​In 2025, the Houston Police Department and the city administration changed the policy that dealt with how HPD conducted ( Or did not conduct.) investigations of shootings involving law enforcement agencies other than Houston police. 

Above you see Mayor Whitmire on at Houston City Council on July 8th, 2026. This was the day after ICE murdered Lorenzo Salgado Araujo at 6821 Canal St. in Houston. The mayor is saying that the shooting was a federal matter and that HPD did not have a role. He did not mention that up until the start of the 2nd Trump Administration, HPD guidelines would have mandated an effort to investigate as a matter of policy.

Here is an account of what each Houston City Councilmember said at that July 8 council meeting.  Here is a recording of that meeting. The discussion starts at the 3 hour 10 minute point. 

Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare began an investigation right away. 

It was public pressure that got Mayor Whitmire to do something other than just wish the issue would go away. Under Mayor Whitmire and his HPD, the City of Houston had already embraced a policy of no accountability for federal government violence on Houston streets.

From the Houston Chronicle: (Theoretically a gift link.)

More than a year before a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot and killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in east Houston, Mayor John Whitmire's administration quietly changed a decades-old policy that required Houston Police Department detectives to investigate every officer-involved shooting within city limits, regardless of which agency those officers work for...Since at least the 1990s, HPD officers have responded to these shootings, collecting evidence at the scene and coordinating interviews of witnesses and the officers involved, according to experts and past presentations to Houston City Council. In early 2025, however, Houston Police Chief Noe Diaz changed course and started deferring to the law enforcement agency responsible for the shooting...Instead of automatically responding, now HPD treats each shooting on a case-by-case basis, Diaz said. They opted not to respond when they were notified about Salgado's shooting....The change came roughly a month after President Donald Trump assumed office for a second term, promising dramatically expanded immigration enforcement. In January 2025, his administration began pulling grants from cities and law enforcement agencies it said were not ideologically aligned with its priorities. Diaz said Trump’s administration and its positioning on grants had nothing to do with the agency’s decision....As a result of the policy change, HPD investigators did not respond to the scene when an ICE agent shot and killed Salgado in July. Instead, representatives with the district attorney’s office were the first local investigators to the scene, a day later, losing precious hours to collect their own evidence and testimony before federal authorities consolidated control....Brian Higgins, a retired New Jersey police chief and criminal justice professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said there is no way to consider the change without the context of the Trump administration...“The standard of any jurisdiction - local, state, federal, etc. - is that the agency having primary jurisdiction sends officers to a shooting within their area of responsibility,” Higgins said, adding he couldn’t see other major agencies, like the New York City Police Department, making similar concessions...HPD’s policy change effectively turns every federal officer-involved shooting into something department leaders get to pick and choose whether to respond to, Higgins said....And it appears that’s exactly what happened in Salgado’s shooting. Dispatchers at HPD first heard about the shooting at 6:52 a.m. – less than two minutes after federal authorities say it happened. By 6:57 a.m., according to scanner traffic, an HPD official told investigators the situation was under control, per orders from HPD headquarters.....“I think they decided not to get involved in all this,” Harris said. “It’s too much of a hot potato.”

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​Above you see most of our crew today for Week 500 of the John Cornyn Houston Office Protest. That is 9 years & 32 weeks dating back to 2017. Below you see three other pictures from Week 500. 

Over 500 weeks, many thousands motorists and pedestrians have seen us and been encouraged. People know about us across the county & region. Many friendships have been formed, we don’t back down when threatened (And we’ve been threatened) & we’ve set a strong example of showing up openly and confidently for democracy no matter what.

We have no external resources or funding & no connections to electeds or to anything but our own autonomy. We will have to mobilize ourselves & be our own rapid-response network in the challenging days ahead.

I emphasize we have sustained the Protest for almost 10 years without money, connections to any elected officials, or to anything but our own autonomy--Because that is how it is for most of us. Most of us are just navigating as best we can.

We can act on our own behalf, make a difference, act in self-defense from an authoritarian political system, without waiting on anybody or being dependent on anybody.

We are entitled to our own collective identity and individual identity as rank and file Democrats & democracy advocates however we define ourselves politically. Elected officials are our elected employees.

