ICE Rampages Through LA Park-Questions To Ask Houston Council About ICE & Freedom

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​ICE and other federal troops stormed through MacArthur Park in Los Angeles today. The Houston Democracy Project tries to keep it local, but ICE's powers are nation-wide and no city is safe. So it is a local story. 

​From Fox Channel 11 in Los Angeles: (Picture above from same source) 

" (Mayor Karen Bass) explained a group of children were there as part of their summer camp program before federal agents moved in...."In my opinion, it's a political agenda of invoking fear and terror," she said. "No plan other than fear, chaos, and politics."....FOX News' Bill Melugin spoke to Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino who, like Secretary Noem, said agents aren't going anymore...."I don't work for Karen Bass," Bovino said. "Better get used to us now, cause this is going to be normal very soon. We will go anywhere, anytime we want in Los Angeles." 

​Reports say no arrests were made. It seems it was just a stunt to terrorize people and put on a show. 

Here are some additional details on the incursion and some history of MacArthur Park from the Associated Press. 

They are testing what they can get away with in our cities. We must not accept it. 

Here are some questions for Houston City Councilmembers and future Council candidates that we can all ask about ICE and our rights: 
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* With HPD cooperating with ICE, what process is in place to make certain Houstonians will receive due process if sized by ICE? 

* Is the city tracking what happens to people HPD hands over to ICE? Given the clear human rights implications of how ICE is operating, the City of Houston should be certain it is not contributing to unlawful conduct.

* If/When the Trump Administration moves forward with threats to civil liberties such as the suspension of habeas corpus, will HPD resources be used to assist Trump?

* When will Council Republicans advocate with federal Republican officeholders about budget cuts that impact Houston & how much longer will they be silent on the bigotry and cruelty we are seeing from the right? When will Council Democrats & Democratic Council candidates hold them accountable?

The six Council Republicans are Julian Ramirez, Willie Davis, Twila Carter, Amy Peck, Fred Flickinger & Mary Nan Huffman. Use the resources below to contact them and demand they do much better. 

​Public comment time at Houston City Council is each Tuesday at 2 PM. Here is how you can speak at Council and here is how to contact your councilmember.  The earlier before the session you sign up, the higher up on the speaker's list you'll be. The agenda session to conduct Council business is each Wednesday at 9 AM. The agenda is posted in advance. Council can be watched live on HTV Houston Television and the most recent session is available at any time on the HTV feed on Facebook. Here is the link to past sessions of Council. Here are maps of Council districts so you can see who represents you. 
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​I'm on the Egberto Willies Politics Done Right Show every Thursday from 6 AM to 7 AM for the Houston Democracy Project segment. You can hear the show on the radio, stream it on KPFT or watch later Egberto's YouTube channel.​​

Here is a fundraising pitch for the Houston Democracy Project. I'm doing the work and showing up in many different ways.  Please help the effort. ​​​​​​​

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