The Harris County Deputies Association has called for Harris County Judge DaSean Jones to "resign or be removed."
HCDA is a law enforcement union. The Deputies Association is upset over how they feel Judge Jones had dealt with Terran Green in the past. Mr. Green is the man who shot four law enforcement officers recently. Such attacks on police officers are an assault on democracy and are among the most serious crimes in our society. The HCDA asserted that Judge Jones had released Mr. Green on a low bond after a previous arrest. It seems the Deputies account of Judge Jones' previous actions was not correct. In any case, the Deputies are free to call for Judge Jones to resign or work to defeat him at the polls. Removal is something else. Here is some of what the Deputies say: "Judge DaSean Jones does not have the judicial competency to remain on the bench. Judge DaSean Jones has a history of refusing to consider public safety. Judge DaSean Jones must resign or be removed...." Armed safety officers calling for a judge elected in a diverse county to be removed by an anti-democratic state government is nothing but trouble. It's a harmful course of action consistent with the refusal of local law enforcement unions to criticize or retract support from figures such as Greg Abbott, Dan Patrick and Alexandra Mealer even after they call for a re-do of 2022 Harris County elections. Endorse whoever before an election. It's a whole different world to continue to back political figures who won't accept election results. There is no public safety without democracy. There is no public safety when law enforcement unions support election-deniers. You don't have to be very creative to see the dangers of law enforcement unions bypassing cities and counties to deal with far-right state governments. And all of this is taking place in the shadow on next year's Presidential election and the prospect of insurrectionist Donald Trump returning to office. People in diverse cities and counties have a right to representation. We have a right to safety from the anti-democratic American political right. We have a right to be free. The Houston Democracy Project is working everyday to make democracy a top issue in 2023 Houston City elections & to inspire, organize and strengthen pro-democracy forces in Houston and Harris County. Please share word of the Project and support the effort with your donation.
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The Spring Branch Democrats Club will hold a forum for Houston City Council At-Large 1 & 3 candidates on Thursday, 8/31. Details in the picture.
The moderator of the forum, Diana Martinez Alexander, is an excellent American and Houstonian. She's the model of the involved citizen and will certainly have excellent questions for the candidates. Also--The Houston Democracy Project will be featured each Thursday on the Egberto Willies Politics Done Right Broadcast on Houston station KPFT-FM, 90.1. This will air during the 6 AM to 7 AM broadcast. Excellent morning commute listening! This starts tomorrow, 8/31. More details as the segment becomes established. The Houston Democracy Project is working everyday to make democracy a top issue in 2023 Houston city politics & to help inspire, organize and strengthen pro-democracy coalitions in Houston and Harris County. Please share word of the Project and support the effort with your donation. Houston Democratic At-Large Position 2 Council candidate Nick Hellyar has taken an endorsement from incumbent Republican District A Councilwoman Amy Peck.
Bipartisanship is fine in concept. But bipartisanship when the Republican Party is an anti-democratic threat to public safety, is not a pragmatic or safe course to follow in the most diverse city in the United States. A political class may reach accomodation that leaves rank & file voters out in the cold as Texas state government moves always further and further to the right. And then Republican officials will turn on the Democrats who thought they could be reasoned with. Democrats running for office in Houston have an obligation to make clear at every juncture that they are willing to fight for democracy. We know that some Republican Houston City Council members hold extreme views. Councilman Mike Knox talks about voters getting food and water while waiting to vote and says Election Judges doing their civic duty should possibly be punished. Councilwoman Mary Nan Huffman seeks endless audits of our 2022 Harris County elections by far-right Texas statewide officials. Did Mr. Hellyar ask Ms. Peck if she has distanced herself from Mr. Knox and Ms. Huffman on the core issue of protecting democracy? Here is some of what Mr. Hellyar said in announcing Ms. Peck's endorsement: "We are so excited to share with you City Council Member Amy Peck has endorsed our campaign! Amy is a former City Hall staffer just like me, serving as the chief of staff in the District A office before being elected as its Council Member. Amy is a fierce advocate for the residents of District A and is an outspoke leader on the issues of public safety and flooding infrastructure." There is no relevant definition of "public safety" that does not include protection of democracy. In Houston, we've lost our elected school board in what was just 60 years ago a Jim Crow city. In Harris County, there are 20 ongoing Republican lawsuits to undo the 2022 election. If Ms. Peck wants to come out and say she respects election results, uses her influence as an office-holder to help steer the Republican Party back towards democracy & and will not support insurrectionist Donald Trump for President in any circumstance--Then great. Mr. Hellyar should insist on such assurances from anyone who supports his campaign. To do otherwise is to look the other way at extremism, and to neglect the safety and well-being of Houstonians who imagine a future for themselves and their families rooted firmly in freedom. The Houston Democracy Project is working everyday to make democracy a top issue in 2023 Houston city politics & to help inspire, build and strengthen pro-democracy coalitions in Houston and Harris County. Please share word of the Project and please support the effort with your donation. The Houston Democracy Project likes to read books.
Current reading is Let The Record Show: A Political History Of Act Up New York, 1987-1993. The book is about how successful activism takes place and is a history of the Act Up movement to fight AIDS. The Houston Democracy Project is about both voting & rank and file-led activism. Both voting and non-conventional activism are needed for the fights against authoritarianism and white supremacy ahead. I've made it to P. 148 so far. Here are five among many points the book has made so far: The thing Act-Up participants had most in common is that they couldn't stand to be bystanders during the AIDS crisis. They felt compelled to act even as most folks sat it out. The effectiveness of the group was enhanced by the urgency of many of the members not having long to live. People under such stress where more flexible and creative. One participant said the callousness of the government response to AIDS reminded her of how long it took the government respond to popular anger over the Vietnam War. (This I felt gave insight to the often acquiescent response of many elected Democrats to attacks on democracy.) White gay men were surprised to the extent that people in power did not care that they had AIDS. Small numbers of people were able to make a big difference. 2023 Houston city elections must be as much about Houstonians organizing themselves in a cross-racial and in every way diverse democracy movement as it is about the candidates. We have a right to be free and to organize to protect ourselves. The Houston Democracy Project is working everyday to make democracy a top issue in 2023 Houston politics, and to help inspire, organize and strengthen pro-democracy coalitions in Houston. Please share word of the Project and support the effort with your donation. There are Democrats on the 2023 Houston municipal candidate trail who frequently stress the need to reach out to Republican voters and elected officials.
But these candidates never say such conversations should be contingent on, for example, Republican willingness to accept election results. Is it pragmatic to conduct affairs with people who are working to take away our most basic rights without imposing any conditions? A political class might well talk and seek accommodation among itself, while leaving rank & file Houstonians out in the undemocratic cold. And then these far-right Republicans will turn on the officials who thought they could be reasoned with. The old saying is there is no Republican or Democratic way to fill a pothole. But we don't need authoritarians and white supremacists in charge of filling the potholes. Democrats running for Houston municipal office asking us to chat with Republicans no matter what, must offer more than just a notion that Republicans will change course if we would only get to know them better. Democrats saying better communication and interaction with Republicans would be good, must make the case that such talk would be a two-way street involving Republican willingness to step back from escalating political tensions in Harris County and the nation. It is not Democrats refusing to accept election results, storming the U.S. Capitol and supporting Donald Trump. Maybe agreement is not possible in this climate. Maybe there should be attention on how Democrats running for City Council can help Houstonians protect themselves from the far-right. The Houston Democracy Project is working everyday to make democracy a top issue in 2023 Houston city politics & to help strengthen pro-democracy coalitions in Houston and Harris County. Please read and share & please support the effort with your donation. John Whitmire's chances for Mayor of Houston depend on Republican voters.
