SAY HER NAME

Dear Friends,   Breonna Taylor. Breonna Taylor's life mattered. We must continue to say this, and to #SayHerName, because our current system of "justice" says that it does not. Last week, we heard the devastating news that the police officers who shot and killed Breonna Taylor in her own home would not be charged for ending her life. The only officer charged for the no-knock raid on her apartment in Louisville was charged for shooting a window and patio door. Commissioner Ellis at the Say Their Names Memorial at Emancipation Park.  The grand jury's decision says that Breonna Taylor's life does not matter. We must demonstrate otherwise. In addition to continuing to #SayHerName, we must ensure that our systems of public safety protect Black women like Breonna, a 26-year-old medical worker, who should have had her whole life ahead of her. I am saddened and angry at this miscarriage of justice, but I am also more determined than ever to ensure that we change our systems. If public safety does not encompass Black people and particularly Black women, we cannot consider it a true system of public safety. Our policies and programs should protect all people -- and that starts by ensuring that Black lives matter. At the Say Their Names Memorial  at Emancipation Park. The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. once said that "the arc of the moral  universe is long, but it bends toward justice." I strongly believe that, but I also know that we must take an active part in bending it. Justice will not come of its own volition -- we must continue to work for it.   In Harris County, we are pushing forward a new set of criminal legal system reforms that investigate racial disparities across the criminal legal system, build civilian oversight of the police, and invest in alternative emergency responder and violence prevention programs -- reforms that focus on investing in real public safety, and move us away from the over-criminalization of Black and Brown people.   This week at Commissioners Court, we took important steps to reckon with our local history of racial injustice, discussed a report analyzing how fines and fees impact communities of color, ended the discriminatory OmniBase program, and provided $4.7M in funding for working families to afford childcare. Quebedeaux Park and the Remembrance Project Four markers, similar to this one, will be installed in Quebedeaux Park in downtown Houston. Photo courtesy of Equal Justice Initiative.  We cannot begin to change our country and its practices without first thinking about our history. People of color have a long history in Texas, but for so many years, this history has been disregarded and ignored, while people who were racist and fought to uphold slavery, were celebrated. The goal of the Harris County Remembrance Project is to create a space that will allow visitors to honor those who advanced racial and social justice, as well as to reflect on our history of racial terror. In partnership with the Equal Justice Initiative, the Harris County Remembrance Project recognizes victims of lynching by collecting soil from lynching sites, erecting historical markers and placing memorials to acknowledge the horrors of racial injustice.      Lynching shaped the geographic, political, social and economic state of African Americans in ways that haunt and affect race relations and our criminal justice system today. We have come a long way, but I hope that we never forget these dark moments of our past. Because it is only in reckoning with these moments that we can truly move forward. This project will transform the entire downtown Houston block containing Quebedeaux Park into a place of reflection where Harris County residents can commemorate and honor the actions and struggles of all people as the fight for social justice and human rights for all continues.   Justice Administration Department Report on Fines and Fees Back in June, I directed the Justice Administration Department to produce a report on fines and fees within the Harris County legal system to evaluate their impact on residents, particularly across racial lines. Their preliminary findings show that we have a major problem. Fines and fees have a disproportionate impact on communities of color and low-income residents, and if these are not paid off quickly, the amounts assessed continue to increase as additional fees accrue, trapping people in a never-ending spiral. Unpaid fines and fees result in negative consequences outside of the outstanding debt itself, including suspension of a driver's license, damaged credit scores, and criminal records, which hinder the ability to find employment, stable housing, and other critical services. Now that we have this data, we will continue to review the information to see where we can step in to change our current practices and stop fines and fees from hurting residents of color. A prime example of how we are eliminating discriminatory practices related to fines and fees is the OmniBase Program. Ending the Discriminatory OmniBase Program A report published earlier this year by the Texas Fair Defense  Project and Texas Appleseed showed that the OmniBase Program, which places holds on driver's licenses for missing court appearances, disproportionately impacts Black and low-income residents. In Houston, 40% of people with driver's license holds based on unpaid fines are Black, even though only 22% of the city's population is Black. After ending Harris County's contract with OmniBase, a private company that manages these holds, this week at Commissioners Court we announced an exciting update: 30,000 driver's license holds have now been lifted, and we will be reaching out to those impacted to ensure they can renew their license and get back on the road. However, I remain deeply concerned about the holds that remain for more than one million Texans, including 500,000 from Municipal Courts in the City of Houston. After two months of pushing to get these initial 30,000 holds lifted, we continue to encourage other cities and jurisdictions in the county and across the state to end their participation in this unjust program. For more information on restoring your driver's license, visit this self-help guide. Or visit the Texas Fair Defense Project website for assistance.         Funding Childcare for Working Families Childcare and early childhood education are fundamental to a thriving society. This is especially important for children from low-income backgrounds who are in danger of falling behind without the usual in-school support systems. People of color are far less likely to be able to work from home, and many may be facing a difficult choice between going back to work and ensuring their child's safety. On Tuesday, Commissioners Court stepped up to help children in working families have safe and affordable childcare by establishing the $4.7M COVID-19 Childcare Assistance Program. The program will fund YMCA, Collaborative for Children and the United Way Bright Beginnings programs for pre-school and elementary-aged children during the fall of 2020. Families interested in accessing this resource should contact their local YMCA, Collaborative for Children, or United Way Bright Beginnings Program to see how they can apply. While the deluge of crushing news can be demoralizing, know that we at Precinct One are doing our part to bend the moral arc of the universe. We cannot wait for a world that recognizes that Breonna Taylor's life mattered -- we must make it happen through our actions. Let us continue to #SayHerName and honor her life by everyone doing their part.   Sincerely,      Rodney Ellis