Remembrance Park Downtown Houston.

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The Ex Officio Director
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9:09p, 6/17/26
This lovely open field which used to be a parking garage, that is across the street from the juvenile detention center and the criminal courthouse Is now the new home to the Remembrance Park.

That's right folks, your hard-earned tax dollars, are going to a park. Just not any park a Remembrance Park. What are we trying to remember? Well let me tell you. Actually, I will let Rodney Ellis, tell you.

Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis has announced that the Ford Foundation has given a grant to MASS (Model of Architecture Serving Society) Design Group for design of Precinct One's Remembrance Park, a new public destination in downtown Houston for community reflection, education, organizing, and activism around issues of social, criminal, economic and racial justice.

"I'm thankful to the Ford Foundation for supporting the vision of Remembrance Park," Commissioner Ellis said. "With its support, and hopefully with more private support from others, I look forward to advancing the continuous struggle for equity and justice for all, and to help this important project for the people reach its full potential."

Remembrance Park will feature a lynching memorial to honor the Harris County victims of lynching between 1877 and 1950. The park plans recently were lauded by a Houston Chronicle editorial, which said: "the memorial … serves as a reminder that our history includes both the errors made in the past and the steps we take today to acknowledge them and do what we can to correct them. Both those things are part of our history, and a memorial confronting our most painful chapters is both necessary and part of the proof we need that as a society we're capable of improvement."

Ford Foundation President Darren Walker said: "Remembrance Park will breathe new life into this space, transforming it into a place to honor those who have fought and still fight for social justice and equality. We are proud to partner with Commissioner Ellis and the people of Harris County to help make this project a reality. We are excited to see this incredible asset take shape, where Harris County residents and visitors alike can enjoy added greenspace in downtown Houston, learn about our history, and reflect about our future."

https://stylemagazine.com/news/2022/jul/28/commissioner-rodney-ellis-announces-ford-foundatio/

My gummy-bear died. My unicorn ran away. My imaginary friend got kidnapped. The voices in my head wont talk to me.
I've got a red bull. So I got that going for me.
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maroon barchetta
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In reply to The Ex Officio Director • 10:14p, 6/17/26
I'll take "Places that teens will never do a takeover" for $200, Alex.
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Sea Speed
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11:25p, 6/17/26
AG
I asked grok about what must certainly have been an extraordinary amount of lynchings in Harris county during those years:


Four documented racial terror lynchings of African Americans occurred in Harris County, Texas, between 1877 and 1950.


This figure comes primarily from the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI)'s research in its Lynching in America report (and related memorial), which documented over 4,400 such lynchings across 20 states in that period. EJI identified exactly four in Harris County.


The VictimsLocal projects, such as the Harris County Remembrance Project (supported by county officials and historical societies), have memorialized them with historical markers:John Walton (1890) Shot.
Burt/Bert Smith (also called Burl Smith; early 1900s) Hanged in Goose Creek (near Baytown).
John White (Crosby; details around robbery accusation) Burned.
Robert Powell (1920s) Hanged in Houston.


These align with records from sources like the Tuskegee Institute and NAACP compilations.


Context and Caveats
Documentation challenges: Lynchings were often underreported, especially if not widely publicized or if they involved non-Black victims (e.g., white, Hispanic, or others). Broader Texas totals vary (EJI: ~342335 Black victims statewide; other studies suggest 400750+ total lynchings including all races from the 1880s1940s).


Harris County-specific projects (e.g., lynchingintexas.org) list around 45 entries, with at least one misreported as a lynching. No widely accepted higher verified total for the county in this timeframe exists beyond the EJI figure for racial terror cases.


The period matches EJI's focus on post-Reconstruction racial terror (18771950); earlier or later incidents fall outside it.

For deeper details, check the Harris County Remembrance Project or EJI's resources, which include county-level mapping. Exact numbers can vary slightly by definition (e.g., mob vs. other extrajudicial killings), but four is the most consistently cited and documented figure.

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The Ex Officio Director
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In reply to Sea Speed • 11:57p, 6/17/26
Four? Only four.

I figure that number would be higher the way Harris County needed a remembrance park all of sudden.
My gummy-bear died. My unicorn ran away. My imaginary friend got kidnapped. The voices in my head wont talk to me.
I've got a red bull. So I got that going for me.
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Sea Speed
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In reply to The Ex Officio Director • 1:48a, 6/18/26
AG
Yes exactly. And I am willing to bet the way they came up with that number or the stories behind them are dubious at best. Unbelievable lmao.
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Furlock Bones
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7:38a, 6/18/26
AG
there were probably 4 homicides committed in the last 5 days.
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HarveyUpdyke_Ag
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8:33a, 6/18/26
in before Tone
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Mega Lops
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8:40a, 6/18/26
AG
Peak gaslighting.

