What Happens When FEMA Buys Your House?
As hurricane damage mounts, the government is buying—and sometimes seizing—homes in flood-prone areas, sparking concerns over property rights and accusations of discrimination.
Houston
Former Houston Drug Cop Gets 60 Years for His Deadly Lies
That amounts to a life sentence for Gerald Goines, who instigated the no-knock raid that killed Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas by falsely accusing them of selling heroin.
A Houston Drug Cop's Murder Conviction Highlights the Potentially Deadly Consequences of 'Testilying'
Similar scandals across the country suggest the problem is widespread.
Former Houston Drug Cop Convicted of Murder After His Lies Resulted in Two Deaths
The jury accepted the prosecution's argument that Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas died because of Gerald Goines' fraudulent search warrant affidavit.
Jurors Weigh Murder Charges Against Former Houston Drug Cop Who Lied to Justify a Deadly Home Invasion
But for Gerald Goines' lies on a search warrant affidavit, prosecutors argued, Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas would still be alive.
Houston Officials Trusted a Dishonest Drug Cop for Decades Before His Lies Killed 2 People
But for a disastrous raid, narcotics officer Gerald Goines would have been free to continue framing people he thought were guilty.
Houston Cop Who Lied To Justify a No-Knock Drug Raid Says He Is Not Responsible for the Resulting Deaths
Former narcotics officer Gerald Goines faces two murder charges for instigating the home invasion that killed Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas.
Judge Quashes Felony Murder Charges Against Former Houston Cop Whose Lies Led to a Deadly 2019 Drug Raid
Gerald Goines' lawyers argued that the indictment did not adequately specify the underlying felony of tampering with a government document.
Federal Judge Temporarily Blocks Enforcement of Houston Ordinance Against Feeding the Homeless
The judge found that Food Not Bombs' activity was clearly expressive conduct under the First Amendment.
Houston Faces First Amendment Lawsuit for Cracking Down on Feeding the Homeless
Food Not Bombs activists argue that feeding the needy is core political speech, and that they don't need the city's permission to do it.
5 Years After a Deadly Drug Raid, Houston's Former Police Chief Might Finally Be Held Accountable
Since leaving Houston, Art Acevedo has bounced from job to job, continuing a spotty career marred by scandal.
Zoning Board Orders Longtime Tenants' Homes Dismantled
Plus: the Supreme Court weighs housing fees and homelessness, YIMBYs bet on smaller, more focused reforms, and a new paper finds legalizing more housing does in fact bring costs down.
Houston Police Arrested an Animal Rights Protester and Detained Him for 16 Hours, Lawsuit Says
Daraius Dubash was arrested for peacefully protesting in a public park.
A Brief History of Single-Family Zoning
California recently enacted legislation that invalidates single-family zoning, as an effort to increase housing supply. Other alternatives would be wiser.
Texas Bill Would Legalize Townhouses
The Texas Senate has passed two bills legalizing building homes on smaller lots and accessory dwelling units across the state.
Texas House Overwhelmingly Approves Restrictions on No-Knock Warrants
Conservatives who support the bill recognize the conflict between unannounced home invasions and the Second Amendment.
Why Homelessness Is Worse in California Than in Texas
Today, the Lone Star state counts 90 homeless people per every 100,000 residents. In California, the problem is almost five times as bad.
Houston Prosecutors Are Keeping Cash Seized From Defendants Whose Cases Were Compromised by Police Corruption
Even in cases that hinged on the trustworthiness of demonstrably untrustworthy cops, people are still waiting to get their money back.
Judicial Rubber-Stamping of Search Warrants Can Be Deadly
Lethal drug raids in Louisville and Houston were based on fishy police affidavits that turned out to be fraudulent.
Prosecutors Who Want Credit for Investigating Police Corruption Are Happy To Steal Money From Innocent People
The Harris County, Texas, District Attorney's Office oversees civil forfeitures that make a mockery of justice.
A Houston Drug Cop's Lies Sent This Man to Prison for 25 Years
The case shows how lax supervisors, incurious prosecutors, deferential judges, credulous jurors, and inattentive defense attorneys abet police misconduct.
Top Cop Who Presided Over Deadly Corruption in Houston Loses His New Job in Miami 6 Months After He Was Hired
Art Acevedo provoked many complaints, but they paled in comparison to his prior record of negligence and obliviousness.
A Pending Pardon for George Floyd Shows How the Drug War Gives Cops a License To Lie
Floyd was arrested for selling crack by a crooked Houston narcotics cop who repeatedly lied to implicate people in drug crimes.
A Houston Man Framed on Drug Charges Is Suing the Lethally Corrupt Cop Who Sent Him to Prison
Otis Mallet's ordeal, like the deaths of Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas, involved a fictional drug purchase.
