Out today: “We can’t and won’t let hate win.”
In my latest for #Austin
Free Press, the organizers of a popular #drag brunch are working to reschedule as soon as possible, in defiance of a bomb threat which shut down their event on Sunday.
Here's how the #LGBTQIA+ community reacted: https://austinfreepress.org/queens-gambit-performers-vow-to-return-after-bomb-threat-shutters-drag-queen-show/
#LGBTQ #Texas #extremism #Pride #news #homophobia #transphobia #PrideMonth
“The records that we have received demonstrate that senior TDA officials were well aware of the potentially unlawful nature of their policy.”
Last year, I broke the story about the #Texas Department of Agriculture's transphobic dress code for @TexasObserver. Now, I'm back with internal emails showing the turmoil it caused, especially in the nutrition department: https://www.texasobserver.org/sid-miller-transphobic-dress-code-emails/
#news #politics #USpol #transphobia #agriculture #LGBTQIA+ #trans #homophobia #WorkersRights
JFC
A #Texas woman has been charged w/attempted murder after she tried to drown a 3-yr-old girl in a swimming pool, police said, adding that they are recommending the incident be treated as a #HateCrime.
The TX Council on American-#Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest #Muslim #CivilRights grp, identified the girl as a Muslim of #Palestinian origin & the woman as a #White American….
#law #racism #WhiteSupremacy #WhiteChristianNationalism
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/06/24/texas-drowning-child-euless/
#Texas #abortion ban linked to 13% increase in infant and newborn deaths
“This might foreshadow what is happening in other states,” said Johns Hopkins public health researcher Alison Gemmill. “Texas is basically a year ahead.”
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/texas-abortion-ban-linked-rise-infant-newborn-deaths-rcna158375
Everything the Texas Observer accomplished over the last year was made possible through the generosity and support of our community!
Safeguard the future of independent, investigative journalism in #Texas by making a gift today. With your help, we can reach our goal of raising $10K in 10 days. https://texasobserver.fundjournalism.org/give/?campaign=701UQ00000AErl4YAD
#news #journalism #nonprofit #TexasNeedsAnObserver
Introducing the July/August 2024 issue of Texas Observer magazine.
Visit https://texasobserver.org/editors-letter-introducing-our-july-august-issue/ for a special preview from @gusbova
In the past, I've written a lot about the media at large's "institutional amnesia" when it comes to covering the greater fascist project in America; the short version is that while you can mostly rely on the media to report top-down fascist fuckery, like say attempts to criminalize librarians as part of a white supremacist, queer-phobic book ban crusade, you can't really rely on corporate media to give those stories the impact-based attention they deserve - or to follow up on the outcomes of this fascist fuckery.
As such, you can certainly imagine my surprise when I found this NBC article examining one cop's quest to arrest three librarians in Texas for the high crime of, um, stocking Nobel Prize laureate Toni Morrison's “The Bluest Eye,” among other books two local fascists and cracker murderpig Scott London found objectionable.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/school-librarians-banned-books-investigation-texas-rcna161444
Inside the two-year fight to bring charges against school librarians in Granbury, Texas
"London’s investigative file offers the most detailed and visceral picture to date of an attempt to prosecute librarians amid the nationwide campaign by conservatives to restrict children’s access to books depicting sex and LGBTQ people."
The thrust of this story is about how a cop's two year quest to find a way to charge three librarians with felonies is an assault on free speech rights, and designed to have a chilling effect on speech and access to reading materials cracker revanchists in our society find objectionable; specifically books that talk about sex, sexual assault, white supremacy, and the mere existence of LGBTQ people. The lengths this cracker murderpig went to persecute these librarians is truly extraordinary; including attempting to intimidate the librarians during in person interviews at the school, buying his own copies of the books to photograph passages he found objectionable, unlawfully obtaining information about students who checked the books out, and attempting to upgrade the charges he tried to file to felonies by arguing that students restocking the books on shelves meant that adults were using minors in the commission of a crime. While London was unable to convince the DA to actually file felony charges against the librarians, his crusade did serve its secondary purpose of intimidating educators who've lived for two years in fear of criminal prosecution for stocking books fascist don't like, including one librarian who simply left the district after the investigation was launched.
While that's all certainly ominous, if not outright terrifying, I think the information NBC left largely in the subtext here for the reader to infer on their own, is actually the most frightening aspect of this story; so let's touch on that briefly.
First of all the genesis for the persecution of these librarians originates in nation-wide attempts by fascist Republican officials to ban books and criminalize educations for making them available to students, starting in 2022. This in turn lead school officials in deep red states (in this case Granbury Superintendent Jeremy Glenn) to take action:
"Granbury’s battle over school library books began in early 2022. That January, Glenn, Granbury’s superintendent, directed librarians to remove books that contained descriptions of sex and LGBTQ storylines, according to a secret recording obtained by NBC News, ProPublica and The Texas Tribune. The district later appointed a panel of community volunteers to review dozens of books that a Republican state legislator had flagged as inappropriate."
