August 2023 Updates

2024 Updates!

Friends, 

Things are spinning over at Houston Justice as we head into the 2023 Election Season.  Over the past several months our board, staff, and members have put our heads together to organize an interactive campaign aimed at several of the pillars of our organization’s mission!

Here are a few things we’re working on:  

Houston Justice Community Organizing Summit

A few members and partners met over lunch to sketch out initial details for the Houston Justice Community Organizing Summit, an interactive summit where attendees will learn about things like starting a non-profit organization, a small business, how to run for elected office, and how to organize issue-based campaigns. 

The Summit is scheduled for October, 7, 2023 at:

The Cannon 

1334 Brittmore

Houston, Texas 77043

Homeless Outreach Convention 2024

Here’s a quick selfie from lunch at Ninfa’s with a group of organizers working to end homelessness in Houston.  From left to right are:  

Travis McGee, Founder of The Robinhood Project, which feeds hungry Houstonians every month.

Kayla Hogan, sister of Karla Brown, they're twins who double their capacity at The Providence on Southmore which is a nonprofit organization aimed at encouraging first-generation university students to complete their degrees through an enrichment program spanning their college career.

Steven Villano, Director Center for Public Service and Community Research at University of Houston-Downtown

Durrel Douglas, Founder/Executive Director of Houston Justice

Myranda Garcia, Field Coordinator at Houston Justice

Akua Fayette of The Black Canvas Project

Pastor Terrance Hall of Kingdom Builder’s Cathedral and iAspire Youth nonprofit.

Karla Brown, founder/executive director of The Providence on Southmore.

We’re pulling together a Homeless Convention followed by a day of service on the campus of UHD led by the Center for Public Service and Community Research in late 2024.  The goal of this event is to:

• Provide a space to organically strengthen ties among the organizations working to end homelessness in Houston.

• Identify, share, and implement best practices.

• Share our work with donors, larger organizations, and stakeholders.

• Provide hands-on experience for students aiming to work in sectors adjacent to our goal of ending homelessness.

Houston Justice Nonpartisan GOTV Program

We’ve got BIG plans to turn out Houston voters for this year’s general election.  Here’s a sneak peak at our presentation:

COVID Hotline Connects Car-less Houstonians w/Vaccine Appt.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MEDIA CONTACT:
Durrel Douglas, 832.857.5737

ddouglas@houstonjustice.org

January 3, 2022

COVID HOTLINE AIMS TO CONNECT CARLESS HOUSTONIANS W/VACCINE APPOINTMENTS

HOUSTON- As COVID cases reach a fever pitch, local non-profit organization Houston Justice has launched a 24-hour COVID Helpline to connect economically disadvantaged Houstonians who can’t afford to catch Uber/Lyft with a team of volunteers who will book vaccine appointments and schedule rides to and from approved vaccination sites.  They’ve called their campaign “COVID: Shut It Down,” a favorite saying of one of the group’s most active volunteers.

“A report by the group LINK Houston says according to the data, about 40 percent of local bus riders don’t have a vehicle at home. Nineteen percent were using the bus as their only transportation option.  These are the people who need to get vaccinated, but can’t afford a $20 Uber ride or 90 minutes on a Metro bus to get vaccinated,” said Durrel Douglas, Founder and Executive Director of Houston Justice.

According to Douglas, a grant from Houston in Action has provided the resources to build out the framework for the initiative which will be led by volunteers from communities with the highest unvaccinated numbers like Greenspoint, South Park, and Acres Home. Douglas says incoming call information is collected and sorted, then another team will follow up to set vaccine appointments and book rides.

“If we’re going to really SHUT IT DOWN, we’re going to have to aim for those in the poorest communities where the people often feel ignored.

For more information: houstonjustice.org/covid

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How We're Helping Inmates Vote Behind Bars

Here a #ProjectOrange volunteer sits with a Harris County Jail inmate.

The Harris County Jail is huge.

With a capacity over 10,000 it’s likely larger than some small towns, yet according to reports many of the people inside haven’t been convicted of a crime yet. Due to our backwards bail reform system, many sit in jail for non-violent offenses like missing a court date for a speeding ticket that turned into a warrant for their arrest.

