drove me in an Uber one day. I asked, “Why are you driving an Uber?” He said that most paramedics have to moonlight just to be able to afford for their families. He told his wife ironically that he essentially has to work until he dies, because insurance will take care of her better than his pension will.
Then you look at the so-called tax legislation that the Republicans put out, which gives permanent tax cuts for the wealthy, but is going to raise taxes for the middle class down the road. We took away a lot of the benefits the teachers had for when they buy school supplies out of their own pocket. Why are we taxing those who make less money? We can’t call that a tax legislation bill.
None of this is keeping our families safe.
