On Thursday, July 20, kids from all across Houston marched at City Hall to urge Mayor Sylvester Turner and the City Council to help their families by passing an ordinance that would require companies that get tax breaks to give back to the community. The City of Houston currently doesn’t ask for anything in return from companies who get public dollars, lacks vision and goals for projects, and lacks transparency, community input and enforcement. TOP and allies have drafted an ordinance that would require that companies that get tax breaks create jobs with family-sustaining wages and benefits, and that residential projects reserve a percentage of the units for affordable housing. After the march, the kids presented art work and dozens of letters to the Mayor asking him to pass the ordinance. Earlier this month, TOP released a study that revealed that the City of Houston is squandering opportunities to raise the wage floor and help neighborhoods ravaged by high poverty and unemployment by not requiring that companies that get tax breaks give the community anything in return.
Here are some pictures from the kids’ march at City Hall:
Here are some of their letters and art work: