State Senate Candidate, District 1, Audrey Spanko, in Marshall

State Senate Candidate, District 1, Audrey Spanko, kicks off 16-County District 1 Road Trip at Harrison County Democratic headquarters in Marshall on October 1

State Senate Candidate, District 1, Audrey Spanko, kicks off 16-County District 1 Road Trip at Harrison County Democratic headquarters in Marshall on October 1 Audrey Spanko, Democratic State Senate Candidate, District 1, will kick off her “Texas Senate District 1 Road Trip” at the Harrison County Democratic Headquarters, located at 213 West Austin Street in downtown Marshall, on Thursday, October 1 at 1:00pm—3:00pm.

Ms. Spanko is the Democratic Senate candidate running against Republican incumbent State Senator Bryan Hughes and the event in Marshall is the kick-off event in a road trip will be making to the 16 counties in District 1, in the next 12 days to encourage people to register to vote before the October 5 deadline and to encourage voters to vote early when the polls open in Texas on October 13.

The event in Marshall is designed to provide members of our local community to have an opportunity to meet the candidate and for Ms. Spanko to answer any questions that community members might have about the issues facing East Texas.

Audrey Spanko is a licensed social worker and advocate. She is from Mineola and has two degrees in social work from the University of Texas. For roughly a decade, she has worked for nonprofits helping families seeking medical care and basic needs support, and from 2016-2019 she worked in child abuse prevention for the Department of Family and Protective Services. While finishing classes for her masters degree, she served as an advocacy intern during the 2019 Texas legislative session. It was this experience and all that she witnessed while working as a social worker in Texas that inspired her to run for Texas State Senate.

The event is also designed to provide a continued opportunity for citizens of Harrison County who are not yet registered to vote to register before the voter registration deadline.

“We’ve had a very successful voter registration campaign in Harrison County and we’re continuing to encourage community members who are not yet registered to get registered to vote before the registration deadline on Monday, October 5,” shared Maxine Golightly, chairman of the Harrison County Democratic Party. “It’s important that people make sure they are registered so they can vote in this critical election.”

The event will be held in the backyard of the Democratic headquarters at 213 West Austin so that people can enjoy the gorgeous fall weather and to provide for social distancing. The Harrison County Democratic Headquarters is open every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 11am—2:00pm.

Volunteers staff the headquarters for those wishing to register to vote, as well as those wishing to obtain campaign signs, along with information about the early voting schedule in Harrison County, the Democratic candidates, and the issues facing East Texans and Americans. If these times are not convenient, persons are encouraged to call Maxine Golightly at (903) 908- 0521 or Christina Anderson at (903) 938-8373 to make an appointment and they or another volunteer will arrange to meet the person at the headquarters at an appointed time.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the Democratic Party wishing to take all measures to help stop the spread of the coronavirus, the Democratic headquarters follows all Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for social-distancing and wearing masks. If a person does not have a mask and wishes to visit the headquarters, a mask will gladly be provided.

Early voting begins on Tuesday, October 13 at seven locations in Harrison County and runs through Friday, October 30, 2020. Information about specific times and locations for early voting are available at the Democratic headquarters or at the Harrison County Elections Office at 415 East Burleson Street.

The Harrison County Democratic Party will host another “Meet the Candidate and Voter Registration” event on Saturday, October 3 at 2:00pm-4:00pm in the backyard of the Harrison County Democratic headquarters, featuring Judge Staci Williams, who grew up in Marshall and is a candidate for the Texas Supreme Court. More information about that event will be provided in a separate news release.

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Anxiety, Stress, Depression

By George Smith

Anxiety.

Stress.

Low-grade depression, even.

In my professional and personal lives, I have experienced all three emotions or physical manifestations at some point. But I have never had these feelings at once and never with the intensity I am experiencing at this pivotal moment in my life.

My country, your country, is being ripped to shreds, its culturural, political and emotional fabric cut, slashed, torn into divisive slices that prohibit uninhibited, astute and perceptive information exchange.

Pure and simple: The United States
is as divided over the direction this country should take as during the Vietnam war or getting to point of the division experienced during the Civil War.

