![]() The Fair For Houston group that led the push for the successful City of Houston Proposition B ballot initiative in 2023, has threatened to sue the city if it does not implement the plan. This is important. Mayor Whitmire does whatever he wants in a way that only strengthens attacks on democracy. The rule of law must begin at home. (Above--Mayor Whitmire.) From The Houston Chronicle: "A Houston advocacy group warned Mayor John Whitmire and council members Thursday that the city is risking a lawsuit if it continues to ignore the will of voters by participating on a regional planning board without having a greater say in its decisions...Council members in October voted to renew the city’s membership in the Houston-Galveston Area Council, which is in charge of distributing federal funds for infrastructure, climate mitigation and workforce development projects such as the contentious Interstate 45 expansion and flood relief...Under Proposition B, which was championed by the grassroots organization Fair for Houston, the city and Harris County were supposed to receive “population proportional” representation on the council or they would have to leave it...Negotiations with H-GAC ultimately failed to provide more representation for Houston on the board...In Fair for Houston’s Thursday letter, legal representatives gave the city three possible pathways to avoid legal consequences. Either the city could pass a resolution backing out of the council within 30 days of receiving the letter, or the city could re-open negotiations for a proportional voting structure and come to an agreement within 60 days. If that negotiation is not reached, lawyers are requesting Houston pull out of H-GAC." Proposition B passed with 65% of the vote. This was better than Mayor Whitmire did on the 2023 Houston ballot. Mayor Whitmire has a Trump/Musk like difficulty in respecting election results, spending money as appropriated and dictated by a correct lawful process & properly acknowledging the duly-established powers of Houston City Council. Here are some specifics: *In addition to his failure to respect the people's vote on Proposition B, Mayor Whitmire's administrative and board appointments at Metro have refused to follow the voter-approved Metro Next plan. * Mayor Whitmire gutted the fee portion of the sidewalk ordinance with just a memo even though it had been passed by Council. This was back in September. He has offered no plan since to revise the ordinance or any plan to build more sidewalks. * At the beginning of his term in early 2024, Mayor Whitmire undid the use of District H funds and found money out of the blue to remove recently-installed Houston Ave. safety improvements. The removal cost nearly $1 million. (This was part of Mayor Whitmire's overall strategy to make Houston streets less safe for motorists, pedestrians and cyclists.) * In March of 2024, Mayor Whitmire's team referred a request for information about the Houston Ave. changes to Attorney General Ken Paxton's office saying that information about busy streets and intersections could be used by terrorists. It's all a big joke to Whitmire and his team. And they are willing to work with far-right Kan Paxton to avoid transparency. * In December of 2024, Mayor Whitmire wrongfully diverted money from lights on highway overpass bridges in Montrose to other projects. It does not matter what the other projects were. The money had been allocated by Council for the lights. * Mayor Whitmire allocated $300,000 of city money on his own with no process to install a fancy crosswalk near his home that the city had before said was not a right fit for that location. He spent the money off of a notion and for his own benefit as a nearby resident. The only way any of this will be addressed is if you address it. I spoke at Council in December about King Whitmire's Imperious Ways. (Mayor Whitmire was not present when I spoke. He misses large portions of public comment time at Council. It takes a lot of time to go downtown and wait to be called. Mayor Whitmire doesn't care.) No elected official will take an energetic stand for the rule of law at Houston City Hall, even as democracy is under attack across the nation, unless you compel them to do so. Press Councilmembers to stand strong against Mayor Whitmire's consistent contempt for his lawful responsibilities, and in strong favor of Houston's important role in the fight for democracy & respect for the law and the outcomes of elections. No more rule by decree at Houston City Hall. Here is information on contacting and following Houston City Council-- Public comment time at Houston City Council is each Tuesday at 2 PM. Here is how you can speak at Council and here is how to contact your councilmember. The earlier before the session you sign up, the higher up on the speaker's list you'll be. The agenda session to conduct Council business is each Wednesday at 9 AM. The agenda is posted in advance. Council can be watched live on HTV Houston Television and the most recent session is available at any time on the HTV feed on Facebook. Here is the link to past sessions of Council. Here is the Houston Democracy Project list of things each of us can do to fight Trump/Musk. Here is a fundraising pitch for the Houston Democracy Project. I'm doing the work and showing up in many different ways. Please help the effort. I'm on the Egberto Willies Politics Done Right Show every Thursday from 6 AM to 7 AM for the Houston Democracy Project segment. You can hear the show on the radio, stream it on KPFT or watch later Egberto's YouTube channel.
