Traveler's Advisory for Houston, Texas

I am writing this after a night of very little sleep as the result of yet another incident involving unreasonable behavior on the part of Houston Police that happened last night. Police crime should not be a daily worry for people. It should not intrude on every aspect of your life. But, if you live in Houston, that's how it is.

My own story is too horrible to be told or heard by most decent people. But, in short, my husband and I were victims of an attack by police in the summer of 2008. They claimed that it was a "case of mistaken identity," but, in fact, it was a well-rehearsed, well-scripted form of robbery. We never knew who our uniformed assailants were, but they wore Houston police uniforms and drove two Houston squad cars to the scene. I was held at gunpoint in the shadows, threatened, as I struggled with a man, his finger on the trigger, gun pointed at my back, who told me not to speak to him or look at his face - this is aggravated assault and battery in some places, but in Houston, Texas, it's just another day. It's apparently nothing unusual and the police I reported it to "Had no problem with it."

This event resulted in life changes for me. In fact, I nearly lost my life as a result of this violence and there is more to the story than I feel comfortable telling. But, over the course of the few months following that attack, I was near death. I am much stronger now, but I am still struggling to fully regain my health. Athletic and a bodybuilding enthusiast for twenty years, I now have to be very careful. No one cares - no one in Houston, anyway. These cops are killers. They see their badge as a license to kill. They seem to enjoy brutalizing people and I can't help but feel - since I have repeated rape nightmares - that there were strong sexual overtones to my being held at gunpoint. I think it was a particular thrill for the gunman.

When I first arrived in Houston a couple of years ago, I was already aware of the reputation that East Texas had. I just didn't know how bad it could really be. I heard lots of rumors about people being pulled over and robbed by police and women being raped. Every day that I was there for the first few months I heard one remarkable story after another about what the police and the city government in the area do to innocent people.

It is a U.S. Constitution-free zone. It is a police state, where the police have the ultimate power.

You can be arrested there for just about anything without evidence and it will usually stand up in court. They can enter your house or place of business without a warrant, kick in your door if if they desire, and arrest you for anything. They conduct paramilitary style raids, SWAT-style, with men in black masks and assault rifles to arrest unarmed and innocent people on various charges, mainly business license violations. These are dubious business licenses, by the way, that we are not sure even really exist or, if they do exist, that they can be obtained. Laws governing businesses change without notification, apparently.

Two months after the original violence that caused my near demise at the hands of police my husband was arrested in one of these paramilitary style raids over a business license. He was abused badly in the jail and threatened. He watched as others around him were threatened with bodily harm by police. These cops have pretty foul mouths, too, one of their finer traits.

When they come in on these raids, they produce no warrants, the literally stand around trying to come up with things to charge people with. There are lots of paper work errors. None of that seems to bother the judges. Once accused you are pretty well assured of being convicted. Never mind that the statutes are all illegal in the first place under the U.S. Constitution.

If you travel to Houston, Galveston or anywhere in East Texas - and my advice to you is, simply do not. But, if you must, be warned that it is an outlaw state that has no respect for either the U.S. Constitution or common law - let alone common sense.

If you are involved in any kind of accident there, you can be taken to jail. If you refuse to sign a citation for a traffic violation, you will be taken to jail. If you are drinking publicly, you can be arrested and taken to jail. Do not jay walk. Do not ride anywhere in a car without a seat belt. - even if pregnant. Pregnant women are regarded by police as subhuman.

I wrote an article on the Houston Zoo, that apparently offended some people in Houston. I was really trying hard to find something nice to say about that place, but that is difficult. Houston people are jingoistic and easily offended by the truth because they regard the extreme hatred and corruption where they live as normal. If you bring any of it to their attention, you will likely hear the defense, "It's the same way everywhere." No. It isn't. But, even that day, one of the rare days that I agreed to leave the house and enjoy a nice day at the zoo, we were subjected to another police misconduct incident. This time we were witnesses to a female passenger in a car being brutalized by one of Houston's finest. It was terrifying. But, as anyone will tell you, that's Houston.

There is no convincing the people of East Texas that anything that goes on there is unusual or illegal, though. They regard the police as "the law." Anything that a uniformed officer does, from shooting innocent people in the back to abducting children is deemed an act of law. "Don't mess with Texas."