Do you see the ideological differences common in every county under every form of government widening into an unbridgeable abyss as I do? Or is it just me and my eternal optimistic outlook on life hitting a dark spot in my universe and feeling trapped in a wormhole of uncertain and disbelief?

For most of my life I have been a disciple of the Pollyanna principle. It is the tendency for people to remember pleasant items more accurately than unpleasant ones.

Research indicates that at the subconscious level, the mind tends to focus on the optimistic; while at the conscious level, it tends to focus on the negative. To my way of thinking, and with an exaggerated way of always feeling like “The Little Engine That Could,” I look forward to each day simply KNOWING the sun will come up tomorrow.

Little Orphan Annie. That has been me.

Now, not so much. With insomnia a regular visitor, I wake up to a smoky fog of dread. What fresh hell has been fostered upon us during the night? How many more fellow countrymen have died because of an error in judgment, ignorance and/or abject stupidity in managing the pandemic? What new social media tweet will further divide the country? What self-serving statement by which elected official will get applause from one clique and raised blood pressure from those in opposition?

To quote the late Rep. Elijah Cummings: “We are better than this.”

Are we? The question begs an answer.

Are we really?

Come on, Pollyanna! We’re better than this.

Aren’t we?

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Marshall Burglary Suspect in Custody

[Marshall, Texas, September 2, 2020]

At approximately 9:10 am on Monday, September 1, 2020, the Marshall Police Department Emergency Communications received a 911 call from the Fairfield Inn at 105 West Interstate 20 in Marshall. The caller alerted authorities that an individual had committed a theft from the hotel register and shoved the pregnant clerk while committing the theft. The suspect’s use of force to commit the theft changed the charge from theft to robbery.

Detectives investigating this case had knowledge of a similar theft at the Holiday Inn & Express & Suites at 500 Interstate 20 East in Marshall which occurred on Friday, August 28, 2020. This theft resulted in a warrant being issued for the arrest of the identified suspect, Mr. Glenn Earl Johnson.

The suspect in the Fairfield Inn robbery fled from Marshall Police Patrol Officers and was apprehended after a brief pursuit. He was positively identified as Glenn Earl Johnson and is now custody for both crimes.

The Marshall Police Department mission is to preserve public safety and quality of life within the City of Marshall, to respond effectively to the changing needs of the community, and to promote mutual respect between the Police Department and the people we serve.

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COURTHOUSE SQUARE SURVEY MARKER INSTALLATION

HCIDA Courthouse Endowment Board

announces installation of survey markers indicating the property boundaries

determined by recent survey of the Harrison County Courthouse Square

The Harrison County Industrial Development Authority (HCIDA) Board of Directors, most commonly referred to as the Courthouse Endowment Board, shared that the official survey markers connected with the recent HCIDA-funded survey of the property associated with the 1901 restored Harrison County Courthouse and Courthouse Square in downtown Marshall, will be installed on Thursday, July 9.

These 4-inch brass survey markers will designate the official corners and property boundaries of the Courthouse Square owned by Harrison County.

The survey of the property associated with the 1901 restored Harrison County Courthouse and Courthouse Square was recommended by the Texas Historical Commission (THC) earlier this year. The 9-member volunteer HCIDA Board voted in February to fund the survey in order to confirm the property boundaries. The survey was done in coordination with Harrison County.

Mark Patheal of MTX Surveying performed the survey, which was funded and managed by the HCIDA Board and volunteer Harrison Courthouse Manager. Funded by the Courthouse endowment, the survey was carried out at no cost to the taxpayers of Harrison County.

Christina Anderson, president of the HCIDA Board of Directors, shared: “We look forward to sharing with the Commissioners Court, the Texas Historical Commission, and our community the final results of the survey and the final survey report once the markers are installed and the survey is certified. It will be exciting to be able to share a definitive determination of the property boundaries not only for our community’s current purposes but also for all future purposes going forward.”

Ms. Anderson added that the HCIDA Board has kept Judge Chad Sims and the Commissioners Court, as well as the Texas Historical Commission, apprised of every aspect of the progress of the survey throughout the process.

