County jails serve up some of the most inhumane conditions in our country. Most of the folks in jail haven't even been convicted! Gabriela from Texas Jail Project and Goldie, wife of a jailed Black veteran who was criminalized for his PTSD and Bipolar Disorder, join me on All Real Radio to discuss Harris County jail and the systemic issues. We discuss the conditions that spurred the killing of 23-year-old Jaquaree Simmons in Harris County Jail, beaten by jailers and there's no camera footage. His mother needs financial help. If you can, donate to texasjailproject.com/donate or CashApp: $TexasJailProject TJP with the subject line "Jayy," and proceeds will go directly to her. 

~Envelope art from one of the Texas Jail Project clients in Erath county jail, Donnie P. ~

Judge Genesis Draper joins me on All Real Radio to talk updates around bail reform, her work around a new agency to limit bribery within the courts, and current bills in the legislative session to keep an eye on.

Reminders to take Houston Abolitionist Survey on how you want tax dollars spent in Houston’s upcoming budget and to get involved with ImagiNoir/BLMHTX, Data Jams, to do data analysis as a community.

Take the survey - https://www.bit.ly/hacbudget

Side note:

Layering the stress of the pandemic and the winter storm on top of STAAR is insane. Why hasn't the government canceled the test entirely? Claudia from Community Voices for Public Education joins me on All Real Radio to unpack the racist systemic issues around standardized tests and the movement to stop it across the state.

Opt Out of STAAR - https://www.houstoncvpe.org/reasons_to_opt_out

The Gamestop stocks highlighted how the stock market is rigged to make the rich, richer. Tarah Taylor, an organizer and stock enthusiast, joined me to discuss how organizing around stocks compares to everyday community organizing. 

Julia from Texas Housers joins me on All Real Radio to discuss the eviction crisis and the Houston Eviction Solidarity Network. The network is made up of volunteers who watch the eviction courts to collect information on if the CDC order was used, how many cases had a lawyer defending the renter, and other data points. 

Dr. Carol Lewis, professor of transportation from Texas Southern University, joins me on All Real Radio to discuss the proposed expansion of I-45 and the displacement of Black neighborhoods. We also discuss public transit, history, and the bigger picture of transportation in our daily lives.

Neal and Susan from the Stop TxDOT I-45 coalition joins me to discuss how freeways do more harm than good especially for Black and Brown communities. We also discuss sprawling, red lining, and how lack of public transit plays a role in voter suppression. 

As the eviction crisis continues to grow, Richard from the Houston Tenants Union joins me on All Real Radio to discuss the tenant movement in Houston and the groundwork being built to empower people. 

Most people who vote Democrat don't even know anything about their party. Prince E Winbush III joins me on basic party eduction of what the party looks like at the local level (Harris County Democratic Party), the state level (Texas Democratic Party), and of course the national level. Here are the questions we covered:

What is a precinct chair?

What are the committees? What are caucuses?

What is a state delegate and what’s their role? How does voting at the state convention work?

How do you become a Bernie delegate? What is a brokered convention?

What is a national delegate’s role outside of presidential nominations? What’s the importance of the party platform?

Is the party platform used to hold elected Democrats accountable? What is the purpose of the party platform?