There was a large and aggressive response of Texas Department of Public Safety troops and other police agencies directed at pro-Palestinian protesters at the U. of Texas in Austin today.
We ask young people to get involved in politics and affairs, and then when they do we suspend them and arrest them. (Above is a picture from today in Austin by Ryan Chandler at Austin TV station KXAN.) The willingness of DPS to plunge into this situation is in sharp contrast to their lack of action when school children were massacred in Uvalde. From the Texas Tribune: A student walkout protest in support of Palestine at the University of Texas at Austin on Wednesday turned increasingly chaotic as the day went by, resulting in at least 30 people being handcuffed and removed from the school, including two members of the media....About 500 students demanded that UT-Austin divest from manufacturers supplying Israel weapons in its strikes on Gaza. They gathered outside the university’s Gregory Gym before moving to the South Lawn, where they had planned to stay into the evening....Officers at the scene donned riot gear and in some cases wielded mace or mounted horses while trying to drive back the protesters. Some officers could be seen pushing protesters with their batons. Several students were pushed to the ground and handcuffed with white plastic ties. Students acting as legal observers frantically shouted to get their names....The demonstration showed no signs of violence before authorities intervened, though police did order the attendees to disperse and warned many that they would be arrested for trespassing. It was good to see the Texas Democratic Party make a statement: “Today, Greg Abbott’s DPS has more courage to arrest peaceful student protesters than when an active shooter entered an elementary school in Uvalde. This is yet another gross misuse of state-funds for campaign ads at the expense of UT students’ safety. It is beyond clear that Greg Abbott does not care about first amendment rights, Texans’ freedoms, the loss of Palestinian life, or Israeli hostages – he only cares about himself. Once again, Texas Republicans are hellbent on placing our basic rights on the chopping block for political gain.” This is the same Department of Public Safety Houston Mayor John Whitmire has said should be invited to Houston to police our streets. They would be right here in town when we protest a stolen or overturned election, or to help carry out the mass round-up of migrants promised by Donald Trump. (Here is DPS proudly showing the Texas Flag and come and take it flag, but not the American Flag. Here is DPS showing up for Greg Abbott and Donald Trump. ) The wild Department of Public Safety and police attack on non-violent protestors today in Austin, is exactly what you'll see in Houston in response to protests or vigils regarding Republican election theft & mass migrant round-ups. It is all connected and headed our way to Houston. Let's work together-even when we don't always trust each other-to form networks of action, communication, support, ideas and safety. That is the work of the Houston Democracy Project and that is the task in front of each of us. Please sign the Houston Democracy Project petition to make the pledge to show up for freedom in 2024 no matter what. The Houston Democracy Project works daily to inspire, organize and strengthen pro-democracy coalitions in Houston and Harris County. Please share word of the Houston Democracy Project and support the effort with your contribution. If you have a question about the Project or a suggestion, please send an e-mail to naa61840@gmail.com
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The Houston Police Officers Union never stops complaining. From a report on Fox News: "We're in a perfect storm right now," (Houston Police Officer's Union) President Douglas Griffith said. "We had the George Floyd effect come down. We can't hire. We can't retain our officers. The people are leaving left and right." "Who in the heck wants to be a police officer in 2024?" (HPOU Executive Director) Hunt asked, "when every single thing that they're doing is going to be second-guessed by their body-worn camera that someone can watch three or four times to determine whether or not that officer made the right split-second decision. Get it? George Floyd went and got himself killed by a cop & now police are subject to additional review. Griffith also called out the court system for "not doing their job." "Their contention is that we can't hold somebody. We have to give everybody a