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​*Today is Veterans Day. 

Will there be parades in the future for the veterans who helped conduct mass deportations?

​Donald Trump says he'll use the Alien Enemies Act from 1798 to help round-up immigrants.   

Today Trump appointed Stephen Miller to be his deputy chief of staff.   

From CNN:

"Miller is also a lead architect of Trump’s plans for mass deportation of undocumented immigrants. He has said that a second Trump administration would seek a tenfold increase in the number of deportations to more than one million per year."

Many Americans support putting migrants scheduled to be deported in militarized camps.  

From Axios:

By the numbers: 50% of Americans surveyed oppose setting up encampments for undocumented immigrants, while 47% favor the idea, according to the annual survey from the nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI), in partnership with the Brookings Institution.

Nearly 79% of Republicans favor putting undocumented immigrants in encampments, compared with 47% of independents and 22% of Democrats.

The vast majority of Americans who most trust far-right news (91%) or Fox News (82%) favor militarized encampments for undocumented immigrants, compared with 44% of Americans who do not watch TV news.

Concerns about the uses of the military under Trump go beyond the prospect of deportations.

Military officials are concerned Trump will use the military against domestic protestors.     

Will future Veterans Day observations honor veterans of attacks on the civil liberties of Americans? 

It's not militarism or forgetting full American history to say there are proud traditions of service and sacrifice in our nation.

How have we so completely lost our way?     

*My father-Corporal Anthony S. Aquino of Providence, R.I.-was a Korean War combat medic.

Above is a picture of the Korean War Memorial I took in Washington, D.C. this past July.

Trump often says good things about the North Korean dictator Kim Jung Un.

North Korean troops are fighting on the side of Russia in the war with Ukraine. Russia's President, Vladimir Putin, is one of new co-presidents here in the United States along with Elon Musk.

This coddling up to the murderous North Korean dictator spits on the service of my father, and on the service of everyone who fought the Nazis and the confederacy.              

This is no surprise from someone who called our troops "suckers and losers." 

How have we so completely lost our way? 

Here is a fundraising pitch for Houston Democracy Project. I'm doing the work and showing up in many different ways.  Please help the effort. 
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The Houston Democracy Project works daily to inspire, organize and strengthen pro-democracy coalitions in Houston and Harris County.

Here are Houston Democracy Project notes & observations for November 8th. Today's theme is sticking up for public space. 

*There is a giant real estate development going on along Allen Parkway and near Buffalo Bayou.   

From the Houston Chronicle:

"Perched above Buffalo Bayou, a 13-acre mixed-use project is gradually helping to reshape the retail real estate landscape along Allen Parkway in Montrose....Autry Park has opened in stages since 2022 — a handful of restaurants and shops and two apartment buildings are already open — but will soon come to life in a way it hasn’t yet before. The project is welcoming a string of retailers and restaurants over the next several months, plus an additional 38-story apartment tower by next summer. The development takes its name from the small city park it surrounds..."

That's all fine. Whatever. But the small city park referenced in the story and that gave the development it's name, has not benefited from all this investment. Above you see a picture of Autry Park I took yesterday. The grass is patchy, there are a couple of picnic tables, an ill-defined walking trail, a garbage can and not much else.

​In proximity to such wealth and investment, can't the developers offer up a few bucks to plant some nice flowers, add some amenities and just in general show some appreciation for a community resource they are profiting off?  

Next week I'll write an e-mail to the District Councilmember-I think it may be Mary Nan Huffman-and the five at-large Councilmembers, as well as to the developer & ask for Autry Park get some needed attention.  I'll make updates here if I can get any response.          

*The sidewalk ordinance revision process is ongoing.  

This is a matter for the Houston Democracy Project because Mayor Whitmire recently gutted the sidewalk ordinance with a memo rather than by a vote of Council. No democracy involved. 

Three Councilmembers--Tiffany Thomas, Carolyn Evans-Shabazz & Ed Pollard--sought to change a provision in the law that requires developers to either build a sidewalk, or pay a fee to a city sidewalk construction fund when building a new house. They didn't have the votes for this bad idea. Instead, Mayor Whitmire worked it out for them by simply writing a memo allowing exemptions from the requirement to either build the sidewalk or pay up. Not very democratic at all.

It really should be called The Gutting The Fee Ordinance.    