Here is some of what Jasper Scherer wrote in the Houston Chronicle on August 11: State Sen. John Whitmire is emerging as the de facto choice of Republican voters and donors, who appear to view the veteran Democrat as the most viable Houston mayoral option they can stomach. Whitmire’s campaign strategy is a test of whether he can assemble a coalition of conservatives and right-leaning moderates without ceding too many Democrats — the biggest partisan voting bloc in an increasingly blue city — to his main rival, U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee. The GOP support has helped fuel Whitmire’s enormous fundraising advantage, with more than $50,000 coming from donors who helped bankroll last year’s campaign of Alexandra del Moral Mealer, the Republican nominee for Harris County judge..... Democrats preferred Jackson Lee roughly 2-1 over Whitmire in the recent poll. Whitmire largely made up there difference with a massive advantage among Republicans,who backed him 56 percent to 2 percent over Jackson Lee." Senator Whitmire needs strong Republican turnout on Election Day and in any runoff. This Republican turnout will hurt Democrats in the Controller race and in City Council races. Some elected Democrats who have endorsed Senator Whitmire and his Republican Election Day game plan are Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia, State Senator Carol Alvarado, State Rep. Armando Walle & State Rep. Hubert Vo. Senator Whitmire makes a thing of saying he's not ashamed of seeking support across the political aisle. The issue though isn't yesterday's bipartisanship. Today's Republican voters and Republican Party are engaged in election denial and endless attacks on democracy. Senator Whitmire talks a lot about public safety. But there is no public safety without democracy. Definitions of Public safety in Houston must include protection of Houstonians from the extreme political right. Senator Whitmire's anti-democratic led voter coalition is not what we need in the most diverse city in America. We don't need to be in coalition with Mattress Mack and Dan Patrick. In any case, elected Democrats who've endorsed the Republican choice for Mayor of Houston are hopefully discussing and planning how they'll mitigate the down-ballot damage of Senator Whitmire's candidacy. Democratic elected officials who've endorsed Senator Whitmire could hire canvassers out of campaign funds, and could go door-to-door themselves each weekend to tell Houstonians about Democrats on the 2023 ballot and about the danger to democracy from the Republican Party. They could sponsor mailings and phone banks to inform Houston voters of the Democrats on the 2023 Houston ballot. Republicans don't treat municipal elections as non-partisan. Neither should Democrats. The Houston Democracy Project is working everyday to make democracy a top issue in 2023 Houston city politics and to strengthen pro-democracy coalitions in Houston. Please share word of the Project and support the effort with your donation. Houston At-Large #3 candidate Donnell Cooper has added protection of democracy to his campaign website.
The Houston Democracy Project met with Mr. Cooper & his campaign manager recently and asked if the campaign would consider addressing the protection and expansion of democracy in Houston. Thanks to the Cooper team for seeing the urgency of the concern. Though it was not a tough sell. Mr. Cooper and team are well-aware of the attacks on democracy both locally and across the nation. (Above is Mr. Cooper.) Here is what Mr. Cooper says: "In today's society the Right is doing everything they can to participate in the erosion of democracy. They are using their power to terrorize, spread hate and divide societies by scapegoating particular groups. They dictate to women and people able to have children whether, when, if, and how many children they can have or whether they can access contraception. They declare LGBTQ+ families unworthy, deny climate change, they are distorting the education of our children by banning books and rewriting history like slavery. But just as the Right follows a strict pattern in how they strong-arm their way into people’s homes and private lives, so too is there a pattern for breaking their influence. This is Donnell’s fight for democracy. It starts in the home, and at the community level. It starts with electing people that will fight for the rights of every human being, no matter what sex, creed or color. Issues like voting rights, women rights, LGBTQ+ rights, climate change, and a strong public education system must be foundation of this fight to stand up for democratic values. Donnell’s campaign is about a strong democracy for Houston, the state of Texas and for the country." At-Large 2 candidate Obes Nwabara has also added democracy to his campaign website after talking to the Houston Democracy Project. Mr. Cooper has been discussing the fact he is a Democrat on the campaign trail. Republicans don't see these races as non-partisan. Neither should Democrats. Houston has lost its elected school board in what just 60 years ago was a Jim Crow city. Harris County Republicans are in court trying to undo 2022 Democratic wins in Harris County. The likely Republican Presidential nominee is Donald Trump. Democracy and our most basic freedoms are on the ballot in every election. The Houston Democracy Project is working everyday to put protection and expansion of democracy on the 2023 campaign agenda in Houston. Please share word of the project and please support the effort with your donation. The Houston Chronicle reports that half of all voters in Houston city elections are 60 or over.