And, the problem when I am not in East Texas is convincing people in other parts of the country that this is really going on. I have to tell my story two or three times before people understand what happened to us because it is just so unbelievable. It's hard to believe that these things could happen in the United States of America. But, Texas is like a third world country in terms of law enforcement, basic human rights and civil liberties. The history of the Texas Rangers is one of violent crime and lawlessness, so they are of no assistance in places where the corruption is most extreme.

I don't say it to "insult anyone's state," - the fact that I have to state that tells you something about the mentality of Texans - but to try to warn and awaken people to what is happening. The truth of what happened to me there is so horrible - like something from a horror movie, in all. Suffice it to say that our uniformed attackers were killers with no regard for human life. And, in making our escape, putting the Houston house up for lease (easy to do since Hurricane Ike) and just putting things in order - in just the act of trying to leave that cesspool - there is no escaping the inevitable daily fear and intrusion into our lives of corrupt police and city government there. There is nothing worse than having your worst fears justified on a regular basis.

And, to anyone who says, "Why didn't you file a complaint?" In the original incident, our attackers were unidentified. They were probably not acting under the authority of the police department, but engaging in organized crime of their own while on duty. I did contact the precinct in question, but I was told again that probably what they had done was legal. Also, if you file a formal complaint without evidence - or if you lose your case - you can be fined and jailed for bringing false charges against the police. (Remember the movie, "A Few Good Men.") About the civil rights violations and abuse suffered by my husband at the hands of these thugs in the masked paramilitary raid incident, while I was so weak from the previous violent incident that I could barely move, I did manage to contact local news agencies in Houston. L.U.L.A.C. and other civil rights agencies. It was the one horrible thing in all of it that I thought we could prove because there would be witnesses. No one cared. This is all common place and accepted practice in the area. We are truly lucky to be alive and when I feel we are completely out of danger, maybe I will some day be able to tell the whole horrible story.

But, enough about my problems. Here is the evidence:

Houston is full of places called "cantinas" where everyone knows women are being held against their will as sex slaves. There is no real "crackdown" as this article reports. Insiders know that the legitimate nightclubs in the city are subject to fraudulent laws and violent paramilitary style raids, targeted for pointless "sting" operations that would be really funny except so many innocent lives are damaged by them. Meanwhile, these cantinas are allowed to pay off the police. Regular night clubs are not. They are the victims of an elaborate kidnapping and extortion scheme run by the City and occasionally the County. Everyone in involved in the legitimate night club scene knows that the town's probably most influential official has his favorite hang out and what his habits there are. Terrifying knowledge to have!

What do you suppose police had in mind when they viciously brutalized and attempted to abduct little 12-year old Dymond Milburn from her front porch in Galveston? Can you imagine? They later claimed that they mistook the child for a prostitute. The Galveston Police have a reputation for roughing up and raping women that they arrest on prostitution charges. She was attacked by three men while one drove the getaway car. She and her father were later arrested. This story, which originally broke in an alternative paper that frequently seeks to expose rampant local corruption, The Houston Press, is so complex and disturbing that I am only able to give the highlights here. The father was apparently set up as no evidence was ever found. He went to prison for two years anyway, and during that time, the family waited to file a lawsuit against the GPD. But, the suit has gone nowhere, so far. Two officers involved in the attempted kidnapping were promoted or given awards for their performance. Notice the problem that I addressed above at this link. The story is so outrageous that many people thought it was a hoax. But, it really did happen. This is Texas. Also note, in the comments under any of these articles, how the people native to that area defend the actions of the police. After all, their reasoning is, they are "the law."

There are laws on the books in the State of Texas, and it has been many times upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, that state that citizens have the right to resist unlawful arrest. They also have the right to aid anyone who is being unlawfully arrested. The problem in Texas is that pretty much every arrest is "lawful." Does that sound incredible? If you are from any of the other 49 states in the union, I know it does. Look here. This is the website of a Houston lawyer. He answers your questions about what is lawful during an arrest in Houston.