Beyond the shifty anti-democratic way Mayor Whitmire watered-down the ordinance, this issue is a matter of democracy because sidewalks are an important place where people meet up and connect. Sidewalks are such an important place for protest, that Mayor Whitmire unsuccessfully tried in August to restrict the rights of Houstonians to protest on the sidewalk.      ​

The Houston Planning Department has been taking public comments on the Gutting The Fee Ordinance.  Most all the comments oppose the changes.   

Here is a fine comment from a Houstonian-- 

"Houston urgently needs more safe and continuous sidewalks. By expanding exemption criteria, we risk widening the existing gaps in our sidewalk network, which compromises public safety, discourages walkability, and hinders connectivity between neighborhoods. Sidewalks are not merely infrastructure; they are essential pathways for pedestrians of all ages, including those with disabilities, parents with strollers, and individuals without access to cars. Moreover, this ordinance revision appears to shift responsibility away from developers and onto the community, which will ultimately bear the cost of missing sidewalks. Rather than expanding exemptions, I urge you to consider a complete removal of exemption criteria to ensure that all new developments contribute to a safe, accessible, and connected Houston for everyone. Modeling all of Houston after select neighborhoods that already prohibit sidewalks is regressive and archaic. Say goodbye to your trick-or-treaters!"
 
Here are the remaining steps in the process:

​November 14: Planning Commission public hearing
December 2: Quality of Life Council Committee meeting
December 11: City Council meeting

Here is the Planning Department website about the ordinance.  

Take part in the process if sails your ship to do so. Here is how you can speak at Council and here is how to contact your councilmember.

Today's post has been about parks, sidewalks & about public and private obligations to protect and improve public space. So much of Houston is uninhabitable from heat, stray dogs, aggressive driving, poor streets and bad or non-existent sidewalks. When we stick up for public space, we stick up for better lives for ourselves. We stick up for the healthy public sphere that strengthens faith in openness and democracy.       

Here is a fundraising pitch for Houston Democracy Project. I'm doing the work and showing up in many different ways.  Please help the effort. 
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The Houston Democracy Project works daily to inspire, organize and strengthen pro-democracy coalitions in Houston and Harris County.

Here are Houston Democracy Project notes & observations for November 7th. I'm still processing the election. You may be doing the same if you can bring yourself to do so.   

*There will not be pink hats ( I did not make light of the pink hats back at the time and still don't. Women wearing those hats did a lot of work against Trump.) or suggestions to read Hillbilly Elegy this time. (I was always dubious about that book.) There will be a hardness and awareness that comes from the clarity of the choice made at the ballot box, full responsibility to those who made those that choice and frank discussions of self-defense.   

We don’t owe allegiance to institutions or standard ways of doing things that can’t deliver results or keep us safe. Trump & the right are aligned with Musk and a global authoritarian movement. We're in a fight for our freedom. Trump is returning to the White House after having inspired and encouraged an insurrection attempt on January 6th, 2021. How was this allowed to happen? 

​Our Texas/local Democratic Party political and consultant class is not getting the job done. We’ve been at war with Trump for nine years & we see the absence of results in Texas and the significant backsliding in Harris County.

So much money and volunteer effort expended over recent years. These resources must be more successfully employed. Where does all the money go? It's all just extracted from donors-many of them small donors- &  leaves nothing permanent for the next campaign. And we don't win. We don't win and we aren't safe.

There won't be pink hats and Hillbilly Elegy this time. We'll fight as required and demand that the political structures that exist off us fully join the fight.     

*For anybody who needs to hear it--You don't need to seek unity or understanding with Trump supporters in your life. It's your business how you mange them. But you don't need to not let politics come between you and them & you don't have to sit at a Thanksgiving table with them. Trumpism will always be cultish and cruel. It's not looking to make peace with you.   

Here is a fundraising pitch for Houston Democracy Project. I'm doing the work and showing up in many different ways.  Please help the effort. 
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The Houston Democracy Project works daily to inspire, organize and strengthen pro-democracy coalitions in Houston and Harris County.

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Here are some first local observations from yesterday's election:

1. It's good Sean Teare held on to be elected District Attorney. With Ken Paxton as Texas AG and a Trump Justice Department, at least there will somebody with the authority to charge people for crimes who is not a right wing extremist.  

2. I've lived in Houston for 26 years. Right from when I got here I was told demographic shifts would be bringing statewide Democratic wins soon. This theory seems flawed.

3. Here is my post from two days ago about which Harris County Democratic candidates and elected officials were helpful in the recently completed campaign. Thank them should you see them and ask incumbents who didn't help where they were.

