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​​There was an estimated crowd of 600 this afternoon to oppose and fight aback against the wrongful and anti-democratic state takeover of HISD.

Thank you to everyone who took part. Above is a picture from the CVPE Facebook page.

Community Voices for Public Education is leading the fight against the takeover. 

Check out the CVPE website and see how you can help.   

Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson, appointed to the position by Greg Abbott, has released her so-called audit of 2022 Harris County elections.

From the Texas Tribune:
 
"A preliminary report from the Texas Secretary of State’s office found the Harris County's 2022 election administration had “multiple failures” that could have prevented some voters from casting a ballot, but the report stopped short of suggesting the outcome of any race was affected.....“Harris County clearly had multiple failures conducting the election and violated election law for estimating needed ballot paper. Mistakes like these led to a poorly executed election which left many Harris County residents frustrated and may have prevented them from voting,” Secretary of State Jane Nelson said in a statement. “It is important to talk about these issues now in order to address them before the 2024 election cycle.”​ 

Blah blah blah. After all this fuss for the past year and lawsuits seeking to undo the results of a democratic election, Republicans have still not been able to produce any voters unable to vote in Harris County in 2022.

​Detailed reports by Jen Rice at the Houston Chronicle and Andrew Schneider at KUHF 88.7 have made clear 2022 Harris County elections were conducted fairly.

This all is about the State of Texas looking to take control of Harris County elections and cast suspicion on the outcomes multi-racial democracy produces at the polls. 

The right won't let up on these attacks on democracy. And we can't let up on fighting for and protecting our most essential freedoms.    

The Houston Democracy Project works daily 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 contribution. If you have a question   about the Project or a suggestion, please send an e-mail to [email protected].

The Harris County Republican Party has endorsed a slate of Houston City Council candidates. 

Here is the list. I'm linking to it to help you know who not to vote for and to make the point that Houston municipal elections are not non-partisan. There are also some school board endorsements on the site. They have a crew of people ready to go forth and ban books.  

Republicans don't see any election as non-partisan. Democrats should not either.

I'm making this point because so often we hear Houston city elections are non-partisan. Often we hear this from Democratic candidates hoping to win Republican votes. There is nothing by definition wrong with bipartisanship. But what we are seeing in Houston city elections, is Democrats avoiding issues of democracy in order to appeal to Republicans lacking a strong commitment to democracy.

So next time you hear Houston elections are non-partisan, tell whoever saying that they are wrong. Every election has high stakes and every election is a possible platform and launching pad for Republican extremism.     

The Houston Democracy Project works daily 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 contribution. If you have a question   about the Project or a suggestion, please send an e-mail to [email protected]. 

Democrats running for Houston City Council who take the endorsement of the Houston Police Officers Union must ask the union to step away from backing politicians who support election-denial.

​It's a really low bar. 

(The focus here is police unions. Not police departments.) 

If the Houston Police Officers Union wants to support Greg Abbott, Dan Patrick or Alexandra Mealer before Election Day--Fine. It's terrible judgment. But it's a free country. (The union also endorsed Ken Paxton.)  

But when Greg Abbott and Dan Patrick say Harris County is running unfair elections and should re-do elections, that's when the union can withdraw support. When Alexandra Mealer files a lawsuit she later withdraws to overturn her defeat, thats when you say I can't go any further with you.  

There is no public safety without democracy. It is not difficult to imagine law enforcement unions teaming up with far-right statewide officials to bypass multi-racial and Democratic voting cities and counties. 

Maybe HPOU loves democracy more than anything. You never know. But they need to toss overboard politicians who don't seem keen on democracy. Doing so would be a great sign of respect for the officers harmed during the January 6 insurrection attempt at the U.S. Capitol.

​(Detailed reports by Jen Rice at the Houston Chronicle and Andrew Schneider at KUHF 88.7 have made clear 2022 Harris County elections were conducted fairly.)    