According to the law, anyone can vote if you’re a US Citizen, over the age of 18, and not currently serving time (incarceration, parole, probation), so what happens to those who are in jail, but only for pretrial detention, or for some simple infraction?

I wondered this too, so I did something about it.

Two years ago I sat in front of my laptop typing away at a proposal to send to our Sheriff outlining my plan to bring volunteers behind bars to eligible inmates to vote at the County Jail. In the back of my head I called it #ProjectOrange. It was going to be a pun on the popular series "Orange is the New Black," and the fact that inmates where orange jumpsuits at the Harris County Jail.

Sounds crazy, eh?

Well, I spent 5 years at Texas prisons starting as a guard, then eventually rising to the rank of Lieutenant before leaving to do what I do now. In those 5 years I didn't realize I'd be gaining experience that would not only inspire my later work, but would make me an expert when it comes to security. Ask anyone that used to work at a prison, especially rank, and they'll tell you it's like riding a bike... you never forget.

Anyway, I used the prison guard side of my brain to lay out how this would work, how security would be maintained, and how there wouldn't be any liability on the county. Further, I pointed out how many people were behind bars, but not yet convicted of a crime. I reached out on here, Twitter, and my email list to round up folks that wanted to help make it a reality.

After a few meetings with the Sheriff's top brass, folks at the County Clerk's office, and staff at the County Tax Assessor's office, this was going to happen. We did it!

To date, we've registered 2,440 new voters, and 696 ballot by mail requests with our might volunteer force. We hosted trainings with the county to train new registrars that felt like kickbacks to increase the number of registrars who look like me, or come from neighborhoods like South Park where. grew up.

As an organizer, it's always my goal to build leadership in those around me. I was taught that if I was doing my job right, I'd be working myself out of a job since those around me would fill in and lead the way.

Whenever I've started an initiative, it's always been my goal to hand it off to someone else to run so I could go on to the next thing. That's the way I could expand my capacity and go on to the next thing. I've never been one to be intimidated by someone else coming along and doing a better job. In fact, I hope for it. Ever since our first round of #ProjectOrange, that person has been Tina Kingshill, and she's doing a PHENOMENAL job coordinating our mighty volunteer force.

It's always been my goal to do two things:

1. Have the county implement necessary changes in their inmate orientation process and exit-interview process that included voter registration and education, including how the ballot by mail process works.

2. Take our work statewide so that those temporarily incarcerated in jails across our state would have access to the ballot.

Well, today we're meeting with Sheriff Gonzalez and County Commissioner Adrian Garcia today to layout a proposal pulled together over time coordinating with the awesome and resourceful folks at Campaign Legal Center in Washington DC and DEMOS in New York that would do just that. Those not convicted of a crime, and eligible to vote, should be able to. After today's meeting we'll be reaching out to other non-partisan orgs to help move this forward.

Next week, we're chatting with the executive director of the Texas Commission on Jail Standards to layout what we do and how we recommend statewide implementation would flow. I wouldn't mind hopping on a plane to do workshops for Jail Administrators and County Electeds across the state.

I'm sharing this long ass post for two reasons:

1. I want to reiterated, as much and as often as possible, how something I hated (working at the prison) ended up being one of the most rewarding, necessary experiences of. my life. That which may seem exhausting and pointless at the moment might just be part of YOUR process. Who would I be without my prison stories LOL.

2. There's a crazy idea in your head... probably crazier than taking people inside a jail to register voters... go after it. It's only crazy until it's done.

Commit to talk less and DO more.

Concentrate on actions that move the meter.

Everything else is fodder.

...And your time is worth more than fodder.

Onward.

Durrel Douglas, Founder

Houston Justice

How We're Registering Voters Behind Bars in Houston

Houston Justice is starting the 2020 off registering new voters behind bars, and training folks to help us do it! In this blog we'll talk about how people can vote behind bars, how we're making this work happen, and how YOU can help.

20 Volunteers registered 264 voters on January 11, 2020.

This year is slated to be a huge election year, and it’s our goal to register as many eligible voters as possible. Starting in 2017, Houston Justice launched #ProjectOrange, an ambitious, non-partisan initiative aimed at bringing voting rights to eligible voters who happen to be temporarily incarcerated at the Harris County Jail, the largest jail in the state.

