Laura SJul 30, 2023
Courtney Rosenthal

You may have heard that Houston schools plan to convert libraries to disciplinary centers and fire the librarians.

What you may not have heard is that the State of Texas took over the Houston school district and installed its own superintendent.

That's the guy who is closing libraries. This is not something local residents want, and the superintendent is not locally accountable,

#txpol #texas #houston #library #libraries

Jul 29, 2023 at 1:31pmWeb
Show threadAlex WildJul 29, 2023
@oh_that_courtney not unlike when Republicans took over
Flint, and the unaccountable occupiers then poisoned everyone’s drinking water.
Show threadAlice Dubiel 🔬💉🦠😷🌬☮️Jul 29, 2023
@alexwild @oh_that_courtney I think that #water control strategy is also going on in #jacksonms. Seems like there are parallels here, in demographics. Also to note that 2020 White House #votersuppression pressures were applied to similar demographics in must have #electoralcollege states. This #library suppression strategy also reeks of #JimCrow
Show threadTeamRoseJul 29, 2023

@alexwild @oh_that_courtney
Very much like that!
The constituency had no #voice in that matter…
Like #flint …these TX families are stuck…
In an “authoritarian-trip-back-to-fifties” BS!

These folks love their #freedom #constitution #democracy …
Just as long as they have power, control &💰!
The reality is they’re not qualified to make these decisions!

I’m sick of so many adults…
Denying kids any semblance of agency over their own lives.
#education #libraries #texas

Show threadJeffrey GrayJul 29, 2023
@oh_that_courtney helpful context. I was scratching my head when I saw that headline since it didn’t seem like Houston to do that. How soon before TX demographically flips in state government to electing non-fascists?
Show threadCurmudgeonJul 29, 2023
@phoca2004 Even Uvalde voted in a majority for that Governor after hundreds of police stood in and around a school listening to kids being shot in their classrooms. I don't see TX changing soon.
Show threadChris WagnerJul 30, 2023
@phoca2004 sounds like they’re working on running out the people who might make that happen.
Show threadRichard RatheJul 29, 2023

@oh_that_courtney

We’re having another Flint, Michigan moment… 😕

Show threadTexas ObserverJul 29, 2023
@oh_that_courtney our Fellow @josephinelee has been doing important coverage of this. https://www.texasobserver.org/teachers-strong-armed-to-get-on-board-with-houston-schools-takeover/
Teachers Strong-Armed to Get on Board with Houston Schools Takeover

Instructors face job losses for failing to sign up for the New Education System.

The Texas Observer
Show threadJennifer DeseoJul 29, 2023
@TexasObserver @oh_that_courtney @josephinelee Can the state education agency take over individual school districts under the “Death Star” bill? Asking for a non-Texan.
Show threadJoeChipJul 30, 2023

@jdeseo

They can literally do anything unless somebody stops them. This is the secret sauce of fascism.
@TexasObserver @oh_that_courtney @josephinelee

Show threadJosephine LeeJul 30, 2023
@jdeseo @TexasObserver @oh_that_courtney Not under the Death Star bill exactly. But under the state is using TX HB 1842 to takeover the Houston school district, citing that ONE school did not pass state accountability ratings several year ago, even though that particular school has been up to standards recently. I wrote more about that here: https://www.texasobserver.org/wheatley-houston-isd-takeover-privatization-texas/
Houston ISD Takeover Is a Trojan Horse for Privatization

Leaders of low-income communities of color worry the state’s power grab could deepen inequalities at schools like Wheatley High.

The Texas Observer
Show threadLindaCollins11Jul 29, 2023
@oh_that_courtney Thanks for that. I was wondering how they got away with that
Show threadSecond Chance BikesJul 29, 2023
@oh_that_courtney
East Texas should secede from the state like W. Va did in the Civil War
Show threadTBYGJul 29, 2023
@2CB That sounds nice, but it's a little too simple. A lot of East Texas really sucks. I refer you to Vidor, for example, although it may have gotten better since the last time I paid attention to it. What would have to be done for your plan is to carve out Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Austin, and maybe even Fort Worth. Oh, and El Paso too, I think.
Show threadJesseJul 29, 2023
@oh_that_courtney @thiswomanswerk Yeah I figured something like that had to be up. Disgusting.
Show threadRodneyPetersonTalentAgencyJul 29, 2023

@oh_that_courtney I use my own version of this iconic speech constantly because it is so right on target:

“Ask not who the shithole countries are. Ask why your country is a shithole country.”

There should be posters of this everywhere with photos of complete pieces of shit like Ron DeSantis and numerous Texas politicians featured prominently and unmistakably.