bond, yes, the first time. Once they violate that bond, they can be held in jail until they go to court again. And we get people on six, seven, eight, nine bonds at one time. And that's a problem that we have to fix in the courts. Fix the courts. What does that mean? The people of Houston/Harris County have elected the judges they want no matter the endless and relentless attacks on Harris County judges. Fix the courts? You mean remove elected judges or restrict in some manner the election of judges? We don't want judges from an authoritarian anti-democratic Republican Party. Why would we? Above is a mailing I got from the local public safety unions during the 2023 municipal election season. (I've added some coffee stains.) The logos of the police and fire unions are on the mailing and they got the result they wanted. John Whitmire was elected Mayor. And still they complain and complain and complain. Sorry if being supervised and living in a democracy is a hassle. John Whitmire outsourced his negative campaigning to the public safety unions. They were more than happy to help. Our public safety unions back election deniers who try to take our freedom. We give these safety unions so much of our city budget, while we have so many unmet needs in the city. We live in a great and hopeful city. It's not the terrible place the right keeps saying it is. Our voters are not bad people. Police do well by Houston taxpayers. How about they seek solutions and be a full part of our community rather than bash us on Fox News? Please sign the Houston Democracy Project petition to make the pledge to show up for freedom in 2024 no matter what. The Houston Democracy Project works daily to inspire, organize and strengthen pro-democracy coalitions in Houston and Harris County. Please share word of the Houston Democracy Project and support the effort with your contribution. If you have a question about the Project or a suggestion, please send an e-mail to naa61840@gmail.com Above you see a picture I took at Hermann Park in Houston today. On the left is a man who had a big gun and was wearing some militaristic outfit. I was keeping a good distance so I can't give better detail. A Hermann Park ranger said the gun guy was there to make sure we all know that he has the 2nd Amendment to walk around with a giant gun. On the right is a Houston cop talking to him. I think there are in fact two officers in the picture. There were-correctly-a number of cops that showed up. Then you see the kid's train that circles around the park. The kids, parents, grandparents on the train got a good view of the whole thing. It's important kids learn early that they live in a heavily-armed freak show. We've got a State of Texas that hassles school librarians who want to give kids some good books to read, but allows lousy people to walk around busy parks with crazy guns. These folks are out there further normalizing intimidation and violence. We can't yield to them. Please sign the Houston Democracy Project petition to make the pledge to show up for freedom in 2024 no matter what. The Houston Democracy Project works daily to inspire, organize and strengthen pro-democracy coalitions in Houston and Harris County. Please share word of the Houston Democracy Project and support the effort with your contribution. If you have a question about the Project or a suggestion, please send an e-mail to naa61840@gmail.com Today I finished reading Mussolini's Italy: Life Under The Fascist Dictatorship, 1915-1945, and will now start reading How To Hide An Empire: A History Of The Greater United States. You see a picture of the books above. Mussolini's Italy was very good if a bit long. There were many interesting accounts of how people responded, survived, prospered, looked the other way & endured Fascist Italy. Mussolini and the Italians are portrayed as wary of Hitler because they know at core Hitler saw Italians as racially inferior. But they signed up with the Nazis anyway. As World War II got going, Italian fascists saw that the Germans meant every genocidal thing they were saying. They were not ready for that. But they were out of luck, should have known way better & were bad people themselves. Here are some definitions of fascism offered for consideration in the last chapter of the book-- A sociologist named Michal Mann defined fascism as: "The pursuit of a transcendent and cleansing nation-statism through paramilitarism." A historian named Robert Paxton defined fascism as: "A form of political behavior marked by obsessive preoccupation with community