The team is joined by Allison Campolo, who is running for chair of the Tarrant County Democratic Party. She ran for the Texas Senate in 2017 and served as the former county chair from 2021 to 2023. She shares why she wants to get back in the saddle and updated plans on how to turn the county blue! Watch on YouTube.

BIG STORY: An interview with Allison Campolo

- DFW native Kendall Scudder is the Texas Democratic Chair

- Democrats Allred, Castro, O’Rourke, Talarico meet to discuss 2026 options

- Texas Dems To DC: We’re Not You

- Become a precinct chair

SHORT STORY #1: Trump wants cities to remove DEI programs. How will Fort Worth respond?

- Watch City Hall

- Fort Worth weighs DEI programs vs. $277M in federal money. What will it do?

- Fort Worth council debates DEI programs, delays vote

SHORT STORY #2: Dan Patrick wants Bo French Gone

- Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick: Bo French should resign as Tarrant GOP chair over ‘bigotry’

- Nate Schatzline exits race for Texas Senate after new candidate announces her run

SHORT STORY #3: SINIFI Grades House Members Alliance to Christian Nationalism: What does it mean?

- Review the full grades

WINS

- Fort Worth lights City Hall in rainbow colors for LGBTQ Pride Month

- Pictures from Trinity Pride

LOSS

- Fires: Cooper | Hulen Mall | Metal Recycling Business

- Echo Heights

- Fort Worth Community Arts Center

ACTIONS

- Speak at the Commissioner Court. July 1st

Join the 817 Gather Discord, and follow us on Instagram & TikTok.

Ann, EJ, and Wesley attended Bernie Sanders' Oligarchy Tour with some awesome 817 Gatherers. We give a full analysis of the event, but also what is to come! Watch on YouTube

Big Story: Bernie’s Fighting Oligarchy Tour at Dickies Arena

Short Story 1: Absences force cancellation of Tarrant County Commissioners Court meeting

Short Story 2: Fort Worth City Council weighs ending minority business incentive programs

Council to vote on suspending Fort Worth’s diversity and inclusion department

Short Story 3: Kelly Hancock, who represents Fort Worth, set to become next Texas comptroller

Wins: 

Trinity Metro approves 10-year, $324M contract extension for TEXRail, TRE rail operations

High-speed rail study will highlight economic impact for Fort Worth, Arlington

Fort Worth dives into options to create more publicly accessible pools for residents

Could a Latino cultural museum open in Fort Worth? A study underway explores the possibility.

Hundreds of Texans walk for Opal Lee at her annual Fort Worth Juneteenth celebration

More than $10M awarded for street improvements in 3 Tarrant County cities

Losses: 

Federal construction disputes push back Panther Island’s flood control project

Fort Worth is short $66.1M for street maintenance. What options could fill the gap?

Actions:

• Tuesday, July 1st at 10am, Tarrant County commissioners’ court meeting.
• Sign up to speak about the wasteful spending for the inevitable lawsuit over the racist gerrymandering map.

Join the 817 Gather Discord, and follow us on Instagram & TikTok.

Ann, EJ, and Wesley walk into the studio with a smile on their faces and hope in their hearts, after attending the No Kings Rally in Fort Worth and a weekend of community events. The trio discusses what's next after Mayor Parker's Gay Pride Proclamation, as Juneteenth is this week and Bernie Sanders is coming to town.

BIG STORY: Protesters in downtown Fort Worth declare US has ‘No Kings’

•  Turnout was great for Fort Worth. Easier 2-3 times more than last month.
• EJ’s speech
• March Dissent 

Short Story 1: Fort Worth mayor declares ‘Y’all means all’ with recognition for LGBTQ Pride month

Short Story 2: Fort Worth LGBTQ historical marker abandoned after letter from Tarrant County judge

• White House Pushes Texas to Redistrict, Hoping to Blunt Democratic Gains

Short Story 3: Texas lawmakers allocate $10M to support National Juneteenth Museum development

• Inaugural festival aims to make Fort Worth epicenter of Juneteenth celebrations

WINS, LOSSES, AND ACTIONS: 

Win

Wesley: SparkFest

EJ: Community

Ann: Momentum from city activism

Losses: 

Wesley and EJ: Echo Heights silencing at city council

Actions

EJ: Speak at the city council on June 17th at 6 PM

Wesley:  Vibefest Juneteenth Week Schedule

Ann: Sign up for Bernie Sanders

Join the 817 Gather Discord, and follow us on Instagram & TikTok.

Ann, EJ, and Wesley provide a comprehensive post-analysis of the June 3rd commissioners court meeting, where Judge Tim O'Hare, Commissioner Manny Ramirez, and Commissioner Matt Krause voted 3-2 to accept Map 7. Why Map 7? Where did Map 7 come from? How does this impact Fort Worth? Watch this episode to get a deep dive.

