Lubbock Free Radical: Recent Episodes
Lubbock Free Radical
Free Radical is a loosely organized, semi-underground source of dissent to the Good Old Boys mentality that pervades both Lubbock and the greater Texas Panhandle. Think of us as a supplement to the local media, filling in whatever voids they choose to avoid or ignore. The hope going forward is that we can become a hub of sorts for the various progressive voices in Lubbock. We're starting out small and concise but are working on more to come, and we welcome you along the way!
Part one of a 2 part series about the 1971 protests of Lubbock. In this episode, we cover school integration, discriminatory city policies, and the police slaying of Ernesto Nerios, setting the stage for episode 2 where we'll go over the story of Willie Collier and the protests that followed. It's a rough story, so content warning for racism and violence.
Civil Rights Articles, Interviews, and Additional ReadingLubbock Free Radical "At Large" episode (link)School Integration Story, from 'The Catalyst', 1970 (link)
Civil Rights in Black & Brown: Interview with Anita Carmona-Harrison, 2016 (link)
Alberta Pena Quote concerning Tornado, from 'The Catalyst', 1970 (link)
AJ article on Racial Integration and schools, 2017 (link)
"Life of Ernesto Nerios", from 'The Catalyst', 1971 (link)
Civil Rights in Black & Brown: Interview with Nephtali De Leon (link)
Oral History Interview with Nephtali De Leon, 1999 (link)
Ruby Bridges, first Black to attend a desegregated white school (link)
"Separate but Equal" Laws (link)
Articles on the Tornado
"Lessons from Lubbock Tornado" article, 2020 (link)
NatGeo Article on the Lubbock Tornado (link)
AJ article on Segregation and the Tornado (link)
Additional ReferencesIntegration Lawsuit against, United States v LISD (link)
"Grievance Committee is a front" from Jones v City of Lubbock (link)
Hechinger Report on benefits generational benefits of desegregation (link)
Why is amortization important? There may be zoning changes in the near future, two Universal Development Codes (UDC) meetings are coming up at the end of this month and next, but without an amortization statute even if the zoning changes, older industrial plants would be grandfathered in with few ways to move them. In this mini-episode, we explain what amortization is and why it's an important tool in getting rid of industrial zoning around residential areas in North and East Lubbock.
Historically, railroads in the US were used to connect cities, speed up commerce, and... segregation. Lubbock is no different, and while the city would rather forget its history of segregation and industrial zoning, it is still very much a reality to this day. Consider this a general overview as well as an intro to a topic we plan to expand on in the future. For more info as well as links and citations to references in this episode, please visit us at https://lubbockfreeradical.com/
The first episode in an ongoing series designed to give you ways you can keep the powers that be accountable, we're calling it the Power To The People Series. In this episode, we're covering the basics of what a Texas Public Information Act is, as well as how to submit a request. These requests are a really good tool to get information that might otherwise go unseen. For more info as well as links and citations references in this episode, please visit us at https://lubbockfreeradical.com/
At Large voting systems were used historically as a way to silence minority voices and suppress their voting powers. Lubbock, Tx was one of these cities, and it wasn't until 1984 that this system was abolished in the city. It took a unified coalition of BIPOC people to bring an end to the practice, but not without a fight, as the city really did not want to give up any of its power. It was so bad that Lubbock was called out as racist by the US Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit. Though abolished in 1984, there have been various attempts at bringing back At Large voting throughout the years since, with the most recent being in February 2021. To learn more about the story please visit our website for references and citations, lubbockfreeradical.com
Lubbock, Texas has a very important vote coming up. One that not only puts Planned Parenthoods future in the South Plains in question but could have far-reaching consequences for the US. Our Women’s Health Correspondent explains the role Planned Parenthood plays in healthcare, as well the concerns should the Sanctuary City for Unborn ordinance pass and what that may mean going forward.
Free Radical is a loosely organized, semi-underground source of dissent. Think of us as a supplement to the local media, filling in whatever voids they choose to avoid or ignore. We're just getting started and we invite you to join us!