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April 5, 2025 58 mins
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Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
It's the week of April sixth, twenty twenty five, and
this is what's on the People's News. Houston woman battles
brain tumor and threat of homelessness following the housing authority denial.
One tattoo can get you to port to El Salvador
with no return as mistakes are made, but the US

(00:24):
government says sorry, no return. Elephants migrate to Houston. Herman Park,
Houston celebrates the influence of Philly Sound. Next week, all
that and more on the People's News. I'm Steve Gallington.
This is the People's News, and the People's News starts now.

(00:50):
Carmen marchh is a Houston mother of four with a
brain tumor who now faces the threat of being homeless.
She says she was denied housing that would a common
disabilities by the Houston housing authorities. She was given a
voucher for housing, but says that that was not enough
to cover the price of housing with her disabilities. Added

(01:10):
to that, she says her child was traumatized by the
school she was attending. We talked to her about her story.

Speaker 2 (01:18):
I'm trying to get the help for me and my
children because it's two situations going on. In February, my
daughter was injured by Royal I sc bus driver and
the school harassed her and then disciplined the driver. I'm sorry,

(01:40):
it's try for me to kind of talk because of
my situation. That's why I brought everything out. Oh they
didn't discipline the driver. They deleted the video footage and
with my help and my daughter, they this her disability

(02:00):
as well. They also the bus driver also almost hit
me as well cause I I waited the incident the
driver as my daughter stepped onto the bus, she instantly
closed her into the door and drove off and then

(02:20):
came to a halt. I got out of my vehicle
and went over to the court the bus. The bus
driver tried to pull off, nearly striking me with the
bus and told me if I had a problem with
it the car concentration and then drove off. That's the
pitation department told me he wasn't gonna do anything about

(02:41):
it because it's her first affairs, but they will just
remove my daughter from the bus. So I went to
me having a brain tumor and my daughter's having disabilities.
I went to Akha, he's a house and authority to
get an urgency move because my daughter needed to be
in a new school and the situation was causing a

(03:02):
huge impact on my health. SOHA gave me the run
around for like a month and then March seventeenth and
finally gave me a moving voucher, a urgency moving voucher,
which I didn't know that the pamient stenters had lower,

(03:24):
So I went to the Accommodation of Department for a
pamienty crease to get a home that's suitable for me
and my church in medical needs. Houston Housing Authority did
everything in the power to ensure that I didn't get

(03:46):
the payment increase, like I provided all of the doctor
notes and statements and medical records from my children and myself.
Like I would find different houses and they were like
salmon dors my face as I did everything that they
asked me for it, and the lot of stated that
HOOD Legal Department would have to approve my payment increased,

(04:11):
knowing that I am due out of my house by
May thirty first, so the process takes a long time.
So she taught me HOOD would have to improve my increase.
Then later to contradict herself in numbers of emails saying
that the decision was solely up on her him on,
I don't know if it's a here or she solely

(04:33):
upon the compliance officer and they denied forcing me to
put to another house and authority to get the housing
just suitable for our medical needs, which causes months of
crime which will leave us homeless. And the housing authority
know this. So that's why I'm reaching out for help

(04:56):
for my daughter could get justice and we can get
help with the Houston houses. And thought to you.

Speaker 3 (05:05):
What what when you when you said when you said
the bus driver what what bus? Was that a metro bus?

Speaker 4 (05:12):
Or what the now?

Speaker 2 (05:13):
That's Royal is b Royal School District?

Speaker 4 (05:18):
Okay, bus twenty five in rural Rural School district.

Speaker 3 (05:26):
For those who don't know what's whatever? It is that that.

Speaker 2 (05:29):
Is Brickshire, Texas. But I live in Kde, Texas. That's
on to Brustre, Texas.

Speaker 3 (05:37):
Though h and the and the bus service said they
will not help you.

Speaker 2 (05:44):
Yes, the bus, the supervisor, I have them with my
brain Tom, I have a brand fem that cost and
me have memory problems, so I have to record everything
and write everything down so I can remember conversations he's
staying he will is not going to do anything to
the bus driver because this is her first offense, and

(06:06):
he don't believe that it was mail malicious intent behind it,
in which it was, because she doesn't like my daughter
because of her it's her disability, and she told her
the day before she was gonna have her kicked off
the bus by Chris, which is the guy that said
he wasn't going to do anything about the driver spamming

(06:27):
my daughter in the door, trapping her body inside of
the door. We have witnesses. They lied and said they
put the witness statements, but they didn't take the statements.

Speaker 3 (06:37):
Have they Have you reached out to any of the
organizations that work with housing problems?

Speaker 2 (06:45):
I yes, I they sent countless of emails and self
talents of complaints. Nobody has reached back out to me
as of yet.

Speaker 4 (06:58):
That's yet and you.

Speaker 3 (07:03):
And you're saying that is not not helping you at all.
You talk to the legal department.

Speaker 4 (07:08):
No, they.

Speaker 2 (07:10):
And how she has not given me the information to
the legal department directly followed for it. Just gave me
a number two hood some number I don't know what
it is. I called the left a message but it
hasn't heard back anything she wants not. She won't give
me the direct information to talk to the legal department.

(07:33):
Like do you think he or she? I'm not sure
if he or she did. I'm corresponding to email with
our email. We're emailing each other back and forth.

Speaker 3 (07:48):
Okay, And this or and so hoods gives you giving
you the run round.

Speaker 2 (07:54):
So he speaks a K T A Houston housing authorities
giving me out on the round.

Speaker 4 (08:01):
Okay.

Speaker 3 (08:04):
And if you need if you want people to get
in touch at you can I email you you want
to be a contact you of email?