A cursory search shows that 3 out 4 of these Remembrancers were accused of crimes. The 4th is not documented well as to what led up to his death.

One was a cop killer. That literally invalidates what crooked-ass Low T Rodney is trying to do here. Though I'm sure the kickbacks from giving the park construction to buddies is lucrative.

This park is a big FU to HPD and law enforcement in general.

While injustices certainly took place in the past, I'm gonna go out on a limb and say these were not the source material for To Kill A Mockingbird.

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Sea Speed
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In reply to Mega Lops • 8:51a, 6/18/26
AG
Yea it was late and I didn't want to do any actual research, but as I have seen many many times in the last, the reason people were "lynched" was often justified, so no shocker there. Just unbelievable levels of grift and ******ation from Harris county.
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CW Griswold
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9:28a, 6/18/26
So this park will be a fitting place for homeless drug users and schizophrenics to piss and crap all over. Nice own goal Rodney.
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kubiak03
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9:30a, 6/18/26
AG
When one goes around downtown Houston these days, sees all the murals, streets, signs etc you would think gringos had nothing to do with making this city successful.
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HarveyUpdyke_Ag
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9:35a, 6/18/26
Its real life "The Wire" in action. lol
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HarveyUpdyke_Ag
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In reply to kubiak03 • 9:36a, 6/18/26
kubiak03 said:
When one goes around downtown Houston these days, sees all the murals, streets, signs etc you would think gringos had nothing to do with making this city successful.

We all know the truth.
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Mega Lops
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10:49a, 6/18/26
AG
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Coog97
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11:36a, 6/18/26
How tall will the George Floyd statue be?
“Things weren’t gentle and politically correct in those days. We weren’t candy asses. Okay?”
-Frank Borman

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The Ex Officio Director
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11:52a, 6/18/26
The dedication is this Saturday for those that want to be downtown for it.

Curious if watermelon and grape soda will be served.
My gummy-bear died. My unicorn ran away. My imaginary friend got kidnapped. The voices in my head wont talk to me.
I've got a red bull. So I got that going for me.
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Coog97
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12:11p, 6/18/26
Can't forget the Kool-Aid pineapples.
“Things weren’t gentle and politically correct in those days. We weren’t candy asses. Okay?”
-Frank Borman

“Who are you to doubt El Dandy? ‘Cause this guy’s a serious professional.”
-Bret Hart
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Ciboag96
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12:33p, 6/18/26
I'm going to make and handout shirts to the homeless in the area that says "The mother f*****s have represented us for 50 years and all we got was this park."
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FarmerJohn
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1:49p, 6/18/26
AG
I thought this was going to be a dedicated launch site for mylar balloons.
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maroon barchetta
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In reply to The Ex Officio Director • 2:10p, 6/18/26
Shouldn't they serve Lean?
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Tone2002
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In reply to HarveyUpdyke_Ag • 9:39a, 6/20/26
HarveyUpdyke_Ag said:
in before Tone


LMBO….

I was curious why there was a big ass signs saying Remember. Learned something new.
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Mas89
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In reply to Sea Speed • 9:55a, 6/20/26
AG
Sea Speed said:
Yea it was late and I didn't want to do any actual research, but as I have seen many many times in the last, the reason people were "lynched" was often justified, so no shocker there. Just unbelievable levels of grift and ******ation from Harris county.

Yeah and the last " Lynched" cattle rustlers were white and hung just north of Winnie. The old live oak tree is still there.

So can the " Takeovers" now be moved to Remembrance Park?
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SECond2noneAgs
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In reply to Mas89 • 12:13p, 6/20/26
AG
Mas89 said:
Sea Speed said:
Yea it was late and I didn't want to do any actual research, but as I have seen many many times in the last, the reason people were "lynched" was often justified, so no shocker there. Just unbelievable levels of grift and ******ation from Harris county.

Yeah and the last " Lynched" cattle rustlers were white and hung just north of Winnie. The old live oak tree is still there.

So can the " Takeovers" now be moved to Remembrance Park?

Any details/resources on the Winnie hangings?
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Mas89
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In reply to SECond2noneAgs • 2:33p, 6/20/26
AG
McBride land on 1410. Texas Rangers iirc.
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SECond2noneAgs
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In reply to Mas89 • 3:23p, 6/20/26
AG
Interesting- - I've got some property off of 1410 and wondered if it might have been in that area.
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