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![]() This afternoon was the 6th noon to one protest at the Social Security office as 13302 Westheimer. Above you see Marsha who started the protest. There were 14 people there today and they were seen by very many passing motorists at the very busy intersection of Westhemier & Eldridge. I was there and there was a great response. There are other weekly actions you can join. Indivisible Kingwood has a protest at Congressman Dan Crenshaw's office each Thursday from 10-11. Meet up at the corner of Kingwood Drive and Green Oak. The John Cornyn Houston Office Protest is each Tuesday 11:30-1 at 5300 Memorial Dr. You can park on the side streets proximate to the Black Walnut restaurant down the street from 5300. The next action will be when you organize it. The First Amendment is your permit to protest. It is essential that people see others like themselves willing to stand openly and confidently for freedom no matter the aggression of the right. Today a judge was arrested in Milwaukee by the Trump people. Elected officials are no safer than any of us. We must show up for ourselves while we still can. If you want to get a little deeper into organizing ideas, a new book called The Fantasy And Necessity Of Solidarity is worth a look. Here is the Houston Democracy Project list of things each of us can do to fight Trump/Musk. Here is a fundraising pitch for the Houston Democracy Project. I'm doing the work and showing up in many different ways. Please help the effort. I'm on the Egberto Willies Politics Done Right Show every Thursday from 6 AM to 7 AM for the Houston Democracy Project segment. You can hear the show on the radio, stream it on KPFT or watch later Egberto's YouTube channel. ![]() I'm reading The Fantasy And Necessity Of Solidarity by Sarah Schulman. Above you see a picture of the book. My view is that we are headed to a conflict or emergency & that everyday we are preparing. I don't know what it'll all look like. I don't know what our roles will be. I believe that the "leaders" or whatever the right term is, will be people with the ability/willingness to act with autonomy from current structures and holders of power. Hopefully there is a "victory" ahead, that is something more than just holding back a nightmare or an endless fight for control of the nation with really nasty people. I don't know what that "victory" looks like anymore than I have a firm view of the full extent of the challenge ahead. But I'm going to proceed. From Truthout: "Schulman resists the notion of solidarity as something pure, instead revealing intrinsic power dynamics. “As long as we think of solidarity as saintly, we will not be able to fulfill it,” she writes. If the “purpose of this book is to make solidarity doable,” her method is unconventional — expose the contradictions, the limitations, the fantasies — in order to show the ways that flawed individuals under duress can still take meaningful action to challenge tyranny... When “resistance grows, but the killing does not stop,” Schulman writes, it’s time to become more strategic, methodical, innovative, collaborative and dedicated to justice regardless of the whims of corporate power, institutional oppression, or societal approval." I've also read Ms. Schulman's Let The Record Show about the ACT UP movement in New York. It was really good. Read the review of the book I've linked to for a strong account. Organizing people and working together across racial, gender, class and ideological lines is difficult even when lives are clearly on the line. But that is the task ahead. Let's prepare each day and become more ready and able for what is ahead. Here is the Houston Democracy Project list of things each of us can do to fight Trump/Musk. Here is a fundraising pitch for the Houston Democracy Project. I'm doing the work and showing up in many different ways. Please help the effort. I'm on the Egberto Willies Politics Done Right Show every Thursday from 6 AM to 7 AM for the Houston Democracy Project segment. You can hear the show on the radio, stream it on KPFT or watch later Egberto's YouTube