Speaker 1 (08:12):
Yes, because that was Carmen March, a Houston mother of
four who's facing eviction. Her email is a Patrice four.
That's a P A T R I C E the
number four at gmail dot com. Hi, this is Steve Gallington,
producer and host of the People's News. If you have

(08:34):
a story that needs to be told, come to us.
We accept fully produced audio, written material, or just give
us the idea and we will run with it. Shiny
new one hour episodes of The People's News drop each
Sunday on The People's News podcast, hosted by spreaker dot
com and linked to my website Gallington dot com. Hundreds

(08:58):
and hundreds have been to poor from the United States
to a super prison in the country of El Salvador.
Kilmar Armando Albrego Garcia, a Salvadorian national living in Maryland,
legally was detained by immigration officials and erroneously deported despite
a prevailing court order saying he could remain in the US.

(09:19):
Though the line by the US government in US Homeland
Security is that these are dangerous people, families are saying otherwise.
There have been mistakes made by the corrupt and criminal
US government run by the convicted felon, but they say
it's too late and they cannot bring them back. Some
have been deported just for the fact of having tattoos,

(09:41):
which the authorities have said are gang tattoos, but turn
out not to be gang related at all. Many of
those deported have no criminal records. We talked to Kathy
Lincoln Goldfinch, an immigration attorney in Texas.

Speaker 4 (09:57):
The trub administration is trying to get rick reasons why
the flight still folder was not stopped, How is that
going and any legal presidents of this happening before.

Speaker 5 (10:13):
So what's happening is a showdown between the administration and
the federal court system where Judge Boseburg where the flights
not to go, and there was a lot of back
and forth about whether the flights were in the air
or not. But in any event, the detainees have not
been returned, and although the DC Court of Appeals upheld

(10:36):
the Gooseberg decision, Trump has now piled that Supreme Court
until we're in a moment of waiting to see what
the ultimate order of the court is going to be
relating to these deportees. It appears though that the Trump
administration is taking the perspective that once someone has gone,
they cannot be brought back, which is obviously really concerning.

Speaker 4 (11:00):
Yeah, especially because some people that were that were taken
on those flights find out later that they were only
picked up because he had certain tattoos, or they had
no charges against them, or they just right.

Speaker 5 (11:15):
I mean, the Trump administration is not sharing any of
their you know, what they would call intelligence about how
they're charging these men, and so the families have been
speaking out and the majority of these men, it appears,
according to the families, were not criminals, did not have
criminal histories, were not gang members, and in some cases

(11:38):
they did have two tattoos, but you know, forgive there
was one guy who had an autism tattoo with his
brother's name on it in honor of his brother who
was autistic. So some really shocking stuff has come out
from the side of the families, including the story of
a man from Estalvado who was in legal status. He
had been granted protection by an immigrant judge, was married,

(12:01):
living in the United States with a US citizen child,
and he was supported back to El Salvador in violation
of the order of protecting him. And now the Troupe
administration has been told to bring him back, and they've
said that they can't and they won't. Right they're saying,
too bad, he's gone and that's the end of that,

(12:25):
and we're not going to bring him back. This guy's
name is Abrego Garcia and he was a Salvador is
a Salvadoran who was granted withholding a removal, was living
here in the United States legally and was picked up
driving his five year olds on supposed suspicion of gang membership,
although he has no criminal permission or even charges, and

(12:49):
he's gone. They sent him to El Salvador which is
exactly nice where.

Speaker 6 (12:55):
We had ordered that he not be sent.

Speaker 5 (12:57):
Because of the danger for him there. I mean, it's.

Speaker 4 (13:01):
Shocking, it's shocking, and it is saying main the Trumble
administration has sent the military down to the border in
our passa where it's the least amount of people crossing
the border on this on this idea that it's stopping
stopping criminals from coming over to the United States. Have

(13:22):
you seen anything going on with that or is it just.

Speaker 5 (13:27):
Yeah, I think that's exactly right. There's no activity going
on at the border, so we're sending a bunch of
resources and you know, really, I think what's concerning to
me about all of the expenditures of military resources, including
opening up military bases, you know, like Fort Bliss to

(13:48):
house immigrants rather than to be battle ready, is that
Trump is also engaging in you know, foreign diplomacy or
anti diplomacy actions that I think put a put us
at risk of actually being.

Speaker 4 (14:03):
In war time.

Speaker 5 (14:05):
And we're utilizing all of our military all or we're
using a lot of our military resources and bases for
purposes of immigration, you know, and convincing everyone that there
is this big issue. And I think I think people
are starting to realize. I'd like to think anyway that
people are starting to realize that this is what you say,

(14:26):
you know, smoke and mirrors, and that we don't actually
have this big immigration crisis on our hands. So hopefully,
hopefully the you know, tables of public opinion are turning slightly,
but I guess that remains.

Speaker 6 (14:39):
To be seen.

Speaker 4 (14:41):
What do you what the cases we talked about before
in dealing with immigrants that that are being charged here
here in Houston, you know, because now they're the text
is the text is that this is leaders are kind
of proposed that Houston Harris County mandate that they're that

(15:04):
they let ice into their jail.

Speaker 6 (15:09):
Right.

Speaker 5 (15:09):
That's one of the priorities of the Texas legislature this
session is to force municipalities and counties to do immigration
enforcement essentially, and for the for the majority of police
chiefs and leaders of these agencies, they resist that because

(15:32):
they're inundated. They're focused on their job of public safety
and it's complicated and then asking a lot of them
to enforce immigration and uh, you know, historically, in the
system of separation of powers, localities get to make their
own determination about public safety, you know, it's not up

(15:52):
to the Fed to tell the state how to police themselves,
et cetera. But I think that we potentially could see
the state at least attempts to force these agreements onto
municipalities and then, like a lot of things that overstep,
you know, protections of our government, there probably will be

(16:14):
litigation and potentially like an injunction in court where the
courts could block it.

