kylejack

The 288 protest is precisely the example I cited earlier of police de-escalating a situation without the use of violence. The Ferguson police could take a lesson, and then maybe their town wouldn't have descended into chaos. Treat citizens like the enemy and they will become the enemy.

1. The abusive police response to peaceful protests created an unstable situation where looters and rioters prospered. 2. Your comment that you have no empathy for the people of Ferguson is a disgusting smear of many peaceful protesters who had nothing to do with rioting or looting.

For insurrection we have the National Guard. We don't need police armed like military.

Yes, that's why people are there helping people register to vote, an action which the Missouri RNC chair calls "disgusting".

And don't forget the riots that erupted after Houston Police assaulted a black soldier based out of Camp Logan. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houston_Riot_(1917) But you're exactly right. We still have plenty of bad apples in HPD, but the difference now is that on an institutional level the officers clearly seem to be under orders to clean up their act and not escalate an encounter whenever possible.

Houston certainly has race problems, but not the same kind of police problems. If you look at how the Mayor has handled mass protests, her methods have been far more effective than other cities. Other cities like Oakland tried to confront groups like Occupy rather than just manage them. Our Mayor told them they could stay in the park as long as they followed certain rules (no tents, for example). The group mostly fizzled out on its own here with very little violence or arrests. When Quanell X's group marched onto 288 and shut it down, the police managed to resolve it without resorting to violence. These cops are clearly under orders to work with these groups and resolve conflicts non-violently whenever possible. When police resort to unnecessary violence (as in Occupy Oakland, Occupy New York, Ferguson, etc.) the people strengthen their resolve.

N/t

I thought we were talking about pedestrians. Maybe you could just start another thread about cyclist scofflaws to keep the discussion coherent.

The Amazing Atheist is a terrible human being. Anyway, atheists do face discrimination both in the workplace and elsewhere, so that could be a good topic.

I dunno, sounds pretty good... 60x80 screen still puts it near the very top of the IMAX range of screens.

" The 24-year old theatre recently upgraded from IMAX 70mm film projection to stunning 4K digital with advanced 3D technology. Images of unsurpassed size, clarity and impact, enhanced by a superb six-track sound system, are projected onto a giant 60’ x 80’ foot screen." http://www.hmns.org/?option=com_content&id=44&Itemid=6

Good, thank you. Now if we could get even a majority of motorists to do the same.

Look, I don't care how fast you go when you're out on an empty West Texas road, but when you're driving here in this city, please drive no more than the posted speed limit, especially on streets rather than highways. Your convenience is not more important than the safety of others.

Well, I never said they did go around looking for pedestrians to hit, so seems to me you're at war with a straw man. Pedestrians don't go around looking for a car to be hit by either. People get hit when either the motorist or pedestrian are negligent, generally, NOT when someone does something dumb intentionally. And speeding, which most drivers do, endangers pedestrians.

Once again, you've chosen to focus on one specific situation. Most people speed, so someone obeying the speed limit is not "most situations", which is what was being discussed. Motorists speed and as a result have less reaction time to avoid hitting people and vehicles.

Yep. I live near a crosswalk on Dunlavy that doesn't have a stop sign at the intersection. Motorists are supposed to yield to pedestrians in a marked crosswalk, but you should see the children and elderly trying to cross there. The pedestrian is a target in this town, even when obeying the law.

He's talking about most situations, you're trying to hyperanalyze one specific situation. Most pedestrians aren't killed due to stepping out in front of a car that is 10 feet away, so it's not a good example of "most situations."

Of course. And City government should be doing a much better job of installing crosswalks where people are likely to cross.

Maybe you had good intentions, but not everyone does. Some speed through getting incorrect work done and then shrug and grin like a Cheshire cat, knowing that they're going to get away with an after-the-fact variance.

Pedestrians share part of the blame for jaywalking. Sometimes infrastructure or the lack of is also to blame.

TIRZ tax zones mean that wealthy areas can afford to spend more on infrastructure. This is why Upper Kirby has nice sidewalks, fancy red phone booth decorations, smooth roads, etc. Fifth Ward has a TIRZ too, but it has a lot less money, so the infra suffers as do the victims of traffic accidents.

Proof is doing fine. Mongoose vs. Cobra and Leon's are doing fine. It's far enough away that the station isn't an issue.

What's it called?

Interesting. They're claiming gas leak.