Texas Tidbits: Democracy At Street Level
What democracy looks like close up.
Texas Tidbits is a collection of quick snapshots of the most interesting, outrageous, and important political stories across the Lone Star State. Each edition will feature several short stories highlighting the issues shaping Texas today.
Who’s Policing the Police? You Are
Did you know that Fort Worth has one of the highest rates of police shootings/killings per capita among Texas cities?
Did you also know that Dallas has seen a rapid drop in crime, and the Dallas Police Department has implemented the Police Force Analysis System to monitor and improve use-of-force incidents?
That’s not just a coincidence, and not just about police officers. It’s about the people who oversee them.
Local officials like city council members, mayors, and county commissioners all have a hand in shaping law enforcement policies. They approve police budgets, hire or fire police chiefs, and set the tone for public safety in your community. Want more accountability? Want better training, less violence, or simply a police force that listens? Then your vote in local elections matters more than ever.
It should be noted that Fort Worth’s local government is red, while Dallas’ is blue.
Who gets elected determines whether your city invests in reform, transparency, or business as usual. So when you skip a local election, you’re not just sitting out a vote, you’re letting someone else decide how your community is policed.
Make a plan. Tell your friends. And make sure you vote in your local elections.
Local and county elections are on May 3, 2025.
Early voting begins on April 22, 2025.
The last day to apply for a ballot by mail is April 22, 2025.
The last day of early voting is April 29, 2025.
What Happened At Paul Revere Middle School Shouldn’t Be Normal
Last week, a group of about 20 students at Houston’s Paul Revere Middle School allegedly attacked three Afghan girls for wearing hijabs. One of the girls, beaten so severely she was unresponsive, is the daughter of Ahmed Lakhose, who came to the US four years ago searching for a better life. Now, his daughter says she’s traumatized for life.
And here’s where it gets political, because it is political.
I’ve noticed a disturbing uptick in anti-Islamic rhetoric from Republican leadership in Texas lately. It’s not subtle. Conservative media and even Governor Abbott himself have been zeroing in on Islamic communities, especially in North Texas. It’s part of a larger pattern: when leaders stoke fear, violence follows. When they say “we’re under threat,” they give silent permission for kids in hallways to turn on their classmates.
This is why local elections matter. School board members decide how districts respond to hate. They shape policy around bullying, discipline, diversity, and who gets protected. If HISD won’t take this seriously, voters need to elect people who will.
You can’t vote hate out of someone’s heart. But you can vote in people who refuse to let it run the schools.
Payton Jackson Put Hands on a City Councilman, and Still Thinks She Belongs in Office
During a recent Fort Worth City Council debate, self-described “proud Black Conservative” Payton Jackson assaulted sitting Councilman Chris Nettles. Let that sink in.
This wasn’t just a heated exchange of words. It was physical. An actual, on-the-record assault. From someone who wants to represent the people of Fort Worth. And yet, somehow, this person is still in the race, still campaigning like nothing happened, as if public office is a YouTube comments section where you can swing when you lose the argument.
This is what happens when we treat local elections like they don’t matter. People who are unhinged, unqualified, and proudly combative see an opening and take it. If enough people stay home on election day, someone like Jackson could end up holding real power over things that affect your daily life: policing, development, public safety, and your kids’ schools.
And yes, mental health is a real issue, but so is accountability. If you wouldn’t trust someone to run a group project, why let them run your city?
Vote local. Or don’t. And let the loudest, most dangerous voices decide how your neighborhood is governed.
Austin Got a Big Win for Housing And for People Who Want to Live There
Last week, the Austin City Council voted 10–1 to legalize 5-story single-stair apartment buildings, making Austin the second-largest US city after NYC to say yes to this smarter, more space-efficient design.
Why does that matter? Because more flexibility in building design means more housing options in a city where rent has skyrocketed and sprawl is choking out livability. These buildings take up less land, are cheaper to build, and often have better natural light and airflow. It’s the kind of zoning reform YIMBYs have been fighting for, and they just scored a major W.
And guess what? It happened because of the local government. A city council vote. Ten people said yes, and one said no. That’s it. That’s the margin between more homes or more barriers.
So next time someone tells you local elections don’t matter? Remind them of this. When you vote for city council, you’re voting on whether your city says yes to housing… or no to growth. You’re voting on whether your friends, kids, neighbors, or even you can afford to stay.
This is what it looks like when local power is used well.