Speaker 4 (16:20):
And this is coming, This has come out, this from
the states, coming from the governor's office actually pushing all this.

Speaker 5 (16:26):
Oh yeah, I mean it's no surprise. Governor Abbott is
very anti immigrant, wants to be seen as anti immigrant,
and so an action like this where you know, set
to go forward and get out of the court, then
they'll just deputize all of the lawn all of the police,
you know, agents in the state of Texas to just

(16:47):
start enforcing immigration instead.

Speaker 4 (16:50):
What's the status of this? They? I know they have
to we're talking about it. I don't know they had
to be able to go and roll on that that
they were talking about using by all the others as
law enforcement. How's that gone? I don't stop talking.

Speaker 5 (17:07):
You know, how it goes in the text of the legislature,
just the flew of bills get filed and then at
most the vast majority of them die through the process.
So that's not one that I've heard is surviving. But
you know, it's where are we early April, So the
next two months will be really critical time in the

(17:28):
legislature and we'll see what makes it.

Speaker 2 (17:30):
All the way through.

Speaker 4 (17:33):
What other type of draconian laws are they talking about passing.

Speaker 5 (17:38):
You know, what's interesting about the legislature in Texas is
that they've sort of lightened up a little bit on
the immigration stuff because the said they're so heavily focused
on immigration, so it is less of a priority. My understanding,
you know, I'm not a state legislative expert, but I've
paid attention, is that the big ones, you know, on

(18:02):
immigration are the enforcement the forced cooperative agreements, and then
the school vouchers is the other big ones.

Speaker 4 (18:11):
Mhm. And what are they doing? You know, we were
talking about this long ago, how people are being affected
by that, the immigration aspect of things. They invaded a
whole town, not town, out in county in my area.
They they said that a whole slew of people were

(18:33):
or or immigrants, illegal immigrants and they were trying to
deport people. And out of that, out of that number
of of people that they picked up none, I don't
think very few were if he had any type of
criminal records. And they're doing these vast rates across the state.
How was that going?

Speaker 5 (18:54):
You know, I think that they are doing fewer raids
than are being rumored. There aren't really these widespread raids
going on, but the things that are occurring get reported
on heavily. So as far as I can tell, they're
still doing mostly targeted enforcement actions with collateral arrests. So

(19:15):
they're looking for people who are already on their list
for one reason or another. They've already been ordered deported,
or they have a criminal history, and then ICE will
go and look for those people wherever they are. You know,
they'll go to their place of work, or they'll go
to their church, or they'll even maybe go to a school.
But they're looking for a specific individual or group of individuals,

(19:38):
and then whoever is around can get wrapped up in
those arrests, as opposed to just these sort of like
scatter shots, Oh, we're going to raid this church because
we know there's immigrants there. You know, we're not at
that level yet, but that could certainly change any moment.
I mean, that's the biggest thing is that this stuff
is changing on a daily basis, especially with all the

(20:00):
lawsuits filed and the federal orders and all of that.
So it's it's hard to keep up, and I think
people who are interested should really just you know, try
and like I have a lot of social media, they
can follow me, like follow people that you trust, because
if you're looking at a TikTok video from last month,
it's probably already out.

Speaker 2 (20:20):
Of date and wrong.

Speaker 4 (20:23):
Well. Yeah, and the people that the people that I
thought that churches and schools were off limits to ICE
not anymore.

Speaker 5 (20:34):
Yeah, sat John January twentieth. There are no sensitive location
protections anymore. So hospital, schools, churches, domestic violence shelters, they're
all fair game for ICE enforcement actions now. Really the
only place that's safe is that the the embassies and
the consulates from other countries in the United States, you know,

(20:56):
ICE can't go there. But other than that, they can
pretty much go where they want.

Speaker 4 (21:01):
Has that happened at some point that people have gone
to the indices just staying out of the hairs of ICE.
I don't think that.

Speaker 5 (21:10):
People go there to hide or get away from enforcement.
But I do think that that they are hosting more
events and clinics and workshop there, like gatherings.

Speaker 6 (21:20):
Where people can go and do you know your rights.

Speaker 5 (21:22):
Presentation, And they know that ICE isn't going to raise
the Mexican consulate, so there's more of that kind of
stuff and less of people like running in there for shelter.

Speaker 4 (21:32):
All right, okay, I'll leave it there out there. How
dangerous is it for people to get picked up just
to test just have the tattoo.

Speaker 5 (21:40):
I think it's most dangerous. The tattoo issue is most
dangerous for young men from Venezuela and El Salvador because
those are the two countries that have these big gangs
that rend Aragua in Venezuela and the Marisava Fruzza or
the MS thirteen in El Salvador, both are big gang

(22:00):
that have some activity in the United States. And I
think it's greatly exaggerated by the Trump administration, But they
really want everyone to think that there's just a ton
of young, dangerous men who are parts of these gangs
and they're going to go out and get them. So
they're just being really loud and aggressive about going after

(22:20):
men from those locations, and they don't care. They don't
seem to care if they make mistakes or what they
would call a clerical error and pick up someone who
has a tattoo, who has no gang membership. So I
do think tattoos are something to be thoughtful about, for
sure for immigrants right now.

Speaker 4 (22:40):
Yeah, and like to point out that MS thirteen is
still not really a big gang in the United States,
and the Venezuelan Gang it's not even it's still a
blurb on you know, as far as gangs in the
United States, and that they're making it like this to
be that was the It's thirteen with the Boogieman four

(23:03):
or five years ago, and now it's the Venezuelan gang.
Well's what I'm seeing.

Speaker 5 (23:08):
Yeah, I mean again, I like the word that you're using.
I think that's an accurate word, the boogeyman. It's like
real clear, it's crystal clear that they want us to
be afraid of Venezuelan gang members and Salvadoran gang members,
and they want us to think that there's this huge
danger because when people are afraid, they support.