Show threadAviva GaryJul 29, 2023
@oh_that_courtney Ah... now I see the logic train that got us here... thank you
Show threadDeborah Rose ❌👑Jul 29, 2023
@oh_that_courtney Surrounded by elected officials, HISD parents and community activists, NAACP Houston President Dr. James Dixon issued a call to action for all Houstonians appalled by Miles’ plan to converge on HISD’s Hattie Mae White Building (4400 W. 18th St., Houston, 77092) on Aug. 5 at 9a.m. to demand a policy reversal.
Show threadTBYGJul 29, 2023
@DebErupts @oh_that_courtney Hey, thanks for the info. I think I'll be one of the warm bodies there.
Show threadNicole ParsonsJul 29, 2023

@oh_that_courtney

Just in case you are interested in the names of the oligarchs who own & operate Texas?

Charles Koch
Paul Singer
Tim Dunn
Farris Wilks
James Doug Pitcock
S. Javaid Anwar
Kenny Troutt
Michael Porter
Edward Roski Jr
Kelcy Warren
Ray Hunt
H. Ross Perot Jr.
Drayton McLane Jr.
Bobby Cox
Robert Rowling
Paul Foster
John Nau III
Jeffery Hildebrand
T. Dan Friedkin
Robert Albritton
Harold Simmons
Richard Kinder
Tilman Fertitta
Bob J. Perry
Miriam Adelson

Show threadNicole ParsonsJul 29, 2023

@oh_that_courtney

Just in case you're interested in the names of the oligarchs who own & operate Texas?

Jay Graham
Peter Holt
Stuart W. Stedman
William Harris
Kathaleen Wall
Holloway Frost
Arch Aplin III
Geoffrey Raynor

https://www.texastribune.org/2022/10/18/greg-abbott-texas-fundraising-governor-donors/#:~:text=One%20of%20Abbott's%20top%20donors,billion%20in%20work%20since%202020.

https://www.keranews.org/2022-elections/2022-10-18/two-thirds-of-board-members-overseeing-texas-public-universities-are-abbott-donors

https://www.kxan.com/investigations/money-politics-and-txtag-abbott-donors-on-oversight-board/

Republican government is a system of public corruption.

Every board position, agency head, or tenure is used for patronage payoffs, donor maintenance & shielding the indicted.
https://www.texastribune.org/2023/07/18/ken-paxton-donors-impeachment/

In Texas, where money has long dominated politics, Greg Abbott is in a league of his own

The two-term governor’s donors enjoy access, appointments to boards and commissions, and a chance to bend the ear of a politician who may harbor bigger ambitions.

The Texas Tribune
Show threadSteveBolognaJul 29, 2023
@Npars01 @oh_that_courtney Oh, those Texans love their dicktator
Show threadTBYGJul 29, 2023
@SteveBologna @Npars01 @oh_that_courtney Houston doesn't, nor most of the areas around it.
Show threadNicole ParsonsJul 29, 2023

@TBYG @SteveBologna @oh_that_courtney

And that is why Harris County had control of its elections stripped.

The only way Republicans win now is through cooking the books and cheating.

GOP billionaires want to end American democracy the same way they did in Texas and Florida.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/06/politics/texas-elections-law-harris-county-lawsuit/index.html

https://www.politico.com/news/2023/05/30/texas-republicans-elections-harris-county-00099249

https://www.npr.org/2023/06/01/1179458897/texas-houston-harris-county-elections

https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/politics/elections/2023/07/06/456226/harris-county-sues-texas-to-overturn-law-abolishing-its-elections-administrators-post/

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/texas-largest-county-home-houston-sues-state-law-ousting-election-chie-rcna92711

https://www.texastribune.org/2023/07/20/Harris-county-elections-law-challenges/

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/houston/article/harris-county-election-results-gop-lawsuits-18257448.php

Show threadSteveBolognaJul 29, 2023
@Npars01 @TBYG @oh_that_courtney Spot on!
Show threadPhillip Hallam-BakerJul 29, 2023
@oh_that_courtney i think the term 'political officer' or 'party commissar' is more accurate than 'superintendent'.
Show threadAlan Rycroft 🇨🇦Jul 29, 2023

@oh_that_courtney 👆🏼

Why ban books when you can simply close libraries and turn them into prisons for kids?

#GQP #Texas #books #BookBans #children #FearOfKnowledge #ignorance #libraries

Show thread(((Cindy Weinstein)))Jul 29, 2023
@oh_that_courtney. #MikeMiles is his name. "The TEA announced earlier this month it would place Miles @ the helm of the state's largest school district after years of poor academic outcomes @ a single campus in the district, Phillis Wheatley High School." Having #Miles oversee (right word) #PhillisWheatley HS is rich. "He wanted to forbid school board members from searching for a new superintendent while he finished out his last year & wanted access to a retention bonus. https://abc13.com/houston-isd-state-takeover-of-hisd-largest-district-in-texas-mike-miles/13410708/#:~:text=Houston%20ISD's%20new%20superintendent%20Mike,in%20Dallas%20schools%20%2D%20ABC13%20Houston
Houston ISD's new superintendent wants to use same polarizing approach he applied in Dallas schools

Mike Miles has wasted no time in restructuring HISD. His proposals on teacher pay and evaluation resemble measures he implemented in Dallas, where no significant academic gains were made.