Here is some of what the Chronicle says: "About 1 in 5 registered voters in Houston typically participate in municipal elections, and even that figure omits residents who are eligible to vote but are not registered. As a result, the voting base collectively looks far different from Houston's broader population, skewing dramatically older, whiter and more conservative. Two demographic disparities stand out: The median municipal voter in Houston is over 60 years old, meaning half the electorate was born before Congress passed the Voting Rights Act in 1965. And in a city where 47 percent of residents are Latino, only roughly 18 percent of the city's voting base will share that background." This poor turnout and unrepresentative turnout has been going on forever in Houston city elections. It is in good part the result of city council campaigns that focus on base voters only, and of many of our Democratic state legislators and Congresspeople in safe seats who do nothing for turnout in even-year elections---And even more of nothing for turnout in odd-year elections. There is no culture of consistent voting in Houston. City Council candidates have little interest in citywide strong turnout. Many Democrats running for Houston City Council are strongly focused on winning Republican voters--even as these Republicans vote for people who want to take away our democracy--,and have small investment in building the Democratic Party or in strengthening the cross-racial coalitions essential to protecting and expanding democracy in Houston and Harris County. Low turnout elections in a racially-divided electorate, accompanied by special-interest funding and the strong influence of law enforcement unions, are no recipe for public safety or democracy. (An issue with law enforcement unions is they continue to support election-deniers such as Abbott, Patrick and Mealer even after they refuse to accept the outcome of 2022 Harris County elections. There is no public safety when law enforcement unions support election-deniers. There its no public safety without democracy.) A solution to low turnout city elections is rank and file voters asking more of local candidates and elected officials. These candidates need us more than we need them. At least through Election Day. Here are some things you can ask candidates running for Houston municipal office in 2023: Will you make democracy a top issue in your campaign? Will you discuss the issue on your campaign literature and website? Will you speak up on the loss of our elected school board and continuing efforts to reverse Democratic wins in Harris County in 2022? What are you doing to increase turnout and involvement in Houston City elections? Can I count on you to help elect Democrats in Harris County in 2024? Will you use campaign funds and your influence to help develop and train non-white organizers in Houston? Progressive organizers? Will you use your resources to strengthen pro-democracy forces in Houston? Will you insist police unions and any group you seek the endorsement of will always support free and fair elections in Texas? If you are a Democrat, will you openly identify as a Democrat on campaign materials and in public appearances? The Houston Democracy Project is working everyday to make democracy a top issue in 2023 Houston city politics & to encourage rank and file Houstonians who care about democracy to act on behalf of themselves and their families rather than to wait for elected officials to act. Please share word of the Project and support the effort with your donation. What If There Is No Bipartisan Partner For Climate Action?-Houston Climate Movement Candidate Forum8/19/2023 The Houston Democracy Project attended the Houston Climate Movement At-large Council Candidate Forum today.
It was a fine event with a crowd of maybe 75 folks. (With post is picture of most of the candidates at forum today. (Almost) all seem happy to see me! One candidate not there was Casey Curry who runs as a meteorologist committed to science, but refuses to talk about climate change. ) The candidates discussed various issues such as flooding and air pollution. The candidates had varying levels of knowledge about all the different environmental issues. There was also discussion of climate change. Some candidates talked about better cooperation with Republicans or with political entities such as the U.S. House that are controlled by Republicans. Okay. But what about the very real possibility that Republican officials and Republican voters don't want to address climate change? What if there is no bipartisan partner for these efforts? As a matter of fact, Republicans are saying out loud that if they control the White House and Congress after the 2024 elections, they'll gut environmental regulations and drop the fight against climate change. It is fine to consider public policy. But we must also be discussing, planning and acting on grasping the Republican anti-democratic threat for what it is, realizing that without multi-racial democracy we are cooked & understanding that self-protection from the right is an urgent subject. Sometimes there is no agreement and you have to go from there. We need to be ready for whatever is ahead. The Houston Democracy Project is working everyday to make protection and expansion of democracy a top issue in 2023 Houston city elections. Please share word of the Project & please support the effort with your donation. Community Voices for Public Education will hold a blockwalk on Sunday, 8/20, to tell Houstonians about the loss of libraries in many HISD schools & to talk about ways to fight back.
We've lost our elected school board in what just 60 years ago was a Jim Crow city. Leadership to protect our democracy is going to have to come each of us. Here is what CVPE says: Blockwalk with CVPE on Sunday, August 20th, 5:30 PM (1013 Majestic St, 77020) to spread awareness of what is happening to our schools because of the takeover. This takeover is making things worse! Miles is turning libraries into zoom discipline removal rooms! We demand a library and a librarian in every school. Here is the link to take part. |
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