Here are 2023 Houston municipal Democrats who have accepted the HPOU endorsement:

Mayor: John Whitmire 
At -Large #1: Melanie Miles
At -Large #2: Nick Hellyar 
At-Large #4: Letitia Plummer
At-Large #5: Sallie Alcorn
District B: Tarsha Jackson
District C: Abbie Kamin
District D: Carolyn Evans-Shabazz
District F: Tiffany Thomas
District H: Mario Castillo
District I: Joaquin Martinez
District J: Edward Pollard *
District K: Martha Castex-Tatum      

*Edward Pollard is maybe not a Democrat.   

There are a lot of issues in our Houston city elections. There are concerns regarding policing. The Houston Democracy Project though is focused just on democracy in Houston and Harris County. One emphasis of the Project is rank & file citizens demanding the people they elect advocate for freedom even when difficult.

​When political candidates make the call to determine if law enforcement unions meet the standards of their campaigns, they should consider the role such unions play in backing officials who don't support our most essential freedoms.             

The Houston Democracy Project works daily 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 contribution. If you have a question   about the Project or a suggestion, please send an e-mail to [email protected].

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The Houston Democracy Project is back from a trip to the Chicago-area and is ready to go. Just one week before early voting starts in Houston municipal elections.

(Above is an autumnal picture from the Caldwell Forest Preserve in Chicago.  The water in the picture is the North Fork of the Chicago River. )

Four notes before back to regular posting tomorrow--

*Houston Democracy Project recommendations on who to consider and who to avoid in Houston city elections are on the way.

*The weekly Houston Democracy Project segment on KPFT's Politics Done Right will be broadcast Thursday, 10/19, from 6 AM to 7 AM.  You can listen live on 90.1 FM or view the show later on host Egberto Willies' website.  

​* We'll see if seditious extremist Jim Jordan is elected Speaker of the House tomorrow. In any case, just that he is so close to office is further reminder that the institutions will not save us. Jordan is set to be two steps from the White House after a lifetime of misconduct and insurrection. The Houston Democracy Project is about rank & file residents of Houston and Harris County showing up in whatever ways needed to protect  freedom. We must show up for ourselves.     

*There was good news from Poland yesterday. The far-right anti-democratic government was removed from the governing coalition at the ballot box. This despite years of rigging the process and unfair practices in this election. This election gives Texans hope as we fight Abbott, Patrick & Paxton. 

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​​​The Houston Democracy Project is traveling for a few days. Below are themes and ideas written about on the Houston Democracy Project Blog. Ideas matter. They translate into action. I won't be able to update the blog while on the road. But I've got plenty of material to share in the brief absence.     

The Houston Democracy Project works everyday to make democracy an important issue in '23 Houston city elections & to help inspire, organize and strengthen pro-democracy coalitions in Houston and Harris County. After city elections are over, the Project will focus on '24 elections in Harris County and Texas. I'm in it for the long haul.

​Four candidates so far have added pro-democracy language to their website after talking to the Houston Democracy Project. They are Conchita Reyes in At-Large #1, Obes Nwabara for At-Large #2, Donnell Cooper for At-Large #3 and Ivan Sanchez in District J. Ethan Michelle Ganz for At-Large #3 and Travis McGee in District D also has strong pro-democracy language on their campaign website. I'm proud of the impact the Project is having.   

In about two weeks from now I'll have my 2023 Houston municipal election recommendations.  ​

(Above is a picture of I took of Houston. Pictures I Have Taken is a section of the Project.) 

The Houston Democracy Project Blog posts linked to the italics below well-convey the ideas the Project is discussing online, in numerous one-on-one meetings and calls with candidates, opinion leaders and rank & file Houstonians, at Democratic club and allied meetings & on the Project's weekly segment on KPFT's Politics Done Right.           

​Rank & file Houstonians have leverage with municipal candidates and elected officials. They want your vote. Make use of that leverage.   

Houston city elections are not in reality non-partisan.  Party identification of candidates matters and should be discussed. Even a reasonable-sounding Republican is still tied to Trump. This is important because the Republican Party is anti-democratic and a threat to our freedom and safety. It is also so that Houston voters could be a little more kind to themselves. 

Houston municipal candidates put us at risk when they ignore threats to democracy. It is like ignoring a hurricane warning in the hope the storm will dissipate. 