channel. ![]() Updated 4/25 to version 1.5. Feel free to send me more names. Thank you. Early voting has begun for the May 3 elections. Early voting ends April 29. Here are some candidates who seem okay. This is a mix of what people have told me and suggested & my own observations. If you want more information on these races--In must cases I don't have it. I''m just looking here for a quick resource Who am I leaving out for any race including in Fort Bend, Galveston, Brazoria? Please leave a comment or e-mail me at [email protected] (Above is one of the candidates on the vote-for list, along with some general early voting information.) Nassau Bay? Jersey Village? Friendswood? Lee College Board? Tomball ISD? Waller ISD? Do you have a pick? Can you ask someone you trust in these places who they are voting for and help me add to the list? These are low turnout races. Your vote, your call for others to vote & anything you do might make the difference. The candidates in these elections are for the most part making the effort for the good of the places they live. Candidates elected for these low-profile offices often confront elected officials who are executing nationally-planned far-right plans. This is important stuff. Here are the endorsements of the Harris County Republican Party as a guide on who not to vote for. If you know people who live in any of these fine communities with May 3 elections, remind them about these elections. Here are the candidates on the list so far: Humble ISD: Place 3: Natalie Carter Place 4: Brittnai Brown Place 5-Judy Castillo Pasadena ISD: Place 2- Crystal Davila Place 3-Fina Govea Place 4-Yen Rabe Pasadena City Council: District C-Emmanuel Guerrero District D-Suzi Trevino District G-Amy Hinojosa Spring Branch ISD: Place 5-Diana Martinez Alexander Place 6-David Lopez Place 7-Patricia Cabrera Katy ISD: Place 1-James Cross Place 2-Tammy Reed San Jacinto College Board: Place 3: Judy Harrison Place 4- Oscar Del Toro Manvel City Council: Place 4-Ed Perry Place 6-Robina Spruill Clear Creek ISD: At-Large B-Rebecca Lilley Place 1-Jessica Cejka Alvin ISD: Place 5-T'Liza Kiel Pearland ISD: Place 5-Azania Salazar Place 6-Jenny Francis Brazosport ISD: Place 5-Janessa Castor Sugar Land Mayor: Michelle Mikeska Sugar Land City Council: Place 1-Muzaffar Vohra Place 2-Ameer Malik West University City Council: Matthew Fisher Nicholas Stuart John Barnes This seems to be an at-large race where top vote getters win among the full field. Fort Bend ISD: Place 3-Afshi Charania Place 7-Angie Wierzbicki South Houston Mayor: Sophia Saenz South Houston City Council: Place 1-Claudia Melendez Place 2-Nora Camacho-Munoz Place 3-Leslie Montemayor Place 4-Juan Guzman Place 5-Eddie Torres Here is the Houston Democracy Project list of things each of us can do to fight Trump/Musk. Here is a fundraising pitch for the Houston Democracy Project. I'm doing the work and showing up in many different ways. Please help the effort. I'm on the Egberto Willies Politics Done Right Show every Thursday from 6 AM to 7 AM for the Houston Democracy Project segment. You can hear the show on the radio, stream it on KPFT or watch later Egberto's YouTube channel. ![]() Week 428 of the John Cornyn Houston Office Protest had a good crew of 63 today. You see them above. The protest is each Tuesday, 11:30-1, 5300 Memorial Dr. During the protest today, a man drove up in a green pick up, gave us the Navy Seabees coin you see below and thanked us for our service. It is essential that people see others like themselves standing openly and confidently for democracy no matter the aggression of the right. There are other weekly actions you can join. Indivisible Kingwood has a protest at Congressman Dan Crenshaw's office each Thursday from 10-11. Meet up at the corner of Kingwood Drive and Green Oak. There is a protest each Friday from noon to one at the Social Security office at 13302 Westheimer. This protest is out on by the good grassroots folks at the Indivisible Katy Huddle. The recently announced 71% decline in Tesla profit is in good part because everyday people protested rather than stayed home, acted on their own rather than waiting for any okay from elected officials & were not gaslighted out of the potential of their power by elected officials & networks dependent on relationships with elected officials. We must continue to show up for ourselves. Here is the Houston Democracy Project list of things each of us can do to fight Trump/Musk. Here is a fundraising pitch for the Houston Democracy Project. I'm doing the work and showing up in many different ways. Please help the effort. I'm on the Egberto Willies Politics Done Right Show every Thursday from 6 AM to 7 AM for the Houston Democracy Project segment. You can hear the show on the radio, stream it on KPFT or watch later Egberto's YouTube channel. Houston Council