​4. With mass deportations and attacks on basic freedoms likely on the way, local law enforcement officers in Houston/ Harris County should be seen as extensions of Ken Paxton, Great Abbott & Donald Trump.     

5. John Whitmire is the wrong leader for Houston under Trump. I know that's not a genius observation. I don't think he is happy with Trump's election,-he is not that far to the right whatever I think of him-but he'll offer no inspiration or hope in what are going to be some very dark days. Trump's election makes a depressing Mayoral term even more depressing.

6. Members of Houston City Council have an obligation to show leadership in the days ahead. The Democrats at least. The six Republicans--WillIe Davis, Twila Carter, Julian Ramirez, Amy Peck, Mary Nan Huffman, Fred Flickinger--never said a word in opposition to Trump or objected to prospect of mass deportations. Carter, Ramirez and Flickinger took part in Republican campaign events. These six should be pressed as we go along as to what extremism they are on board with. 

The ten Democrats--Letitia Plummer, Sallie Alcorn, Abbie Kamin, Tarsha Jackson, Tiffany Thomas, Ed Pollard, Mario Castillo, Joaquin Martinez, Carolyn Evans-Shabazz & Martha Castex-Tatum--need to be present with so much trouble on the way. They signed up for positions of leadership and leadership is now very much required.    

Here is how you can speak at Council and here is how to contact your council member.
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7. The photo above is from this evening's Houston LGTQIA+ Political Caucus monthly meeting. The speaker was County Commissioner Leslie Briones. As you can imagine, there was discussion of the election. Nothing big to report. Some reassurance and acknowledgment of the severity of the circumstances.         

Here is a fundraising pitch for Houston Democracy Project. I'm doing the work and showing up in many different ways.  Please help the effort. 
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The Houston Democracy Project works daily to inspire, organize and strengthen pro-democracy coalitions in Houston and Harris County.

Here are Houston Democracy Project Blog Notes & Observations for November 4th. Election Day is tomorrow.

Election Day is tomorrow. Who are the elected officials and candidates who have shown up for us in the 2024 campaign?

One way to know is to look at the Harris County Democratic Party list of who has knocked doors in 2024.   

Texas House #150 candidate Brett Robinson is listed at 1185 doors knocked. That is 706 doors more than anyone else on the chart. Mr. Robinson has an uphill race. He's given that race all he has. Other legislative and Congressional candidates who have put in strong effort are TX. House #132 Chase West, TX. House #129 Doug Peterson, U.S. House #36 Dayna Steele, U.S. House #38 Melissa McDonough, TX. House #128 Chuck Crews & U.S. House #8 Laura Jones.   

This is just patriotic service to the nation and Texas from these candidates. All these candidates have challenging races and still they did the work.

Justice of the Peace Steve Duble is next with 479 doors. This merits notice because JP Duble is not on the ballot in '24. He showed up even though he did not have to take part. Judges Erika Ramirez, Leah Shapiro and Hilary Unger also knocked on many doors even though they are also not on the ballot. First class effort.   

The ten Democratic nominees for the Appellate Court seats have been working hard on the campaign trail. I've seen them at events, on social media & are on the door knocking list. Seven of the ten are the HCDP list for contributing in full or in part to the Victory Fund. This is the HCDP 's coordinated campaign effort for the full Harris County ticket. I don't know who of the ten have done more or less. But I want to acknowledge  Appellate Justice Meagan Hassan who I know strongly shares the view that all elected officials should be  active campaigners.             

Here are all the victory fund donors. Judges Jeralynn Manor, Kristen Hawkins & Fredericka Phillips are the only District Court incumbents who paid a full share. They did not have to pay up. But they did.

I've been told District Court Judge Michael Gomez has been helpful this year.     

Incumbent State Legislators who've been active/paid up are Representatives Christina Morales, Jon Rosenthal, Senfronia Thompson and Senator Molly Cook. Lauren Ashley Simmons who'll be elected on Tuesday to the Texas House has been a champion. Also active, in their ways, were Representatives Ann Johnson and Gene Wu.​

Countywide candidates Sean Teare, Annette Ramirez and sitting County Attorney Christian Menefee have been important parts of the Harris County Democratic campaign.       

My impression is that Lizzie Fletcher is the most helpful of the Congressional incumbents.

None of the ten Houston City Council Democrats have risen to the moment either in terms of informing the public of the risks of Republican electoral success in 2024, or in consistently being part of Campaign '24.          

This list is to best of my knowledge. I might well be leaving people out. I'm sure I am. I'm not inclined to praise of elected officials. They are rarely reliable allies. But we should extend credit where credit is due. If I missed someone, leave a comment or e-mail me at [email protected]

We have a right to expect our elected officials/elected employees will be part of protecting our freedom. Hold them to that standard. Election Day is here. There are many more fights ahead. We need all the help we can get.        

Please sign the Houston Democracy Project petition to make the pledge to show up for freedom in 2024 no matter what.

Here is a fundraising pitch for Houston Democracy Project. I'm doing the work and showing up in many different ways.  Please help the effort. 
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The Houston Democracy Project works daily to inspire, organize and strengthen pro-democracy coalitions in Houston and Harris County.

Here are Houston Democracy Project Blog Notes & Observations for November 3rd. Election Day is in 2 days on November 5th. Early Voting is over.

*Houston City Council last week voted to approve paying membership dues to the Houston Galveston Area Council despite last year's Proposition B vote. Proposition B directed the City of Houston to leave H-GAC if the city did not get representation on the panel equal to Houston's population. H-GAC has not  extended that representation to Houston. They are not considering doing so. Still, Council agreed to pay the dues. Prop. B passed with 65% of the vote 

Four members of Council did the right thing and voted to not pay the dues. Those Councilmembers were Tarsha Jackson, Abbie Kamin, Ed Pollard & Letitia Plummer.  Thanks to each of them for respecting the will of the voters. 

I hope advocates of Prop. B will sue the city to enforce the City Charter. This is the view Councilmember Pollard appeared to back in Council discussion of the issue. (Debate begins at the 2 Hour 9 minute mark of the HTV broadcast of last week's Council Agenda Session. At the 2 hour 52 minute mark, Mayor Whitmire makes clear his disdain for the Prop B vote. It's depressing and not surprising. The full Prop B. debate runs 50 minutes.)   

A few weeks back four Houston Councilmembers went out on a limb and proposed a city tax increase to help pay for storm damage recovery in Houston. Those Councilmembers were Sallie Alcorn, Mario Castillo, Joaquin Martinez and Letitia Plummer. They did not have to get out in front of that issue--But they did. 

Thanks to Councilmember Plummer for being on the right side of both Prop B. and evident need for more city revenue.  
           
Back in August, Council--for the moment at least--said no to Mayor Whitmire's anti-First Amendment ordinance that would essentially end the right of Houstonians to protest at the homes of elected officials or powerful individuals. No individual roll call vote was taken on the issue, but the votes were not there. 

It was clear in August that citizen input mattered in the sidewalk protest ordinance vote.  

I'm writing this two days before the General Election when so much is at stake. It's important we not lose sight of local democracy even as we fight for our national democracy. Authoritarianism will require a local infrastructure. Mass deportations and implementation of the goals of Project 2025 will require the acquiescence and support of local officials. 

We need local officials who will be brave and who will advocate for democracy. No matter the outcome of the national election, (And the outcome of the court cases and possible right wing violence after the election.) we must still confront an extremist right-wing Texas state government.

​Let's praise Councilmembers when they follow the right course even when it is difficult. Let's be willing to publicly hold them to account when they don't. No elected official is a reliable ally. They are people who have successfully navigated these systems that have taken us to the brink of Donald Trump's return to the White House. Watch them with a wary eye & don't allow them safe harbor in any coming storm. Demand they fight for us.   

Here is how you can speak at Council and here is how to contact your council member. 

*The John Cornyn Houston Office Protest will be out for Week 404 at the corner of Memorial & Detering tomorrow Tuesday, November 5th, 11:30 AM-1 PM, 5300 Memorial Dr. It's important people see others like themselves willing to stand openly and confidently for democracy.  The Protest will continue  past Election Day.  We cannot be bullied off the street by the aggression of the right.  Please join us.

Please sign the Houston Democracy Project petition to make the pledge to show up for freedom in 2024 no matter what.

Here is a fundraising pitch for Houston Democracy Project. I'm doing the work and showing up in many different ways.  Please help the effort. 
​
The Houston Democracy Project works daily to inspire, organize and strengthen pro-democracy coalitions in Houston and Harris County.

Here are Houston Democracy Project Blog Notes & Observations for November 2nd. Election Day is in 3 days on November 5th. Early Voting is over.

*Harris County & Texas Republicans never let up in trying to overturn our election results and disenfranchise our voters.   

Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson says federal election monitors can't enter Texas polling places. 

From The Texas Tribune: 

​Texas’ top elections official told the U.S. Department of Justice on Friday its election monitors aren’t permitted in the state's polling places after the federal agency announced plans to dispatch monitors to eight counties on Election Day to ensure compliance with federal voting rights laws....The Justice Department regularly sends monitors across the country to keep an eye out for potential voting rights violations during major elections. The agency said monitors would be on the ground in 86 jurisdictions in 27 states. The Texas counties are Atascosa, Bexar, Dallas, Frio, Harris, Hays, Palo Pinto and Waller counties.
 
Just like out of Jim Crow days, but right here in 2024.   

*A motley crew of Harris County Republicans are in court trying to kick thousands of Harris County voters off the rolls.

From KUHF:

A lawsuit filed by conservative activist and GOP megadonor Steven Hotze alleges the Harris County voter registration roll contains “tens of thousands” of ineligible voters....The lawsuit, filed just three days before early voting, in part seeks to remove ineligible voters from the registration roll. But under the details of a federal law, a 90 day deadline was already missed to remove those names ahead of the Nov. 5 election.

There are more details if you click the link. It's stupid. It's all part of endless efforts to overturn our votes. It most likely won't succeed. But they keep trying until they find the right court, the right judge.

*Far-right State Senator Paul Bettencourt is reminding everyone Texas can easily take over Harris County elections. Senator Bettencourt was mad Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez or his office or whoever had said inmates voting in Harris County jails could use an inmate wristband with a date of birth to vote. That was mistaken. It was not an attempt to rig the election or a reason to take control of Harris County elections.

Here are details on inmates voting in Harris County from the Texas Tribune. 

Here is part of what Bettencourt Tweeted out about this issue: "....I want to point out that Harris County is authorized to be placed under the oversight of the (Texas Secretary of State) due to the passage of my SB 1933...:      

Always threats. Always at the ready to take our democracy. You see it's the very same Texas Secretary of State saying that federal poll monitors can't go into Texas polling places who Senator Bettencourt makes clear to say can seize our election process. 
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(A recent survey of the voting preferences of inmates reported a strong majority support Trump.)  

We will win these fights. After we win, they'll try again. And we'll win again. And so on and so on until Texans and the nation choose a permanent course of freedom and equal rights for all.        
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Please sign the Houston Democracy Project petition to make the pledge to show up for freedom in 2024 no matter what.

Here is a fundraising pitch for Houston Democracy Project. I'm doing the work and showing up in many different ways.  Please help the effort. 
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The Houston Democracy Project works daily to inspire, organize and strengthen pro-democracy coalitions in Houston and Harris County.

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Here are Houston Democracy Project Blog Notes & Observations for November 1st. Election Day is in 4 days on November 5th. Early Voting ends today.

With Republicans making clear they will not accept election results, threats of mass deportations that many believe will involve American citizens and openly-stated plans to attack the constitution, we may  required to protest.

Here are rights of protestors from ACLU Texas.       

Here are protest rights for Texans along with a number of other resources from the Texas State Law Library.  

Here is the First Amendment of the Constitution--  

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; of the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

I've taken part in a lot of protests. I'm part of a group that protests at Senator Cornyn's Houston office each week. We've been out each Tuesday for 403 weeks. The police would have broken it up years ago except for the First Amendment. They tried at a few points to hassle us. Most protest does not require any type of permit. The First Amendment is your permit. We are certainly more peaceful and less threatening than John Cornyn who supports the authoritarian Trump. 

Last March, I attended a presentation of the Special Response Group (SRG) of the Houston Police Department. It was part of a know your local police type monthly meeting series. SRG are the officers that monitor and respond to protests.

The upshot of the talk in my view was that the SRG folks see protestors as a hassle, don't really care what you are protesting unless it's seen as anti-police, view protection of property at the least as important--quite possibly more so--as the safety of protestors & are mindful of the First Amendment to some degree.        

​The SRG website says this-- 

"The SRG is involved with all protests, demonstrations, rallies, and mass gatherings. They are equipped and prepared to handle any type of situation. The goal of the SRG is to be prepared for any situation and influence a peaceful ending."

Above is a slide from SRG from presentation. Protestors are people to call the police about, to coordinate with your security about, to not get into a fight with, to make certain you share all the information you have with police. They are by definition outsiders, troublemakers, reasons to call security.   
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Our rights and our futures are on the line. It's important to understand in advance that the police won't be our allies. They'll respect our rights to a degree. Every officer is an individual with his or own views. They are not inherently good or bad people. They'll follow orders. They'll in the end serve whoever they feel has the most power.  