decline, humiliation, or victimhood, and by compensatory cults of unity, energy and purity, in which a mass-based party of committed nationalist militants, working in uneasy but effective collaboration with traditional elites, abandons democratic liberties and pursues redemptive violence and without ethical or legal restraints, goals of internal cleansing and external expansion." Mussolini himself told Francisco Franco that the fascist regime should work to be "authoritarian", "social" and "popular" The Houston Democracy likes to read books and encourages you to do the same. Please sign the Houston Democracy Project petition to make the pledge to show up for freedom in 2024 no matter what. The Houston Democracy Project works daily to inspire, organize and strengthen pro-democracy coalitions in Houston and Harris County. Please share word of the Houston Democracy Project and support the effort with your contribution. If you have a question about the Project or a suggestion, please send an e-mail to naa61840@gmail.com Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham visited Houston City Council this past week. (Above is a picture of Commissioner Buckingham and Mayor Whitmire from a press conference.) The City of Houston and the Texas General Land Office have long been at odds over Hurricane Harvey housing disaster relief funds and other policy issues. Many of these disputes involved former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and former Land Commissioner George P. Bush. Mayor John Whitmire campaigned on better relations with State of Texas officials. He won the election. Commissioner Buckingham addressed Houston City Council in open session and took questions from Mayor and Council. She promised better cooperation and resources for Houston. She referenced the serious hurricane forecast for 2024. Mayor Pro Tem Martha Castex-Tatum said Commissioner Buckingham's staff had been meeting with Councilmembers. That's all fine. But is also important to remember that Commissioner Buckingham supports authoritarians and election deniers. There is no reason to believe that she herself is not herself an authoritarian and election denier. She was endorsed by Donald Trump in 2022. Her Twitter feed is in part a toxic stream of false attacks on Joe Biden and extremist talking points. Commissioner Buckingham everyday has the opportunity to distance herself from Trump and all the hate & to be a better person. She does not avail herself of the chance. I watch Houston City Council and I made a point to see all of the Commissioner's testimony to Council and the press conference she held with Mayor Whitmire, County Commissioner Leslie Briones and community leaders. I want to understand what is being said and offered. People do need help with housing and Hurricane Harvey still impacts Houstonians. I recently posted here about my letter to Houston City Council, about the Republican Chair and Republican majority on Council's Public Safety Committee. We don't need people comfortable with the extreme right supervising the police and fire departments. Bipartisanship is essential to democracy. At the same time, Republicans are as serious as can be about election denial, overturning elections, mass round-ups of migrants, shooting migrants, "bloodbaths", gutting the civil service & on and on. People need help. Cooperation across the political aisle can bring results. Yet public officials and the people of Houston and Harris County can't just look the other way at authoritarian political figures and the danger they represent. The money Commissioner Buckingham has at her disposal is our tax money in a state sitting on a $32 billion surplus in the treasury. We should not have to sacrifice our rights and safety to get a fair share of the state's wealth after a disaster like Hurricane Harvey. There may well be a point sooner rather than later, where cooperation with the extreme right is not worth the price or the risks. Please sign the Houston Democracy Project petition to make the pledge to show up for freedom in 2024 no matter what. The Houston Democracy Project works daily to inspire, organize and strengthen pro-democracy coalitions in Houston and Harris County. Please share word of the Houston Democracy Project and support the effort with your contribution. If you have a question about the Project or a suggestion, please send an e-mail to naa61840@gmail.com State Representative Jarvis Johnson and Molly Cook are the two remaining candidates for the State Senate District 15 seat vacated by John Whitmire when he became Mayor.
