Fight over reparations turns into brawl at city council

08:25 PM CST on Tuesday, March 30, 2004

By Doug Miller / 11 News

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A noisy argument erupted Tuesday afternoon at Houston's City Hall over slavery reparations. And it ended up with Houston's mayor ordering police to remove black activist leaders from the city council chambers.

Slavery reparations supporters want Mayor Bill White to put a resolution on the city council agenda.

It started out quietly enough with slavery reparations supporters demanding the mayor put a resolution on the city council agenda. But what activists call a fight for justice turned into a free-for-all as supporters of reparations for descendants of slaves forced a confrontation with the mayor.

"I'm going to stand here until we get a date," said Kofi Taharka with the National Black United Front.

But the mayor doesn't want to vote on slavery reparations. And a couple of the speakers refused to leave the podium unless the mayor set that date.

"Now, I'm not gonna leave the podium until we get a date," said Taharka.

"If you want the police to escort you out we'll be happy to do that," said Mayor White.

"If that means I got to jail today, then I'm down with that," said Taharka. "I don't want you to touch any of these other brothers and sisters, don't touch any of these other brothers and sisters. But I'm not leaving this podium until we get a date or you take me out of here to jail."

The speakers wouldn't budge. So the mayor finally told police to take the speakers who refused to leave the podium out of the council chamber. "Don't fall for this man," activist Quanell X said to the officers. "Let them bring the white boys in here."

Council members hastily adjourned to a back room as police led a couple of the slavery reparations supporters out.

It ended up with a noisy shoving match, a confrontation between police and black activists with police trying to remove them from the lobby outside.

Somehow, somebody ended up on the ground complaining the cops had knocked him down and hurt his spine.

And after all the sound and fury the wheels of government quietly rolled on.

The mayor describes the idea of slavery reparations as a distraction and says he believes the citizens of Houston would prefer their council to talk about the nuts and bolts issues like traffic, transportation and fixing the streets.

But the bottom line is the resolution supporting a national commission to study slavery reparations is not on the council agenda. And right now it's doesn't look like it will be anytime soon.