The survey was informed by extensive historical research, legal analysis, and the compilation of relevant historical documents dating back to 1841, carried out by former Harrison County Judge Richard Anderson, who now serves in a volunteer capacity as Harrison Courthouse Manager, working with the HICDA Board in accomplishing the Board’s two-fold mission and work.

Created in 2010, the HCIDA Board of Directors has a two-fold mission a) to preserve, protect, and grow the Courthouse endowment which was established by the Commissioners Court in 2009 after the completion of the restoration of the 1901 Courthouse and b) to assist Harrison County with the ongoing preservation of the restored 1901 Harrison County Courthouse in perpetuity.

In 2009, after the completion of the restoration of the 1901 Courthouse, the Courthouse endowment was proposed and structured by then-County Judge Richard Anderson through the sale of historic tax credits and approved by the Commissioners Court.

The County transferred the proceeds from the sale of the historic tax credits in order to establish a Courthouse endowment which was created to assist the County with the ongoing preservation of the restored 1901 Courthouse in perpetuity so that the Courthouse would never go into disrepair again. As part of the HCIDA Board’s two-fold mission, the HCIDA Board has invested and managed the endowment funds so that they continue to grow for the purpose of assisting the County with the ongoing Courthouse preservation.

In recent years, in addition to the Courthouse Square survey in 2020, the HCIDA Board of Directors has carried out six other permanent improvement-related projects on the restored 1901 Courthouse. These projects include a Conditions Assessment of the restored building in 2015 to establish the permanent improvement needs going forward, as well as re-painting and repair of all exterior windows and doors of the Courthouse, the repainting of the area around the interior rotunda, replacing and installing UV-resistant sealant on the Courthouse and surrounding sidewalks, repainting the exterior handrails, and re-upholstering the 14 jury chairs in the historic courtroom.

These HCIDA projects have totaled approximately $95,000. All projects were funded and managed by the volunteer HCIDA Board and volunteer Courthouse Manager at no cost to the taxpayers of Harrison County. The Courthouse endowment is the only Courthouse endowment of its kind in the state of Texas.

The members of the HCIDA Board include Christina Anderson, President; Chief Reggie Cooper, Vice President, Veronica King, Secretary; Eric Neal, Treasurer; Dr. Blair Blackburn, Commissioner Jay Ebarb, Jack Redmon, Commissioner Zephaniah Timmins, and Amanda Wynn.

The HCIDA will share the results of the survey and more information about the process, as well as the historical research that informed the survey, once the survey is officially certified in the coming week.

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PEACEFUL PROTEST

By George Smith

In my seven-plus decades, I have participated in three protests: In 1967 I was one of 12 young college students to protest America’s involvement in the Vietnam War; in 1985 in Marshall, Texas, spoke to a “Sweep the Rascals Out” protest concerning bad government in general and in D.C. in general; last night, June 11, joined a peaceful protest in Prescott, Ark., with the aim of obtaining justice for all citizens, a Black Lives Matter event.

All masked-up and maintaining the suggested social distance, I participated in the event on behalf of my friend-daughter Jennifer and son-in-law Cleon, our three biracial grandkids, Bryan, Brayden and Marley, and our other four grands — Piper, Annie, Jordyn and Colton — plus our two biracial second-cousins, Mattie and Ann Marie.

I also wanted to stand up and be counted in the global movement aimed at ending injustice to black citizens in particular.

More than 35 people from as far away as Mena, Ark., 100 miles, participated in the protest.

Hannah Wiley, the young organizer of the protest, set the tone for the event by holding an eight minute, 23 second moment of silence in memory of
George Floyd, the black citizen who died at the hands of Minneapolis police officers.

BobJean had planned on attending but deferred until the next protest due to working too long and too hard in the yard and wearing herself out.

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LET’S END RACISM NOW TOGETHER

I’m writing to denounce the shameful spreading of misinformation by the Harrison County Republican Party Chairman, along with some of his fellow party chairs in our state, in posting the conspiracy theory that George Floyd’s brutal murder on Memorial Day in Minneapolis was a “staged event.” There is no evidence that the senseless, unjust killing of Mr. Floyd was staged. Normally, denunciation of such an irresponsible action should, as they say, “go without saying,” but, over the past few years, divisive, hateful, and untrue things have been said and spread with such frequency that they have become almost normalized. We must never allow the spreading of lies to become accepted or normalized. It tears at the very fabric of our civil society and democracy.