Deciding that this didn't go far enough, two "conservative Christian parents who served on the review committee — a homeschooling mother named Monica Brown and Karen Lowery" took their complaints to chief deputy constable Scott London, who apparently convinced them to file charges against the librarian (although he claims the decision was unsolicited.)
So just who the fuck is Scott London? If you guessed a literal fascist murderpig with an eye on political advancement, you win the grand prize:
"London, who has ties to the anti-government constitutional sheriff’s movement and tried to launch a local chapter of the far-right Oath Keepers militia in 2020, did not respond to questions."
"After investigating for more than a year, in July 2023, London submitted the case file to Sinclair, the district attorney. By then, London had launched a campaign for Hood County sheriff — an election he would ultimately lose."
In other words folks, this was all the fascist political machine in America working perfectly to design. Fascist politicians identified a target, a fascist school official set the stage, fascist busybodies in the community brought in the cops, and a fascist murderpig executed the campaign to intimidate and attempt to criminalize three librarians for doing their jobs in a way none of these fascists liked. The only thing these nazis were missing is a DA willing to prosecute; this time.
#Veterans in #Texas, check out @bwforg's #GotYour6 network partner, @Mil_FANet. They're committed to uplifting veterans, active-duty military, and their families. Explore their services: https://www.mfan.org/ #GotYour6
Why were activists arrested at Austin Pride 2024?
I made a short video update about what happened last night. I'll have more soon as I continue to investigate..
https://youtu.be/ATIxsD157Js
#AustinPride #LGBTQ #Police #news #LGBTQIA+ #Palestine #Pride #Austin #Texas #activism
#Uvalde Police Failed to Turn Over All Body Camera Footage From Robb Elementary Shooting, Department Says
==
After an officer noticed that part of his bodycam footage was absent from a recently released trove of records, an audit found “several additional videos” that were not included.
It’s unclear if prosecutors previously had access to this video.
#News #Texas #Police #Government #Schools #Students #Crime
https://www.propublica.org/article/uvalde-police-failed-turn-over-body-camera-video-robb-elementary
“They don’t want to be seen with you in public. They don’t want to be on the record as sympathizing with any of your positions because they’re afraid that it will be used against them.”
Out today, from me, in LGBTQ Nation: Dallas-area town Frisco, #Texas supported #Pride ... but only when it was politically convenient. Now they're changing the rules to avoid honoring their #LGBTQIA+ community.
https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2024/08/a-texas-town-killed-off-its-diversity-committee-after-proud-boys-marched-against-it/
#NorthTexas #politics #homophobia #extremism #USpol #news #DEI #diversity
Griffin:
Exclusive: Data obtained by NBC News indicates that #Texas Republican #GregAbbott did not send a single bus of migrants out of the state in July — an indication of the progress the Biden-Harris admin has made at the border — despite his vow at the RNC just last month to keep sending buses. https://www.nbcnews.com/investigations/abbott-sent-no-migrant-buses-texas-north-july-rcna167746
Ken Paxton’s vote suppression goon squad raided an 87-year-old Latina who “said that the officers told her they came because she had filled out a report saying that older residents were not getting mail ballots. “Yes, I did,” she told them. For 35 years, Ms. Martinez has been a member of LULAC, the civil rights group, helping Latino residents stay engaged in politics.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/25/us/texas-latinos-democrats-raids-paxton.html
#fascism #whitesupremacy #Election2024 #texas #paxton #votersuppression
SCOOP from Reporting Fellow Francesca D'Annunzio: Texas Department of Public Safety is committing to a five year, $5.3 million contract for Tangles, an AI #surveillance tool that can track cell phones without a court order. (🧵 1/2) https://www.texasobserver.org/texas-dps-surveillance-tangle-cobwebs/
#Texas #politics #USpol #news #police #tech #privacy #HumanRights #activism #AI
#Voters in #Texas, you can check your registration at:
https://teamrv-mvp.sos.texas.gov/MVP/mvp.do
Or your local county election office site. Don't wait until it is too late. Don't assume you haven't been dropped. #vote
“This is very confusing. We’re going to take responsibility, but we’re not responsible. We’re going to punish a couple people, but we’re not going to punish them.”
Director Steve McCraw reinstated a #Texas ranger he’d fired over the response to the Robb Elementary shooting. The ranger’s appeal could have brought scrutiny on his agency. https://www.texasobserver.org/dps-mccraw-transparency-uvalde/
#news #police #Uvalde #GunViolence #politics #USpol #transparency
“I am part of the queer community and the queer rights movement. I am an anti-fascist; I’m not neutral about fascism. I’m not neutral about genocide. I’m not neutral about the environment, and many other topics.”
I'm so excited to share this: a profile of my career is out today in the Columbia Journalism Review! I've been waiting to share this for months, and I'm thrilled with how it turned out. https://www.cjr.org/the_profile/kit-oconnell-austin-movement-journalism.php
NEW: Officials in Travis County, #Texas sue state Attorney General Ken Paxton (R), alleging his office violated the National Voter Registration Act in its attempt to block the county’s voter registration efforts. https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/travis-county-sues-texas-ag-for-thwarting-voter-registration-efforts/
