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​I've spent the last 11 days in Cincinnati, Ohio. I visited family and friends. I also found a group of regular bridge protesters. They were a good crew. I took part in two protests. The sign is Ohio Fights Fascism. 

They go by the name of Coffee. Compassion. Action! Here is the link to their Facebook group. Above is a picture of two patriots on the Monmouth Ave. Viaduct. The white structure on the left is where they keep all the road salt for when it snows.

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

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​The next action is when you organize it.

The First Amendment is your permit. 

The only credential needed is your presence. 

Voting is nothing to be enough. 

The work ahead is ours. 

Picture from Core Civic private immigration prison camp protest in Houston today.

​Above you see word of a highway overpass protest in Conroe on Sunday, 5/31, 1422 N. Loop 336 W over I-45. I hope to be there. 

This event is being organized by We Rise Up. We Rise Up is doing great work organizing events and protest in Conroe and in Montgomery County. They are everyday residents stepping up and leading. 

Taking part in the protest will be Patty Anderson. Patty is the woman severely injured by a homeless woman as she was protesting for democracy at the same bridge referenced above. You see Patty below in her recovery. 

Protest is an essential part of advocating for our freedom. We saw this in the 2024 martial law crisis in South Korea and in the rank & file led response to ICE in Minnesota. In recent weeks there have been a growing series of protests across the south in response to the Supreme Court Voting Rights Act decision.

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

​There is no bottom line to what the right will do to hold power. We must be ready at the ballot box and on the street​

​Elected Democrats need to endorse Harris County Judge Democratic nominee Leticia Plummer.

It can start with the 4 Democrats on Houston City Council who will be on the 2027 ballot for re-election—Mario Castillo, Joaquin Martinez, Joe Panzarella & Alejandra Salinas.

Salinas likely will. Panzarealla is new and we'll see. 

Don’t ask for Democratic support in 2027, if you are not active on the campaign trail in 2026.

I watched Houston City Council today, 5/27, and while there was some mention and congratulations offered by Democratic Councilmembers about the election yesterday, there was no mention of former recent Councilmember Plummer winning.

(I watch every session of council as part of my work on the Houston Democracy Project.)

Whatever Houston City Councilmembers have going on, none of it is as important to Democratic voters as is the county judge race.

We need them on board--Especially since so many of them recently voted to expand HPD cooperation with ICE as part of the "amendment" to the ICE ordinance.

It would also be a good day for Rodney Ellis & Carol Alvarado to endorse Plummer & discuss what amount of the millions in campaign $ they it on, they'll commit to holding Harris County & defeating Abbott and Paxton. 

The stakes are so high. Bullshit as usual from electeds just can't be accepted by the rank & file. 
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Below is the oath of office newly elected Democratic Houston City Councilmember Joseph Panzarella will recite to assume office:

​I, ______________________________________, do Solemnly swear or affirm, that I will faithfully execute the duties of the office of _____________________  of the State of Texas, and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution and Laws of the United States and of this State, so help me God.

(Above is Houston. I was in District C when I took the picture.)

People will tell me sometimes, (Though much less so than in the past. ) that Houston City Council is not the right place to take a stand for democracy. But what the oath office references almost exclusively is the Constitution of the United States.

Mr. Panzarella can defend the Constitution by acknowledging that the Republican Party is an authoritarian, white supremacist threat to democracy and the Constitution, & make as a top mission defeating At-Large Council Republicans Willie Davis and Twila Carter in 2027. 

Mr. Panzarella was helped in his campaign by Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis. Commissioner Ellis is sitting on almost $8 million in campaign funds. He could help defeat Willie Davis and Twila Carter. Mr. Panzarealla could ask him to help. 

Another goal would be to flip Council District A from Republican to Democrat. The seat is currently held by term-limited Republican Amy Peck. District A was carried by Kamala Harris in 2024 with 54% of the vote. 

Mr. Panzarella must also support the 2026 Harris County/Texas Democratic slate with aggressive campaigning. His clear identification as a Democrat against the nebulous political leanings of his defeated opponent were essential to his win. Now Mr. Panzarella can return the favor.

The Texas Tribune has reported that Texas Legislative Republicans intend in 2027 to use the recent Supreme Court Voting Rights Act decision to gerrymander state legislative districts.  

What meaningful forward-looking public policy is Houston City Council going to enact with a right-leaning council under Mayor Whitmire's control? What prospect is there for hopeful policy if Texas state government turns even more to the right? 

The best way Mr. Panzarella can impact public policy in Houston is to work to defeat Republicans in 2026, and to help elect a better and more responsive Houston City Council in 2027. 

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Houston-area activist & patriot Carol Wells has asked for money from Trump's new slush fund for people  done wrong by a politicized justice system. You see her letter above.

Ms. Wells told me she was inspired to do this when she saw others making the request as well. 

Below you see the offending 86 47 that brought the Secret Service to Ms. Wells. 
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Last August, I posted about Ms. Wells' observations about attending a protest at the local Core Civic immigration detention camp. 