I write this from the perspective of someone who not only loves America and our founding principles of liberty, equality, and justice for all more than words could ever say, but also from the perspective of someone who has volunteered more time than I could ever calculate over the past 25 years to help bring progress and unity to a community and region I love. And when people spread falsehoods and conspiracy theories—and, I believe in this case, when they do it for partisan reasons—nothing but harm and hurt can result. It’s not only harmful to the grieving family who has lost a loved one, but also to a grieving nation who, for many of us, have hearts that break every day knowing the reality that racism, a scourge that has plagued our nation’s history from its beginning, still exists. The only way we’re going be able to end systemic racism is by working together, not by stoking division. As one of our nation’s mottos says: “E Pluribus Unum” Out of Many, One. That’s a very clear directive. We must do this together. We must do this with understanding, empathetic hearts, with steadfast intentionality, and with reality-based information.

In preparing a home-made sign to carry at one of the peaceful marches in Marshall this week, I thought to myself, “What would be a helpful and healing message to share?” I knew that the word “together” would need to be included and, as I wrote the words on the sign, I was filled with a deep sense of hope that maybe this time, finally, finally, we can bring about meaningful change—along with strong policies—to address this long-standing, profound injustice. Standing on the shoulders of the brave, resolute people who have gone before and for all who continue to work for the cause of justice today, I write these words of hope: “Let’s end racism now together. Let’s end racism now forever.” As the pandemic has taught us, we are indeed all in this together and I appreciate all people of good faith who are working to make much-needed changes successful so that our beloved America can be stronger and better now and in the future.

Christina Cocek Anderson

Marshall, Texas

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Marshall City Openings

[Marshall, Texas, June 5, 2020]

Effective Monday, June 8, 2020, Marshall city leaders will open the following city buildings and services to citizens. This decision aligns the city with the latest Executive Order GA-26 from Governor Greg Abbott.

Outdoor public events less than 500 people
City park playgrounds and basketball courts
Marshall Visual Art Center – Only paid renters of art cages will be allowed access
City Hall Community & Economic Development Department for permits and code enforcement

The City of Marshall will hold City Commission meetings utilizing a video and audio conferencing tool, as well as a standard conference call. Instructions and direct links to view meetings or speak during Citizen Comment are at http://www.marshalltexas.net.

The City of Marshall urges all citizens to follow Governor Abbott’s Standard Health Protocols.

All businesses should continue to follow the minimum standing of health protocol for DSHS. For details and a full list of guidelines, please visithttp://open.texas.gov.
Individuals are encouraged to wear appropriate face coverings.
People should not be in groups higher than ten when possible.
People over the age of 65 are encouraged to stay at home as much as possible.
People shall avoid nursing homes, state-supported living centers, assisting living facilities, or long-term care facilities.

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James Mattis Denounces President Trump, Describes Him as a Threat to the Constitution

In an extraordinary condemnation, the former defense secretary backs protesters and says the president is trying to turn Americans against one another.

JEFFREY GOLDBERG — The Atlantic

JUNE 3, 2020

James Mattis, the esteemed Marine general who resigned as secretary of defense in December 2018 to protest Donald Trump’s Syria policy, has, ever since, kept studiously silent about Trump’s performance as president. But he has now broken his silence, writing an extraordinary broadside in which he denounces the president for dividing the nation, and accuses him of ordering the U.S. military to violate the constitutional rights of American citizens.

“I have watched this week’s unfolding events, angry and appalled,” Mattis writes. “The words ‘Equal Justice Under Law’ are carved in the pediment of the United States Supreme Court. This is precisely what protesters are rightly demanding. It is a wholesome and unifying demand—one that all of us should be able to get behind. We must not be distracted by a small number of lawbreakers. The protests are defined by tens of thousands of people of conscience who are insisting that we live up to our values—our values as people and our values as a nation.” He goes on, “We must reject and hold accountable those in office who would make a mockery of our Constitution.”

[Mike Mullen: I cannot remain silent]

In his j’accuse, Mattis excoriates the president for setting Americans against one another.

“Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people—does not even pretend to try. Instead, he tries to divide us,” Mattis writes. “We are witnessing the consequences of three years of this deliberate effort. We are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership. We can unite without him, drawing on the strengths inherent in our civil society. This will not be easy, as the past few days have shown, but we owe it to our fellow citizens; to past generations that bled to defend our promise; and to our children.”

He goes on to contrast the American ethos of unity with Nazi ideology. “Instructions given by the military departments to our troops before the Normandy invasion reminded soldiers that ‘The Nazi slogan for destroying us … was “Divide and Conquer.” Our American answer is “In Union there is Strength.”’ We must summon that unity to surmount this crisis—confident that we are better than our politics.”

Adam Serwer: America’s racial contract is showing

Mattis’s dissatisfaction with Trump was no secret inside the Pentagon. But after his resignation, he argued publicly—and to great criticism—that it would be inappropriate and counterproductive for a former general, and a former Cabinet official, to criticize a sitting president. Doing so, he said, would threaten the apolitical nature of the military. When I interviewed him last year on this subject, he said, “When you leave an administration over clear policy differences, you need to give the people who are still there as much opportunity as possible to defend the country. They still have the responsibility of protecting this great big experiment of ours.” He did add, however: “There is a period in which I owe my silence. It’s not eternal. It’s not going to be forever.”

That period is now definitively over. Mattis reached the conclusion this past weekend that the American experiment is directly threatened by the actions of the president he once served. In his statement, Mattis makes it clear that the president’s response to the police killing of George Floyd, and the ensuing protests, triggered this public condemnation.

Read: The Christians who loved Trump’s stunt

“When I joined the military, some 50 years ago,” he writes, “I swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution. Never did I dream that troops taking that same oath would be ordered under any circumstance to violate the Constitutional rights of their fellow citizens—much less to provide a bizarre photo op for the elected commander-in-chief, with military leadership standing alongside.”

He goes on to implicitly criticize the current secretary of defense, Mark Esper, and other senior officials as well. “We must reject any thinking of our cities as a ‘battlespace’ that our uniformed military is called upon to ‘dominate.’ At home, we should use our military only when requested to do so, on very rare occasions, by state governors. Militarizing our response, as we witnessed in Washington, D.C., sets up a conflict—a false conflict—between the military and civilian society. It erodes the moral ground that ensures a trusted bond between men and women in uniform and the society they are sworn to protect, and of which they themselves are a part. Keeping public order rests with civilian state and local leaders who best understand their communities and are answerable to them.

Here is the text of the complete statement.

IN UNION THERE IS STRENGTH

I have watched this week’s unfolding events, angry and appalled. The words “Equal Justice Under Law” are carved in the pediment of the United States Supreme Court. This is precisely what protesters are rightly demanding. It is a wholesome and unifying demand—one that all of us should be able to get behind. We must not be distracted by a small number of lawbreakers. The protests are defined by tens of thousands of people of conscience who are insisting that we live up to our values—our values as people and our values as a nation.

When I joined the military, some 50 years ago, I swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution. Never did I dream that troops taking that same oath would be ordered under any circumstance to violate the Constitutional rights of their fellow citizens—much less to provide a bizarre photo op for the elected commander-in-chief, with military leadership standing alongside.

We must reject any thinking of our cities as a “battlespace” that our uniformed military is called upon to “dominate.” At home, we should use our military only when requested to do so, on very rare occasions, by state governors. Militarizing our response, as we witnessed in Washington, D.C., sets up a conflict—a false conflict—between the military and civilian society. It erodes the moral ground that ensures a trusted bond between men and women in uniform and the society they are sworn to protect, and of which they themselves are a part. Keeping public order rests with civilian state and local leaders who best understand their communities and are answerable to them.

James Madison wrote in Federalist 14 that “America united with a handful of troops, or without a single soldier, exhibits a more forbidding posture to foreign ambition than America disunited, with a hundred thousand veterans ready for combat.” We do not need to militarize our response to protests. We need to unite around a common purpose. And it starts by guaranteeing that all of us are equal before the law.

