Two dozen advocacy groups denounce Mayor Whitmire’s Gulfton resident comments

Houston Mayor John Whitmire has been the target of criticism from Hispanic and Latino residents, elected officials and local organizations for comments he made in early May about people living in the Houston community. Gulfton.

After a groundbreaking event for Houston METRO’s Westheimer improvement project, Whitmire said in an interview that there would be potential changes to proposed plans to install a rapid bus line to the Galleria from the Southwest neighborhood from Houston.

He added that after talking with Gulfton residents, he found it wasn’t necessary because there wasn’t a “high demand” for shopping there.

“Most of them are undocumented immigrants. They just want basic services,” Whitmire noted. “They don’t want to be part of the Galleria. Do you think they will be welcome at the Galleria?

In response to Whitmire’s statements, two dozen advocacy groups sent a letter to the mayor Monday, asking him to apologize and remove what they called his “deeply offensive” comments.

“It was not acceptable to hear these comments mentioned by the mayor, especially for the Gulfton community,” said Maria Hernandez, executive director of Madres Del Parque and co-coordinator of LaUnidad11. “It’s hard for us to think that we belong. We understand that this is now our country, but we choose to live here.

“We support Houston’s economic growth. We pay our taxes, even without status. I think we deserve better improvements in our field. Hernandez added. “We depend on (public) transportation because some people don’t have a car. So the comment that we only need basic things is outrageous.”

Former Texas Senate District 15 candidate Karthik Soora wrote the letter, which was signed by Hernandez and representatives from Woori Juntos, United We Dream, Black Lives Matter Houston, the Immigrant Legal Source Center and others organizations.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Whitmire had not publicly responded to the letter. However, in a written declaration addressed to the Houston Presshe wrote:

“My support for Gulfton as a senator and now as mayor is well established. I am working in partnership with Harris County Commissioner (Lesley) Briones and other stakeholders. We are listening to residents and will make a positive difference in Gulfton. METRO has a plan for the region It is designing a data-driven strategy to improve mobility by giving people better access to Baker Ripley and Legacy Clinic services.

The letter said Whitmire’s comments “reveal a shocking level of ignorance and bias.” He goes on to say that Whitmire’s assumption that Gulfton residents are “largely undocumented” and uninterested in amenities like the Galleria was “a blatant misrepresentation that smacks of xenophobia.”

The document doubles down, calling the mayor’s statements a “disturbing detachment from the community you claim to serve.” Those who approved the letter also took issue with what they described as Whitmire’s “dismissive attitude” toward Houston City Council member Edward Pollard.

Pollard, who represents District J which includes the Gulfton and Galleria area, spoke to Whitmire at a recent city council meeting. He said he was discouraged by what the mayor said about the community. Pollard noted that he disagreed with Whitmire’s generalizations about such a diverse neighborhood. The council member encouraged the mayor to “genuinely engage” with the community.

Most of Gulfton’s population is Hispanic or Latino. According to a 2019 survey included in a report by the City of Houston Planning and Development Department, the most widely spoken language in the neighborhood is Spanish. However, locals speak more than 50 languages. Some are immigrants from other regions, such as Africa and Southeast Asia.

Whitmire told Pollard that his remarks were taken out of context and that area residents told the mayor they hoped to prioritize public transportation that would get them to necessities first rather than to Gallery.

“I don’t think he intended it to be insensitive,” said Dr. Sergio Lira, president of the League of United Latin Citizens of the Houston Area. “But in the heat of the moment, he said something that could be interpreted as insensitive toward people — particularly undocumented immigrants living in the Gulfton area.”

Lira thought the broader context was the mayor’s concerns about what he called a potential waste of money on expanding the transit system. However, Lira noted that even if Whitmire’s comments were misinterpreted, they could be harmful to members of a community accustomed to being “harassed like a piñata.”

“To think these people don’t go to the Galleria,” he added. “This is simply not the case: undocumented immigrants work in the Galleria neighborhood. Some of them go shopping, and then there are also immigrants who come here during the holiday season and spend quite a bit of money.

According to Hernandez, Whitmire needs to take the time to meet the community, not just a section or population of the neighborhood. She said he needed to talk with essential workers because not having the option of a bus rapid transit system was “not fair at all.”

“It takes time to spend time with the community and hear what they have to say,” Hernandez said. “Instead of not seeing the bigger picture and making these comments. Regardless, we are human beings and we are also part of Houston and this country.