News & Commentary
6 Things You Should Do in Response to Recent Shootings
The first weeks of July 2016 have been exhausting, depressing, and senseless. On Tuesday, we watched #AltonSterling become another hashtag. But before we even had a chance to properly mourn him, on Wednesday footage of #PhilandoCastile’s killing had surfaced. Two graphic videos of Black men needlessly dying at the hands of police officers reignited a discussion about what it means to be Black in America.
By Dione Friends
CBP Called Her “A whore”: How Border Officers Violate Rights and Strip People of Dignity at Ports of Entry
“You’re a whore.”
By Cynthia Pompa
Civil gang injunctions: What you need to know
Update: On June 6, Harris County Attorney Vince Ryan and District Attorney Devon Anderson agreed to drop the gang injunction lawsuit. "The lawsuit is being dismissed to allow time to develop and implement programs that create job-training and educational opportunities," they said in a statement.
By Satinder Singh
4 Ways Border Patrol Union’s Trump Endorsement Is Filled With Lies and Misinformation
The National Border Patrol Council claims it gets no support from Washington despite bigger budgets and more agents.
By Astrid Dominguez
Lawful but Awful: Texas Law Enforcement Agencies Must Find Alternatives to Lethal Force
Recent police shootings highlight the urgency for reforms in use-of-force policies.
The Texas Border Surge is Backfiring
The influx of law enforcement officers in the Rio Grande Valley makes residents feel less safe.
Texas’ Annual Roundup of the Working Poor
March 5th marks the beginning of the annual Great Texas Warrant Roundup. It sounds like quite a lot of fun, another cowboy extravaganza from a state famous for its stock shows and rodeos.
By Trisha Trigilio
Beyoncé’s Unapologetically Black “Formation” Dropped Within Days of Two Unarmed Black Men Being Shot and Killed in Texas
It is fair to say Beyoncé won the Super Bowl with a political performance we won’t soon forget. She has received praise and criticism for using platform to take a strong pro-black stance. The “Formation” video, released Feb. 6, has been called a visual anthem, with explicit references to hurricane Katrina, all-too-familiar images of police in riot gear, and a plea to “stop shooting us.” Meanwhile in Texas, the shooting hasn’t stopped.
By Dione Friends
5 Reasons Texas Should Decriminalize Marijuana, and One Reason It Shouldn’t
Last year, eleven separate marijuana-related bills were introduced in the Texas legislature, and next year we can probably expect eleven more. Candidates for local offices in Austin and Houston are running on marijuana decriminalization platforms, and the Dallas city council is poised to implement a “cite and release” pilot program for low-level possession offenders. It’s beginning to feel like a movement, and forgive us for saying so, but it’s high time.
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