Instructions given by the military departments to our troops before the Normandy invasion reminded soldiers that “The Nazi slogan for destroying us…was ‘Divide and Conquer.’ Our American answer is ‘In Union there is Strength.’” We must summon that unity to surmount this crisis—confident that we are better than our politics.

Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people—does not even pretend to try. Instead he tries to divide us. We are witnessing the consequences of three years of this deliberate effort. We are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership. We can unite without him, drawing on the strengths inherent in our civil society. This will not be easy, as the past few days have shown, but we owe it to our fellow citizens; to past generations that bled to defend our promise; and to our children.

We can come through this trying time stronger, and with a renewed sense of purpose and respect for one another. The pandemic has shown us that it is not only our troops who are willing to offer the ultimate sacrifice for the safety of the community. Americans in hospitals, grocery stores, post offices, and elsewhere have put their lives on the line in order to serve their fellow citizens and their country. We know that we are better than the abuse of executive authority that we witnessed in Lafayette Square. We must reject and hold accountable those in office who would make a mockery of our Constitution. At the same time, we must remember Lincoln’s “better angels,” and listen to them, as we work to unite.

Only by adopting a new path—which means, in truth, returning to the original path of our founding ideals—will we again be a country admired and respected at home and abroad.

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Marshall’s Opening During COVID-19 — June 3, 2020

[Marshall, Texas, May 19, 2020]

[Marshall, Texas] It is essential to note that the Marshall Public Library has been open and available for curbside service since May 1, 2020. We encourage patrons to avail themselves to access the library’s services through these means. Please contact info@marshallpubliclibrary.org or (903) 935-4465 to make arrangements for reading materials through this service.

When the city announced furloughs back in April, city leaders were careful to point out that they made such a decision concerning our response to protecting the pandemic for our citizens and budgetary considerations. The focus for the furloughs was mainly in areas that are destination-based, as opposed to safety services and utility operations based on our current circumstances. We are in a recession, which will be announced formally at the end of the month, after the second quarter. We have seen estimates in the drop of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for this second quarter ranging from 35-53%. This drop in the GDP will impact on our sales tax revenues, one of the city’s primary sources of income for providing services on almost every level. We won’t know how severe an impact it will have until we receive our latest sales tax report, which we anticipate in the next few weeks. Keep in mind; there is an approximate two-month delay between what happens at the cash registers in Marshall and when it shows up at City Hall. Although there has been a lot of rhetoric in the nation’s capital about aid to states and cities for lost revenue, there are no formal plans for providing that assistance. Assuming our citizens didn’t want the shortfall passed onto them via tax increases, city leaders have done the responsible thing and made adjustments as early as possible to mitigate the impact of the sales tax lost revenue. Whether we have to cut more, will be based on the subsequent reports.

When deciding on when to reopen city services to their normal state, the City of Marshall will use a combination of things, including a city advisory committee comprised of management personnel, the Governor’s Orders, local COVID-19 statistics, and budgetary considerations. The committee will continue to meet periodically to evaluate reopening the full complement of city services. A prompt announcement will be made by the city on decisions to change the status of building openings or city services.

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TIMELY AND PERSONAL

By George Smith

Cleon Flanagan is an American, a husband, father, production engineer, and former law enforcement officer. He is my son-in-law and dad to Bryan, 17, Brayden, 11, and Marley, 6, three of my seven grandchildren.

He is black.

He and I talked this weekend about the racial turmoil roiling through the U.S. His heart was breaking and it was obvious he was worried about the future and what new hell his biracial children would face.

So you will know, I grew up in a segregated community and never had a real, honest conversation and exchange of views about anything with any black person until I went to college.

Cleon is the epitome of what a husband, father, relative and human being should be. He is one of the best men I have ever met. I love him.

He wrote the piece below this week. Please read it. If you do and get through it without shedding tears…you have more self control than I do.

By Cleon Flanagan

So let’s talk … take a seat.

1980’s—Walking home, around age 12, and two white men in a pickup truck and a confederate flag waving, pulled up behind me and then beside me and threw beer and full beer cans on and at me. Thank God I was almost home.

1997 — When I worked for a local police agency, we were doing a transport of some detainees and prisoners when a detainee turned to me and said (while i was in uniform) “My daddy used to own some like you. ha ha!” I couldn’t speak up.