It's important to recall that police unions often support authoritarians and election deniers. They make the conscious choice to do this. They could choose otherwise. 

Also noteworthy was the apathy of local Democrats over the unnecessary mass arrests at Houston's George Floyd protests & the willingness to look the other way nationally at abuses directed at pro-Palestinian protestors.

When you think it is someone other than you, it's you next. Our rights and freedom are up to each of us to protect.
     
Please sign the Houston Democracy Project petition to make the pledge to show up for freedom in 2024 no matter what.

Here is a fundraising pitch for Houston Democracy Project. I'm doing the work and showing up in many different ways.  Please help the effort. 
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The Houston Democracy Project works daily to inspire, organize and strengthen pro-democracy coalitions in Houston and Harris County.

Here are Houston Democracy Project Blog Notes & Observations for October 30th. Election Day is in 6 days on November 5th. Early Voting is ongoing and ends November 1st.

*The Trump campaign says it will withhold federal funds from police departments that don't cooperate with plans for mass deportations. 

From NBC News:

"As Donald Trump promises the largest mass deportation of undocumented immigrants in U.S. history if re-elected, his team is....considering withholding federal police grants from local law enforcement agencies that decline to take part in the deportations, three sources close to the Trump campaign told NBC News. .....So-called sanctuary cities, like Chicago, and states, like California, currently decline to alert ICE when they encounter or arrest undocumented immigrants.....Trump has vowed that if he returns to office, he will immediately begin rounding up undocumented immigrants across the country, starting with those who have criminal records or final orders of deportation...Before the Supreme Court ruled, Joe Biden won the 2020 election, took office and restarted the grant program for sanctuary cities. Trump campaign officials say they are confident that they can quickly get legal challenges to the Supreme Court and that the high court’s conservative supermajority will back them."

Two weeks ago I spoke at Houston City Council about how mass deportations are on the way and how Republicans on Council should make clear if they support the extremism of Trump's candidacy. It's important that Council knows what is going on so that later on they can't say they were not told. I told them. You can as well by speaking at Council or contacting you council member.   

It's also important to remember that police unions often support Trump and extremists. They know as well as anyone else what the Trump people are saying about so many subjects. There is no reason to be confident we would be in control of our local police with Abbott and Paxton running Texas & a Trump Justice Department in Washington.       

Houston City Council should be talking about what would be on the way if Trump returns to the White House & should be planning for the impact of mass deportations that would tear many Houston families apart. We as Houstonians must insist they have these conversations.   

*Six of the 16 Houston City Councilmembers were absent without explanation from public comment session yesterday. They were Willie Davis, Julian Ramirez, Twila Carter, Carolyn Evans-Shabazz, Abbie Kamin and Tiffany Thomas. For Kamin and Evans-Shabazz that is two of the last three weeks missed. For Councilmember Thomas that is three weeks straight.

There are plenty of acceptable reasons for to miss a Council session. But when they take the roll call at the beginning of the public comment session, no reason at all is given for absences. Speaking in-person to Council is a real effort. You have to figure out what you will say, get downtown, find a parking space and pay for that parking, wait your turn to speak and then get home. Brief remarks to Council take multiple hours of time. Houstonians should understand why they are not being heard by all Councilmembers when they make such an effort. This is especially so when so many rank & file volunteers are currently making phone calls and knocking doors to stop authoritarians from taking over  many other citizens of   Houston/Harris County are serving as election officials at the polls.    

Public comment is each Tuesday at 2 PM. The agenda business of Council is conducted each Wednesday at 9 AM. Here are details on how to sign up and about Houston City Council meetings. 

We must create a climate of accountability at Houston City Council. This climate will have to come from us. There is nobody else to do this work. With democracy on the line in Texas and that nation, we must make certain we are well and effectively represented at the levels of government closest to home.  

* I'll be on the Egberto Willies Politics Done Right Show tomorrow, 10/31. I'm on the show with Egberto each 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 on Egberto's YouTube channel.​​

Please sign the Houston Democracy Project petition to make the pledge to show up for freedom in 2024 no matter what.

Here is a fundraising pitch for Houston Democracy Project. I'm doing the work and showing up in many different ways.  Please help the effort. 
​
The Houston Democracy Project works daily to inspire, organize and strengthen pro-democracy coalitions in Houston and Harris County.
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