According to jail population reports from the Texas Commission on Jail Standards, about 57 percent of defendants in Bexar and Tarrant county jails haven't been convicted of a crime. In Harris County that number is 70 percent (Dallas County, meanwhile, has an even higher pre-trial detention rate of about 74 percent). 

With a staggering population capacity of 10,000 that means upwards of 7,000 eligible voters could be behind bars on any given day.

But how?

Steven Marzoula, Krishnaveni Gundu, and Tina Kingshill went cell to cell notifying inmates of the upcoming registration dates and their rights around registrants.

Well, the current bail system is set up in such a way that a ticket for driving without insurance turns into a warrant. Then, when the driver gets pulled over for a tail light that's out, he/she gets taken to jail. In some cases, this person spends a night in jail, but in many other cases this person is held behind bars until they pay their bond to get released. But, someone who couldn't afford the insurance or the ticket, probably can't afford to bond out either. So, they end up behind bars for days, weeks, or months at a time depending on their charge.

Just because this person is behind bars does not mean that they have given up their right to vote.

So long as you are a US Citizen over the age of 18 and "off paper" (off parole or probation), you can vote.

Even if you've served your time for a felony.

In addition to the work we do at the jail, we’re planning events across our city aimed at increasing voter turnout in a meaningful, non-partisan way.

So, in the weeks leading up to each voter registration deadline, we recruit volunteers who have to go through a background check, then we go from pod to pod, cell to cell, registering eligible voters. We don’t care who you vote for, just that everyone has access to the ballot.

If you'd like to learn more about our work, or volunteer, email ddouglas@houstonjustice.org or tinakingshill@gmail.com for more information.

WE NEED VOLUNTEERS!

There are two BIG initiatives where you can make a huge difference in our quest toward Justice! #ProjectOrange at the Harris County Jail, and the SmartUp Career and Education Conference!

First, we need volunteers for this Saturday, September 21, 2019 at the SmartUp Conference being held at the George R. Brown Convention Center Hall B where thousands of high school students will have access to career and education options after graduation. Many of these students and their parents will also need to get registered to vote!

There are two shifts currently available for this Saturday:

1st Shift

7AM-12PM

2nd Shift

11AM- 5PM

***Check in at the registration table out in the hallway.

You can expect to do any combination of the following:

• register voters

• work the registration table

• assist with box lunch dispersal

• other volunteer duties

CLICK HERE TO VOLUNTEER FOR SMARTUP CONFERENCE

Then, it's time to gear up for #ProjectOrange for the 2019 General Election.

This year, we'll meet at the Harris County Jail (1200 Baker Street) at 9:00 AM and registering until 1:00 PM on the following days to register eligible voters (staff and inmates):

• Saturday, September 28th

• Sunday, September 29th

• Saturday, October 5th

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR PROJECT ORANGE

Last year we registered over 1,500 new voters! We're looking forward to continuing to make a difference this year, we hope you'll join us. If you can't join us, we hope you'll donate to our cause.

We need pens, t-shirts, literature, donuts for breakfast, and a lot of other resources to keep up the momentum. We hope you'll make a donation if you can. Shoutout to Daniel Cohen, Kay Shepard, and Gabrielle Cosgriff for your donations thus far! Every little bit helps.

Chip in $25 today!

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

We're looking forward to working with you to make a difference in this world of ours! We’ve made huge strides toward reducing recidivism, increasing civic engagement, and conquering homelessness through our partnerships, and support from people like you!

If you're interested in taking on a leadership role in either of these initiatives email ddouglas@houstonjustice.org for more information.

In Solidarity,

Durrel Douglas

Founder, President | Houston Justice

How We Registered 295 Voters Last Weekend!

Kennedi, Otisha, and Carla outside the Harris County Jail in Houston Texas

I first gained heard about Houston Justice when Durrel Douglas came to speak at the University of Texas School of Public Health.

Durrel shared some of his own stories, expressing where his passion begun for Houston Justice. He shared with us the dream, the initiative, the work and now the organization that works to strive for social justice.