Here is a Houston Landing story about the race. Rep. Johnson and Ms. Cook advanced to the Democratic primary runoff in the March 5 primary. They are the also the only two candidates in the race to complete Mayor Whitmire’s term. The election to fill the remainder of Mayor Whitmire’s term is May 4. Early voting is April 22-April 30. The primary runoff election is May 28. Rep. Johnson served on Houston City Council and has been in the Texas House since 2016. Ms. Cook is a registered nurse who ran a strong race against Senator Whitmire in 2022. ( I had a paid role in Molly's 2022 campaign doing writing, strategy and voter outreach.) There was a debate this past week between the two candidates conducted by Bayou Blue Democrats. Above are two pictures from the debate. One shows Rep. Johnson standing up & the other shows Ms. Cook standing up. The debate was contentious and enjoyable. Lots of back and forth between the two. When considering candidates, the Houston Democracy Project has a focus on who will be the strongest, most imaginative and most courageous advocate for democracy. Who would be willing to take political, career, and if need be, physical risks in an authoritarian crisis Rep. Johnson is get-along-to-go-along business as usual. Here is something he told the Houston Chronicle editorial board: “Anybody who makes a donation to my campaign, that means they have access,” said Johnson, “Doesn’t mean that they get a yes.” Same old stuff. If he is saying that in public, imagine how he operates in private. I don't give him points for honesty. What I see in the comment is disregard for the access of people who can't afford write him a check or don't want to write him a check. Rep. Johnson talks about his experience in public office. That's fine. But talk about experience should include reflection about being part of systems that have brought us extreme right wing government in Texas, and to the brink of authoritarianism and mass round-ups of migrants from our national politics. Why will more the same bring us something better? (Speaking of mass round-ups of migrants, there was no mention of the subject in the debate despite the fact SD 15 is 40% Latino and very diverse.) Ms. Cook has recently pivoted her campaign to a tougher more negative approach to Rep. Johnson & to more talk of Texas Republican extremism. This may well be what she believes-she is an honest person-, but it also seems attuned to her second place finish in the March 5 primary. It is an approach she could have taken all along given the gravity of our current political situation. Ms. Cook is the best bet to strongly address far-right extremism, and to be on the right side of a police line in an authoritarian crisis. But should Ms. Cook be elected, we will have to demand that she be there when needed most. Elected officials are often not reliable allies in a tough fight. Please sign the Houston Democracy Project petition to make the pledge to show up for freedom in 2024 no matter what. The Houston Democracy Project works daily to inspire, organize and strengthen pro-democracy coalitions in Houston and Harris County. Please share word of the Houston Democracy Project and support the effort with your contribution. If you have a question about the Project or a suggestion, please send an e-mail to naa61840@gmail.com Below is a letter I've sent to each member of Houston City Council regarding Republican Houston Vice Mayor Pro-Tem Amy Peck serving as Chair of the Public Safety Committee. Public Safety Committee membership is four Republicans and two Democrats. Given the extreme nature of today's Republican Party, are these the people who should be supervising public safety forces and public safety unions?
There is no public safety without democracy. Here is how the Houston City Council webpage describes the committee: Will review but not limited to: Performance and policies of any city department providing public safety services, purchases related to public safety, Independent Police Oversight Board. (I've been watching Houston City Council sessions. You should as well.) I'll have further posts right here at the Houston Democracy Project to update responses-or lack of a response-from councilmembers. Here is the letter: In the new Council Committee structure, Mayor Whitmire has appointed Republican Vice Mayor Pro-Tem Amy Peck to be Chairwoman of Council's Public Safety Committee. Bipartisanship is essential to democracy. There is virtue in keeping divisive state and national politics distant from Houston City Hall. The business of the city must be conducted. At the same time, Vice Mayor Pro-Tem Peck represents a political party led by Donald Trump. Five other Houston City Councilmembers do as well. Where do these members stand on election denial and relentless Republican voter suppression? Where do they stand on the mass migrant round-ups promised by many Republicans? Houston would likely be an epicenter of such round-ups. Authoritarianism will require a local infrastructure. Our public safety unions are comfortable with supporting election deniers. Harris County Republican political leaders work to overturn elections, and are silent as Governor Abbott says he would shoot migrants other than that he would be prosecuted by the Biden Justice Department. Is Vice Mayor Pro-Tem Peck the right person to have a critical role in supervising and holding our public safety forces accountable as we face a clear authoritarian threat? The six member Public Safety Committee has four Republican members. Republicans Peck, Huffman, Ramirez and Carter along with Democrats Jackson and Martinez are on the committee. Is this the right committee composition to ask questions about public