Speaking At East Houston Democrats-Protest & Electoral Work Both Essential

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​This past Thursday, 3/20, I spoke at the East Houston Democrats meeting. I was invited by club president Darius Provost-Evans. The club includes Democrats in Sheldon, Channelview & Galena Park.

​I would very much like to speak at your club/org meeting. I am informative and friendly. Please leave a comment or e-mail me at [email protected] 

Above is a picture of me speaking & a picture of some of the people at the meeting.

Here is what I said:

1. It’s an honor to be asked to speak to fellow rank & file Democrats. I really appreciate it. 

2. Both conventional politics and protest are essential. The lines between the two are blurring. The people running the country and running Texas currently do not see much difference between the two. The goal is to criminalize opposition. Increasingly, Harris County Democratic clubs are organizing and taking part in protest while still doing the electoral work. 

3. We have a right to a collective identity and power as active rank and file democracy advocates and Democrats, that is independent from official party structures, candidates and elected officials. The extensive No Kings organizing now in its 3rd round for March 28 & Harris County Democratic Precinct Chair admonishments of Kim Ogg, Shawn Thierry and John Whitmire are just some examples of this autonomy and power. Elected officials are our elected employees & we must show up for ourselves.

4. We give a lot of free labor to candidates. It's exploitive in many ways. Politics is a multi-billion dollar industry. Many campaigns extract resources like a strip mine. Primary candidates come and go like Christmas or Halloween pop up stores. Our need to live freely remains. You can decide if fighting over them is worth it when they will be gone so quickly.​

5. Opposing an authoritarian, white supremacist opponent is not going to be safe. We’ve to accept some measure of risk in our fight against the right.

6. The next action is when you organize it. The First Amendment is your permit. The only credential needed is your presence. Voting is not going to be enough. The work ahead is ours.

7. The current proposal about City of Houston cooperating with ICE involves:

• HPD won't be required to contact ICE for civil administrative warrants

* Traffic stops end when their lawful purpose ends — not when ICE arrives

* Transparency reports on HPD's contact with ICE

These are ideas that could also be pushed for Harris County itself, constable precincts & cities across the county.

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