Republicans Silent On Trump/Musk Cuts-Agree Or Afraid Of Attack By Trump Mob?4/21/2025 ![]() Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska says she is afraid to openly oppose Trump and his supporters. From Reuters: "Republican U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski disclosed this week that the threat of political retaliation from President Donald Trump is real enough to make her anxious about speaking out about his tariffs, executive orders and cuts to federal agencies "We are all afraid," Murkowski told a summit of nonprofit and tribal leaders in her native Alaska..."It's quite a statement. But we are in a time and a place where I certainly have not been here before," the 67-year-old lawmaker added. "And I'll tell you, I am oftentimes very anxious myself about using my voice, because retaliation is real. And that's not right." The retaliation Senator Murkowski is discussing involves threats of physical violence. From Vanity Fair: January 6 further catalyzed GOP fear of Trump-inspired violence. Romney told his biographer, McKay Coppins, that an undercurrent of anxiety thwarted Republican efforts to formally punish Trump for his role in inciting the riot. “One Republican congressman confided to Romney that he wanted to vote for Trump’s second impeachment, but chose not to out of fear for his family’s safety,” Coppins wrote in his book. “When one senator, a member of leadership, said he was leaning toward voting to convict, the others urged him to reconsider. You can’t do that, Romney recalled someone saying. Think of your personal safety, said another. Think of your children. The senator eventually decided they were right.” It is something that my father could fight for a year on the Korean/Chinese birder in the Korean War, but these people cannot do what is right. How can we know that any Republican action-or lack of action-is simply about avoiding being attacked by Trump and his mob? Here in Houston, the six Republican Houston City Councilmembers have been silent even as Trump/Musk do things that will cause great harm to Houston. (Picture above is two Houstonians at Houston City Hall offering commentary on the state of our democracy.) The six Council Republicans are at-large members Julian Ramirez, Twila Carter and Willie Davis & district Councilmembers Amy Peck, Fred Flickinger and Mary Nan Huffman. Here are maps of Houston council districts so you can see who your councilmember is. Trump/Musk are planning to gut NOAA, the National Weather Service and FEMA. How can council Republicans be silent as the federal government puts Houstonians at risk of life and financial ruin? And it is even worse than that--Council's so-called Resilience Committee is chaired by hard right Republican Twila Carter. The committee has met in only four of the past 7 months and never to address the consequences of the Trump/Musk assault on accurate weather forecasting and disaster relief. Contact Council and ask that Ms. Carter be removed as Chair of the Resilience Committee, or that Councilmembers bypass the committee and hold necessary public forums on how Houston will deal with crippling federal cuts. Trump/Musk are slashing public health funds in a way that will lead to big job losses at Houston's Texas Medical Center and will curtail essential lifesaving research. From KHOU/Channel 11: KHOU 11 has spent the last few weeks having dozens of conversations with Houston researchers from leading institutions who say these cuts will be devastating to the region, most them are intimidated to speak out publicly, wary of what comes next..."Our success is the success of science worldwide," said Dr. Joshua Shulman. "We couldn't do what we are doing without NIH support." Do the six Houston City Council Republicans--Ramirez, Carter, Davis, Peck, Flickinger, Huffman--agree with Trump/Musk cuts that will do so much damage to Houston? Or are they afraid that if they speak up, they will be attacked by the Trump mob? Call them and e-mail them and ask. Sign up to speak at Council and ask them directly. Authoritarianism will require a local infrastructure. Local elected officials will be needed to support Project 2025 and speak up in favor of disappearing people without out the rule of law to the torture prison in El Salvador. Ask your local elected officials where they stand and hold them accountable all the time. Here is information on interacting with Houston City Council-- Public comment time at Houston City Council is each Tuesday at 2 PM. Here is how you can speak at Council and here is how to contact your councilmember. The earlier before the session you sign up, the higher up on the speaker's list you'll be. The agenda session to conduct Council business is each Wednesday at 9 AM. The agenda is posted in advance. Council can be watched live on HTV Houston Television and the most recent session