Same town — I went into the store to get a drink, in uniform, and the cashier looked at me (missed the badge) and said “I can’t stand f-ing n******.”

I’d like to say these instances early in my adulthood were rare, or stopped as I aged.

But that would be a “No.”

Jennifer Thurman Flanagan and I, throughout our marriage, have endured comments that we know wouldn’t be made (or tolerated) about white couples.

“Oh, I’ll bet her family has money. You’re all set now.”

“She has a good job so y’all know y’all will be ok. (But I’m an engineer?)

Jen has been asked if all of our kids were by the same dad.

They are struck by the fact that she had actually graduated college, got married, and bought a house (in that order) yearsssssss before having kids. That we weren’t teen parents.

She’s been asked at the grocery store, when the little ones were with her, if she’ll be using her Lone Star card to pay.

She’s looked at as trash when she shops alone with our kids, but I get stereotyped as having “married up.”

And let me tell you about our recent vacations … Galveston 2019 — Our kids were questioned for missing fishing poles from a residence AN ENTIRE BLOCK AWAY. The police were driving around and saw our kid’s fishing (with their own poles).

Lake O the Pines 2018 — The white man who owned the property we rented was as friendly and sweet as peach pie over the phone… until he saw Bryan, his black classmate, and me heading in with our boat. After that, we were harassed, watched, hounded, then, after cleaning profusely, he kept our deposit and sent us a bill (we got it all back after filing a complaint with VRBO).

Speaking of vacations — How many of you have to plan your vacation depending on the demographics of the town? The location? Is it a place notorious for pulling over and harassing POC (people of color)?

Have you every had to justify simply being in a public place?

Have you every been denied a day off by your boss at Thanksgiving, just for him to tell you, “Them white folks don’t want you to eat with them.”

These are only a fraction of the stories I could tell. Imagine all of the stories millions black men and women could tell today.

Imagine being a black man and being ridiculed and belittled by police, by your boss, by your white neighbor. treated less than human, in front of your own children who don’t understand the systematic racism that you encounter.

And you are helpless to fight it. You have to “stay in your place.” You can’t speak up.

If you think the world still doesn’t look at us differently, let me tell you: I have a CHI (Concealed Handgun License), and I could open carry. If I walked into Walmart with a rifle strapped to my back, the cops would be called. White men open carry regularly – not an eye batted.

Have you every had to tell your black son where to put his hands when he gets pulled over and to let the officer know he are unarmed?

Some of y’all get excited about your kids going off to college, traveling the world, getting jobs ANYWHERE. That worries the hell out of me. I don’t get the privilege to get excited for my kids — I just get to worry.

The only reason I’m posting this is because I need y’all to understand. I have tons of white friends. I have white family members. But I really think that some don’t understand the experiences that we go through. They make assumptions that our life is great and happy and everyone is nice to us. I’ve heard the sideways comments from people and either they think it doesn’t bother me, or they make the comment of “But you’re not like other black guys.“ What does THAT mean??

THIS IS OUR EVERYDAY REALITY!

This impacts me personally not because of my experiences that I have had or will have, but because of the experiences that my children will have. Racism is only around today because it keeps being reinforced and taught throughout the generations. And now, it’s my kids’ turns to encounter it. And it INFURIATES ME.

What if George Floyd was Bryan. Or our classmates, or me????

Like I was told at the police academy: Just because it happens in a big town, don’t think it can’t happen in your small piece of the world.

Would you still sit back silent? Would we just be a hashtag?

Would you be complaining about protestors and rioting … or would you march for me? Would you actually act? Would you vote differently? Would you not make assumptions? Would you still grasp your purse or lock your doors when we walk by? Would we still get an interview, the job, or a promotion?

Would you stand next to us?

And, does it have to be someone you know for you to GET IT!?

Are you mad at the protesters? Be mad that y’all haven’t spoken up in the names of my sons. Be mad at the systematic racism that is still plagues the every day life of POC.

If we keep going this way, if Y’ALL DONT SPEAK UP and make SYSTEMATIC CHANGES, then it very well really might BE one of us.

Or maybe that’s it: You don’t want it to change. And THAT is the real problem.

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