BIG STORY: Tarrant County commissioners vote 3-2 to redistrict, adopting a racially gerrymandered map

• They selected Map 7
• Citizens Map
• Lawsuit in place
• FW Council Meeting
• Tony Tinderholt

SHORT STORY #1: Mia Hall won District 6: What does it mean for the council

• Mia Hall wins her race as the first majority female council member in FW history

SHORT STORY #2: Tarrant Democratic Party Chair Resigns

• Crystal Gayden resigns as chair
• Former chair announces candidacy

SHORT STORY #3: Transportation Wins During Hard Times

• New Blue Line
• TRE still exists
• Heartland Flyer ends
• High Speed Rail 

WINS LOSSES ACTIONS

Ann's Win: LGBTQ PRIDE PROCLAMATION

Tuesday, June 10

6 PM CST
City Council Chambers 
100 Fort Worth Trl, Fort Worth, TX 76102

EJ Win: NO KINGS RALLY

Saturday, June 14
12 – 2 pm CST

Burk Burnett Park
501 W 7th StFort Worth, TX 76102

Wesley's Win: MORE ARTS FUNDING

The Texas Commission on the Arts received a significant increase of $5.7 million in its budget, totaling about $39.8 million to help fund arts organizations throughout the state.

Actions:

• Pride Proclamation - June 10th at 6pm at New City Hall
• SparkFest June 13-22
• Rally No Kings 
• Freedom Vibes: Juneteenth Celebration
• Get involved with the 817 Gather Community

Join the 817 Gather Discord, and follow us on Instagram & TikTok.

Ann and EJ have the privilege to be joined on air with former Commissioner of Precinct Two, Devan Allen. She is the youngest commissioner in county history. She was also the first black female to lead as a commissioner in Tarrant County and the 3rd female in the county's 100-year history to hold such an office. She was part of the court when the county underwent the redistricting process in 2020, during which the 3-2 Republican majority court voted 4-1 to maintain the existing maps. She also possesses a deep knowledge of the county's history.

BIG STORY: A Conversation with Former County Commissioner Devan Allen

• News maps
• Mayors Letter on Thursday Against Redistricting
• New Mayors Letter For Redistricting
• 2 mayors  backed out, standing against Tim O'Hare
• Judge O’Hare’s interview on TV interviews

SHORT STORY #1: Ann goes through a few state bills that impact Fort Worth

• People Veto
• The use of flock cameras
• Protecting Child Marriage
• Proposed ban on sister city relationship with China
• LGBTQ school club bans

SHORT STORY #2: Film Incentive and Breakdown with Producer Wesley on Is this good for local creatives.

• Economic incentive worth hundreds of millions of dollars
• Dan Patrick endorses the bill for his conservative Hollywood agenda

SHORT STORY #3: Stockyards Phase 2 Gets Bucked Off Its Saddle

WINS, LOSSES, AND ACTIONS

Ann's Win: Wellman Project finds funding post NEA grant elimination

Wesley's Win: Fort Worthians have rented more books this year than last year

EJ Win: Young activists and leaders

Collective Loss: Dealing with the ups and downs of activisim

Collective Action: Do something on June 3rd 👇🏿

Commissioners Court meeting on Tuesday, June 3rd at 10 AM, where the final vote will occur!

The deadline to sign up to speak is Monday, June 2nd, at 5 PM.

Sign up to speak on the Agenda Item: X.A.4 - Consideration of an Order to Establish New Precinct Boundaries for the Tarrant County Commissioners Court.

 Sign up to give a public comment: 

Join the 817 Gather Discord, and follow us on Instagram & TikTok.

This is our first VIDEO episode! You can watch on YouTube! Subscribe, share with friends, and do not forget to add us on social media!

The format of this episode is a little different due to all the announcements and progress we have made over the last two weeks. So we start the show with a little introduction and a description of what listeners can expect. The meat of the episode is Judge Tim O'Hare's Racial Gerrymandering attempt by redistricting our precincts in the middle of a census period with NO NEW DATA!

The trio discusses its impact on Fort Worth and why our leadership is not doing more. They also ignited a conversation about what our city council can do now that Democrats have the majority of the seats. Enjoy the show!

SHORT STORY #1: Welcome to our first video show!

SHORT STORY #2: Welcome Wesley Kirk as 817 Producer

SHORT STORY #3: What to expect from the podcast

BIG STORY: Tarrant County Redistricting Efforts and How it Harms All of US

City Council adopts as a resolution in opposition to Tarrant County's redistricting.

Articles: https://fortworthreport.org/2025/05/20/fort-worth-council-narrowly-opposes-tarrant-county-redistricting-along-partisan-lines/ County Commissioners Court flooded with opposition.

https://fortworthreport.org/2025/05/20/residents-voice-their-support-concerns-over-tarrant-countys-contentious-redistricting-process/

The Grand Prairie city council unanimously encouraged the Tarrant County commissioners court to maintain the current precinct lines and reject the proposed lines.

Articles: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DJ5sd15uMg0/?igsh=MTl0dzJ1eHEyOGZqMg%3D%3D

WINS, LOSSES, and ACTIONS

👎 LOSS: A tremendous loss is the Tarrant County racial gerrymandering process that they WILL get away with 

👍 WIN: People are mobilizing, and we have an opportunity to dismantle the Fort Worth Way

📣 ACTIONS: Sign up for the June 3rd Commissioners Court where they will make the final vote!

