| UNFAIR PARK | TWITTER, TEXAS T BY PATRICK STRICKLAND exas Gov. Greg Abbott has a vi- sion for the state, and toward that end, he sure does have a lot of ideas. He’s tried to get Texas declared a so-called Second Amendment sanctuary state. He’s started building his own border wall as part of the- atric campaign to clamp down on migration. He jumped aboard the push to effectively ban abortion in the state. But now he’s got a new idea: On Wednes- day, he suggested creating a new town called “Twitter, Texas,” perhaps one of the most pointless proposals of recent years. For years, Texas Republicans, among them Abbott, have railed against social me- dia companies and other tech businesses for supposedly flouting the tenets of free speech. But with Tesla founder Elon Musk bidding to buy Twitter, Abbott and his party have gone into full celebration mode. His latest idea came after a Texas man of- fered to donate 100 acres of land to Musk if the billionaire agreed to move Twitter’s head- quarters to the state. (In a state with some of the most massive disparities in income equal- ity, you may wonder why the richest man in the world needs a handout. So do we.) Writing on Twitter, Abbott said he’d de- clare the land a “free speech zone,” adding: “Maybe we rename it Twitter, Texas. … Think about it .@elonmusk.” You might also wonder just how commit- ted to free speech Musk actually is, and you’d be right to question that assertion. In the 2021 book Power Play: Tesla, Elon Musk, and the Bet of the Century, journalist and author Tim Higgins recounted a laun- dry list of times Musk fired Tesla employees who disagreed with him. Just last month, Tesla fired an employee for posting YouTube reviews of the compa- ny’s driverless cars. Last year, Tesla landed in hot water over firing an employee for joining the drive to unionize. At the same time, Musk got in trouble for a 2018 anti-union tweet. “Noth- ing stopping Tesla team at our car plant from voting union,” he wrote. “Could do so tmrw if they wanted. But why pay union dues & give up stock options for nothing?” The National Labor Relations Board later 44 determined that the tweet was threatening and violated labor laws, as did firing the union activist, CNBC reported last March. (Funnily enough, the right for people to come together over a mutual interest – like, say, workers banding together to form a union – is enshrined in the First Amend- ment. You know, the same one that guaran- tees free speech.) Meanwhile, Abbott’s not the only one ▼ COURTS DNA DECISION I THE SUPREME COURT ANNOUNCED IT WOULD HEAR DNA EVIDENCE IN THE CASE OF RODNEY REED, WHO’S ON DEATH ROW. BY SIMONE CARTER n 1998, Rodney Reed, a Black Texan, was sent to death row after an all-white jury found him guilty of the rape and murder of a white woman. He has maintained his in- nocence for more than two decades. Now, the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to take up his case. Reed is asking for DNA evidence from the murder weapon, a belt, to be tested. Reed’s legal team argue that he and the woman, 19-year-old Stacey Stites, were hav- ing a consensual affair. In a statement, the Innocence Project, which has long advo- cated for Reed, wrote that new evidence has emerged pointing to Stites’ fiancé, a white police officer, as the culprit. “But Texas and the Texas courts have re- fused to allow DNA testing of key crime- scene evidence, including the ligature handled by the perpetrator in the commis- sion of the crime,” the Innocence Project wrote. “And when Mr. Reed sought access to DNA testing in federal court, the federal courts wrongly threw out his claims as un- timely, reasoning that he could have started his federal action while the state-court pro- ceedings were still pending.” Reed believes that the fiancé, Jimmy Fen- nell, was angry that Stites was having a con- sensual affair with a Black man. Fennell has also proclaimed his innocence in this case but was released from prison in 2018 after he was convicted of kidnapping and sexual assault in a separate case. Gov. Greg Abbott wants Elon Musk to bring his new social media company to the Lone Star State. championing Musk’s lengthy resume of sup- posedly championing free speech. Last week, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz wrote on Twitter that Musk purchasing the social me- dia platform was “the most important devel- opment for free speech in decades!” For his part, Musk has expressed his hope that Twitter under his rule will upset “the far right and the far left equally.” In re- ality, those stoked about his