safety union support of anti-democratic politicians, and to discuss the public safety threat to our diverse city represented by the political extremism of the Republican Party? Republicans such as Mike Pence and Liz Cheney have said they will not vote for Trump. So has Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. Many Republican voters are choosing someone other than Donald Trump in Republican primaries. Vice Mayor Pro-Tem Peck and the other Republican members of the Public Safety Committee must publicly distance themselves from party officials calling for the shooting of migrants and “bloodbaths.” This is the least to be expected of those selected to oversee our public safety forces. There is no public safety without democracy. History shows that the person next door or the person you work with daily is fully capable of repression and brutality. I urge Democratic Houston City Councilmembers to directly ask their Republican colleagues where they stand on the authoritarian threat, and to to call out political extremism among elected Republicans. Thank you. Please sign the Houston Democracy Project petition to make the pledge to show up for freedom in 2024 no matter what. The Houston Democracy Project works daily to inspire, organize and strengthen pro-democracy coalitions in Houston and Harris County. Please share word of the Houston Democracy Project and support the effort with your contribution. If you have a question about the Project or a suggestion, please send an e-mail to naa61840@gmail.com Harris County Sheriff deputies were involved today in a shootout with a so-called "sovereign citizen." The sovereign citizen was killed and an innocent woman was shot and seriously wounded in the gunfight. From Houston TV station KPRC: In simple terms, a sovereign citizen is an individual who believes they are not subject to the laws and regulations of the government. They typically claim to possess a unique status or immunity that exempts them from legal authority. This ideology stems from a range of conspiracy theories and distorted interpretations of legal concepts. Sovereign citizens often engage in tactics such as filing frivolous lawsuits, creating fraudulent documents, or using obscure legal arguments to justify their actions. According to the Anti-Defamation League, “sovereign citizens engage in a large amount of criminal activity, including 1) harassment and retaliation tactics collectively known as “paper terrorism,” 2) scams and frauds, sometimes large in scope, and 3) violence, including armed standoffs, shootouts, murders and terrorist plots.” They reject the legitimacy of government institutions, including law enforcement, courts, and taxation systems. Above you see a tweet from Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez on the matter. Right wing extremists are a threat to law enforcement across the country. And yet still police unions endorse far-right candidates. Just imagine if someone identified with Black Lives Matter or as a socialist had been in a shootout with cops that also injured an innocent bystander. What a big fuss that would be. It would be on all the radio shows and all the internets. Where is Crime Stoppers? Where are the public safety unions? The political extremism in America mostly comes from the right. It comes in the form of so-called sovereign citizens who go around doing whatever they want, & from the everyday dangerous radicalism of Republican Party. We should be clear and vocal about the real sources of the threats to our democracy. It is an active daily threat from the right. Please sign the Houston Democracy Project petition to make the pledge to show up for freedom in 2024 no matter what. The Houston Democracy Project works daily to inspire, organize and strengthen pro-democracy coalitions in Houston and Harris County. Please share word of the Houston Democracy Project and support the effort with your contribution. If you have a question about the Project or a suggestion, please send an e-mail to naa61840@gmail.com Recently I interviewed Egberto Willies about his new book Tribulations of an Afro-Latino Caribbean Man. Egberto hosts the Politics Done Right broadcast and webcast. The broadcast is Monday-Friday from 6AM to 7 AM on 90.1 KPFT-FM. The webcast is each Monday through Friday at 3 Central time.
Alexander Montavlao of Tarrant for Change also helped conduct the interview. Egberto discussed his overlapping identities, being a Black man in the software industry, living in the conservative Kingwood neighborhood of Houston & thoughts on activism and about remaining hopeful even in tough times. Here is the link to buy the book. Here is the interview with Egberto. Egberto, Alex and myself are all part of the Texas Grassroots Alliance. TGA is a statewide organization of progressive and pro-democracy organizers. The interview was part of the Texas Grassroots Livestream series. The shows can be seen on the TGA Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube spaces. The Texas Grassroots Alliance works to establish our networks of action, ideas, communication and safety. Please follow and support our efforts. Please sign the Houston Democracy Project petition to make the pledge to show up for freedom in 2024 no matter what. The Houston Democracy Project works daily to inspire, organize and strengthen pro-democracy coalitions in Houston and Harris County. Please share word of the Houston Democracy Project and support the effort with your contribution. If you have a question about the Project or a suggestion, please send an e-mail to naa61840@gmail.com |
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April 2024
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