He Picked the Wrong Chicano to Try to Scare With His Bullshit
While I was standing in line to vote, a white man turned around and started telling me that I was going to have to prove my citizenship, along with a
ICE’s Intelligence Expansion Is Coming to Houston. Who Will Be Watched?
Houston is among the cities included in ICE’s proposed expansion of its intelligence operations. Before anyone tells us that only undocumented immigrants need to worry, I have a few questions.
Why in the world would the next person call the police?
Deport the Witness, Protect the Criminal A government cannot credibly promise to protect Americans while frightening crime victims and witnesses away from the police. Trump’s approach to immigration enforcement creates
Whitmire is failing as Houston’s mayor.
This is John Whitmire’s third year as Mayor; he has quit blaming his predecessor for the problems, but he recently blamed the “Staff.” I guess I should be grateful that
November: City of Houston – last item on the ballot, one item, two subjects
My read: Proposition A has a strong public safety argument, especially on no-knock warrants, but the fixed 15-second rule and the risk of a state-law challenge deserve attention. Pros Cons
Will Chris Hollins run for Mayor of Houston?
I read an article suggesting that Chris Hollins may not run for mayor because he isn’t seriously raising money. Whitmire is not well liked; he is managing to alienate both
Is John Whitmire Balancing Houston’s Budget by Kicking Debt and Projects Down the Road? You Be the Judge.
Houston has a simple way to make today’s budget look healthier: delay the project, postpone the expense, and leave the next mayor and the next generation of taxpayers to deal
The Other Whitmire Knew What a Balanced Budget Was: Kathy Whitmire
Kathy Whitmire must have known John Whitmire well; she chose to endorse Sheila Jackson-Lee: Houston has had two Mayor Whitmires. One was a CPA who spent years fighting unbudgeted spending,
When Trump or Abbott Call, Do Whitmire and Diaz Quake in Fear?
I cannot prove that Houston Mayor John Whitmire or Police Chief Noe Diaz is afraid of Donald Trump or Greg Abbott. What I can do is show you what they
Did more money get us more police? You be the judge.
Houston is spending hundreds of millions more on police, but the number of officers has barely moved. The Chronicle calls today’s staffing a 20-year high. Look at the longer history,
Salt caverns: what you can’t see can hurt you:
Houston Is Already Sinking. Now Look at What Is Underneath Us. The worst-case scenarios involving Houston’s salt domes have happened before — just not here on a large scale. A
Whitmire Wants to Give Away the Goose for Eggs Houston Already Owns
Houston Mayor John Whitmire has found a way to make $50 million sound like free money. The problem is that a large part of the money already belongs to Houston,
Unable to solve Houston’s problems, Whitmire turns to AI for advice.
What John Whitmire Is Doing to Houston John Whitmire became mayor promising to fix Houston’s problems. But some of the biggest things his administration has done look less like fixing
Houston, Your Share of Mass Deportation: About $3,683 per taxpayer
Washington likes big numbers because big numbers are difficult to feel. Congress can spend $100 billion here and $200 billion there, and after a while the numbers become background noise.
ICE says DPS pointed the finger at a van with two Mexican-looking men, their crime being that they looked Mexican?
ICE Says DPS Gave Them the Tip. DPS Says It Didn’t. Somebody Has a Problem. Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was not the man ICE was looking for. He was a 52-year-old
HPD and ICE: What is HPD hiding?
The following is from the Houston Chronicle: Houston Police Chief Noe Diaz and his executive chief were no-shows Tuesday at a long-planned city council hearing to discuss the agency’s cooperation with
A Small Solar Panel Could Help Working Families Cut Their Electric Bills. So why is it still so hard to use?
A few months ago I wrote about Bright Saver, a nonprofit selling small plug-in solar systems designed for ordinary people. The idea is almost embarrassingly simple. You put a solar
When Turner Helped Create a $95,000 Job, Houston Went Crazy. Whitmire Created a $127,000 Job. Why the Difference?
Houston has seen this movie before. A mayor knows someone. A city job appears. The salary is unusually high. The position was not handled like an ordinary city job. Reporters
Houston, how accurate are Flock cameras? They have been found to be as inaccurate as 71%.
Houston has embraced Flock Safety’s artificial-intelligence license-plate cameras as another tool for fighting crime. Police can search the system for vehicles associated with suspects, stolen cars, and criminal investigations. The
When Fear of ICE Becomes a Public-Safety Problem
A new Texas Tribune story from San Antonio describes something that is becoming increasingly important across Texas: immigrants are changing the way they live because they fear that an ordinary