Twitter buyout seem to mostly come from the far right. Either way, he hasn’t said one way or the next whether Twitter will relocate to Texas. Tesla moved its headquarters to Austin last year, and SpaceX, another company with Musk as CEO, has a base about 20 miles out- side of Brownsville. In the meantime, you can likely expect Texas Republicans to continue cheerleading for Musk and the new Twitter. And if Musk plants a flag in the new lands of Twitter, Texas, maybe a handful of them will move there. The Associated Press reported that the Su- preme Court justices will look into Reed’s case this fall. They’ll consider whether he’s too late in asking for DNA testing on certain items. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals previously ruled against Reed. It’s been a big week for criminal justice reform supporters. Last Monday, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals delayed the exe- cution of Melissa Lucio, who advocates say was wrongfully convicted of murdering her 2-year-old daughter. Reed’s case has generated considerable attention over the years, attracting support from bipartisan lawmakers and celebrities including Kim Kardashian and Rihanna. Al- though the prosecutors insist that Reed is guilty, advocates say the ordeal is emblem- atic of a flawed justice system that unfairly targets people of color. In 2019, Texas’ highest criminal court halted Reed’s execution days before he was set to die so that a trial court could examine new evidence. Reed’s case highlights multiple issues with the use of the death penalty nation- wide, said Death Penalty Information Cen- ter (DPIC) Deputy Director Ngozi Ndulue. It’s very difficult for people on death row who have been wrongfully convicted to get courts to recognize their innocence. DPIC has documented 187 people exon- erated from death row since 1972, but in some cases, it took decades for that to hap- pen, she said. Courts aren’t always great when it comes to remedying mistakes, she added, and Reed isn’t the only person who’s in this position. It’s also important to draw attention to the racial dynamics of Reed’s case, she ex- plained, especially in terms of how they in- form the use of the death penalty. It’s a familiar pattern. Studies have shown that the interracial aspect of such cases — a Black man accused of murdering a white woman — also makes the death penalty more likely. Ndulue added that the push to prove Reed’s innocence continues: “There’s still a long road ahead for Rodney Reed.” Would Musk move Twitter to Texas? Loren Elliott/Getty Images ▼ CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT DRAMA T DALLAS GOT OVER 40 PROPOSED MAPS FOR THE NEW COUNCIL DISTRICT BOUNDARIES. IT’S GETTING READY TO CHOOSE ONE. BY JACOB VAUGHN wo proposed Dallas City Coun- cil district boundary maps are in the pipeline at City Hall. One will end up deciding who repre- sents each part of Dallas. Some argue both of these maps could increase La- tino and Black representation in the city. Others, like West Dallas advocate Debbie Solis, say they feel they’ve been left out of the process and that the result are maps that could break up their communities and make them less powerful. A final map could be sent to the mayor and City Council early next month. Now, So- lis and others are acting fast to make sure of- ficials hear how they want to be represented so this can be reflected in the final council district boundaries. “We’re being left out,” Solis said. “It’s just terrible.” The two maps were narrowed down from 46 that were initially submitted. The two left are Map 17 and Map 41. Map 17 was drawn up by commissioners Randall Bryant, Bob Stimson and Roy Lopez. Map 41 was drawn by residents Melanie Vanlandingham and Darren Dattalo. Solis said either map would split West Dallas neighborhoods currently in District 6, now represented by council member Omar Narvaez. In Map 17, Dallas City Council District 1 would stretch into some parts West Dallas, like south of Singleton Boulevard, the area around the Mountain View Dallas College campus and Arcadia Park. This includes a part of town Solis lives in as well. In this map, District 14 would include the Bishop Arts District, Methodist Dallas Medi- >> p6 MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2014 MAY 5–11, 2022 DALLAS OBSERVER DALLAS OBSERVER | CLASSIFIED | MUSIC | DISH | MOVIES | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | FEATURE | SCHUTZE | UNFAIR PARK | CONTENTS | CLASSIFIED | MUSIC | DISH | CULTURE | UNFAIR PARK | CONTENTS dallasobserver.com dallasobserver.com
