Skip to content

Category: Activism

Deceleration: Governor Abbott Threatens To Defund Police in San Marcos Over Gaza

Posted in Activism, Deceleration, and Journalism

Greg Abbott could defund the police in San Marcos—at least partially—if the Texas governor carries through with his threats over a proposed city council resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

On Tuesday, May 6, the city council in this city of about 67,000 people will vote on a resolution which condemns “the humanitarian catastrophe and genocide in Palestine.” However, Abbott and others in the state Republican party establishment have threatened to pull millions in funding from the city if the resolution passes, including about $500,000 in state funds which go towards the police and public safety measures like opioid abuse mitigation. 

That’s according to a spreadsheet shared among city council members in the lead up to the vote on the resolution, which was provided to Deceleration by the group Palestine Solidarity SMTX. Over $18 million in federal funding which the state passes on to San Marcos could also be at risk, including over $2 million in grants from the Women, Infants and Children program, which ensures vulnerable residents have access to nutritious food.

How Democrasexy Finds Joy In Political Action

Posted in Activism, Austin, and Journalism

These are dark and scary times, and it can be hard to hold onto joy. But it’s also difficult to motivate people using pure doom and gloom. Activism and action without considering our own happiness leads to burnout.

Since 2021, Becky Bullard has been encouraging playfulness, a spirit of mysticism and even sexiness in political action through Democrasexy, the organization she founded. Her first event was a “Texorcism,” a gathering to symbolically “cast out the demons” at the Texas Capitol who had brought on the state’s six-week abortion ban. 

“We all dressed like witches. I had drag performers. We had a panel on abortion rights and a tarot reading for Texas,” Becky told me.

Gonzo Notes: The Left’s Texas Problem

Posted in Activism, Austin, Gonzo Notes, and Journalism

The American left has a Texas problem. 

Really, it’s a problem of Red vs. Blue. I’m not talking about the problem with treating decisions about how we govern society as if it was a horse race, or between teams at a sporting event. What I’m thinking about today — in the spirit of  deescalating every conflict that isn’t with our true enemies (thank you, Margaret Killjoy) — is the way misconceptions about who lives in Texas, and how we vote, encourage an attitude of disposability and dehumanization.

As a Texas journalist, one cornerstone of my work has been making people understand that what happens in this state is relevant to them, even if they live outside of it. Southern states like Texas have been a laboratory for so much of the Republican policy that’s now being implemented nationwide by the Trump regime. More so, the lives of people here matter a great deal to me, and they should matter to you too.

So why do I see liberals from other states who are willing, even eager, to abandon the people who live here?

Don’t be a platform for fascist propaganda

Posted in Activism, and Journalism

You’ve probably heard someone say ‘Don’t platform nazis.’ It means don’t publish fascist garbage uncritically on your platform. It’s usually directed at journalists, influencers and others with a big audience.

But here, I’m highlighting smaller ways well-meaning people accidentally spread fascist propaganda. These are some ways I see people inadvertently giving a platform to the worst among us: