The Texas Senate voted today to allow disgraceful Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to remain in office rather than impeaching him.

Above you see Greg Abbott's statement about Paxton. They are getting right back to bad actions. 

Much of the focus about the vote has been about various factions of the Texas Republican Party.  

But who cares? The Texas legislative session earlier this year was cruel and awful. There is not a decent or thoughtful faction in the Texas Republican Party.

It's good to have the clarity the impeachment verdict today provides.  

We are being told out loud there are no standards in Texas other than Republican power. We have an unaccountable thug as the top law enforcement officer in Texas, while at the same time Republicans in Texas and the nation support Donald Trump's return to the White House.

We must vote. 

We must also understand that the Republican Party does not respect democracy. 

There is not some reasonable process and procedure of government going on in Austin. There is a drive toward authoritarian power.  

We must vote, organize, be ready to protest and be aware of our physical safety in this political environment.  

The Houston Democracy Project is working everyday to make protection and expansion of democracy a top issue in 2023 Houston city politics & to inspire, organize and strengthen pro-democracy coalitions in Houston.  

Protecting democracy is the central issue in Houston and Harris County politics. We've lost our Houston elected school board in what just 60 years ago was a Jim Crow city. Local Republican voters, candidates and officials are strongly aligned with the authoritarian and vengeful plans of Donald Trump and the Republican Party. We must be ready to respond, organize and protect ourselves.  

Please share word of the Project and support the effort with your donation.

The Houston Democracy Project was at the Houston Tejano Democrats municipal candidate endorsement meeting this evening.  

They had a good crowd and it was a lively session. There were many strong rank & file democracy advocates ready to insist that candidates and elected officials fight for us as we confront rising authoritarianism locally and across the nation. 

The Houston Democracy Project is out every day (And on the phone or the Zoom call from home!), making the case for democracy as a top issue in '23 Houston city politics. I had conversations tonight & advocated for a few City of Houston candidates who have made protection of democracy an issue in their campaigns.    

Please support the Project as we work together to inspire, organize and strengthen pro-democracy coalitions in Houston and Harris County.   

There is a great deal lot of trouble ahead. We must face the reality of our situation & find our way to each other while there is still time. 

I've been reading Let The Record show: A Political History Of Act Up New York, 1987-1993.

I made a post here recently about some ideas in the book.

​A concept explored in the book is acceptance of distressing facts. Here is what author Sarah Schulman writes:

"Acceptance is an essential part of effective political action. It doesn't mean defeat, withdrawal or diminishment, but rather a necessary recognition of conditions as they actually are, so as to better address them.......Here we see how Act Up's reality-driven culture.....The necessarily radical, non punitive and lifesaving approach to the problem of HIV  transmission through sharing needles relied on Act Up'ers lived experiences of narcotics and illegal drug use, developed in the context of realistically facing, without judgment or idealism, the mass death experience that was every day in the lives of AIDS activists."

The acceptance of a harsh reality is essential to our fight for democracy in Houston and Harris County, in Texas and across the nation.

If you'd told me 30 years ago, when I was in my 20's, that in 2023 Roe would be gone, the Voting Rights Act mostly gone, that we had messed up the weather and we'd be fighting for free elections--I'd not have been happy.

But these are the facts that we must grasp are real.

We see open defiance of the Supreme Court by the State of Alabama regarding what is left of the Voting Rights Act & the increasing likelihood of an impeachment effort against a newly elected Democratic Wisconsin State Supreme Court Justice by a far-right gerrymandered Wisconsin legislature.  

Law enforcement unions are moving further and further to the right. They are looking to bypass multi-racial democracy in cities and counties to appeal to authoritarian state governments.      

There is no reason to trust that the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives would accept Joe Biden winning re-election next year or that the Texas legislature would certify a Ted Cruz defeat.

A large majority of Republican voters don't accept the 2020 election outcome as legitimate and Republican frontrunner for President, Donald Trump, is open and clear about his second term plans of dismantling the Federal Government and vengeance against opponents.       

