The John Cornyn Houston Office Protest Team asserts claim to the first display of a Harris/Walz sign in the county. Above you see two of our team at our Week 391 Protest today. This just hours after the announcement of Tim Walz as the Democratic Vice Presidential nominee.   

The other picture is of a potato thrown at us from a balcony. The man also threw eggs at us. The potato is squished because a car ran over it. There was another squished potato a few feet away.  

The Cornyn Protest team offers the same message over and over: It is essential that we vote and that voting will not be enough.  

We were out today with a basic mainstream political deal of vote Harris/Walz. But that angered someone enough that he threw food at us from high above.  

We are out in the open for democracy. It is essential that people see others like themselves willing to show up for democracy no matter the aggression of the right. Voting may well not be enough. 

The right has potatoes, guns, giant trucks and so on. We must be willing to meet them head on. 

The John Cornyn Houston Office Protest is each Tuesday, 11:30-1, 5300 Memorial Dr. We have extra signs for all and we are a friendly crew. Please join 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 [email protected]

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Above is a list of Texas police "unions" that have endorsed Ted Cruz for another term in the U.S. Senate.

I put the word union in parentheses because police would bust a picket line and attack a worker's movement with little second-thought if given the order.

Ted Cruz aided and abetted the January 6th insurrection attempt at the United Sates Capitol & opposed certification of the 2020 election. 

There is no public safety without democracy. The thought of law enforcement officers so negligent in care for our democracy is matter of deep concern  for all freedom-loving Texans. 

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 [email protected]

A "Republicans For Harris" group has been started to support Vice President Harris in her race for President.

This is an option for every elected Republican in the country including right here in Houston and Harris County.

On Houston City Council there are ten Republicans and six Republicans.

The six Republicans are Willie Davis, Julian Ramirez, Twila Carter, Amy Peck, Maty Nan Huffman and Fred Flickinger.

I watch Houston City Council meetings. These Republicans have different personas and probably some different policy views. They are not a monolith. I would not rule out that at least one of them, if not more, does not support Trump for President. 

But until they make clear they don't support Trump, I don't care about sorting it out. It's not a hard ask to say you don't support a traitorous felon promising violence if he loses and dictatorship if he wins for President of the United States.

Could the bar be any lower?

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 [email protected]        

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Mayor John Whitmire announced today Jose Noe Diaz as the new Chief of the Houston Police Department. Mr. Diaz is currently Chief up the road in Katy.

Here is a Houston Landing Story about the appointment. Above is a picture from the City of Houston press conference on the appointment. 

I watched most of the press conference. They said this and that.  Mayor Whitmire said he was afraid to go shopping in the evening at the Krogers in River Oaks. I'm not sure that is a crime hot spot.

One topic not discussed is that one of the biggest public safety threats in Houston and Harris County is the threat to democracy from the political right. The Republican nominee for President says there will be violence if he loses, and dictatorship if he wins. He also refuses to commit to accepting election results. I'm not aware of a single Republican elected official in Houston /Harris County who has publicly said they do not support Trump.

Another cause for concern is that according the Houston Landing article linked to above, Mr. Diaz's selection is supported by the Houston Police Officers Union which has over and over endorsed election-deniers. Rank & file Democrats and any Houstonian concerned about the fate of democracy should tune the police union out. There is no public safety without democracy.    

Don't let powerful people and law-enforcement unions lead you to not believing what is right in front of us. Our most basic rights are at stake in 2024. We must demand that our public officials see the threat and act to protect 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 [email protected]
             

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I had a great discussion this morning with Egberto Willies on his Politics Done Right broadcast about the anti-democratic restrictions on protest in Houston being proposed  by Mayor John Whitmire. 

There I am above with Egberto.  

I'm the guest each Thursday morning on Politics Done Right from 6 AM to 7 AM. It is the weekly Houston Democracy Project segment. It can be heard on the air on KPFT 90.1 FM, on the KPFT livestream and on Egberto's YouTube channel.     

​Here is the broadcast from this morning. 

Here is a report on the ordinance from the Houston Landing. 

I'm going to have a lot more to say about this subject in the days ahead. The ordinance in question would prohibit protest in front of a home. It is spurred by Mayor Whitmire's anger at Gaza protestors coming to his home.  

Here is the text of the proposed language. Click where it says Redline in the bottom left.  The substance is in the first of the three pages.   

You can't even stand outside without a sign on public property within 200 feet of a politician's home if it deemed a protest by the police or even by the homeowner.

Whatever you think about protesting at a home, we should not be having our rights stripped away as we confront an authoritarian threat in Texas and the nation.  Elected officials should not be insulated from the public.    

The issue will likely be voted on in Houston City Council on Wednesday, August 13.          

I'll be writing to Council and also speaking at Council public session on August 12 on this issue. Here is information on how you can speak at Council as well.  (Council does not meet next week.) 

Please keep up with the Houston Democracy Project Blog over the next two weeks. I'll have my letter to Council posted here and further updates. 

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 [email protected]