Ms. Wells is a leader. So much of the opposition to Trump and the far-right is coming from autonomous citizen-leaders. This is who will be the first on the streets when habeas corpus is suspended or Greg Abbott interferes in our local elections. 

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

​Yesterday, 5/20, I went and saw the Freedom Plane National Tour documents at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. 

In 1976, I saw a Freedom Train of Bicentennial documents and exhibits on an Amtrak train in Providence, Rhode Island. I bet there are others reading this who saw that train as well. It went all over.

The Bicentennial was fun for an 8 year old in one of the 13 former colonies. Some of the middle lines in the street were painted red, white and blue. May 4, 1976 was a school holiday for the anniversary of Rhode Island declaring Independence. There were big fireworks on the 4th of July.

The 250th year sucks. There is nothing hopeful about it.

The language and tone of the exhibit today was not Trumpian. It was standard American history stuff.

The exhibit was well-attended even on a Wednesday morning. I saw maybe 40 or 50 other people in the various lines. Maybe 2 or 3 were non-white. Nobody I saw was Black. I feel there were some right-wing home school types.

The 2nd picture below is my 2nd grade class at Martin Luther King Elementary School in Providence. This is in 1975 just a year before the Bicentennial. (I'm the upper right closest to the teacher--Maybe because I was the most disruptive. I hope that was the reason.)

It never occurred to me that America was anything other than multi-racial. My parents told me from the youngest age that multi-racial was good. I was sent to the public school, and the other kids were just fine whoever they were.

Yesterday at the weekly John Cornyn Houston Office Protest, we got a middle finger and a "F*** Biden" from maybe a nine-year old in the backseat of a giant, stupid pick-up truck.

It matters what adults tell kids.

The picture above is a loyalty oath to the United States rather than King George signed by Alexander Hamilton himself. The 1st picture below is a portion of the last page of the Treaty of Paris that ended the Revolutionary War. You see the signatures of John Adams, Ben Franklin and John Jay.

I don't have any illusions about anything. 1/3 of the population seems unrelentingly motivated by hatred of Black people & all sorts of other people as well.

I'm just not prepared to yield our past-or our future-to Christian-nationalist homeschoolers & morons in aggressive, ridiculous trucks.

The best parts of our past were fought for and marched for by good people who made great sacrifices. I recalled them today at the museum.

I'm going to stay the course wherever that leads in the difficult days ahead. I want the future my 2nd grade picture said was on the way.

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​We had some action at the John Cornyn Houston Office Protest yesterday, 5/19.

The 1st picture below shows some people around what was a police report being filed. You can see the officer's boots.

A young man on a bicycle pedaled directly into one of our crew. Nobody was hurt. There was a bit of a confrontation after it happened. The man ended up going on his way.

In the minutes after the attack, the opportunity existed for HPD units to be called to look for the guy. We had a clear description. That is not what happened.

It's important to remember that if you are a protestor, police are not there to protect you. I'm not saying they might not do something helpful. They have done helpful things at the Cornyn Protest. But in the end, they are not there to protect us.

The picture above is a man giving us the finger from a big blue truck. Another stupid angry man in a big truck. This truck drove by us four times. In the back seat was a child who was maybe 9. The nine year old yelled "F*** Biden" and gave us the finger as well.

They learn it young.

You see in the 2nd picture below our group photo for Week 484. We had another great week & were seen by many. It's essential that people see others like themselves willing to stand openly and confidently for freedom.

Also:

On Sunday , 5/17, a pro-democracy protestor on the N Loop 336 bridge over I-45 in Conroe was severely beaten. It was not political. The assault was by a woman who may be homeless. She has been charged.
The protester has been released from the hospital and she is recovering. I've met the person at previous events & I can tell you the injuries she received were scary.

A consistent theme I have with my Houston Democracy Project work is that opposing a white supremacist/authoritarian opponent will not be safe, and that being in public involves risks. I'm glad this attack wasn't political. It certainly was a consequence of being in public.

I very much appreciate the protester's service. I hope she has a speedy recovery & then makes whatever decision is best for her about how to proceed going forward.

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

There is a long road ahead. Pick the course that works best for you. Both voting and protest are essential. The line between the two is blurring every day.

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​​Democrat Joe Panzarella's 64% Houston City Council District C win over Nick Hellyar, extends a municipal losing streak for the Houston Police Officer's Union.

Most recently, Democrat Alejandra Salinas defeated HPOU endorsed Dwight Boykins for an At-Large seat.

Above you see the HPOU endorsement of Mr. Hellyar, and below you see a Twitter exchange where HPOU boss Douglas Griffith tells Mr. Panzarella to stick to issues such as "losing this election."

Campaign mailings from the now three-times defeated Mr. Hellyar, often omitted the police union endorsement from his list of endorsements. He didn't see it as a vote winner.

In addition to defeating far-right At-Large Republican Councilmembers Twila Carter and Willie Davis, a top goal of 2027 Houston City Council politics must be making the police union endorsement toxic for Democrats seeking election.

This work is already under way. Please leave a comment or e-mail at [email protected] if you'd like to learn more and be part of the effort ahead.