A coalition of over 20 community leaders and organizations is calling for Houston’s Mayor John Whitmire to retract recent remarks about the Gulfton neighborhood that the coalition deems offensive.
The group is also requesting that Whitmire apologize to Gulfton residents.
Whitmire remarks
“Mayor Whitmire described Gulfton as a community largely composed of ‘undocumented’ immigrants who are uninterested in accessing amenities like the Galleria,” according to the coalition’s communication. “These comments have been widely condemned as xenophobic and out of touch with the reality of this vibrant, diverse community.”
Gulfton is known as one of Houston’s most diverse and international communities. Over 50 languages are spoken, and residents come from Latin America, Africa, West Asia, South Asia, and Southeast Asia.
Coalition response
“Your recent remarks about Gulfton, a largely Latino neighborhood, are not only deeply offensive but also reveal a shocking level of ignorance and prejudice,” read the group’s letter sent to Whitmire and written by Karthik Soora. “Assuming that Gulfton’s residents, many of whom are immigrants, are “largely undocumented” and uninterested in accessing amenities such as the Galleria is an egregious misrepresentation that smacks of xenophobia and a disturbing detachment from the community you claim to serve.”
The letter continues: “This vibrant community is far more than your narrow and patronizing view suggests. By reducing its residents to mere recipients of ‘basic services,’ you ignore their aspirations, contributions, and rights as members of our city. Your suggestion that they ‘don’t want to be part of the Galleria’ is not only baseless but also insulting.”
The coalition of 20-plus organizational leaders contends the mayor’s comments ignore the aspirations and contributions of Gulfton’s residents and falsely imply they are unwelcome in other parts of Houston. They point to Whitmire’s “opposition to expanding public transit to the Galleria” as further isolating and disenfranchising this community.
“Mayor Whitmire’s comments are an affront to all Houstonians who believe in an inclusive and equitable city,” said Daniel Cohen, chair of Indivisible Houston. “We need leadership that embraces all communities, not one that demeans and marginalizes them.”
Organizational Signatories
Daniel Cohen, Chair, Indivisible Houston
Steven Wu, Organizing & Policy Director, Woori Juntos
Juan Martinez-Guevara, Texas Advocacy Manager, United We Dream
Juliana Nascimento, Deputy Director of Advocacy, United We Dream Network
James Magown, Co-Chair B, Houston DSA
Austin Ruiz, President, Houston LGBTQ+ Political Caucus
Erin Eriksen, Organizer, Stop TxDOT I-45
Christopher Rivera, Outreach Coordinator, Texas Civil Rights Project
Jeremy Eugene, Secretary, Community Voices for Public Education
William White, Director, CAIR-Houston
Katy Murdza, Texas Regional Organizer, Immigrant Legal Resource Center, Houston Leads
Camila Trujillo, Houston Campaign Manager, Workers Defense Action Fund
Alexander Montalvo, Co-Founder, Texas Grassroots Alliance
Maria Hernandez, Executive Director, Madres del Parque
Angelica Hernández, LaUnidad11
Neil Aquino, Co-organizer, John Cornyn Houston Office Protest
Ashton Woods, Founder & Lead Organizer, Black Lives Matter Houston (BLMHOU)
Ethan Ganz, Co-Founder, Montrose Residents Coalition
Jane Lesnick, Co-leader, Swing TX Left
Anthony Rios, Chair of Gulf Democrats
Jasmine Khadem Gonzalez, Houston DSA Steering Committee
Gion Thomas, CEO/Founder, Protest, Organize, Participate (P.O.P.)
Lorilei Williams, Executive Director, Resilient Advocates Collective
Koretta Brown, Founder/Executive Director, Bridges To Empowerment
Chris Jenkins, Organizer, FYHO
Yenit Jimenez, Organizer, Somos Spring Branch
Justin Wiederman, Creative Director / CEO, DTP Foundation
Itxel Ramirez, Houston Abolitionist Collective