#ProjectOrange was one of the three projects Durrel mentioned that I immediately latched on to. Although I have been engaged with the community for access to health care, improving the homeless epidemic and promoting equality in education for youth, I never knew of the opportunities that existed to help another community that is often silenced, those in our jails and prisons, our inmates.

I decided to sign up for Houston Justice’s VDVR training in order to be able to grant inmates a chance to vote. This decision was driven by my passion for social change, social justice and human rights.

After completing the training, I signed up for the first chance to register the inmates to vote. As a group of about 30 people, Houston Justice went to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office and Detention Center, where we were not only able to register the inmates and their families to vote, but provided them with a way to be contacted to receive a government ID (which many of them did not have).

I was surprised by the willingness and eagerness of the inmates to register to vote. The inmates were so excited to be able to execute their right to vote, and like me, were not educated correctly on their rights. Many thought because they would still be in jail at the time of the election and/or did not have a permanent residence, that this right was ripped away from them. They learned as I learned that most of them still held the right to vote. Not only did this give me an opportunity to make a difference in the community by serving the public and providing the inmates the chance to register to vote, it also gave the inmates a chance to know that their vote still matters. This was by far the most rewarding part of the Project Orange experience for me.

I was able to learn about the inmate community, the laws revolved around voting, and how to register voters. I will definitely continue to work with Houston Justice on Project Orange as well as the other project focuses like #HouVotes and the Black Census Project.

I am now a VDVR in Harris County and will continue to register people in all communities to vote. Every vote EQUALLY matters.

Join us!

-Kennedi W.

#ProjectOrange Volunteer

This Week at HJC! Aug 19th

This is going to be an exciting week for Houston Justice Coalition!  

On Monday, we have an interview with a national magazine to talk about our work registering eligible voters behind bars here in Houston, and our plans to take our #ProjectOrange initiave to other cities next year.  Many don't know that most people behind bars are there because they can't afford bond, not because they've been convicted of a crime!  This means they're still eligible to vote.

Tuesday, we're meeting with State Representative Garnett Coleman to learn more about his legislative priorities for the 2019 session, and to bring him and his staff up to date with the awesome work we're all doing on the ground here in Houston.

We also have a meeting with Salvation Army Tuesday to lay down plans for a monthly mentorship meeting with their young homeless clients.  We spell Justice intentionally with a capital "J" because it's much bigger than Criminal Justice Reform, it's also addressing the issues impacting our homeless brothers and sisters as well.  Later this month a small group of us will order food, listening ears, and thinking caps as we meet the amazing individuals at the Salvation Army who just happen to be homeless right now.

On Thursday our President, Durrel Douglas, will guest lecture at University of Texas on Cultural Sensitivity/Social Justice.

Friday, we're holding our on-boarding training for our new team of HJC Fellows and Organizers.  Over the next several weeks, they'll be on the ground having face-to-face conversations with Houstonians listening to their issues, registering them to vote, and inviting them to join our movement.  We spent all day Saturday interviewing potential team members and we've hired some amazing folks you'll learn about next week.

None of this is possible without YOU.

If you like the work you see, feel free to CHIP IN below.

CHIP IN TO THE MOVEMENT!

Thank you for your time, donations, and positive energy!

Visit our site to learn even more about our work.  Oh, and mark your calendars for our HJC Monthly Meetup next Tuesday, info on our events calendar.

-#HouJustice

#ProjectOrange Will Register 1,000 Voters Behind Bars

John and April both have very interesting "Behind Bars" stories, and they're using their stories to empower others.  John spent years behind bars in Texas paying his debt to society, and now he's working with Houston Justice's #ProjectOrange to recruit volunteers.  Both of April's parents spent time in prison, and now she's signed up to register voters behind bars herself!

They both met up over the weekend to shoot the informational video that will be shown on televisions inside the Harris County Jail and on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and Instagram.  

If you're 18 or over, off paper, and a US citizen, you're eligible to vote! 

It's just that simple.

The Harris County Jail is the largest in the state with roughly 10,000 people behind bars on any given day. 

70% of them have yet to be convicted of a crime!  They are there because they can't afford bond, or, they might've had a warrant for an unpaid speeding ticket.