It is perfectly legal for the police in Houston, acting under the fraudulent laws of their jurisdiction, to kick in doors to serve warrants. The can come into your home or place of business (SWAT-style) and arrest you without a warrant. They do not have to read you your rights. You can be arrested in your home on a mere accusation. (I was nearly murdered - very nearly shot in the back by a nervous gunman who called himself a deputy, with whom I was tussling because I thought we were being kidnapped, on the basis of what the police alternately termed "a false accusation" and "a case of mistaken identity." A short time later, my husband's place of business was "SWATTED" on the basis of a false accusation, The "informant" did it to get back at one person at the business that he had a dispute with.) In fact, you can be arrested and murdered on the basis of a false accusation by police in Houston.

Many children die in Houston at the hands of police. The mentally ill are frequently shot in the back "in self defense." Houston police regularly use deadly force against those with mental illness. Usually, the family, in denial about the murderous nature of the police, call them for help. The police arrive and shoot the person in front of family. This outrageous conduct is routinely upheld in court.

Shooting people in the back seems to be a popular Texas past-time. Remember, in the cowboy movies, it was only the lowest cowards who shot their victims in the back. But, in Texas, these killers are held up as "heroes." The Houston Chronicle is a regular source of police atrocities. You will find them reported almost daily. An interactive search can be found here. Note that 1/3 of the police shootings in Houston involved unarmed, innocent people.

Be sure that the local media will assist in any cover ups. For instance, there is the case of Pedro Gonzalez. He was murdered, a small man brutalized to death by multiple police officers. Standard procedure. Then there is this interesting case. Who does the Houston Police Department really work for? Who are they really protecting and serving? History holds the answer. I'll give you a clue. It isn't innocent citizens. No. They are on the other side of the battle.

You do not want to be arrested even on a minor offense in Houston. People routinely show up severely injured at the police station after being arrested. This recently happened to Donald Driver.

Very often there is no chance to "resist" the police because they simply attack you. This was our experience. It was the experience of Dymond Milburn and Robbie Tolan. In these cases, you may never even learn who attacked you.

Motorists are routinely robbed. Hispanics are the biggest target, they appear vulnerable and frequently have cash. It is common story among Latinos that they are pulled over by police for dubious reasons and have the contents of their wallets lifted before being sent on their way. They frequently have their cars illegally searched, too. Threats of bodily harm seem to be standard.

Don't expect that evidence has any weight, at all. Even if the cops bother about actual evidence, the Houston Crime Lab is notoriously corrupt. The DWI testing equipment was improperly tested and certified, too, so many erroneous convictions came from that. But, most of the time, police don't even have evidence. A friend was arrested one afternoon on a DWI charge. No evidence, such as breathalyzer, was taken. It was the cops word against hers. Months later she was convicted, lack of evidence notwithstanding, on the word of a lying cop. The episode cost her around $15,000. She lost her license and her home.

If you are in an accident there, even if it is due to a vehicle malfunction or if it was caused by another driver, do what you can to avoid the police. They will try to arrest you on some trumped up charge. This very thing happened to my husband yet again last night when the tire on the car he was driving blew out. A few years ago, he was the victim of a hit and run. He, the victim, was nearly jailed on trumped up charges. He has had his car illegally searched on more than one occasion, as well. You can say, "No," but they will do whatever they want to you, your property or your family, anyway. And, there is no legitimate law in place to stop this, at least, no laws recognized by the State of Texas. The U.S. Constitution is something for "yankees," apparently, and never pertains to Texas.

Texas: Made in Texas, by Texans, for Texans. That's what they say in Texas, but actually, Texas was made in Mexico and I wonder if we shouldn't give it back. They couldn't do a worse job with it.

So, we are nearly finished doing what any sensible people would do under the circumstances. I have already fled the City permanently with no intentions of ever returning. And, the last of preparations are being made. And, it is a sad statement, but I really do not believe that many decent, intelligent people could stand to live in that area. Let this be a caution to anyone who is think of visiting, or God forbid, relocating there. Please, do your research on the place. The regular flooding (50% of Houston homes have flooded), hurricanes, violent crime and lack of culture ought to be enough to deter you.

Visit my "I Hate Houston Blog" where I vent about goings one there. I plan to close it soon as I hope to make Houston no longer a part of my life - ever again if I can help it. Read my satire "Alice's Mad, Mad Tea Party in Houston." Although, it probably won't make much sense unless you've been there.