Speaker 6 (23:32):
The Trump administration and all of the things that.

Speaker 5 (23:34):
They go and do. And so I think really critical thinking,
accurate information, investigating things that we hear is just the
way to really go about life right now for people
who are trying to stay you know, informed.

Speaker 4 (23:51):
Are your lawyer? How is how? How hard is it?
Because it seems like we the Trump administration can just
ignore they're having uh the policy, it seems I say,
they can just ignore what even court orders are being
sed against them and putting in against the judge that

(24:13):
makes those court orders, saying that they're against the United States,
and demonizing the judges, and that.

Speaker 5 (24:23):
Is I think one of the scariest things that's happening
right now is that we're witnessing the Trump administration disregard.

Speaker 2 (24:32):
Federal court orders.

Speaker 5 (24:33):
And because that is the beginning of the end of
our government, of our systems of checks and balances.

Speaker 6 (24:41):
If the you know, the.

Speaker 5 (24:43):
Person who runs the army, besides, they don't care what
the courts say for them.

Speaker 2 (24:50):
Then they have a dictatorship.

Speaker 4 (24:53):
That's what we have.

Speaker 5 (24:54):
So it's pretty scary and I and I think that's
why right now everybody's pretty on edge. Why geing, Okay,
what's the Supreme Court going to say about this? Venezuelan
deportation case. And then how's the Trump administration going to
respond and are we going to start to see them
just disregarding core orders And we don't really have a
precedent for that in our nation's history. This would be

(25:17):
a first and so unfamiliar territory for sure.

Speaker 1 (25:22):
That was Kathy Lincoln Goldfinch, immigration lawyer in Texas. If
you want to reach her, you can send her an
email Kate at Lincoln Gooldfinch dot com. Hi, this is
Steve Gallington, producer and host of the People's News. The
People's News is people powered news. We are free to
report the unvarnished and unspun truth and challenge the status

(25:46):
quo of corporate propaganda and social media advertising disguised as
real news. Shiny new one hour episodes of The People's
News drop each Sunday on The People's News Podcast. Thanks
for listening. A migration of elephants are coming as the
Herman Park Conservancy, with lead support from the Dunwoody Charitable Foundation,

(26:11):
presents the Great Elephant Migration, a breathtaking outdoor installation of
one hundred life size elephant sculptures crafted by indigenous artisans
from India's Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. This public art experience, part
of a conservancy's Art in the Park initiative, is the

(26:31):
fourth stop on a nationwide journey inspiring global conservation and
human wildlife coexistence.

Speaker 7 (26:39):
Good morning, everybody, I'm Kara Lambright, President and CEO of
Herman Park Conservancy. Thank you for joining us here at
the comments for what is truly an unforgettable moment for
Herman Park and for the City of Houston. We are
honored to host the Great Elephant Migration, a breath taking
public art installation that speaks to something much larger than

(27:03):
art alone. This installation was brought to us through the
vision and generosity of the Dunwoody Charitable Foundation and by
other amazing donors, and we are deeply grateful to them
for helping us bring the elephants and their powerful message
to Houston. Now that the herd has finally a ride,

(27:26):
we invite Houstonians and visitors from all over to experience
this exhibit through the month of April. Free and open
to everyone, Hosting the Great Elephant Migration is more than
a celebration of public art. It reflects our deepest values
at Herman Park Conservancy. This installation reminds us that urban

(27:50):
parks are more than just green spaces. They are places
of connection, coexistence, and care. This one are where people,
nature and culture meet. They are biodiversity's front porch to
our city. It offers not only a refuse for wildlife,

(28:12):
but a daily invitation for humans to engage with the
natural world. The elephants behind me call is to reflect
on our place in this world. They are both a
symbol of joy and a call to action, reminding us
of what is at stake and what is still possible
if we choose to live in harmony with our planet.

(28:34):
We are proud to share this message of cope and
coexistence right here in the heart of Houston, and we
are proud to do so alongside our incredible partners, the
Houston Parks and Recreation Department, the Houston Museum of Natural Science,
and the Texas Medical Center, and many others who made
this moment possible through collaboration and through care. It takes

(28:56):
a village to move a herd, and it takes a
community to move hearts. On that note, I am thrilled
to welcome Ruth Ganesh, co founder of the Great Elephant Migration,
whose visions and commitment to conservation are at the very
heart of this journey. Ruth, thank you for allowing Herman

(29:18):
Park to be one of the magical stops on this
cross country migration. We are honored to be part of
this story.

Speaker 1 (29:27):
Tars the k Kara, a wildlife conservationist from South India,
spoke on the exhibit and what it means.

Speaker 8 (29:34):
So each of these sculptures are based on a real
wild elephant that live in coffee and tea plantations in India,
so not in big pristine forests. They live alongside people
and they tell an amazing story of how people and
elephants are able to kind of adapt to each other
and live in the same space. So they are traveling
around the world talking about this idea of coexistence, that

(29:55):
nature shouldn't be locked away disconnected from ourselves, but we
need to live well with me all around us. Is
important for human health and well being to have green
spaces and different kinds of animals and bi diversity around you.
That's the highlight of the exhibition. Each of them is
made from an invasive plant called Lantana camera, which is
the second most invasive plant in the world. Now it's

(30:17):
taking over forests across Africa, Asia and Australia, and it's
causing a huge amount of damage because it displaces all
of the native vegetation and you have large areas of
justice one plant and they contain toxins in their leaves
so animals can't eat them.

Speaker 2 (30:32):
So the idea is.

Speaker 8 (30:33):
That indigenous people across the area take these out of
the forest and create these cultures, so they're benefiting the
forest while also each of them are sold to raise
money to support human wildlife coexistence projects around the world.

Speaker 4 (30:47):
And you mentioned Africa because one of the elephants here Africa.

Speaker 8 (30:50):
Yeah, Matt is an African elephant. For the most part,
these are Asian elephants. Asian elephants are much fewer. There
are about fifty thousand Asian elephants in the world and
five hundred African elephants. But the problem of lantana is everywhere.
It's in Africa as well. So Matt is one elephant
that's quite well known in Africa with charity called Save
the Elephants for one of the partners, So we have

(31:13):
just one African elephant to represent.

Speaker 1 (31:15):
The exhibition is free and open to the public daily
from dawn till dusk till the end of April. Guests
are also invited to join for special programs throughout the exhibition,
including art, storytelling, yoga, family crafts, and more. For more information,
go to Hermanpark dot org. Forward slash the Great Elephant
Migration and Between the Great Elephant and Migration is a Dash.

(31:41):
People still talk about the Philly sounds and the influence
on music around the world, from R and B to
disco to hip hop to house. The Philly sound was
prevalent in all these sounds, with Harold Marvin and the
Blue Notes and Teddy Pendergrass to Frankie Beverly and Mays.
Themmunity Music Center of Houston will give a tribute to

(32:02):
their contributions next week as they perform at Herman Park.
We talked to doctor Anne Lundy, musical director at the
Music Center of Houston.

Speaker 6 (32:12):
Well, the Community Music Center has been around since nineteen
seventy nine. Ron Skills, who's one of our founders.

Speaker 4 (32:17):
He passed away.

Speaker 6 (32:18):
Recently and we're going to do a big tribute for
him in real coming up real soon. But I came
home a little bit later, pardon me. I grew up
in the world of orchestra I was usually the one
black kid playing the violin in the orchestra. But I
always loved the orchestra. But as I got older, I
was having see, you know, how we'd get more black kids,

(32:39):
you know, playing in the orchestra and involved in, you know,
in that world. So I was blessed that as time
went on, was able to you know, connect up with
many other many many other music educators. Some of our
band teachers, our orchestra teachers, are just terrific musicians also,
And so we formed an orchestra. It's called the skyt

(33:00):
Dappling Chamber of Orchestra, and we do music by black composers.

Speaker 4 (33:03):
People that don't know, the Philly sound goes way back.
And you know, if you listen to any R and B,
any type of any type of even a disco the
disco music. Now Rogers talks about the Philly sound and
a lot of the beast, part of the beasts that
they use in the disco era came from Philly. And
even the hip hop era, the sounds of the bricks

(33:25):
that they were made in the in the in the
in the hip hop era came from Philadelphia. Yeah, that
is right, that is right.

Speaker 6 (33:31):
I mean I remember, uh some of them, some of
those songs.

Speaker 4 (33:35):
That I love. I mean like the Backstabbers.

Speaker 9 (33:38):
And uh closed the Door and Ain't No Stopping and
now I mean all these breaks is obviously I'm no vocalists,
but one of those songs that I grew up loving
as as a as a younger woman was for a
love of.

Speaker 6 (33:53):
Money Boom boom boom boom.

Speaker 5 (33:59):
Money.

Speaker 4 (34:00):
So you know, some of those great tunes. We all
just loved it. They talk about the When I was
paying with some of the artists, we were talking about
the four beat for the drums, the drums, the drums
with the principle the pencill Oh. Yeah, for a lot
of those songs that the four you talking about that

(34:21):
a little bit.

Speaker 6 (34:23):
Well, you know, it was so funny because they loved
that Philly that that Philly sound, that the way they
love to you know, kind of funk it up. It's
kind of funny because I read one of those quotes
lately when they described that one one of the one
of the parliament Sonchadelic described this particular sound because we

(34:44):
included strings. He said, putting a bow tie on funk.
Put a bow tie on fong. And I said that
is so great, you know, because it would still have
that beat, that dancing beat if you just couldn't sit down,
you just had to.

Speaker 4 (34:58):
Get up and shape something, even if even.

Speaker 6 (35:01):
If you weren't you know, a great dance and you
just had to get up and class and do something.
And uh, but it included strength.

Speaker 4 (35:07):
That was one thing that I loved.

Speaker 6 (35:09):
About because as a you know, as a black stream player.
To me, that was that combination of the black music
experience of the great dance tunes, the great funk tunes,
and so forth. In this case, we're going to be
celebrating the great music of Frankis Beverly, but the strange.

Speaker 4 (35:25):
So that's what I loved about it. Not only is
you know to the Pentagrad that all I'm not mistaken
play with the blue notes.

Speaker 6 (35:37):
That's right, that's right, you're absolutely. I mean, all of
these great tunes. You know, I know, time to change,
and I'm a little bit older, but you know, I
think that I was talking with some of them, you know,
some of the youngest people. They were like, oh man, yeah,
I listened to that all all the time.

Speaker 10 (35:51):
Oh yeah, I love that tune. You know, I'll be around,
you know, so they all listen to it, and you
know how you might be.

Speaker 4 (36:01):
Talking about it more, but how hip hop music kind
of brought us some of the some of the history
of Philadelphia. You know that you're right about that.

Speaker 6 (36:11):
I mean, just the mean, good tunes are good tunes.
I mean they you know, the the years and and
morphit a little bit and sample and those kinds of things.
But a great song is a great song. So whether
you liked it twenty years ago, thirty years ago, or
you know, listening the way Beyonce had done some of
the great tunes and she's redone it and so forth.

(36:33):
You know, music, good music is music. It doesn't you know,
it doesn't like after after year, it doesn't just disappear.
If it's a really good tune, it's a good song,
it will continue to stay in our stay in our mindset.
Tell us what's going on over Hormon Park? All right,
Well it is next Friday, that's Friday, April the uh level.

(36:57):
Let me make make sure I'm getting right there yet,
Friday April eleven, and out of Milly and of course
military I were always grateful to Miller and their support
and city of Houston and so forth.