We've got some major things brewing at our organization that I can't wait to tell you about in the next few weeks!

For now, don't forget to help build the movement by making a donation and/or signing up to volunteer!

-Durrel Douglas, Founder

Worthing and Woodson Face Closure or State Takeover

First off, remember months ago when I and others rang the alarm saying these schools were in danger of closure?  Remember how some elected officials and other power brokers said we were "misinformed?" 

Well... read this Houston Chronicle article put out today.

Worthing High and Woodson K-8 were not among the list of low-performing schools given a "Hurricane Harvey Pass" by Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath, neither were Mading and Wesley Middle Schools.  What does this mean?  Well, now there are two options based on HB 1842, a controversial bill spearheaded by Democratic State Representative Harold Dutton in 2015.  

1. The low-performing (Improvement Required) schools must be closed, or;
2. The elected HISD Board of Trustees must be replaced by a hand-selected board of managers chosen by the Texas Education Agency.

This comes to a head just weeks after a contentious HISD School Board Meeting that led to parents being drug out of the Board meeting and two arrests.

The HISD Board, led by President Rhonda Skillern-Jones, had planned to vote on a proposal at that meeting that many in the community (including myself) disagreed with.  The Board was poised to approve a multi-million dollar contract with a chart school group led by HISD's former Board President Paula Harris and NAACP-Houston President Dr. James. Douglas.  The board, faced with a short leash by TEA apparently rushed to put forth a deal that would've chartered ten schools in predominately Black and Brown neighborhoods to save the district from state takeover.

After the commotion at the meeting, it was basically impossible to meet the State's April 30th deadline since another meeting would've had to be called---and a 72 hour notice given to the public.

In my personal opinion, it will be a sad day if our democratically elected board is replaced with a handpicked group to replace them as a Board of Managers.  While we may not agree with our elected trustees, we should have the ability to vote for our representatives.  

Why?

If you look historically at what happens when any governmental entity is replaced with an appointed board, there's a deeper division between the community and decision-makers.  Take a look at Detroit, Michigan's board of managers and the Draconian cuts that were made in the name of "Fiscal Responsibility" that disproportionately impacted communities of color and economically disadvantaged Detroiters.

To bring this observation closer to home, let's take a look at what's happened with Beaumont ISD after state take over.  It started with an online application being available to community members to apply for a seat on the new board.  Selections were made by TEA, then the elected board stepped down the next school year. 

Read more about that here...

If I had to guess, I'd assume the state will take over HISD instead of closing schools initially.  However, there's nothing stopping the newly appointed Board of Managers from making the decision to close the schools later, anyway.  I think they will close some schools eventually.

At the end of the day we have to improve the outcome of 9th graders who can't read.  I believe expensive standardized testing has become the focus in public schools instead of teaching common-sense life skills that are necessary to succeed in life.  This includes reading, writing, math, and science, but also includes trades and extra curricular activities 

What's next?

Well, I wanted to get a firsthand look at what's going on at these schools, and, what other districts have done to turnaround "low-performing" campuses.

A few months ago, I had the pleasure to visit Kendall Whittier Elementary school in Tulsa, Oklahoma where their district has a partnership with City Year---essentially a tutoring/educational support program that exists during the school day in the classroom as opposed to after school where most economically disadvantaged students have an additional transportation hurdle to endure.  I was thoroughly impressed with what I saw.  I wanted to know if HISD had anything like this, especially at the 10 schools on the list.  

I grew up on Selinsky next to Frost Elementary.  I understand it takes extra support to educate economically disadvantaged children.  I was one.

At the end of the day, something has to change.  Sure we need volunteers to be mentors and read to children, but that's not sustainable.  You can't DEPEND on volunteers.  There has to be a structural change to public education that is equitable. 

I took the time to visit Worthing High School a few weeks ago where Dr. Campbell-Rhone, the principal, explained the wraparound services that exist on the campus, and I got to hear from the top brass at Communities in Schools, which is stationed at that campus and others.  

While many are ready to "move forward," I believe it's impossible to truly move forward without understanding and acknowledging the past.

