Making Houston More Dangerous and Difficult to Live in
“The (bus rapid transit) has done more to tarnish Metro’s credibility and name brand. … We have got to start doing projects that people will use. … When you build something, and people don’t come, it hurts your ability to do the next project.”
The first instance we’ve seen of Whitmire (and Brock) dismantling of METRO is with them quietly taking down the pages for the METRORapid corridors. Shortly after that the METRO board announced that they were turning down almost $1 billion in funding for the University Corridor, putting the voter-approved project in jeopardy. In addition, the METRO board also announced that the Inner Katy BRT corridor would be scrapped in favor of HOV lanes on I-10. While the Gulfton corridor is still planned to be built, the board is considering either having buses run in mixed traffic or run on a reversible bus lane. All of these changes were made without community input, and despite overwhelming support for the projects to continue as is, Whitmire’s METRO board committed to these unpopular changes.
These actions reveal Whitmire’s outdated view of the city, and he has no vision for the city beyond his donors’ requests.
Collaboration with ICE has directly led to the harm of Houston residents and made Houston a scarier and more dangerous place to live. b. The unsustainable and irresponsible expansion of the George R. Brown convention center will redline the East End for a decade or more, barring an entire community from opportunity, access, and creating longer response time for EMS vehicles. c. The I-45 expansion pushed for by Mayor Whitmire has already negatively impacted small businesses in EaDo. d. He consistently chooses personal preference or special interests’ preference over the good of the city and data backed statistics regarding measures that actually improve safety for motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians alike. This is evidenced by the aforementioned 13 street safety projects that have been impacted by his flippant “guiding mobility principles” that only prioritize cars driving faster. These decisions have directly led to the death and or injury of hundreds of Houstonians each year. The number of injuries and deaths have increased each year he’s been in office. e. Closure of Polk Street will negatively impact business, workers, commuters, students, and residents as it is a critical connector of East Downtown and Downtown. Ems response times will be longer as a result of the reroute if Petition for the Recall of John Whitmire, City of Houston Mayor Polk Street is closed. This will almost assuredly be the difference between life and death for some Houstonians f. Axing the Gulfton Public transport expansion and justified it in a racist and ostracizing way by claiming Gulfton residents were “undocumented immigrants” who “don’t want to be a part of the Galleria” or “welcomed in the Galleria.” g. Forced retirements of city workers and pensions and payments that have not been paid out. This obviously impacts the individuals that aren’t being paid, especially since we are experiencing a cost of living crisis. It also negatively impacts the entire city with the loss of several decades worth of expertise and experience. h. This has been mentioned through other lenses already, but underfunding drainage improvements will have a short-term and long-term impact on Houstonians. They will be more at risk of losing their homes, taking on damage during hurricanes and storms, and dying. i. De-prioritizing and removing multimodal infrastructure makes living in this city more difficult and more expensive, especially for lower-income households. j. The ramp of enforcement for the “civility ordinance” and “sidewalk ordinance” as well as the new ordinance passed that prohibits lingering on medians is a direct attack on homeless people in this city and does nothing to solve the issue of homelessness. Whitmire has chosen to lead with a big stick instead of pursuing programs that result in transitions from homelessness to long term housing and stability. k. Waiving sidewalk requirements makes Houston harder to traverse for pedestrians and differently-abled people. Frankly, not having sidewalks for new developments is an incredibly outdated and unhelpful policy. l. Encouraging and supporting the Shen Yun show in Houston, which has credibly been accused of human trafficking and forced labor practices. m. Refusing to do anything to protect individuals that have experienced sexual-harassment with the Houston Fire Department system. He dismissed the issue as “political”
Recall for Houston 