Speaker 4 (37:07):
So it's gonna be free. You know, everything out Miller's always.

Speaker 6 (37:10):
Great and free.

Speaker 4 (37:12):
So bring the kids, bring.

Speaker 6 (37:14):
The grandparents, bring the teenagers. Believe me, they'll try to
sample something that's so.

Speaker 4 (37:19):
That's that's cool too, you know, out.

Speaker 6 (37:22):
At Mill Theater eight o'clock, eight pm, celebrating in this case,
we're gonna do a big push on Frankie Beverly so
he's you know, we lost him recently. I think a
lot of people remember him and those great dunes the
other day out.

Speaker 4 (37:41):
To the Hall of Fame too for mother spaces. That's way.

Speaker 6 (37:44):
Isn't that exciting?

Speaker 4 (37:45):
Yes?

Speaker 6 (37:46):
Now, I listened to some crazy stuff and when I
heard his song go Joy and Pain like so Shine
and Ram, I think that couldn't be more true because
some of the crazy stuff that is going on these days.
I listened to songs like that, I feel like, okay,
it'll be all right.

Speaker 4 (38:03):
Still it list knowing before we go out to get
she and your organisician.

Speaker 6 (38:07):
Okay, well, I'm gonna go old school first and playing
old phone number seven one three five two three ninety
seven ten.

Speaker 4 (38:16):
And of course you can go online.

Speaker 6 (38:17):
It's for Community Music Center Houston, So it's c MC.

Speaker 4 (38:20):
Houston dot o RG.

Speaker 6 (38:23):
But we're on Facebook and Instagram, so you can check
us out and you know, see what the see what
the latest greatest is because we're always teaching our kids
music lessons and performing music. I can't wait till when
we hear that. One of my favorite songs is Southern Girls. Oh,
I just love that song. I love the way it's
done musically.

Speaker 4 (38:43):
So those are some of the great tunes we are
gonna be performance Friday, uh April. A lot is a fee.
It is a fee to get for kids to go.

Speaker 6 (38:52):
And learn music over the Yeah, there is a small
fee pardoning, so please just go to o that website
c mc houston hot org oraging check us out.

Speaker 4 (39:03):
As a non.

Speaker 6 (39:04):
Profit, we have over the years when when cases all right,
we have to pay our we have to pay our teachers.
But sometimes if it's the money's not.

Speaker 4 (39:15):
Quite right, we'll we'll work with the parents.

Speaker 6 (39:17):
We'll we'll try to get y'all hooked up, as they
would say, because your kids can learn how to play
the piano on the violin or you know saying you
know thinks they can get the sink food or whatever.

Speaker 4 (39:26):
Side when some of the vocal contests, you know, if
I'm not mistaking. Over at Herman Park, if you want
to seek the seat over at the park, they have
seats for the elderly. For other seats they have you
have to you can buy a ticket for that.

Speaker 6 (39:42):
Well not you don't have to not buy I mean
you can just you just go and pick up the
free kicks.

Speaker 4 (39:47):
Oh okay, so it's no, it's nobody.

Speaker 6 (39:49):
No, no, no, that's a great thing about again, grateful
to the Middle Advisory Board or whatever, and you're able
to office to the.

Speaker 4 (39:56):
Community for breef. So no, it's no, there's never any money.

Speaker 6 (39:59):
We just you didn't go there on the day of
the show and pick up some tickets.

Speaker 4 (40:03):
I think it's go online.

Speaker 6 (40:04):
I'm not sure exactly when they release the tickets because
they're always having different shows.

Speaker 4 (40:09):
But okay, be able to just go online Middle.

Speaker 6 (40:12):
Theater and hickup you pick up your free tickets, or
you can just come out on the data. So a
lot of people like to sit up on the hill. No,
people like me that picnic and they just sit up
on the hill. And of course that's always street that. No,
you don't get tickets for that. You just come on
the hill, bring your blanket and your your fresh months
and just have a good time.

Speaker 1 (40:33):
That was doctor Ann Lundy, musical director of the Community
Music Center of Houston. To reach the Music Center, go
to CMC Houston, All Put Together dot org or call
seven to one three five two three nine seven one zero.
The event will be at Herman Park next Friday, April eleventh,

(40:53):
at Herman Park, Hippie Hill. The time is at eight
pm and it is free.

Speaker 4 (41:01):
Hi.

Speaker 1 (41:01):
This is Steve Gallington, producer and host of the People's News.
If you have a story that needs to be told,
come to us. We accept fully produced audio written material,
or just give us the idea and we will run
with it. Shiny new one hour episodes of The People's
News drop each Sunday on The People's News podcast hosted

(41:24):
by spreaker dot com and linked to my website Gallington
dot com. Just one month after the pivotal Brown versus
Board of Education decision by the Supreme Court integrating public schools,
the first voucher scheme was put forward in the United
States with the sole purpose of making sure that rich

(41:46):
white parents wouldn't have to send their children to integrated schools,
and that in fact, the States and the federal government
would pay them to send their kids to private schools.
The first time a voucher scheme was considered in Texas
was in nineteen fifty seven, and it was roundly rejected

(42:07):
at that time, and every single time a voucher program
has been brought up in the state legislature in Texas
it has failed, mainly because it only serves rich, white
urban families and leaves rural and poor children out.

Speaker 4 (42:26):
In the cold.

Speaker 1 (42:27):
It still has its roots in racism, but now is
being backed by out of state billionaire funders who are
pouring millions and millions of dollars into the campaign covers
of the folks that are trying to sponsor this bill,
namely Republican Governor Greg Abbott has received over two million

(42:47):
dollars from billionaires to make sure that this bill goes through.
It is a way of not only transferring money into
the pockets of private corporations that they want to get
that public money, but also as a way of getting
rid of public education in America. Democrats, Republicans, teachers, and

(43:08):
parents all rallied last week in Austin against the bill,
and Democratic legislators talk to people about why they're not
backing the bill.