Locally, we've lost our Houston elected school board in what just 60 years ago was a Jim Crow city & Harris County Republicans are still in court trying to undo 2022 election results.

I don't believe we've been defeated or that we can't turn events around. The Houston Democracy Project is an act of optimism.   

But we must accept where we are and act with the urgency required to protect ourselves and to save our futures. This involves voting, insisting that the Democrats we vote for are willing to fight for us, understanding that we may need to be on the streets and having confidence in ourselves that we can impact and make better the course of events.

The Houston Democracy Project is working everyday 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 donation.

The Houston Democracy Project was at the quarterly Harris County Democratic Party precinct chair meeting this evening. 

They had a good crowd as you see in the picture. Lot's of strong rank & file democracy advocates ready to insist that candidates and elected officials are willing to fight for us.  

The Houston Democracy Project is out every day (And on the phone or the Zoom call from home!), making the case for democracy as a top issue in '23 Houston city politics. I had plenty of conversations tonight, made my case for democracy as a top issue in our politics and took in the scene.    

Please support the Project as we all work together to inspire, organize and strengthen pro-democracy coalitions in Houston and Harris County.   

There is a lot of trouble ahead and we need to find our way to each other while there is still time. 

he Houston Democracy Project tries to keep it local. The fight over the construction of Cop City in Atlanta and the State of Georgia charges resulting from that fight are a matter of both national and local importance.

The charges point towards a criminalization for organizing for justice and freedom. 

Cop City is a giant police training camp planned for construction in Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia. The legal fights over the place are not just between organizers and the Republican-run State of Georgia. Democratic-run City of Atlanta is refusing to verify signatures that would force a referendum on Cop City.
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​The issue with the Cop City indictments and the refusal of City of Atlanta to certify the signatures is deeper even than organizing for social justice. It strikes right to heart of the fight for democracy. It is not difficult to imagine charges meant to criminalize dissent and the expression of dissent, after the overturning of an election or the exclusion of votes in a close election.     

A Houston-based organization that has grasped the connection of the Cop City issue to organizing in Houston and elsewhere is West Street Recovery. They issued a statement about the indictments that is copied in full below.

Here is the mission statement of WSR: 

"West Street Recovery’s mission is to connect communities to the resources that they need to not only rebuild after climate disasters such as Hurricane Harvey, but to build communities that are resilient,  secure and stronger than before." 

There is a lot of denial about where we are in our politics today.  The right has an anti-democratic gun to our heads. West Street Recovery was right to speak up. Other social justice/human rights-orientated non-profits, and elected officials as well, should do the same.    

Here is the statement from West Street Recovery: 

"This week prosecutors in Georgia indicted 61 organizers and activists on Racketeering and Conspiracy charges related to the resistance to the construction of a massive police tactical training center known as “cop city.”  For WSR, and for any individual or organization engaged in social justice work, the action by the state of Georgia is gravely concerning. The indictment, which you can and should read in full here, describes the Defend Atlanta Forest group as “Anarchists, Community Organizers and Eco Activists.” It explains that the group promotes “mutual aid, collectivism and social solidarity.”  The indictment is an attempt to criminalize dissent and organizing. It is also designed to intimidate non profits and non profit workers who support movements for police accountability and environmental justice.

As an organization we enthusiastically and steadfastly promote “mutual aid, collectivism and social solidarity.” These beliefs and the practices that are inspired by them are essential components of any movement towards liberation. In fact, these beliefs are at the root of community and society itself. Although WSR’s staff volunteers and community members are  ideologically diverse, many members of us could be described with the terms used in the indictment: “anarchist, eco activists” -- and all of us (and we hope many of you reading this) are “community organizers.” Framing these identities, beliefs and practices as part of a criminal enterprise is intentional and is designed to create fear among people like us who work every day to enact a more just, equitable and peaceful world.

