Houston Politics
An Interview w/ Houston Activist & Spoken Word Artist Dee-Colonize
Submitted by Southern Shift on Fri, 2010-02-05 09:39 Authored by Davey DSouthern Shift TV sat down with Houston activist and spoken word artist, Deniz Lopez aka Dee-Colonize and talked to her about a variety of topics. We started out talking to her about the meaning behind her stage name 'Dee-Colonize' and the importance of one freeing their mind and breaking away from trappings of materialism. She also spit a nice piece for us that captured that essence.
In pt2 of our interview w/ Houston activist and spoken word artist Deniz Lopez aka Dee-Colonize we touch upon the history of indigenous and Brown folks in Houston. She says its still a border town to her. She also discusses the challenge of having Black & Brown unity in the sprawling city. We conclude by addressing the issue of police brutality. In 2009 60 people were shot by police in Houston and Harris county. Dee-Colonize does a a spoken word piece on this topic.
Word on Street: Interview w/Deniz Lopez aka Dee-Colonize of Houston Part 2 - Immigration, Race & Police
Submitted by Southern Shift on Thu, 2010-02-04 10:23We continue our interview w/Houston activist and spoken word artist Deniz Lopez, aka Dee-Colonize, who touches upon the history of indigenous and Brown folks in Houston. She says it's still a border town to her. She also discusses the challnge of having Black & Brown unity in the sprawling city. We conclude by touching on police brutality issues. In 2009 60 people were shot by police in Houston and Harris county. Dee-Colonize does a a spoken word piece.
Interview w/former Judge Caprice Cosper Part 2 - Recitivism Rates and Being Tough on Crime
Submitted by Southern Shift on Thu, 2010-02-04 09:46We continue our interview w/former Harris County district court judge Caprice Cosper. Here she tackles the issue of recitivism and the push to be tough on crime. She talks about how we are in a unique point in history where various stake holders in the justice system recognize there is great need for change. She lays out the steps she and others are now taking to be fair and yet responsible for keeping society's most dangerous people off the streets.
Interview w/former Judge Caprice Cosper Part 1 - Does Harris County have a Jail Czar?
Submitted by Southern Shift on Thu, 2010-02-04 09:40We recently caught up with former Harris County district court judge Caprice Cosper and talked to her about her new appointment which has been described as a Jail Czar. She says that's an inaccurate description and talked to us about exactly what she does in overseeing the jail system. She talked to us about thresholds for success and the challnges that lay before her.
Interview w/ Houston Mayor-Elect Annise Parker Part 1: How Texas is Politically Changing
Submitted by Southern Shift on Tue, 2009-12-29 12:36We caught up w/ Houston Mayor-Elect Annise Parker on our syndicated Hard Knock Radio show . She opened up to us about a variety of issues including how and why the political landscape of Texas is changing. She talked about the role Texas' big cities are playing in the political shift from Red to Blue and how Texas' burgeoning Latino population is impacting. She talked to us about how she's been dealing with the national spotlight her victory has brought to her and the city of Houston. She talked about what it means politically that Houston elected an openly Gay mayor.
Interview with Houston Mayor-Elect Annise Parker Part 1 - How Texas is Politically Changing
Submitted by Southern Shift on Tue, 2009-12-29 11:05 Authored by Davey DWe caught up with Houston Mayor-elect Annise Parker on our syndicated Hard Knock Radio show. She opened up to us about a variety of issues including how and why the political landscape of Texas is changing. She talked about the role Texas' big cities are playing in the political shift from Red to Blue and how Texas' burgeoning Latino population is impacted. She talked to us about how she's been dealing with the national spotlight her victory has brought to her and the city of Houston. She talked about what it means politically that Houston elected an openly gay mayor.
Links below to Interview w/ Houston Mayor-Elect Annise Parker, Parts 2, 3, & 4.
Annise Parker and Gene Locke Gear up for the December 12th Run Off
Submitted by Southern Shift on Thu, 2009-11-05 10:36 Authored by Davey D
It’ll be interesting to see how the campaigns between Annise Parker and Gene Locke shape up over the next few weeks leading up to the Dec 12th run off. We’ll be watching to see if the gloves come off to a point that race, gender and sexual orientation play into people’s decision-making. We’ll also be watching to see how much outreach these two candidates do. Will they play it safe and focus on turning out likely voters or will they tap into the tens of thousands of eligible voters who stayed home this Nov 3rd? It’ll also be interesting to see who fellow candidates City Councilman Peter Brown and conservative Roy Morales endorse and whether or not it would make a difference. The playing field seems wide open and at this point if neither candidate fails to reach out and get large numbers of people to the polls, there will be an opportunity for an ambitious block of people to galvanize their community and get them to weigh in on the contest. As you read the Houston Chronicle article below we encourage to think about what sorts of things you really want to have in a mayor and then start hitting Ms. Parker or Mr. Locke up. They need to hear from you.
Hip Hop Festival w/ MC Lyte Coming to Houston to Kick Off 2 Year Campaign
Submitted by Southern Shift on Wed, 2009-10-21 15:10 Authored by UH Mitchell Center fir the ArtsHOUSTON’S ‘LIFE IS LIVING’ SET IN MOTION WITH HIP HOP FESTIVAL
FEATURING LEGENDARY PERFORMER MC LYTE, MUSIC, DANCE, AND ART
HOUSTON, Texas (October 20, 2009) – This fall marks the launch of a major new initiative hosted by the UH Mitchell Center for the Arts. Life Is Living is a national campaign that uses urban street arts to engage communities of color in conversations about environmentalism and sustainable living.
The Mitchell Center will launch the Life Is Living initiative in Houston with a kickoff event on November 7 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Discovery Green (1500 McKinney Ave) in downtown Houston. Admission is free.
Who Will be Houston’s Next Mayor?
Submitted by Southern Shift on Tue, 2009-09-15 11:21 Authored by Davey DWho should be Houston’s next mayor? We recently attended a debate that featured 3 of the 4 candidates and got to interview 2 of the candidates. Listen to what they had to say, drop us a line and weigh in... We will be posting up some of the audience reaction we got...
We caught up with mayoral candidate Gene Locke who laid out 3 reasons why he is the most qualified person for Houston Mayor. We talked to him about diversity and how he works to bring Black and Brown communities together. We also talked to him about how he inspires young people to become politically involved and to vote.
Word on the Street - Meet Busi Peters-Maujhan, Houston community activist on Southern Shift TV
Submitted by Southern Shift on Mon, 2009-09-14 14:53We caught up with Busi Peters-Maujhan after the August 2009 Houston mayoral debate and talked to her about the issues of prison and people's ability to find work after being released. She felt none of the candidates addressed this problem in spite of Harris County's high incarceration rate.