A Phony Warrant, a Deadly Drug Raid, and a Barrel of Bad Apples in Houston
Did the city's "policies, customs or practices," invite Fourth Amendment violations?
Biden Administration Deploys the Civil Rights Act To Stop a $7 Billion Highway Project in Houston
The Federal Highway Administration is asking Texas officials to hit pause on a massive highway widening project while it examines whether it violates Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
'The Best Chief in America,' Newly Hired To Run Miami's Police Department, Presided Over Deadly Corruption in Houston
Art Acevedo responded to a 2019 drug raid that killed a middle-aged couple with reflexive defensiveness and obstinate obfuscation.
Two Federal Lawsuits Say the Houston Police Department's Culture of Corruption and Impunity Killed an Innocent Couple
The families of Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas say the city's policies and practices invited Fourth Amendment violations.
Houston Police Chief Tries To Blame Encryption for Failure To Uncover Far-Right Cops
Meanwhile, he’s still trying to downplay corruption within his own force.
The Houston Cop Charged With Murdering Dennis Tuttle During a Disastrous Drug Raid Portrays His Victim As the Aggressor
After breaking into Tuttle's home with no legal justification, police killed his dog and his wife.
Another Houston Cop Is Indicted for Murder Because of a 2019 Drug Raid That Killed a Middle-Aged Couple
So far a dozen narcotics officers have been charged as a result of the investigation triggered by the disastrous operation.
Nearly 2 Years After Houston Drug Warriors Killed Rhogena Nicholas, Her Family May Get a Chance To Find Out What Happened
Despite the city's stubborn resistance, a judge will finally consider the family's request to depose police supervisors.
The Democrats Should Not Be Presenting Houston's Police Chief As an Avatar of Reform
Trying to distract attention from the deadly corruption in his own department, Art Acevedo demands "action at the national level."
Grand Jury Indictments Paint a Picture of Deadly Deceit in Houston Narcotics Division
The charges, which grew out of a lethal 2019 raid based on a fraudulent search warrant affidavit, suggest that cops routinely built their cases on lies.
Phony Overtime, Fictional Drug Buys, and Mysterious C.I. Payments Offer a Glimpse of Houston Police Corruption
The charges against six narcotics officers reveal a culture of shady practices that led to a deadly drug raid.
New Charges and Audit Results Reveal Widespread Laxness and Corruption in the Houston Narcotics Division That Killed an Innocent Couple
Contrary to what Police Chief Art Acevedo seems to think, his department has a systemic problem.
Houston Police Chief's Record Belies His Reformist Rhetoric After George Floyd's Death
If Art Acevedo had any shame, he would be engaging in less grandstanding and more introspection.
Prosecutors Back Dismissal of 91 More Cases Involving the Houston Cop Who Lied to Justify a Deadly Drug Raid
The announcement brings the total number of suspect cases initiated by Gerald Goines to 164 over 11 years.
Police Abuse Breeds Disrespect
Defensive official reactions to corruption encourage the attitude that troubles the attorney general.
Federal Court Rules Against Plaintiffs in Second Hurricane Harvey Takings Case
The ruling may well be both correct and consistent with the same court's earlier ruling in favor of a different set of plaintiffs arising from the same events. But the opinion does still have a few notable flaws.
Houston D.A. Doubles the Scope of Her Case Review Following a Deadly Drug Raid Based on a Phony Affidavit
After declaring another man arrested by Gerald Goines "actually innocent," the Harris County district attorney says prosecutors are re-examining cases going back to 2008.
Judge Finds That the Houston Narcotics Officer Whose Lies Killed a Couple in 2019 Framed Another Suspect in 2008
Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg says it's reasonable to presume that Gerald Goines also lied in other drug cases.
Is Houston's Affordability Just a Myth?
A new article argues unconvincingly that the sprawling Texas metro is less affordable than ultra-expensive New York City after accounting for higher transportation costs and lower incomes.
Musician Sues Houston For His Right To Play His Accordion In Public
The city limits busking to its tiny Theater District, and it makes you jump through hoops even to play there.
Grand Jury Backs Murder Charges Against Houston Cop Who Lied to Justify a Deadly Drug Raid
Additional grand juries will investigate possible wrongdoing by other narcotics officers, including the way the raid was conducted.
Handwritten Notes Document the Collapse of the Phony Story That Led to a Deadly Houston Drug Raid
Police Chief Art Acevedo's observations about the fallen nature of humanity are no substitute for reforms aimed at preventing such abuses.
Anatomy of a Drug War Crime
A deadly raid based on a bogus tip and a fraudulent search warrant affidavit highlights loose police practices in Houston.
