FortBendNow.com

Taking command in Justice of the Peace Joel Clouser’s Missouri City courtroom Wednesday evening, Houston community activist Quanell X exhorted a packed house to protest against the Fort Bend Independent School District over racial discrimination.

At Quanell X and local NAACP Chapter President Ron Reynolds’ invitation, several audience members at what was billed as a town hall meeting came forward and told about incidents illustrating their contention that black students at the district are held to a stricter disciplinary standard than white students.

But much of the evening’s presentations focused on construction contractor Eva Jackson, owner of Houston’s RHJ-JOC Inc. In a series of contentious events over the past few months, the company lost a multimillion-dollar job order contract with the district and mounted a campaign to regain work from the district.

While a May vote by the board seemed to assure that RHJ would regain some of that work, it hasn’t happened.

“What they’re doing to this sister is not just about what they’re doing to one black woman,” Quanell X said, while Jackson and her husband listened from the jury box in Judge Clouser’s courtroom.

“I do not believe everyone on the Fort Bend school board is racist,” Quanell X said. “But I do believe Lisa Rickert and Steve Smelley have worked together to go against the best interests of the black people in Fort Bend County.” Rickert and Smelley are former president and president, respectively, of the FBISD Board of Trustees.

Quanell X, flanked by two uniformed men wearing red berets, and with protest signs saying “No Justice No Peace” stacked along the walls, urged the 60 or so people attending Wednesday’s meeting to march on the FBISD administration building on Monday – Juneteenth.

“It’s time that you stand up,” he said. “If you go this time, your voices will be heard. They owe all of us clear explanations about what’s happening to our children. And they owe us clear answers about why they are treating our sister like this,” he added, referring to Jackson.

The town hall meeting audience included several prominent black officials, including Judge Clouser, Fort Bend Democratic Party Chair Elaine Bishop, Missouri City Councilman Don Smith, Houston ISD Board Trustee Lawrence Marshall and Fort Bend County Precinct 2 Constable Ruben Davis.

Bishop suggested that if there were perceived problems with school board members or other elected officials, “we have our own selves to fault for that” because, while Fort Bend County Precinct 2 votes heavily in presidential elections, “we get less than 10%” of voters who turn out for local elections.

Quanell X called Judge Clouser “truly a man of courage to allow Quanell X to use his courtroom,” adding, “Some have said Quanell X does not have a right to come to Fort Bend County and tell us what to do.”

However, he said, “If any black person hurts, we should be here also. The enemy of all our people wants to see us disconnected, like tribes.”

Quanell X described what he sees as his role: “I’m like the agitating ingredient that you put in laundry powder.”

Reynolds told the crowd he has “heard various complaints about perceptions” of racial discrimination within FBISD. “We need to put the issues out there so we can reach some solutions,” he added.

“Some people have had instances where, because of the color of their skins, they were denied contract opportunities; their kids were denied advancement opportunities.”

Orangey Jones, mother of two Quail Valley Middle School students, said one of her children received a school ticket and had to come to Judge Clouser’s courtroom for a hearing.

“I was just amazed at how many black children were here,” she said, adding that it made her wonder if there were another court somewhere else that handled cases for just white students.

“That has always been my concern,” Judge Clouser told the crowd. “I come out of chambers and the place is full of African-American kids.”

Clouser spoke against what he called a violent culture that is having an effect on the number of school fights and crime. “I think hip-hop music is one of the major contributors to that,” he said. “We can’t just blame other people. Listen to the music. They’re talking about whacking somebody, they’re talking about sex.”

Smith told the crowd he believes problems many were addressing start with lack of parenting. “Sure, if your kid is an African American…over at Elkins High School and he gets in trouble, chances are the book is going to be thrown at him.” But, “it’s time for us as parents to say…you represent this family, and you have to act accordingly.”

Several audience members talked about discipline within the school district. “All we’re saying is, the same zero tolerance policy you have for black kids – you have that same zero tolerance policy for white kids, too,” Quanell X said. “Be fair, and be consistent.”

“All of this means nothing if we leave here tonight and don’t show up on June 19th” at the FBISD board meeting, he said. “This ain’t about color. Justice and truth is bigger than color. Let’s pull the covers off of Fort Bend County.

“We’re coming for business. We’re not going to sing ‘We Shall Overcome,’” he said. “We’re not going to lift every voice and sing; we’re going to lift every fist and swing, if need be.”