The next action is when you organize it, the 1st Amendment is your permit, the only credential needed is your presence. Voting won’t be enough. The work ahead is ours.
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Join us for Week 501. Tuesday, 9/15, 11:30-1, 5300 Memorial Dr.

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There are three protests I'm aware of tomorrow, Labor Day, 9/7

You see word of one above and another below. 

There is also this in Katy tomorrow:

Join the "Workers Over Billionaires" Labor Day protest on Monday, September 7, 2026, from noon to 1 PM at 21010 Katy Freeway. Stand up for fair wages and worker power.

What to Bring and Wear
- Sun protection: Wear a hat and sunscreen.
- Hydration: Bring plenty of water.
- Parking: Park away from the local restaurants to leave spaces open for their customers. There is enough parking.

Sign Ideas
"People Over Profit"
"Fair Pay Now"
"Workers Built This Economy

This is organized by Marsha Kamish who does the repeatedly successful Katy No Kings protests in the same location. There is plenty of parking. 

Week 500 of the John Cornyn Houston Office Protest is Tuesday, 9/8, 11:30-1, 5300 Memorial Dr. 

The next action is when you organize it. The 1st Amendment is out permit. The only credential needed is your presence. Voting will not be enough. The work ahead is ours

​On Wednesday evening, 9/2, I joined Egberto Willies as guest-speakers at the September meeting of the excellent Kingwood Area Democrats. Egberto is host of Politics Done Right on KPFT & also has a Substack and YouTube presence. You see Egberto & myself above. Holding the microphone is club president Daren Baker who does a fine job.

Here is what I said Wednesday:

1. Voting will not be enough. Mobilization and rapid response will be up to us. Be ready for anything.

2. Have grace for yourself as we confront an authoritarian, white supremacist opponent. You can’t reach every voter or compel everyone to vote. We are giving free labor to an exploitive political system. Do your best.

3. We are entitled to an independent collective identity as rank & file Democrats and democracy advocates separate from the Democratic Party, elected officials and candidates. Candidates and elected officials come and go. Our need to be free remains. Our time and resources belong to us.

4. For Kingwood Area Democrats who live in Houston city limits, we can elect a better Houston City Council in 2027. Share word with all that Republican far-right councilmembers Willie Davis and Twila Carter can be defeated in 2027.

5. The next action is when you organize it. The 1st Amendment is out permit. The only credential needed is your presence. The work ahead is ours.

​Above you see a picture from today, 9/1, of 6821 Canal Street. This is where ICE murdered Lorenzo Salgado Araujo on July 7. 

HPD and ICE are collaborating. There is no doubt about it. At the Houston City Council Public Safety Committee meeting on 8/25 where HPD Chief Noe Diaz broke his commitment to testify, HPD presented a barebones report on that collaboration. 

Despite the fact that HPD by its own account is working with ICE-- many Houston Chronicle reports have also detailed this cooperation-Mayor Whitmire keeps on saying the city is not working with ICE. 

In the 1st picture below, you see Mayor Whitmire saying at Houston City Council on July 29 that HPD and ICE don't work together.

In the 2nd picture below, you see Mayor Whitmire saying at Houston City Council on August 25 that HPD and ICE don't work together. 

​Mayor Whitmire sits there and tells you that night is day. He makes it clear by his words and actions, that we won't be able to count our Houston city government as an ally as we confront authoritarian, white supremacist state and federal governments. 

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This is what happened at the City Council Public Safety committee and then Public Comment session this past Tuesday, 8/25: (You can watch the meeting. The first 15 minutes or so will convey the meeting well.)

1. Chief Diaz and another senior HPD official were supposed to come to the committee and explain the mandatory quarterly report about HPD/ICE interactions. This is the one remaining portion of the otherwise-repealed ICE ordinance.

2. Chief Diaz did not show up. Instead, a civilian HPD data manager appeared. He made a bear bones report. For most all questions from councilmembers, an attorney from the city legal department directed him not to reply.

3. The reason given for why Chief Diaz could not attend and why the data guy could not say much, is a lawsuit currently filed accusing HPD of detaining someone longer than legally and Constitutionally permitted, so that Ice could come and get him.