Houston municipal candidates saying we should reach out to Republicans must make the case it is safe and pragmatic to do so. Shouldn't we at the least ask that people we are talking to will respect election results? Even elected officials with strong establishment connections are not safe from Republican intimidation. 

Sometimes there is no common ground between opposing viewpoints and we must prepare for those type situations. One way to be ready is to not give up our rights in advance. 

We can't allow the threat of violence and acts of violence from the right force us to stop our political activity. The people of Houston deserve protection from the right. There is no public safety without democracy.

Law Enforcement unions calling for the removal of elected judges are an attack on democracy. It is one thing to call for defeat at the polls or for a judge to resign. It is another thing to appeal to a far right state government for removal. 

Our elected Democrats must be more energetic and brave in protecting democracy.  

We must be willing to name names. For example--The Houston Democracy Project believes U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia and Texas State Senator Carol Alvarado are damaging the electoral prospects of down-ballot Democrats in  '23 Houston elections by supporting John Whitmire for Mayor. Though Sen. Whitmire is a Democrat, his prospects depend on strong Republican turnout.      

​It is good and helpful to read books.  

The Houston Democracy Project works daily 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 contribution. If you have a question   about the Project or a suggestion, please send an e-mail to [email protected].   

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​The Houston Democracy Project has been reading I Have No Enemies: The Life and Legacy of Liu Xiaobo.

Liu Xiaobo was a Chinese dissident and Nobel Peace Prize winner who died in a Chinese prison in 2017.

He would say "I have no enemies."

Here is what he wrote in the tense situation leading up to the Tiananmen Square Massacre in 1989:

"Chinese democracy must be grounded in ridding ourselves of the 'enemy mentality." In a functioning democracy, there are no enemies; there is only political balance among different interest groups in a democratic system. It is better that ten devils be working within a system of checks and balances than that one angel be ruling with unchecked power. To struggle for democracy means to forbid hatred from poisoning one's wisdom."   

​I think sometimes about my anger at the Republicans and people on the right who work to take our freedom and who waste the days of our lives with hateful and selfish acts. I could make peace with them if they would step back from hate and election-denial. I don't think they will. Or will anytime soon at least. But we have to keep pushing either out of hope for a better day or for self-protection. 

I Have No Enemies explores many political ideas and concepts & details the life of a brave and thoughtful person.  

Ideas matter a lot. We must think things out to be effective political actors and to make good use of the talents and abilities we all have.

The Houston Democracy Project has also recommended Let The Record Show: A Political History of Act Up New York, 1987-1993. This book is an account of successful activistm in very difficult circumstances and about the acceptance of grim realities as an essential part of that activism.   

 The Houston Democracy Project works daily 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 contribution. If you have a question   about the Project or a suggestion, please send an e-mail to [email protected].   

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​Some Houston Democracy Project notes--

*A section of the Project is Pictures I Have Taken. Please check it out. Above is a Houston condo that appears to have interacted with the clouds above. There is similar such square dissipating to the left. I don't believe it is a portal intended to materialize the building in another dimension.

* The Houston Democracy Project Houston 2023 voter recommendations will be out on I'm hoping October 20. Early voting is October 23-November 3. General Election Day is November 6. Four candidates so far have added pro-democracy language to their website after talking to the Houston Democracy Project. They are Conchita Reyes in At-Large #1, Obes Nwabara for At-Large #2, Donnell Cooper for At-Large #3 and Ivan Sanchez in District J. Ethan Michelle Ganz for At-Large #3 and Travis McGee in District D also has strong pro-democracy language on their campaign website.

If there are other candidates who'd like to add democracy commitments to their campaign website or their campaign messaging, please e-mail at [email protected]. If you're a supporter of a candidate not on the list above, ask them about their commitment to democracy.

*My friend Daniel Cohen who leads our Houston Indivisible Chapter has an excellent endorsement list for  Houston 2023 city elections. Be certain to read it and share it around.

* The weekly Houston Democracy Project segment on the Egberto Willies Politics Done Right broadcast will be tomorrow, 10/11, at 6 AM. Here is last weeks show. 