It is notable that the indictment says that the conspiracy began May 25, 2020, the day George Floyd was murdered by Police in Minneapolis. This choice by prosecutors makes it clear that ending organized resistance to police violence is a key goal of the prosecution. Because authorities understand how social movements work they have targeted the logistical, financial and communications support that makes protest effective and sustainable. All movements for justice require this kind of support. Montgomery bus boycotters were provided carpools and mechanical repairs for community drivers by churches and civil rights leaders. LGBTQ+ people with AIDS were provided hospice care by nuns and queer nurses alike when governments refused to acknowledge that the virus existed. And, during the 2020 Black Liberation Uprising protesters were provided legal support, bail assistance and street medic care.  Because we believe in a world rooted in justice and equality, and because we believe radical shifts in material distribution, power relations, and connection with our environment are needed to achieve a just world, WSR will continue to support the movements and coalitions, like those in Atlanta, that are working tirelessly towards that goal. 

WSR stands in solidarity with the resistance to Cop City. We stand in opposition to an indictment that seeks to criminalize mutual aid work and educational work intended to create a more just future. And, finally, we call on anyone reading this to continue doing the mutual aid work, community organizing work and collective action that has always been the engine for equality, justice and peace." 

Houston City Council At-large #1 candidate Conchita Reyes has added democracy to her campaign website after discussion with the Houston Democracy Project.

Ms. Reyes' words well-reflect her pre-exisiting commitment to freedom for all.

(Picture above is Ms. Reyes at a recent community forum.)

Here is what Ms. Reyes' says on the front page of her campaign website:

"As a strong advocate for democracy, I am committed to upholding its principles and working tirelessly to represent the interests and aspirations of the people I serve. I firmly believe in the power of democracy as the cornerstone of our society, ensuring that every voice is heard and valued.

Democracy empowers us to shape our collective future, fostering inclusivity, diversity and collaboration."

Ms. Reyes is the fourth Houston '23 municipal candidate so far to add protection and support of democracy to their campaign websites after talking with the Houston Democracy Project. The other three are 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 also has strong pro-democracy language on their campaign website.

The Houston Democracy Project is working everyday to make protection and expansion of democracy a top issue in 2023 Houston city politics & to inspire, organize and strengthen pro-democracy coalitions in Houston.

Protecting democracy is a big issue in Houston city politics. We've lost our elected school board in what just 60 years ago was a Jim Crow city. Local Republican voters, candidates and officials are strongly aligned with the authoritarian vision of Donald Trump and the Republican Party. We need to be ready to respond, organize and protect ourselves.

Please share word of the Project and support the effort with your donation.

The Houston Democracy Project was at the Houston candidate endorsement meeting of the Houston Black American Democrats today.

It was a well-attended event as you see in the picture.

The Houston Democracy Project is out across the city each day (Or on the phone from home!), making the case for democracy as a top issue in '23 Houston city politics. I had plenty of conversations at the HBAD meeting and took in the scene. 

Please support the Project as we all work together to inspire, organize and strengthen pro-democracy coalitions in Houston and Harris County.   

There is a lot of trouble ahead and we need to find our way to each other while there is still time.  

In addition working everyday for democracy, the Houston Democracy Project likes to take pictures. 

Above is a recent picture I took of Houston. 

Everyday life is fun, hopeful and interesting.  

Some of these pictures are on the front page of the Project. Check out the pictures and read the text as well! 

There is a full selection of my pictures on the Pictures I Have Taken section of the Houston Democracy Project. 

Give it a look & share it around. 

The Houston Democracy Project works everyday to make protection of democracy a top issue in 2023 Houston city elections & to inspire, organize and strengthen pro-democracy coalitions in Houston.    

Here is an account of the first four successful months of the Project.   

Come for the pictures and stay for the freedom. Or the other way around.

​And please contribute to the Project before you go. Your support allows me to be a strong pro-democracy voice in Houston and Harris County.