Brian Harrison Just Printed His Way Into A Scandal
Brian Harrison, self-proclaimed “Liberty” warrior, may have just taken a victory lap straight into a public records nightmare.
After bragging about fighting to remove Speaker Burrows “on behalf of nearly 11,000 Texans,” Harrison posed proudly next to what looks suspiciously like 11,000 printed pages, a stack taller than the man himself. The kicker? It appears he printed one petition signature per sheet of paper. One. Signature. Per. Page.
That’s not just environmentally stupid, it’s potentially a colossal misuse of public funds. A Texas constituent promptly filed a Public Information Act request demanding a detailed breakdown of Harrison’s printing history, office purchases, and budget records. And honestly? That’s more transparency than Harrison’s ever offered willingly.
For a guy claiming to fight for “fiscal accountability,” this gives major paper-wasting, taxpayer-burning, office-supply-splurging energy.
If this turns out to be what it looks like, Harrison might have just exposed his hypocrisy with a literal mountain of receipts.
And here’s the lesson: This happens when you sleep on your state reps. You get grandstanders who care more about Twitter drama than real policy. You get performative “patriots” who torch public money for a photo op and call it liberty.
State reps control real power, from school funding to public health to how your city can govern itself. If you’re not voting in those races, you’re handing the mic to people like Brian Harrison.
And he’s not using it to help you. He’s using it to print 11,000 pieces of paper.
Greg Casar Is Saying What Democrats Need to Hear, And People Are Finally Listening
Texas Congressman Greg Casar has been busy lately, not just with votes on the House floor. As the newly appointed Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Casar has hit the national circuit with clarity, conviction, and the message Democrats desperately need: working-class populism.
In recent appearances on The Young Turks and Hasan Piker’s Twitch stream, Casar said that the Democratic Party can’t just be the “anti-Trump” party. It has to become the pro-worker, anti-corporate, economic populist party that speaks to people's daily lives. He’s not afraid to say it to Fox News viewers or in rural Texas town halls.
He’s reviving a big-tent message that once let figures like
win over skeptical voters, by focusing first on people’s paychecks, health care, and dignity. He’s pushing for bold, universal policies. He’s calling out corporate donors. He’s not dodging tough issues, either.Most importantly, he’s not just talking the talk. Casar is actively organizing inside the Democratic Party to shift the strategy toward something strategic and moral, rooted in bread-and-butter economic justice.
But let’s not bury the other big news.
💍 Greg Casar recently got engaged to his longtime partner, Asha. Amid the chaos of Congress and the national spotlight, he’s still making room for love and community. Congratulations to the happy couple. We love to see good things happen to good people.
Must-reads:
Texas Public Radio: Elon Musk wants control of a public beach. The State of Texas is preparing to give it to him
Texas Standard: Study shows link between oil and gas development, leukemia in children
If the past few weeks have shown us anything, it's this: power lives closer to home than most people think.
From city councils to school boards to the statehouse, the people we elect at the local and state level make decisions that ripple through our everyday lives, housing, safety, schools, taxes, and rights. Whether it's a paper-wasting performative state rep, a violent city council candidate, or a progressive leader trying to steer a broken system toward justice, these aren’t distant headlines. This is your neighborhood.
The stakes are real. The power is real. And the ballot is the tool every one of us has to shape what comes next.
So vote. Not just in November. Vote in May. Vote in every election. Vote like it matters, because it does.
And bring someone with you. Because silence isn’t neutral, it’s surrender.
April 22: Early Voting Begins
April 29: Early Voting Ends
May 3: Local and County Elections
June 2: The 89th Legislative Session ends.
June 3: The beginning of the 2026 election season.
Click here to find out what Legislative districts you’re in.
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HISD was taken over by the State of Texas. Maybe that is why there's problems with hate crimes in the schools now.
Sorry, Michelle. Houston ISD voters don’t get to elect school board members. It is an occupied school district, with an advisory board, hand-picked by Mike Morath, head of Texas Education Agency, who in turn was appointed by Gov. Abbott. Morath also appointed F. Mike Miles as superintendent before the rubber stamp board was selected. I switch back and forth between “Pseudointendent” and “SuperNinintendo” as nick names for Miles. City council members have complained about the incident at Revere Middle School; but the occupied district doesn’t even have Eid as a holiday on the 25-26 calendar.
So, unlikely the administrators are concerned about protecting hijab wearers.