So because HPD is not following the law, we can't have transparency.

4. At Public Comment session later that day, Mayor Whitmire said more lawsuits were potentially on the way. You see above where he said a class action lawsuit might be on the way. That would strongly suggest that since lawsuits will be ongoing, that we will not get a quarterly report from HPD anytime soon.

So because of repeated lawbreaking by our police and city collaboration with ICE that Mayor Whitmire still insists is not taking place, we can't have transparency and the remaining portion of the ICE ordinance is effectively nullified.

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​Houston City Council's Public Safety Committee met today, 8/25. The committee, chaired by Republican Amy Peck, was scheduled to hear from Police Chief Noe Diaz and Executive Chief Thomas Hardin. Below you see what was supposed to be agenda for today. This was sent out yesterday, 8/24. 

Here is the HTV feed of the meeting as broadcast on Facebook. You can watch the first 15 minutes and get a firm idea of what took place today. I encourage you to take some time to view the hearing yourself. The more each of us can directly speak to, the stronger we all are.  Here is the Houston Chronicle account of the meeting today which I'm posting with a gift link. (That may or may not work.) 
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Neither Diaz nor Hardin attended the meeting today.  

The purpose of the meeting was to have been to receive a detailed quarterly report about HPD interaction with ICE. This quarterly report is mandated by the ICE ordinance that was otherwise essentially repealed in April of this year. 

The stated-reason given for effective nullification of a lawful city ordinance by Diaz and Hardin was advice from the city legal department. At-large Democratic Councilmember Alejandra Salinas attributed the absence to "cowardice." 

From NPR KUHF today:

"I think we can all agree that their refusal to be here is nothing short of cowardice," Salinas said. 

​The legal department said that Diaz and Hardin should duck the hearing because of a lawsuit filed earlier in August.

From KUHF on 8/4:

"A Honduran man who was deported from the U.S. earlier this year has sued the City of Houston, claiming Houston Police Department (HPD) officers unlawfully detained him for 2 hours before he was taken into U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody, according to the federal lawsuit."

Councilmember Salinas strongly disputed that Diaz and Hardin were required by the lawsuit to hide from the committee today. No other member of council said much of note. Joaquin Martinez offered his standard two-sided routine that ignored his role as a relentless supporter of Mayor Whitmire. 

Again from KUHF, here are some of the details of the data required by the ordinance that should have been discussed this morning:

"The 103 calls over the last quarter marked a sharp spike in HPD-ICE contacts. The Houston Chronicle reported officers called ICE less than 300 times in the 16 months from January 2025 through April 2026 — an average of less than 20 calls per month. From April through June, HPD averaged more than 30 calls to ICE per month....During the first three-month reporting period, officers held people for as long as three and a half hours while waiting for ICE to take custody of people with immigration warrants. ...And in at least 34 cases reported by HPD, officers contacted ICE after someone called first responders for emergency assistance. According to records obtained by Houston Public Media, that included a woman who reported a man threatened to kill her in April." (Picture above of Ms. Salinas today trying to get question answered about HPD calling ICE on crime victims.) 

My view is that Mayor Whitmire and HPD see themselves as above the law. They don't want to discuss how the city colloborates with ICE. There is little reason for Houstonians to have confidence that Mayor Whitmire and HPD will have our backs and will advocate for us, as the far-right attacks our civil liberties and our elections.

We already know that even the ICE murder of a Houstonian, will not get the City of Houston to be open and transparent about how they cooperate with ICE. 

​This past Wednesday, 8/19, I was a speaker at the Spring Branch Democrats meeting. I appreciate the invitation to speak.

Here is what I said:

1. Protest matters. We saw this in the 2024 South Korean martial law crisis and in the rank & file led response to ICE from Minnesota. We've seen it right here in Houston where Mayor Whitmire and his council allies, were not allowed to get away with calling the ICE murder of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo a matter for the federal government only to investigate. 

2. Opposing a white supremacist, authoritarian movement-such as the Republican Party-is not going to always be safe. There are challenging days ahead. 