The Houston Democracy Project works daily 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 contribution. If you have a question   about the Project or a suggestion, please send an e-mail to [email protected].      

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​Ann Johnson is the Texas Democratic State Representative for District 134. She's the State Rep. of the Houston Democracy Project. 

I know her to an extent. She's a decent person. I think she's honest, smart and tough-minded.

(Above is a photo of Ann from her Facebook page.) 

Ann is very connected to the local political establishment and is someone who wants bipartisanship to work. She believes in our systems. 

From conversations I've had with Ann and from seeing seen her speak at Democratic events, I know she is concerned about threats to democracy in Texas and the nation.    

She balances her concerns that our politics are off the rails, with belief that operating competently and honestly within conventional channels will lead to outcomes that preserve a functioning politics.

Ann was one of the 12 Texas House Managers of the recent to effort to impeach corrupt and horrible Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

After the Texas Senate voted to keep Mr. Paxton in office, the impeachment managers released additional documents relating to the trial. These were facts and documents not used in the Senate trial.

Attorney General Paxton is asserting the newly released material violated Texas law and says he is filing criminal complaints against the 12 impeachment managers in their home counties.  

​Here is what it says in the Texas Tribune:

"In a statement Monday, Paxton accused the House impeachment managers of violating a new state law with an Oct. 2 release of documents related to the case. The new legislation cited by Paxton prohibits posting an individual’s personal information such as a home address or telephone number with the intent to cause harm to that individual or their family......House impeachment manager Rep. Andrew Murr, R-Junction, said in a statement that Paxton's attack was a form of retaliation against people he deems his enemies. He suggested Paxton should "stop trying to harass legislators" and instead focus on the attorney general's office.​"

It might all be bluster by Mr. Paxton. But on the other hand, Mr. Paxton is the top law enforcement officer in Texas and an ally of Republican 2024 frontrunner Donald Trump. His threats can't be simply dismissed.
    
Ann plays by the rules and does things by the book. Yet here she is with the Attorney General of Texas accusing her of criminal acts.

This type thing is just why I recently praised Houston's West Street Recovery non-profit for issuing a statement about the State of Georgia's prosecution efforts against opponents of Atlanta's Cop City police training facility project. Georgia is seeking to jail people who took part in bail funds for arrested anti-Cop City demonstrators or who in some cases just seem to have written anti-police graffiti.    

Officials like Mr. Paxton who have little commitment to democracy, will expand the reach of selective interpretations of the law to harass and imprison people. This extended authoritarian reach might be applied to protestors & it might be applied to opposition-party elected officials.

Nobody is safe. We must look out for each other We must act with courage and imagination in what at home and abroad is a worsening climate for freedom. 

The Houston Democracy Project works daily 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 contribution. If you have a question   about the Project or a suggestion, send an e-mail to [email protected].   

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​The Houston Democracy Project sometimes gets a little weary.

I recently drove by what to my untrained eye seemed yet another water main break in Houston. You see what I saw in the picture above.

The water mains are breaking because of our drought and because our infrastructure is old and falling apart. The city is having a difficult time keeping up. 

A big reason we are having a difficult time keeping up is that in 2004 Houston voters imposed a revenue cap on how much money the city can take from property taxes. (There are also state restrictions on what we can collect.)

There has also been a recent report on how Houston has poor funding for public parks. The revenue cap is cited as a large cause for the lousy funding.         

Half of our city budget goes to police and fire. Those guys don't care if the grass at the park is mowed or not.

It's unfortunate that in a diverse and Democratic voting city, we have restricted our own ability to live  better. Consistent water pressure and nice parks are a good thing.

There is also the reality that in 2015 Houston voters overturned our Houston Equal Rights Ordinance by a 61%-39% margin. I recall that vote and there was a lot of homophobia involved.

I wish we would treat ourselves and each other a little better here in Houston. It's one thing to have outsiders who hate us come and work to mess us up. It's another thing when we do it to ourselves.
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The Houston Democracy Project works daily 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 contribution. If you have a question   about the Project or a suggestion, please send an e-mail to [email protected].