is available at any time on the HTV feed on Facebook. Here is the link to past sessions of Council. Here is the Houston Democracy Project list of things each of us can do to fight Trump/Musk. Here is a fundraising pitch for the Houston Democracy Project. I'm doing the work and showing up in many different ways. Please help the effort. I'm on the Egberto Willies Politics Done Right Show every Thursday from 6 AM to 7 AM for the Houston Democracy Project segment. You can hear the show on the radio, stream it on KPFT or watch later Egberto's YouTube channel. ![]() Today I was a speaker at the big 50501 protest in Houston. This is part of my work with the Houston Democracy Project. The estimated crowd today was 2,100. I spoke at the 50501 protest at City Hall two weeks ago as well. Above is a picture I took right before I spoke and below is a picture of me speaking. I said much the same today that I said two weeks ago. I’m saying over and over that we must show up for ourselves, that we all have the capacity to act, that our elected officials at every level must have our backs & we must be ready for whatever is on the way. Here is what I said today: *With big law firms and elite colleges giving in and elected Democrats needing to be pressed to act, our freedom is up to us. *There are local actions you can take part in right now. There is a protest each Friday noon to one at the Social Security office at 13302 Westheimer & a protest each Tuesday from 11:30-1 at John Cornyn’s office at 5300 Memorial Drive. *These actions are organized by people just like you. The First Amendment is your permit. It is essential people see others like themselves willing to stand openly against the aggression of the right. The next protest will be when you organize it. *Authoritarianism will require a local infrastructure. Migrants won’t round-up themselves. Project 2025 will require local advocates. Mayor Whitmire and Houston City Council must fully join the fight. *Members of Houston City Council should be asked if they support all this. The six Council Republicans—Davis, Peck, Huffman, Flickinger, Ramirez & Carter—-should say if they favor crippling cuts to NOAA and attacks on our rights. Each of us can ask them these-type questions. * The Chair of Council’s so-called Resilience Committee is hard-right Republican Twila Carter. She campaigned with Mattress Mack in ’24 & is silent as NOAA, the National Weather Service and FEMA are gutted. Contact Councilmembers and ask they use Proposition A to remove Ms. Carter as Chair, or that they hold their own hearings on how Houston can prepare for and recover from our many disasters. *The ten Council Democrats-Plummer, Alcorn, Martinez, Thomas, Castex-Tatum, Kamin, Jackson, Evans-Shabazz, Castillo & Pollard-must have our backs and join the fight. *You can speak at Council Public Comment Session beginning at 2 PM each Tuesday. You can speak on any matter at all. The more in advance you sign up, the higher up on the speaker’s list you’ll be. Houston City Council holds its agenda business session on Wednesdays at 9 AM. * Democratic incumbents in safe districts in any office who don’t make year-round efforts to boost Democratic turnout in all elections merit a primary. * This is all headed to the streets in addition to the ballot box and the courts. We must be ready for the challenge ahead. Here is some more information on contacting and interacting with Houston City Council-- Public comment time at Houston City Council is each Tuesday at 2 PM. Here is how you can speak at Council and here is how to contact your councilmember. The earlier before the session you sign up, the higher up on the speaker's list you'll be. The agenda session to conduct Council business is each Wednesday at 9 AM. The agenda is posted in advance. Council can be watched live on HTV Houston Television and the most recent session available at any time on the HTV feed on Facebook. Here is the link to past sessions of Council. Here is the Houston Democracy Project list of things each of us can do to fight Trump/Musk. Here is a fundraising pitch for the Houston Democracy Project. I'm doing the work and showing up in many different ways. Please help the effort. I'm on the Egberto Willies Politics Done Right Show every Thursday from 6 AM to 7 AM for the Houston Democracy Project segment. You can hear the show on the radio, stream it on KPFT or watch later Egberto's YouTube channel. ![]() Back from a trip to New York City and ready to go. Above is a picture of the Statue of Liberty I took a few days ago. The Statue of Liberty is well worth a visit. Turning the best ideals represented by the Statue of Liberty into a lasting reality is up to each of us. Let's all join the fight no matter the challenges ahead. ![]() I won't be able to update the blog for a few days, so I'm going to leave here my recent list of ways to approach the current distressing political situation and things you can consider doing as we keep up the fight. Above is a picture of the successful Houston 50501 protest this past Saturday with a bubble in the upper right. I saw the bubble and got the picture quick. Here is the list: 1. Ask yourself what you want to accomplish. Win elections? Build community? Protest? All these things have value. None are exclusive of the others. You can divide your efforts between these and other efforts. You have solid judgement and there is no clearly correct course. Do your best according to your skills, goals and the demands of the moment. 