WE HAVE A DREAM......

This publication is dedicated to & maintained by those of us who really care about this city. We are many --- (and growing stronger with more people joining our ranks everyday). We are the nameless , faceless city, county, state, federal, and corporate taxpaying citizens & workers who are sick of the "good ole boy system" here in Houston, Texas --We were born on 7-30-1999. We are --- married & single-male & female, maintenance worker to Deputy Directors. We are the faceless civil servants who year after year do our job. We are the one's who see the hard earned tax $$s of the citizens in this area used & abused and given away to enrich a few greedy people with each new administration. Our hobbies include: Watching our backs---as we try to bring you the truth of what is happening in Houston, and getting the REAL information out to the public

"you have come to see us dance for you,
and dance for you we shall,
but the dance that we will share with you,
is a part that we will choose.
our dance will be filled with our inner passion,
fulfilling our expectations alone.
and if this dance isn't pleasing to you,
then you must find a dance of your own

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ANY DONATION WILL HELP.... PLEASE ......We took in a total of $20.00 last month...

"One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors."-Plato

Since February is Black History Month...and as this week's publication seems to fall right into that category...IF you have sound...and you haven't tuned too early....you are hearing a little over a minute of Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech. For those of you who don't have sound, we have chosen these few passages...."

"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed - we hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal.

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood."

(If you've never heard/read this speech you can read it in it's entirety by clicking here)

We have made history here by electing our first black Mayor, and re-electing him for his third term.

It was a mighty run-off, but Lee Pee came in with some out of town friends and the "buffalo soldiers", and blacks and browns returned him to office in a record turn out for a run-off.

So. you would think that the man would have done more for blacks and browns than any other Mayor had before him. Seems reasonable...right?

Well, he did bring in a lot of "outside blacks/browns" and put them in key positions ....but as we so often report here, many of them aren't qualified for the job, they were just buddy payoffs...and of course those in business found favorable contracts under Lee Pee....but what about the average black, or brown worker, long time employees of the City?

In doing what we do here at HouSnitch, we began to see a pattern...and ya know what...we weren't the only ones.

Two black inspectors in PW&E applied, along with others for a senior inspectors position. Both men were long time employees of the department..and MORE than met the qualifications for the position.

According to The Chronicle's Ed Asher in an April 2001 article. Willie Pratt and Bernard Garrett both community service inspectors with PW&E , both black men, applied for the senior inspector position but ended up having to file a complaint of discrimination against the City when the position was given to a less qualified Anglo.

Willie Pratt had a BA and a year of graduate school under his belt, and Bernard Garrett in fact had a Masters degree and Phd...pending his submission of his dissertation.

Both men's qualifications exceeded the City's requirements for the job. But guess what?...A retired (for two years) Anglo police officer with less qualifications got the job. In fact both Pratt and Dr. Garrett say that the standards were actually lowered to give the officer the job.

Now, HouSnitch is a friend to the policeman on the beat...the guy doing his job, and if he's retired and is qualified, we can even see givin them first option in a RELATED job field...but NOT if they ain't qualified...we don't care what color they are...if they ain't qualified for the job...don't meet the standard set.....we know you put your life on the line for us...but hey...giving you a job you ain't qualified for over people who are...is BREAKING THE LAW!

Mr. Willie Pratt filed a complaint of discrimination against the City with EEOC....Unfortunately the City couldn't come up with anyone's test scores and all EEOC could find is that the City had broken federal law by not keeping test scores on file for the required one year.

Willie and Bernard took their case to court...Judge Sim Lake threw it out saying they didn't have enough for a discrimination suit. Willie and Bernard's attorney's appealed to the 5th Circuit court...last April, 2001, the 5th circuit ruled in favor of Willie and Bernard, throwing it back to judge Sim Lake.

The court set the date for trial as October 22, 2001...BUT!!!!! Lee Pee was in a fighting match for re-election to his Mayoral seat. The City asked Willie and Bernard, to please allow them to delay until AFTER the election. Willie and Bernard, thinking this was the right thing to do for the City, granted them a continuance until AFTER the election.

One of the defendants asked me...he said, Mrs. Flores...we were real nice about it and helped the City out, why do you think they continue to retaliate and harass us? Darlin i said...you been employed by the City long enough to know how the system works...whether you're nice to them or not.

This Monday, Feb.25th, 2002....at 1 pm...515 Rusk...COURT ROOM 99-B, in Judge Sim Lake's courtroom, this case will begin.

This is just a precursor to class action suits guys...Blacks and Hispanics...all across the board in City government, are getting shafted...HouSnitch is proud to help in any way we can..

TAKE A LONG LUNCH.....CALL IN SICK....LEAVE WORK EARLY....BUT JOIN US IN SUPPORTING THESE MEN IN THE FIGHT FOR A GOOD CAUSE.

IF LEE PATRICK BROWN TRULY WISHES TO LEAVE A LEGACY TO BE REMEMBERED....HE'LL BREAK THAT GOOD OLE BOY NETWORK THAT'S IN PLACE IN THE LOWER RUNGS OF THE CITY STRUCTURE AND MAKE EVERY MAN/WOMAN TRULY ANSWERABLE TO THE LAWS, RULES, ORDINANCES OF THE CITY...NOT WHO YOU KNOW, AND WHEN YOU KNOW IT OR THE COLOR OF YOUR SKIN OR HOW MUCH MONEY YOU BRING IN FOR SOMEONE'S CAMPAIGN.

The people, in delegating authority, Do not give their public servants the Right to decide what is good for the people to know, and what is not good for the people to know.

(HOUSNITCH IS LOOKING FOR AN ATTORNEY SO WE CAN SUE MS. SCHECHTER AND THE HARRIS COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY.... ANY SUGGESTIONS/VOLUNTEERS GUYS?

ARCHIVES

"Government is not reason, it is not eloquence, it is force; like fire, a troublesome servant and a fearful master. Never for a moment should it be left to irresponsible action."

-George Washington

That's all this time around guys...tell em what you think darlins, we get tired of telling them by ourselves.......

CITY COUNCIL
HOUSNITCH