Local Democratic Club Leader Asks About Regular Protest-We Are Capable Of So Much In Difficult Days Ahead

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​Last week I had a phone call with someone long-active in Democratic club politics here in Harris County. This person is an officer in their local club. They told me that in addition to working on 2026 elections, some in the club want to begin a weekly or bi-weekly protest. We talked about what that might involve. 

The bottom line as always: The next action is when you organize it. The First Amendment is your permit.  The only credential needed is your presence. 

Voting is essential. But as people are seeing clearly--It is not going to be enough. 

I wrote recently about a man who has walked by the John Cornyn Houston Office Protest almost every week for at least five years, who only in the past two weeks has decided to join. 

There are more and more people getting involved in protest and in forming networks outside conventional politics. I see it anecdotally and I see more events listed all across the Houston-region. 

(Above-Photo by Lelia Navidi of the Minnesota Star-Tribune. The woman in the robe is also a journalist. She is Sam Stroozas of Minnesota Public Radio. )

The opposition to the federal occupation of Minnesota has clearly been an example and an inspiration. 

I've been following a group on Facebook called Twin Cities Geeks. It has a lot of local action and reaction to the ICE invasion. Sean Snow posts each day there and on his own page about ICE in the Minneapolis-area.Below is part of an update posted today, 2/16, by Mr. Snow: 

Today is Monday February 16, 2026, here’s what happened yesterday in Minnesota:

1. Executive Blackout and Defense of Anonymous Force: In a coordinated message on Face the Nation yesterday, Border Czar Tom Homan signaled that the federal presence in Minneapolis will be indefinite, opaque, and unaccountable. Homan again confirmed our earlier reported story that a "small force" will remain to "manage agitators" while explicitly defending the removal of name tapes and the use of masks to protect agents from "threats." With the ongoing government shutdown suspending congressional oversight visits, this official support for "secret police" tactics creates a dangerous "blackout" zone at the Whipple Building where executive enforcement can continue without legislative checks or identification.

2. Car Trouble Lure Trap Confirmed: In a disturbing revelation yesterday, the family of Jesus Flores in Columbia Heights shared security footage confirming that ICE agents staged a fake car breakdown to lure the father out of his home. The video shows agents pretending to have engine trouble in his driveway. When Flores came out to help, he was immediately detained, confirming that agents are using Good Samaritan impulses as tactical bait.

3. Guardian Exposes Psychological Siege and Sovereignty Violations: A harrowing report published yesterday by The Guardian detailed the dual reality of the federal occupation in the Phillips neighborhood. Agents are reportedly refusing to accept Tribal IDs, which are valid federal documents, effectively treating Indigenous residents as foreigners on their own land. This legal erasure has created a "psychological siege" for families, with parents describing de facto house arrest and children too terrified to play near windows, instead filming agents from behind curtains.

4. County Attorney Demands Evidence: Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty sent a formal demand letter to the DOJ and DHS yesterday, accusing federal agencies of stonewalling the investigation into the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good. Moriarty revealed that her office has been forced to investigate the fatal shootings "without federal assistance" because agents have refused to turn over body cam footage or ballistic evidence.

​This is solid rank & file work. It is being done everyday. Each of us are leaders in the difficult days ahead. We are capable of so much in the difficult days ahead. 

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