3. The line between voting and protest is merging. Voting for a Black, Islamic progressive woman to be the top elected official in the largest county in Texas is an act of protest in this political climate. 

4. We can elect a better Houston City Council in 2027. The 2027 Houston City Council election is already well-underway. District A, which includes Spring Branch, will be an open seat with incumbent Republican Amy Peck term-limited. This is a district Kamala Harris carried in 2024. 

Far-right, at-large Republicans Twila Carter and Willie Davis can and must be defeated. Tell people now who these people are so that the political climate exists to boot them from council next year.

5. We have a right to a collective identity and power as active rank and file democracy advocates and Democrats, that is independent from official party structures, candidates and elected officials. Harris County Democratic Precinct Chair admonishments of Kim Ogg, Shawn Thierry and John Whitmire are just some examples of this autonomy and power. Elected officials are our elected employees.

We give a lot of free labor to candidates. It's exploitive in many respects. Politics is a multi-billion dollar industry. Many campaigns extract resources like a West Virginia strip mine. Candidates come and go like Christmas or Halloween pop up stores. Our need to live freely remains. 

At bottom line:

The next action is when you organize it. The 1st Amendment is your permit. The only credential needed is your presence. Voting won't be enough. The work ahead is ours.

My next speaking appearance is at the Kingwood Area Democrats meeting on 9/4. I'd be glad to speak at your club or organization meeting. Please e-mail me at [email protected] to set it up.  

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Above is a group photo from Week 497 of the John Cornyn Houston Office Protest. There were a total of 21 folks on a 100 degree day. Week 500 of the protest is on 9/8.

The protest is each Tuesday, 11:30-1, 5300 Memorial Dr. 

A moving truck pulled up on the side street adjacent to the protest & two guys got out and brought down their cooler to us & gave us a bunch of drinks. You see some of the drinks in our sign wagon. We were appreciative.

It’s important that people see others willing to visibly stand up for them & do so even on a 100 degree day. The two men in the truck clearly saw value in what we were doing. 

The next action is when you organize it. The 1st Amendment is your permit. The only credential needed is your presence. Voting won’t be enough. The work ahead is ours.

​Yesterday, 8/15, I attended an organizing and recruiting meeting for the Space City Marshals. It was a good and instructive meeting. 

This is a useful group that looks to keep protestors in Houston safe. You see the logo above. 

Space City Marshals branched off from 50501 Houston. These are the folks who have put on the No Kings protests in Houston. 

It is good that there is an autonomous entity to help keep protestors safe. I've seen them at work many times and they make a difference. They merit our support. 

Here is what they say about themselves:

"The goal is everyone goes home safe at the end of the day." 

Space City Marshals is a safety marshal team that grew out of the local 50501 Houston group. We still work closely with 50501 Houston and support many of their events, but we also support other groups upon request and availability of our marshals.  

Space City Marshals assists with planning, coordination,  logistics, and execution of safety related items for rallies, protests, marches, and parades.

All of our marshals take various training including de-escalation, crowd control/direction, traffic control, radio etiquette, map reading and location reference, personal protective equipment, police liaison, and more. 

Most of our lead marshals are highly experienced with the role police liaison. We are cognizant of the distrust of law enforcement, our only interaction is for the purpose of increasing safety (please contact us if you have questions or concerns).

Recruitment: 
Space City Marshals is looking for more folks who want to ensure that everyone goes home safe at the end of the day. We also understand that it can be quite intimidating to step into this role for the first time. Our lead marshals are willing to talk with anyone that has questions about what this role entails and how we as Space City Marshals operate (which can be different from other groups). We have also created a handbook, and basic training requirements to allow new recruits to confidently join our ranks. We also utilize the buddy system at events, pairing the least experienced with the most experienced, for “on the job” training.  If you feel this is of interest to you, please reach out to us via email [email protected] 

Fundraising: 
Space City Marshals provides equipment and supplies to each of our marshals. The standard kit of equipment (non-consumable, one time purchase) is an estimated $600/ per marshal. We appreciate any donations to help us fund the marshals and our partners in the street medic teams. Donations can be made via cashapp: https://cash.app/$HTXSAFETYTEAM