Join the 817 Gather Discord, and follow us on Instagram & TikTok.

Today, we have a deep and intimate conversation with Jarred Howard, CEO of the National Juneteenth Museum. We discuss how to celebrate Juneteenth in 2025 with NJM at their inaugural Freedom Vibes Festival. You can get your tickets now.

As usual, the pod has three short stories before the big story. We will update you on redistricting and how Fort Worth has amassed a million people, passing Austin!

Short Stories #1: Has Fort Worth become a Top 10 City?

- Monumental milestone: Fort Worth population officially exceeds 1 million

- Discord conversation about Tarrant County's growth

- Strong Towns

Short Stories #2: What to know about redistricting in Tarrant County

- Tarrant residents say their voices are going unheard in fierce debate over redistricting

Short Stories #3 Mayors and cities start standing up against redistricting

- Arlington Mayor raises concerns, calls for investigation of Tarrant County redistricting plan

- Fort Worth Will Propose a Resolution on Tuesday 

BIG STORY: Conversation with Jarred Howard with the National Juneteenth Museum

Wins and Losses

Ann:

👎 FW Council Meeting on the same day and time as the commissioners court

👍 Seeing family in California

EJ:

👎 Latino leaders lack strategy and are unaware of redistricting

👍 Get involved with the 817 Gather Community

Join the 817 Gather Discord, and follow us on Instagram & TikTok.

This is a complete show, starting with the cancellation of six figures of NEA funding in North Texas. Mercy Culture breaks ground on its new center, and top county officials praise it. The big story is redistricting updates, and where does funding go in Tarrant and Texas?

COMMUNITY UPDATES:

Join the Discord

RSVP for the 817 Gather

SHORT STORY #1: North Texas arts groups have lost over $280,000 in NEA funding

- Fort Worth groups lose $110K in NEA funds to transform former KKK hall after Trump move

SHORT STORY #2: Mercy Culture Church breaks ground on shelter for human trafficking victims, with plans for more

- Mercy Culture backs church elder facing dueling reports on sexual misconduct allegations

SHORT STORY #3: Redistricting Updates: 

- Redistricting: Racial Discrimination in Tarrant

- This is not Democracy. It’s Manipulation

- Legal Letter from Texas Civil Rights Project, Southern Coalition for Social Justice, and ACLU Texas

BIG STORY: Tarrant Democrats Funding the Far Right

- Texas megadonor Alex Fairly joined forces with the GOP’s ultraconservative wing. He didn’t like what he saw.

WINS AND LOSSES:

Ann:

👎 State Legislative Session

👍 GREENPrint

EJ:

👎 Michael Crain

👍 Redistricting Collaboration

-

Join the 817 Gather Discord, and follow us on Instagram & TikTok.

Ann and EJ review the election results. Turnout was at its lowest level in over a decade, yet extremism lost. What does this mean moving forward as we prepare for Tim O'Hare's obsession with gerrymandering Tarrant County? Sign up to make your voice heard!

Join the online community.

Come to the 817 Gather on May 18th!

SHOW NOTES:

SHORT STORY #1: Election Results

SHORT STORY #2: Tarrant County confirms first measles case

- Tarrant health officials issue warning about possible measles exposure in Arlington 

SHORT STORY #3: Tim O'Hare's Christian Nationalism event

BIG STORY: Tim O'Hare Redistricting Agenda Can Ruin Tarrant for Decades

- "They’re trying to redraw the map to drown out our voices. I won’t stand by while Precinct 2 voters are pushed to the sidelines." - Commissioner Simmons

- Tim O'Hare's game plan

WINS AND LOSSES

Ann:

👎 Cowgirl Museum

👍 Center of Transforming Lives

EJ:

👎 David Cooke's Sundance Promotion

👍 Tarrant Young Democrats

Join the 817 Gather Discord, and follow us on Instagram & TikTok.

Ann and EJ are back from a big weekend of events to give you three short stories, one BIG story, and wins and losses for the city of Fort Worth. Our big story is an interview with Dr. Mia Hall, who is running for City Council District 6. Our three short stories are a collection of articles that analyze who gets the money in council races, why Tim O'Hare's National Day of Prayer is a cesspool for Christian Nationalism ideology, and what the new state performance ratings mean to Fort Worth ISD.

SHORT STORY #1: Texas Municipal Elections Are May 3rd!

- Analyzing who got the money in city council races

SHORT STORY #2: Tarrant County National Day of Prayer Luncheon

- Mansfield Mayoral Race is Textbook Christian Nationalism

SHORT STORY #3: 1 in 5 Texas schools got a D or F rating under new performance standards

- Start Telegram story on the update

BIG STORY: Interview with Dr. Mia Hall, Candidate for City Council District 6

WINS AND LOSSES

Ann:

👎 Land Use dollars are not a waste

👍 Open Streets

EJ:

👎 Texas state lawmakers are threatening Independent Bookstores

👍 Thousands rally against Trump

COMMUNITY ACTION:

Join the Discord server to share stories and comments

Come to the next 817 Gather at 10 am on May 18th

Join the 817 Gather Discord, and follow us on Instagram & TikTok.