Speaker 11 (43:19):
Get my colleagues for being here to support the Public
Education Committee members. As Ali said, my name is James Tallerico.
I have the honor of serving as state representative for
House Sistrict fifty. Thank you all so much for being here.
Public schools are shutting down across Texas, but Greg Abbott
is nowhere to be seen. He's too busy spending his

(43:42):
time at expensive private schools, lots of them. Our governor
hasn't stepped foot inside a Texas public school in years.
He's too busy rallying at these private schools for private
school vouchers that will take money out of our underfunded
public schools and give that money to rich parents who
were already sending their kids to private school. So last month,

(44:06):
Greg Abbott rallied for vouchers at an expensive private school
in San Antonio. Meanwhile, in that very same community, three
public schools are slated for closure. Just last week, Greg
Abbott rallied for vouchers at an expensive private school in
Fort Worth. Meanwhile, in that very same community, twenty five

(44:27):
public schools are slated for closure. And this is happening
across Texas. Schools are closing in Dallas and Houston, and
Austin and al Paso, in the Rio Grande Valley, and
in suburbs and small towns across the state. But instead
of fighting to keep our neighborhood schools open, our governor

(44:47):
is pushing a voucher scam that will take even more
money out of our schools. This is Abbot's school closure crisis,
and his only plan is to make it worse. You're
going to hear from the other Democrats on the Public
Education Committee, and then I'll come back up and ask
or answer some questions. Is Repina Hossa here yet?

Speaker 4 (45:08):
Oh she's right here?

Speaker 12 (45:09):
Okay, Represented Pinhosa, Thank you, Representattario. As a mother of
a child in public schools, this bill makes me mad.
We have spent so much time of our very limited

(45:34):
time here at the Legislature repeatedly talking about this voucher
SCEM that will not help five point five million school
kids in our neighborhood public schools, which are the only
choice available to by right, to every child in Texas.
We know our public schools are going without the basics.

(45:57):
My son didn't get a fifth grade teacher, you didn't
get evaluated for special education for over a year. The
list of our needs goes on and on, and yet
we still we still waste time on this voucher scam.
It is unacceptable, It makes no sense. It takes more

(46:18):
money out of our neighborhood schools to give to private
schools when public schools have no more to give. It
hurts our teachers by hurting their teacher retirement system and
jeopardizing the entirety of that system, as we have heard
repeatedly over the last couple of weeks. And let me

(46:43):
say this, all we have heard in this hearing is
about a choice that, admittedly by the people who even
support this bill, is not a choice for most students.
In fact, the proponents of vouchers who just spoke said

(47:04):
their ultimate goal is an end to our public schools.
They want a stratified system where you get to go
to school based on how much money your parents have,
just like in our college system. If you want to
go to a certain school, you pay up and if
you can't afford it, you take out loans. And that

(47:26):
is the vision of the people who support this valcher scam.
They will scam our families, they will scam Texans. Is
Untexan and it is, as represented tall Rico said in
the hearing, immoral yes, and it is unpopular and not
supported by the vast majority of Texans. And so I say,

(47:50):
if they are so sure that this is want Texans,
what Texans want, let Texans vote, Let Texans aside. What
do they have to fear?

Speaker 6 (48:04):
Thank you?

Speaker 2 (48:13):
Okay?

Speaker 13 (48:14):
I'm John Brian represent the Dallas area in the legislature.
Texas is forty fourth in the nation, and the effort
that the state makes to educate our children forty fourth.
For twenty two years, the Republicans have been in the
majority in this House, in this city, in this legislature,
and for thirty years they've dominated the executive branch, and

(48:35):
they have managed the gradual reduction in support for public
education over more than two decades. And yet they come
up and tell us, oh, we have to have vouchers
because the public schools are not doing the job. First
of all, the public schools are doing the job of
all this being said, Second, how can you cut the

(48:58):
money for public schools and then plain about their performance.
And that's exactly what's going on. All of it is
a studied effort to privatize public education, just like they've
tried to privatize so many other things. Who was a
lead off witness today in this hearing. A leadoff witness
in this hearing was from a group called ed Choice,

(49:20):
with the philosophy of which he is to gradually replace
public education with private schools. And that is what's at
stake today. There is no equity in this, there's no
progress in this. There's nothing in this for anybody but
those twelve million dollar campaign contributors to Governor Abbott to
use to try to beat those Republicans in their primary

(49:42):
who stood with us on this issue. Those are the
people that are getting in line here like hogs at
the trough to try to get it their snouts in
the trough and get some of this public education money.
We have to stand up republic education, and this fight
is not just about Texas, It's about the nation. I'm
glad to be standing here with my Democratic colleagues four

(50:05):
square and solidly in opposition to this voucher scam.

Speaker 4 (50:16):
Thank you.

Speaker 14 (50:17):
My name is doctor Alma Allen and I'm from Houston, Texas,
this district. Been a school teacher for fourteen years, assistant
principal for one principal for sixteen years. Ad JUHNCT professor
at Purview A and M. And then I came here
and I've been here twenty years, so I know what

(50:38):
I'm talking about. Yes, savings account is what they say.
It's really called a voucher bill. Don't let them fool
you thinking savings account that you're gonna get some money. No,
you are not going to get any money. You may
have a letter that says this is worth ten thousand dollars,
all right, ten thousand dollars if you go to the school.

(51:00):
Now in my district, those of you are from Houston.
I have one private school in my district and that's
the lowest of what I see. And that's the money.
And their tuition is something like twenty seven thousand dollars
a year. If I give you a ten thousand dollars
vaulture to walk over to a money you still owe
how much money?