BREAKING: HISD Board will not Charter Black/Brown Schools

Just confirmed the authenticity of this press release from HISD Press office via phone who confirmed the Board will not move forward with the hotly debated Charter Schools proposal that led to last night's infamous protests from parents, activists, and community leaders.

Kandice Webber and Amelie Goedecke were arrested after Board President Rhonda Skillern-Jones ordered police officers to "clear the room," which was filled with constituents awaiting the fate of 10 historically Black and Brown schools.

At the end of Karina Quesada-Leon's testimony, the Board President ordered her removed as seen below.

From HISD Interim-Superintendent Lathan:

HISD Board of Education will not vote on partnership for
“Improvement Required” campuses

HISD will not submit any plans to the Texas Education Agency related to SB 1882
April 25, 2018 - The Houston Independent School District Board of Education on Tuesday adjourned without approving a contract to partner with the governing board of Energized for STEM Academy as part of Senate Bill 1882. The district will no longer pursue this proposal, nor will the district submit plans for partnerships to the TEA.
The proposal was intended to give HISD a two–year pause on accountability from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and prevent sanctions from the state related to House Bill 1842.
HISD will continue to operate and manage the 10 campuses that have been in Improvement Required (IR) status with the state for four years or more. Those campuses are: Blackshear, Dogan, Highland Heights, Mading, and Wesley elementary schools, Henry Middle School, Woodson PK-8, and Kashmere, Wheatley, and Worthing high schools. The district’s goal is to help these 10 schools exit IR and continue to meet yearly standards.
“We are not bringing another partnership proposal to the Board, nor will there be another meeting to consider partnerships for the 10 schools,” said Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan. “Instead, we will continue to reinforce our commitment to helping students, staff, and families of our Achieve 180 schools continue the hard work they’ve done this year to transform their campuses and increase student achievement.”
HISD will make the necessary changes to the Achieve 180 framework to ensure the district provides them with the additional resources and supports they need to be successful. District administration will be holding meetings with staff and parents at these 10 schools to discuss Achieve 180 plans for their campuses in the 2018-2019 school year. Staff will remain in place at these 10 campuses unless a position is closed as part of the reduction in force HISD is experiencing across the district due to the $115 million budget shortfall.

Project Orange Story by April Henshaw

When I saw the call to help register voters who were currently incarcerated, I knew I had to do it.

I was raised by a single father, in part, because both of my parents were convicted felons. He was always saying that the government didn't care about him, the primary example being that he wasn't even allowed to vote. I know now that is untrue. But it took him decades to find that same truth.

One simple bit of dignity to make you feel you are part of the community at large could have a ripple effect on someone's life.

Because of my childhood, I avoid police officers at all costs. They trigger a lot of anxiety and I had not thought of this until right before I began the drive to the Sheriff's office. I realized I would be around inmates, but I was suddenly more afraid that I would be around a bunch of police.

I also hadn't thought about the fact that in all of those years of legal issues and arrests, I had never been inside a jail/prison. All of this hit me with a quickness and I confessed to the person in charge that I had also never registered anyone to vote, so I was "nervous about that".

In reality, I was nervous about at least 10 different things that morning.

I am so glad that I did it now.

I hope to encourage people to have their voices heard and am working on rallying some folks in Austin to do the same thing there!

Project Orange Story by Emily Vanous

I first heard about Project Orange in an email from Houston Millennials.

I had already been to a VDVR training and am very concerned about the lack of voice disenfranchised populations have in our government, so it was a perfect opportunity for me. I was excited to be in a position to have a direct and almost immediate impact relating to people engaging in their civic duties.

I was nervous my first time going to register voters, but only because I was unsure of the process, not the environment. I was made to feel at ease right away though. While there were things to get sorted out and improved during each volunteer session, I always felt safe and, most of the time, very appreciated by the people who I registered to vote.

It was also an incredible opportunity to get a better understanding of the experience of the men and women who spend time behind bars, sometimes only because they can’t afford bail. Eye opening!

Overall, volunteering with Project Orange was a great opportunity to feel like I was giving back to my community, engaging in a crucial civic duty and shining some hope on the future for people who felt like they had hit a road block.

I absolutely will be continuing to volunteer with this incredible organization and also hope to help spread the word about this groundbreaking initiative.