Derrick, Micah, and Johnny are back for another episode of Free Thinker Radio on 90.1 KPFT Houston and The Conscious Resistance Network.
Turner, Hidalgo cancel speeches at Greater Houston Partnership over its silence on Texas voting bills (msn.com)
Texas
Texas Senate Bill 7: New, sweeping restrictions for Texas voters | khou.com
In an overnight vote after more than seven hours of debate, the Texas Senate signed off on Senate Bill 7, which would limit extended early voting hours, prohibit drive-thru voting and make it illegal for local election officials to proactively send applications to vote by mail to voters, even if they qualify. many of the restrictions in SB 7 would target initiatives championed in those areas to make it easier for more voters to participate in elections.
Bail In Texas Could See Key Changes Under House Bill, But Some Lawmakers Still See An Unequal System (msn.com)
Judicial officers will use a risk assessment tool when making bail decisions and ban cashless release for those accused of some violent or sexual crimes.
National
FAA cracks down on abusive, maskless flyers with fines up to $32,750 (msn.com)
Beyond
24 dead in anti-government protests in Colombia (msn.com)
Woman from Mali gives birth to 9 babies in Morocco (msn.com)
Cutlass in from Austin, and Ganesha at Red Dwarf Friday (Tonight to all our KPFT Listeners) at 1011 McGowen, Live Music, Coffee, Drinks, Nice place!
WATCH AND ABSORB #3 – G Spot Contemporary (gcontemporaryart.com)
In association with SPACE C7 in San Antonio, G Spot Contemporary Gallery is proud to present WATCH AND ABSORB #3, an exhibition of new work by the reclusive artist, Franklin Ackerley, curated by Texas artist, Jeff F. Wheeler This Saturday, May 1St, their last reception on 9th Street
G Spot Gallery, in association with SPACE C7 in San Antonio, are proud to present WATCH AND ABSORB #3, an exhibition of new work by the reclusive artist, Franklin Ackerley. Known as much for his Pynchon-esque life as he is for his irreverent and over-the-top pop concoctions
310 East 9th St, Houston
Houston
HPD only released 2 videos in police-involved shootings | khou.com
Since the program launched, HPD shot and killed 37 people and wounded another 54, according to department records. Yet HPD publicly released body cam videos twice.
Mayor Turner’s Police Reform Promises Include New Body Camera Policy, Added Oversight – Houston Public Media
Sylvester Turner announced Houston Police reforms that include changes to the department’s body-worn camera policy, an overhaul of the Independent Police Oversight Board, and a ban on no-knock warrants for nonviolent offenses. Reforms include a dashboard to register complaints online and to track police misconduct and diversity, in multiple languages. This dashboard will measure total disciplinary actions taken against officers, filtered by date, reason, and how many days an officer was suspended. The data will not identify the officer disciplined, but will provide the number of years the officer has been on the force. Furthermore, the dashb oard measure data on traffic stops by race, ethnicity and gender, as well as use of force data filtered by date, race, reason and outcome. Additional changes include a new full-time paid administrative and executive staff for the Independent Police Oversight Board.
Some groups expressed concerns about the changes. “The main issue here is the mayor and the police chief should not be able to direct the conversation about what policing reform is legitimate, and what is not legitimate,” said Jaison Oliver, an organizer with BLMHTX/Imaginoir Collective. “The city of Houston and community members are not directing this conversation, the mayor is. And that is a problem.”
Funding for many of the programs Turner proposed would have to be approved by Houston City Council. Other funding will come from $25 million in federal funds included in President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan, Turner said.
People can also can submit complaints to community groups like the local NAACP, the Anti-Defamation League, LULAC, and the Islamic Society of Greater Houston, as well as the Mayor’s Office for People With Disabilities and the mayor’s LGBTQ task force.
(if you want it, the press release:
Mayor Turner announced the following steps he has taken to implement the recommendations:
- Changed the Houston Police Department’s policy on Body-Worn Cameras to allow for the release of video within 30 days
- A ban on “no-knock” warrants for nonviolent offenses
- Appointed a Deputy Inspector General of the new Office of Policing Reform and Accountability
- Signed an Executive Order to restructure the Independent Police Oversight Board (IPOB) and named a new board chair.
- Changed how the public can file complaints and access information on a newly designed website with five data dashboards regarding police transparency. (View demo at the bottom of the news release)
- Invest $25 million in crisis intervention over three years.
“As a native Houstonian who grew up in underserved communities, I believe this is a very important moment. But it is even more gratifying because it was Houstonians who put together these recommendations, and we are now acting on them and will continue to act on implementation,” said Mayor Turner. “I am also inspired by the council members because it has been a collective effort.” )
NATIONAL
CT gets rid of vacant exemptions
“All we’re doing is closing a loophole for nonmedical exemption,” said Sen. Bob Duff, Senate majority leader. “People are abusing quote unquote religious exemptions for non-religious reasons only because they don’t believe in health and science.”
https://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/politics/senators-to-vote-on-removing-religious-exemptions-for-child-vaccinations-today/2475195
Florida Passes Bill Against Immunity Passports
“The bill would prohibit businesses, schools and government entities from requiring customers to show documentation certifying COVID-19 vaccinations or post-infection recovery.
Rep. Michael Grieco, D-Miami Beach, said the bill panders to anti-vaxxers and conspiracy theorists. “The irony is that this bill would grant rights to the people who have not been vaccinated, but it doesn’t protect me,” Grieco said.”
Attack on People with brains who questions vaccines (aka Anti vaxxers)
NY Times Opinion: “Opinion: Facebook and Twitter must ban all anti-vaccine accounts”
Letitia James is the attorney general of New York. William Tong is the attorney general of Connecticut.
“The availability of safe and effective vaccines should mark the end of the pandemic, and the start of our recovery.
But vaccine availability means nothing without vaccine acceptance. Anti-vaccine disinformation that continues to be disseminated unchecked on social media threatens to prolong our recovery and poses a grave threat to the health and safety of millions of Americans.
Facebook and Twitter have instituted a number of policies that have helped to slow the spread of dangerous vaccine disinformation on their platforms, yet these policies have been inadequately and inconsistently applied. The solution is not complicated. It’s time for Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey to turn off this toxic tap and completely remove the small handful of individuals spreading this fraudulent misinformation.”
Hotez: COVID vaccines: time to confront anti-vax aggression
“Efforts must expand into the realm of cyber security, law enforcement, public education and international relations. A high-level inter-agency task force reporting to the UN secretary-general could assess the full impact of anti-vaccine aggression, and propose tough, balanced measures. The task force should include experts who have tackled complex global threats such as terrorism, cyber attacks and nuclear armament, because anti-science is now approaching similar levels of peril. It is becoming increasingly clear that advancing immunization requires a counteroffensive.”
Vaccine Fact Checkers
Congressman Thomas Massie has exposed the financial incentives behind one of Facebook’s largest “fact-checkers” highlighting just how important it is to ALWAYS follow the $$$.
https://thefreethoughtproject.com/congressman-massie-facebook-fact-checkers/
European Union votes for Digital Certificate for travel
https://www.thelastamericanvagabond.com/as-european-parliament-approves-immunity-certificate-document-proves-plans-in-the-works-since-2019/