Speaker 9 (51:20):
The smart class?

Speaker 6 (51:21):
The smart class?

Speaker 14 (51:23):
And then if you qualify to go to the school,
you have to face a lottery.

Speaker 2 (51:28):
So is everybody gonna go there?

Speaker 14 (51:30):
Even you get in the lottery, you taking them what chance?

Speaker 6 (51:33):
Right?

Speaker 14 (51:34):
And so you're taking a chance on getting there.

Speaker 2 (51:36):
You may not get there.

Speaker 14 (51:37):
Private schools don't have to take our kids. Do you
think private schools have enough seats to take all of
the kids that need to go to private school or
want to go to private school. They're already in private
schools in HSD into all of the isds. They are
private and they.

Speaker 4 (51:58):
Are good schools.

Speaker 14 (52:00):
We're doing a good for kids. Now, let me just
really talk to you about what's gonna what's really happening
to you. For those of you who are excited about
sending your school child to a voucher school, why if
one kid walks out, that kid is worth fifteen to
twenty thousand dollars. That twenty twenty thousand dollars works out,

(52:20):
walks out with the kid right, every time you twenty
two to one. That's the teacher prepared ratio twenty two
two kids walk out. That also a teacher walks out right,
So we're gonna lose some good teachers. If a parent
has two kids and two kids walk out, how much
money is that and how much money will he owd

(52:42):
seventeen thousand and seventeen thousand is how much to look
at the math to do.

Speaker 6 (52:47):
All right, that's how.

Speaker 14 (52:49):
Much they're gonna owe.

Speaker 4 (52:50):
So if you think they're.

Speaker 14 (52:50):
Gonnabsolve all of the children, no they are not. They're
not there for your kids. And so why don't they
give that money to the public schools?

Speaker 2 (53:01):
Right?

Speaker 14 (53:02):
Why don't we fix our schools by paying our teachers
a living wage?

Speaker 6 (53:08):
I don't.

Speaker 14 (53:09):
Why don't we get certified teachers? The majority of the
teachers in h I s D are not certified. No
wonder we'll have the crisis that we have. We should
raise the basic a lot bit and and do the
very best for the kids that we are going to serve.
And so with that in mind, I want to say

(53:30):
thank you and take the message back to everybody.

Speaker 5 (53:33):
You know that it's a scam.

Speaker 14 (53:35):
We want to take our money and kill our public schools.

Speaker 10 (53:40):
Right now in h I s D.

Speaker 14 (53:41):
Some seven schools are closing, all right, and guess what,
they're on the other side of town, right, So be
careful out there now. I want all of you to
take the message back. Each one can tell somebody something
about this. Let me say thank you for attending today.
Thank you.

Speaker 1 (54:05):
That was Texas State democrats sounding off on the Texas
Republican governor's plan to give public money to private schools.
In a poll that came out on Monday, March the tenth,
it was shown that vouchers are widely unpopular among all Texans,
with over sixty five percent of all Texans against this

(54:28):
voucher program and sixty two percent of Texas Republicans against
this plan if it raises property taxes.

Speaker 4 (54:37):
HI.

Speaker 1 (54:38):
This is Steve Gallington, producer and host of the People's News.
The People's News is people powered news. We are free
to report the unvarnished and unspun truth and challenge the
status quo of corporate propaganda and social media advertising disguised
as real news. Shiny new one hour episodes of The

(54:59):
People's News drop each Sunday on The People's News Podcast,
Thanks for listening.

Speaker 15 (55:07):
Officials in Johnson County, just south of Fort Worth, are
awaiting a decision from Governor Greg Abbott on a request
for a state disaster declaration because of p FOS contamination.
The county declared a state of disaster two years ago
after it was determined biosolids applied to land on one
farm contaminated other properties in the county. Kuylo Bennett, with

(55:29):
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, says many farmers are losing
their livelihoods.

Speaker 16 (55:36):
The FDA either halted entry or pulled cans of tuna
and clams that had between twenty two thousand and twenty
five thousand parts petrillion of pfos and them we found
in the fish fifty seven thousand parts patrillion of pfos
and seventy four thousand parts patrillion.

Speaker 15 (55:54):
P fos are also known as forever chemicals because they
don't break down in the soil. Farmers are suing the
biofertilizer company as well as the EPA. In total, three
lawsuits have been filed in the Johnson County case, and
plaintives in the lawsuits are concerned that staffing and program
cuts to the EPA by the Trump administration could impact

(56:17):
their cases, and it says they ultimately have one goal.

Speaker 16 (56:21):
I absolutely want to stop the practice of land applying
biosolids because raising awareness is great, but it's not going
to stop the contamination crisis that we're in. We're contaminating
our food supply, so it has to stop.

Speaker 15 (56:33):
Johnson County officials say they want legislation to be passed
that addresses and stops the contamination. If the disaster declaration
is approved, farmers could be compensated for their losses. This
story was produced with original reporting from Sarah Hashimi for Cention.
I'm freda Ross Texas news service. Find our trust indicators

(56:56):
at Publicnewsservice dot org.

Speaker 1 (57:02):
The People's News is a production of Steve Gallington and
Richard Hannah and is protected by copyright laws. All the
information broadcast on air and online, as well as published
in both print and or online, including articles, audio clips, illustrations, graphics, photographs,
and videos, are protected by these copyright and other state
and federal intellectual property laws. Therefore, you may not use

(57:25):
our content in any prohibited way, including reproducing, publishing, transmitting, selling, rewriting, broadcasting,
or posting on the Internet without the expressed written permission
of The People's News. Prohibited use also includes publication of
our material in printed or electronic grochures, newsletters, or flyers,
as well as all website or email distribution. To obtain

(57:48):
permission to use copyrighted material, email Steve Gallington at Steve
at gallington dot com. Thank you
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