ABC13 Houston
Show threadMrShoggothJul 29, 2023
@oh_that_courtney - March or move away.
Show threadMsDeeJul 29, 2023
@oh_that_courtney I’m officially worried for my nieces and nephew
Show threadJack KissirJul 29, 2023
@[email protected]. then vote that fool out of office!
Show threadgavinisdie Jul 29, 2023
@oh_that_courtney Texas is not fit to govern itself
Show threadNerdGirlInVR 💜🇺🇸🌎🐘💜Jul 29, 2023

@oh_that_courtney The student body at the schools served by Houston Independent School District is 9.9% White, 22.4% Black, 4.4% Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander, 61.7% Hispanic/Latino, 0.2% American Indian or Alaska Native, and 0.1% Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander.

Not so hard to see what the aim is here. To turn Houston schools into Pre-Penitentiarys for Black and Hispanic students. 🤬🤬🤬

Associate books with disciplinary centers.... Texans need to revolt, save their children.

Show threadBill DJul 29, 2023
@oh_that_courtney Thank you! It wasn’t making sense to me that the Houston school district would do something like this. Now it makes perfect sense.
Show threadRobert MJul 29, 2023
@oh_that_courtney https://mastodon.ar.al/@aral/110795931175727261 #texas #bookbans #libraries
Aral Balkan (@[email protected])

Closing libraries is how you burn books without lighting a match.

Aral’s Mastodon
Show threadRhode PVDJul 29, 2023
@oh_that_courtney According to USPS address change data, more residents left Houston in the past 3 months than any other place in America.
Show threadWe Can Be GyrosJul 29, 2023
@oh_that_courtney everyone needs to push and stay involved locally. This is going so far.
Show threadThe Animal and the MachineJul 29, 2023

@oh_that_courtney @dancinyogi
If I understand this correctly, the gun lobby is about leveraging the racist policing to enable white vigilantism, which is like micro terrorism so people feel the threat of death about speaking up.

Healthcare isn’t free as non-whites have been made poor so the ‘pure capitalism’ is actually about economic slavery. A white shooter, if they don’t kill you, will at least be able to bankrupt you. Equally on the ability to fire you from work. All this so you don’t speak up.

Education is smashed to both simultaneously remove that privilege from Black people and generate these micro terrorists.

The law is fragmented so the ruling group (nearly said elite but there is nothing elite about them,) can find designed loopholes to apply their rule without it ever landing in your legal recourse. Those who don’t believe there is racism and do believe in due process therefore become inert through frustration. Rejection of Federal action is about this and the filibuster is about blocking the Senate with a minority rule, effectively never loosing the slave owner veto on Black lives.

All this so self-important white men can act the slave owner and start abusing black kids in schools.

Fuck me America!

Show threadWeaselJul 30, 2023
@oh_that_courtney
Cruz perverse
Texas curse
Killer Abbott
Even worse
-- Burma Shave
Show threadCheriSwearsJul 30, 2023
@oh_that_courtney thank you! I couldn’t understand why blue Houston was doing such a thing.
Show threadKay   Jul 30, 2023
@oh_that_courtney Same rationale for firing an older Christian teacher for going to a restaurant that had a drag show. Yep, #Houston #Texas #schools
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jul/27/texas-teacher-fired-drag-show
Teacher fired by Texas Christian school for attending drag show

Kristi Maris, who worked at school for 19 years, lost job after going to show in her own time and posting it on social media

The Guardian
Show threadcurtJul 30, 2023
#texas #houston #library #libraries FWIW, it seems the libraries are not closing. They’re being repurposed during classroom hours for this “Team Center” initiative. The libraries will still be open and the books available to the students before and after school. IIRC, I was practically never in the library at my primary schools except for after school, so, on one hand, it makes some kind of sense to more fully utilize the space. However, …
Show threadThe Masked School Library TechJul 30, 2023
@curt but a library is nothing more than a storage for books if you don’t staff it properly. Books don’t magically appear on shelves. They don’t magically get fixed. Collections need dedicated staff to keep them refreshed. And libraries are more than just books. So many more things happen in a library than just taking a book out.
Show threadcurtJul 31, 2023
@LibraryandTea Agreed. It seems like a bad move.
Show threadKarl Morant 🇨🇦  🖖Jul 29, 2023

@oh_that_courtney

This is called fascism.

Jesus Christ folks!

Put down your iPhones and Nintendos and vote those Nazis out!!

Show threadUnixorn - 90% Snark by weightJul 30, 2023
@oh_that_courtney basically the locals weren’t cruel enough so the state installed a GOP minion
Show threadcheesemonkeysfJul 30, 2023
@oh_that_courtney This is undoubtedly after the Carranza wrecking ball...
Show threadRealGravitas -Citizen SaboteurJul 7, 2024
@oh_that_courtney Good reminder. Houston as an entire community is being repressed.