Demetria Smith for Houston Mayor 2019: Taking Back Our Democracy

HOUSTON - March 9, 2019 - PRLog -- Demetria Smith never stopped being a champion for the people of her beloved hometown of Houston, Texas, and early in January 2019 she officially announced her bid for a second run to be Houston mayor.

After a failed attempt in a run for Texas governor in 2018, Houston voters continued to support the overwhelmingly popular Smith.  The will of the voters and Smith's commitment to returning their rights was all the motivation she needed to continue the fight against injustice.

Smith has been very outspoken about public concern with Houston leadership under current mayor Sylvester Turner.  "I want to give the people of Houston back their voice," says Smith.  "I will restore their will, want and hope above any personal political agenda."

Smith is directly referencing Proposition B, which she was a strong advocate for leading all the way up to the vote.  Proposition B was successfully passed on November 6, 2018 and it grants city firefighters "pay parity" with Houston Police Department officers.  With the support of the Houston Police Department, Mayor Turner has unsuccessfully sued to have the decision overturned.  Turner's position is that the increase in pay will cause economic ruin for Houston, however he has failed to present any supporting data for this claim.

Smith wants the voters to know that she fought beside them with her sleeves rolled up for Proposition B long before it was passed. The reason she is on the side of firefighters is because they have one of the highest-risk jobs in the city for loss of life, and the voters have spoken.  "This is the will of the people and city officials must honor their decision," Smith said. Smith also applauds the heroism of first responders and wants to ensure firefighters get paid the money they deserve as soon as she takes office.

Smith is also against "no-knock warrants" and believes they should be totally eliminated because they are a direct infringement on constitutional rights.  A no-knock warrant is a warrant issued by a judge that allows law enforcement officers to enter a property without immediate notification of the residents, such as by knocking or ringing a doorbell.   In a public statement to media on February 19, 2019, Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo announced the end to no-knock warrants after a botched raid in January 2019 that left two civilians (and their pet dog) dead and four officers injured.   However, many Houstonians, including Smith, are aware that the practice still continues on a pick-and-choose basis.

"The 4^thAmendment says you cannot serve a warrant without probable cause so we are secure within our person, our paper and our property so they did not have any authority to enter their property during a plainclothes operation." Says Smith.  "We must safeguard the constitutional rights of all Houston citizens and hold all government institutions accountable for their actions including the HPD."  Smith continues, "I want to restore trust between communities and the Houston Police Department."

Smith also wants the HPD to protect and serve the citizens of Houston by following due process law and the rule of law.   Smith is not anti-police.   She is anti-police misconduct.

Smith would extend police academy training from 4-6 months to one year so that officers are educated on due process law.

Smith who has a background in mortgage finance and lending would also like to reduce property taxes because it is oppressive to homeowners.   Families are being forced out of their homes and if the current property rate continues to increase it will result in more foreclosures.   This will make it difficult for the city to generate revenue on the current tax roll. Smith also plans to bring affordable housing to Houston.

Her plan also includes bringing living wage jobs to Houston by working with the private sector and the education department.  She plans to institute a tuition-free job-training program.

Smith, a 45 year-old mother of six and grandmother of nine plans to eliminate the Houston immigration detention center used to contain children who have been illegally separated from their parents.  Her goal is to keep families together.  Smith believes proper entry vetting processing should continue without jailing migrants. Though she does not advocate illegal entry into the country, Smith will protect the rights allowed to them under the Constitution to seek asylum.  She will also protect those who are already nationalized without fear of deportation by ICE.  Some alternatives Smith feels are more effective include housing for migrants in local shelters and temporary supervised housing with relatives pending the notification of their immigration status.

Demetria Smith is a mayoral candidate for all of Houston.  She will protect and fight for the rights of its people. The mayoral general election is November 5, 2019.  Houston voters who would like to meet Smith personally can do so during her fundraiser crawfish fest March 16, 2019, 11:00am – 4:00pm, Imperial Luna's, 10907 ½ Martindale Rd., Houston, TX 77048 or contact her directly on social media:

Instagram:  @demetria.s92

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/demetria.smith.129.

For additional information on the Demetria Smith 2019 mayoral campaign please visit www.dsmith4mayor2019.com.