Don't Let Violent Acts By The Right Go Unaddressed--Let's Be Clear We Will Protect Ourselves9/5/2023 In addition to the Houston Democracy Project, I'm part of the John Cornyn Houston Office Protest.
We meet each Tuesday from 11:30 AM to 1 PM at 5300 Memorial Dr. This is where Senator Cornyn's office is located. The purpose of the protest is to show up each week to make the point that in addition to voting, we must show up physically and non-conventionally for the fights ahead over authoritarianism and white supremacy. The protest is at 343 weeks so far and going strong. Our group is generally about 10 to 20 people. Most of the regulars are over 65. One is 82. We have signs and we address the motorists stuck at the red light at the intersection of Memorial & Detering. Favorable reactions from passing motorists and folks at the light far-exceed middle fingers. But every so often we get an aggressive act directed our way. For example, there was a man who threw eggs at us from a moving car. Some of what he threw hit us. We recorded him doing this. We followed up with police and after a process and some setbacks, we got the city to charge the man with a misdemeanor. A few weeks ago a different man threw a softball at us from a fifth-floor balcony. The balcony is part of an apartment building. Included with this post is a picture of the offending softball. It missed one of us by just a foot and bounced onto Memorial Drive. The softball man went away for a few weeks. Regretfully he came back last week and tossed more things at us. The police talked to the guy and said they told him to stop throwing things. At the same time, they essentially said we were partly to blame because our presence is disruptive to people in the apartment building. The Cornyn Protest has an attorney who advises us pro-bono. It's important the protest groups have access to legal advice. We talked to him and he said to file an incident report with the police and to make public that this is occurring. He said the police might not want the incident report, but to file it anyway. In case the situation with the softball man escalates, we need to make it clear that we have no role in his dangerous conduct. He has made the call to throw things at people from a fifth-floor balcony. The right wants to scare us off. Police will do what the police want to do. It can be difficult and stressful to push back and demand the protections that all people deserve. Do it anyway. We can't let bullies go unaddressed and unpunished. Let's be clear that we will defend ourselves. The Houston Democracy Project is working everyday to make democracy a top issue in 2023 Houston politics and to 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.
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Houston District J Candidate Ivan Sanchez Adds Strong Support Of Democracy To Campaign Website9/3/2023 Houston District J candidate Ivan Sanchez has added clear language about the protection of democracy to his campaign website.
Here is what Mr. Sanchez says: "I'm also a huge supporter of our democracy and oppose the removal of our elected HISD Board. The HISD takeover is part of a clear pattern of attacks on democracy in Houston that includes ongoing lawsuits to overturn 2022 Harris County election results. I'll always fight for democracy and for fair elections for every resident of District J and the City of Houston." Mr. Sanchez is the third Houston '23 municipal candidate so far to add protection and support of democracy to their campaign websites after discussion with the Houston Democracy Project. The other two are Obes Nwabara for At-Large #2 and Donnell Cooper for At-Large #3. The picture here is of Mr. Sanchez at a recent community forum and just before one of his regular weekend block walks. Mr. Sanchez is running an imaginative, hard-working and viable candidacy. The Houston Democracy Project is working everyday to make protection and expansion of democracy a top issue in 2023 Houston city politics & to inspire, organize and strengthen pro-democracy coalitions in Houston. Please share word of the Project and support the effort with your donation. Houston Municipal Candidates Ignoring Oncoming Authoritarianism Is Like Ignoring Hurricane Warning9/2/2023 The Houston Democracy Project tries to keep it local. But storms blow in from both near and far.
(Above is hurricane warning flag.) Republican voters don't believe Joe Biden won. Insurrectionist Donald Trump remains the clear choice of Republican primary voters and is even with Biden in national polls. Trump's 2nd term plans involve revenge against opponents and dismantling much of the federal government. In Wisconsin, there is serious talk of the gerrymandered Republican legislative super-majority impeaching a newly elected State Supreme Court justice before she has even heard a case. Here in Texas, the right is looking for ways to monitor and restrict the travel of pregnant women so they can't leave the state to get an abortion that is legal in another state. In Houston and Harris County we have lost the Houston elected school board in what just 60 years ago was a Jim Crow city, Republicans are still in court seeking to overturn 2022 Harris County election results and law enforcement unions are calling for the removal of judges. Houston municipal candidates ignoring these warning signs is the same as ignoring a hurricane warning. Maybe the storm will dissipate or follow some other course. But there is really no good reason to believe the storm won't hit. The Houston Democracy Project is working every day to make protection of democracy a top issue in 2023 Houston politics, and to inspire, organize and strengthen pro-democracy coalitions in Houston and Harris County. Candidates need to talk about turning out every voter, protest movements and non-conventional politics & protection of Houstonians from the far-right as a matter of basic public safety. We must demand that our officials not look the other way. We also can't wait for elected officials as the storm moves closer. Many of them will evacuate to a safe harbor or a shelter as the rain comes down and during the strong wind. Check out the front page of this website for ideas on how each of us can act and how we can hold municipal candidates accountable. Please offer your thoughts on organizing for our freedom to [email protected] Please share word of the Houston Democracy Project and please support the effort with your donation. Sore-loser Alexandra Mealer's wrongful claims of fraud in her 2022 election defeat are not believed by her former attorney.
Mealer is one of 20 sore-losers seeking in court to undo 2022 Harris County election results. Detailed reports by Jen Rice at the Houston Chronicle and Andrew Schneider at KUHF 88.7 have made clear that the 2022 Harris County elections were conducted fairly. (Above is picture of Weekly John Cornyn Houston Office Protest. Each week the Cornyn Protest team reminds Houstonians that Mealer is a sore loser. Join them each Tuesday, 11:30-1, 5300 Memorial Dr.) From the Houston Chronicle: Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo's former GOP opponent, Alexandra del Moral Mealer, is challenging the election she lost in November without her original legal counsel, who this week filed a letter with the court saying she does not support Mealer's recent claims of ballot fraud. Last month, Mealer replaced her attorney, Elizabeth Alvarez... She then filed a third amended version of her petition Aug. 10, significantly broadening her argument by adding to her list of grievances..... Alvarez criticized Mealer's decision to add claims about election fraud to her petition, saying that was not part of the deal they made when Mealer hired her firm: "She also specifically told us she did not want to litigate ballot fraud or election fraud, or anything resembling the Trump litigation because it would be embarrassing to her in her professional life." "If she had requested such during the course of representation, we would have referred her out to another lawyer," Alvarez added." We must remain mindful of Ms. Mealer. Hopefully her wrongful election claims will be tossed out of court. But the 20 election re-do lawsuits are likely headed to right-wing Texas Supreme Court. Any terrible thing is possible there. Ms. Mealer is embracing increasingly right-wing themes. She's a civic menace with potentially powerful allies. As much as we'd like to ponder any other topic, she has not yet gone away. Maybe she keeps moving right to remain relevant as her assertions are rebuked by those who have worked most closely with her. The Houston Democracy Project is working everyday to make democracy a top issue in 2023 Houston politics & to help inspire, organize and strengthen pro-democracy coalitions in Houston. Please share word of the Project and support the effort with your donation. |
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July 2024
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