 Channel 13 had a Mayoral debate recently. John Whitmire was asked about his proposal to bring 200 Texas Department of Public Safety troopers to Houston. You get a clear sense of his reply from the picture above. It's a really lousy reply. Senator Whitmire says it is people who want to defund the police who oppose the troopers There are plenty of reasons to not want Greg Abbott's DPS troops in Houston. Opposing such troops is not any type of defund the police response. Here are some reasons to not want the troops in Houston: *When these troops were in Austin, they arrested a disproportionate share of Latino and Black people. *When Mayor Kirk Watson of Austin, a longtime Texas State Senator, asked Greg Abbott to withdraw the troops, the answer was no. This is consistent with John Whitmire being powerless to stop the cruel excesses of the Texas Legislature despite being the so-called "Dean" of the Senate. *With legislation moving through the Texas Legislature that would allow police officers any place in Texas to deport undocumented migrants, DPS troops would be a deportation squad in Houston communities. *Greg Abbott and the Republicans who control Texas don't believe in multiracial democracy and are a threat to public safety. There is no public safety without democracy. Houstonians deserve protection from the far right. Why would people concerned about democracy in Texas want Greg Abbott's police squads in Houston? Congresswoman Jackson Lee has not said defund the police. Why is that label being affixed to her? John Whitmire regularly consorts with people who would take basic rights from millions of Texans. He seems plenty comfortable with all that. Maybe the issue going forward should be Senator Whitmire's commitment to multiracial democracy. Here are the Project's 2023 Houston election recommendations. The Houston Democracy Project works daily to make democracy an issue in 2023 Houston politics and to inspire, organize and strengthen pro-democracy coalitions in Houston and Harris County. The Project will continue through 2024. 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].
0 Comments
 I handed out the Houston municipal endorsement card of the Houston LGBTQ+ Caucus today for a three hour volunteer shift & attended the monthly meeting of the Caucus in the evening. Above is a picture I took of the meeting.
I wrote about the Caucus last week & I'm going to repeat much of what I said. The theme of the Houston Democracy Project is straightforward. We are facing anti-democratic and authoritarian threats and we must act to push back and protect ourselves. We need to show up and we must think about new ways of doing things. Here is what I said last week & will keep on saying in one way or another: I'm a member of the Caucus. I attend and participate in the monthly meetings and have signed up for two volunteer shifts to hand out the card. The meetings are well-run and the leadership of the group is thoughtful and inclusive. The Caucus has strong relationships with candidates and elected officials. My thoughts tend more to the view that candidates and elected officials come and go. If we get a second Trump term and have Ken Paxton as Texas Attorney General, the Caucus might need resources for legal fees, bail funds, self-defense and getting people out of Texas. I try to be active in the organization so I can have a voice in the debates ahead and so my voice is heard. What's important to you as we face all the troubles ahead? Be part of the things you value and want to protect. Let's build coalitions of people who show up. Let's look out for each other. Let's find the approaches that work as circumstances change. Here are the Project's 2023 Houston election recommendations. The Houston Democracy Project works daily to make democracy an issue in 2023 Houston politics and to inspire, organize and strengthen pro-democracy coalitions in Houston and Harris County. The Project will continue through 2024. 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]. |
AuthorI'm Neil Aquino. Archives
November 2025
Categories |
RSS Feed