2. We must fully understand the stakes so we can fight as needed. Musk does want to tank the economy. The goal of Trump/Musk is to destroy democracy. They are white supremacists and eugenicists. They do support dictators abroad. They are a direct threat our freedom and safety. Everything is on the line. 3. When an opportunity comes to act in solidarity with someone in your community--Take it. We did this in Houston not long ago when many people e-mailed Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare calling for charges to be dropped against activist Sarah Terrell after her wrongful arrest by the unelected HISD Board. In part thanks to these e-mails, charges were dropped. Let's have the backs of people here at home who stand up for us. Even if they are strangers or from a community you are not part of. 4. When an opportunity comes to act in solidarity with others across the country--Take it. This is why so many took part in the February 28th blackout. It did have some financial impact. Even more important than that, we saw we can work together across racial, class and geographical barriers. All our actions are a test run for the weeks and months ahead. 5. Ask more of Democratic Party elected officials. They are our elected employees. Contact both local and national elected officials. Politicians from across the county send us fundraising e-mails. So we can contact them as well no matter where they are. Here are some things you can ask/demand: * Aggressively push back against attacks on our freedom. * Work year-round to improve turnout in safe gerrymandered Democratic districts. Hold your fellow elected officials who don't do this accountable. * Address the fact that even when we win elections, Republicans want a Viktor Orban-authoritarian state. What is a way forward other than lifetime of conflict? * Given that we may be in for a lifetime of conflict, have our backs for strategies such as economic boycotts, general strikes and large-scale protest or whatever is a path forward. 6. Support independent media or media you feel works to tell the truth. The Associated Press is a good general news service that has not allowed Trump to bully them to use the term "Gulf of America." It merits support. Here in Houston, the Egberto Willies' Politics Done Right program is fully independent and also merits support. 7. Municipal and local politics matter. Authoritarianism will require a local infrastructure to implement Trump/Musk policies. Follow & become involved in local politics. Public comment time at Houston City Council is each Tuesday at 2 PM. Here is how you can speak at Council and here is how to contact your councilmember. The earlier before the session you sign up, the higher up on the speaker's list you'll be. The agenda session to conduct Council business is each Wednesday at 9 AM. The agenda is posted in advance. Council can be watched live on HTV Houston Television and the most recent session available at any time on the HTV feed on Facebook. Here is the link to past sessions of Council. The Houston Landing recently wrote a good article about interacting with Houston City Council. It's a useful start to learning about Council 8. I'm not aware of any centralized place for information about protest in Houston. There is a protest at Senator John Cornyn's office each Tuesday, 11:30-1, 5300 Memorial Dr. The 50501 movement has been organizing well-attended protests in Houston, across the state and nationally. We'll see how the movement grows & proceeds. Keep an active eye out for actions you can take part in. There is also a weekly protest from noon to one at the Social Security office at 13302 Westheimer at the every busy corner of Westheimer & Eldridge. Protest is essential. People must see others like themselves willing to stand up no matter the aggression of the right. Voting is critical but it is not enough. We saw this recently in South Korea where protest was vital in fighting off martial law. The First Amendment is your permit to protest. The next protest will take place when organize it. 9. Think about what self-defense looks like for you and the people in your life. You have a right to be as safe as you can be. 10. Accept that this is a mental health crisis for millions of people. This includes you. Take time for yourself and the people in your life. 11. If a Trump supporter wants to change his or her mind--Welcome them even if it is difficult. We need all the numbers we can get. 12. Please support the Houston Democracy Project. The Houston Democracy Project is an independent source of action and information. This is just what is required as traditional institutions struggle to respond to current realities. Please read the Houston Democracy Project Blog often. 13. Do your best. Hold on to your people. Admit to yourself and others you trust how painful this is. Enjoy life because life is good. Find the courage you can muster. Welcome anyone who wants to join us even if they did not grasp it already. Keep fighting. 14. Every act of opposition matters. Here is a fundraising pitch for the Houston Democracy Project. I'm doing the work and showing up in many different ways. Please help the effort. I'm on the Egberto Willies Politics Done Right Show every Thursday from 6 AM to 7 AM for the Houston Democracy Project segment. You can hear the show on the radio, stream it on KPFT or watch later Egberto's YouTube channel. ![]() Yesterday I was a speaker at the big 50501 protest in Houston. This is part of my work with the Houston Democracy Project. The Houston Chronicle reports there were over 6000 people at the protest. The local Houston 50501 organizers did a really good job. They were the folks who really put it all together. I had no hand in organizing the event. Above is a picture I took right before I spoke and below is a picture of me speaking. Above and below is the link to contribute to the Houston Democracy Project. I'm working hard, thinking things through & showing up. Here is what I said: *With big law firms and elite colleges giving in and elected Democrats needing to be pressed to act, our freedom is up to us. *There are local actions you can take part in. There is a protest each Friday noon to one at the Social Security office at 13302 Westheimer & a protest each Tuesday from 11:30-1 at John Cornyn’s office at 5300 Memorial Drive. *These actions are organized by people just like you. The First Amendment is your permit. It is essential people see others like themselves willing to stand openly against the aggression of the right. The next protest will be when you organize it. *Authoritarianism will require a local infrastructure. Migrants won’t round-up themselves. Mayor Whitmire and Houston City Council must be accountable. Mayor Whitmire is more comfortable with Greg Abbott & Dan Patrick than with freedom-loving Houstonians. The Mayor has a skewed concept of public safety in the most diverse city in America, that somehow does not include addressing a far-right takeover of the nation. *Members of Houston City Council should be asked if they support all this. The six Council Republicans—Davis, Peck, Huffman, Flickinger, Ramirez & Carter—-should say if they favor crippling cuts to NOAA and attacks on our rights. Each of us can ask them these-type questions. *The ten Council Democrats-Plummer, Alcorn, Martinez, Thomas, Castex-Tatum, Kamin, Jackson, Evans-Shabazz, Castillo & Pollard-must have our backs and join the fight. Abbie Kamin was there and spoke today. She was the only Councilmember there. *You can speak at Council most Tuesdays at Public Comment Session beginning at 2 PM. You can speak about any matter at all. The more in advance you sign up, the higher up on the speaker’s list you’ll be. Houston City Council holds its agenda business session on Wednesdays at 9 AM. * This is all headed to the streets. We will meet the challenge together. Here is some more information on contacting and interacting with Houston City Council-- Public comment time at Houston City Council is each Tuesday at 2 PM. Here is how you can speak at Council and here is how to contact your councilmember. The earlier before the session you sign up, the higher up on the speaker's list you'll be. The agenda session to conduct Council business is each Wednesday at 9 AM. The agenda is posted in advance. Council can be watched live on HTV Houston Television and the most recent session available at any time on the HTV feed on Facebook. Here is the link to past sessions of Council. Here is the Houston Democracy Project list of things each of us can do to fight Trump/Musk. Here is a fundraising pitch for the Houston Democracy Project. I'm doing the work and showing up in many different ways. Please help the effort. I'm on the Egberto Willies Politics Done Right Show every Thursday from 6 AM to 7 AM for the Houston Democracy Project segment. You can hear the show on the radio, stream it on KPFT or watch later Egberto's YouTube channel. |
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April 2025
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