Speaking At Hou. City Council On 7/7 About Policing Of Protest-You Can Speak At Council Also

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I’m signed up to speak at public comment time at Houston City Council on Tuesday, July 7.

You can speak at Houston City Council as well.
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Here are some of the points I’ll make:

1. Mayor Whitmire makes clear he’ll give HPD the overtime $ they want without serious review.

2. I’ve heard the Mayor 4 times cite “protest” as a reason for some of the overtime.

3. We would have less to protest if the six Republicans on Houston City Council & the police and fire unions, would stop supporting white supremacists and authoritarians for public office.

4. The Texas Republican State Convention recently held in Houston was a dangerous gathering of extremists. That the 2028 Republican National Convention is in Houston is a clear public safety threat.

5. The police union endorses the elected officials we protest, then get the overtime $ from the frequent over-policing of protest. What a racket.

6. All the protests have been peaceful. Yet we seem to have handed over many Houston streets to red light-runners, street racers and bullies. Police resources would be better assigned to lawbreakers than to protestors. HPD should do better at assessing actual public safety threats.

7. The far-right police union is the biggest bunch of paid agitators in town. They should be ignored. The recent solid ballot box defeats of police union-backed Dwight Boykins and Nick Hellyar show that they can be tuned out.

8. The people Mayor Whitmire has unlimited $ to police are basically rank & file Democrats. That’s who organizes the various weekly protests on highway overpasses and at busy intersections. That is who the bulk of the attendees at No Kings are. It’s fine that others who attend local protests might not consider them self as such—But most do.

9. We should have Houston City Councilmembers who support our pro-democracy efforts. If you signed up to serve in public office during an authoritarian crisis, then you signed up to to for political, career and potentially physical risks. I know that in my peaceful protest, I have assumed a measure of physical risk. Many Houstonians have.

10. We deserve better than a Mayor who won’t fight for our freedom.

​11. The next action is when you organize it. The 1st Amendment is your permit. The only credential needed is your presence. Voting will not be enough. The work ahead is ours.

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