Police reform roundtable involving Cornyn, Cruz, Turner and a bunch of others getting underway just now at City Hall #txlege 
Cornyn says there's about "70 percent" overlap between the House and Senate police reform bills, and everyone seems to want immediate action. (Major differences involve qualified immunity, chokeholds and no-knock warrants)
Acevedo sitting right by Cruz and Cornyn, who he’s had harsh words for in the past re: gun laws
For example >
Here’s the summary of Senate Republicans’ police reform bill handed out by Sen. Cornyn’s office today:
Cruz says he supports creating "strong incentives" for police to wear body cams and other measures contained in the Senate bill, but he also doesn't support changes that are "demonizing police."
Cruz: "It's easy for this debate to turn into, 'Police are the bad guys.'"
Cruz: "It's easy for this debate to turn into, 'Police are the bad guys.'"
Turner makes a personal plea to Cornyn and Cruz: as Congress works on police reform, "please listen to the mayors around this country. ... We're the ones closest to the people."
Turner also says that "we ask our police officers to do way too much," i.e. being social workers.
Turner also says that "we ask our police officers to do way too much," i.e. being social workers.
Acevedo, re: Turner's point that police are asked to do too much, says you can't cut police resources before putting alternatives in place to fill their role.
Analogy he gives is that sports teams don't demolish their stadium before completing construction on the new one.
Analogy he gives is that sports teams don't demolish their stadium before completing construction on the new one.
Harris County DA Kim Ogg lists several immediate forms she supports, including giving DAs quick access to police misconduct records and body camera video, and creating uniform federal and local policy for responding to shootings.
Ogg, who's sought funding for more prosecutors a handful of times, also says there needs to be "funding for criminal justice reform." With ~360 lawyers to deal with 75K cases, Ogg says, "it’s very difficult to ensure timely justice."
Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin says he has a "unique perspective" as "a white Republican in a city made up predominantly of black and brown Democrats." Addressing Cornyn and Cruz, he says "I beg you to talk with Mayor Turner" about police reform.
Gerry Birnberg, a member of Houston's police oversight board, says the discussion over qualified immunity reform misses the point. The real issue, Birnberg says, is a 1978 #SCOTUS case, Monell v. Department of Social Services of the City of New York... (1/2)
...that created this precedent: to hold a city liable in a federal civil rights case, you have to prove the violation (e.g. kneeling on someone's neck) is part of the city's official policy. Birnberg suggests "amending the Monell rule." (2/2)
Revisiting Martin's comments, his point was that he thought Turner did a good job during the #GeorgeFloyd protests (which remained peaceful relative to some cities) and in getting city council to approve an increased @houstonpolice budget in the face of the protests.
CM Abbie Kamin, chair of the council public safety committee, said she thinks the audit of HPD's narcotics division should be released "as expediently as possible." Nine other CMs so far have called for Acevedo to release the audit: houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-t…
Kamin's full comment on this >
Johnny Mata of the Greater Houston Coalition for Justice says he's pushed for years for the police oversight board to gain more strength/independence but he's been shot down.
Mata also says he was "disappointed when a pretty picture of HPD was being displayed" during the #GeorgeFloyd protests, when there have been several "questionable" police shootings here.
