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Derrick Broze
Derrick Broze ran for election for Mayor of Houston in Texas. Broze lost in the general election on November 5, 2019.
Broze completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. Click here to read the survey answers.
Elections
2019
See also: Mayoral election in Houston, Texas (2019)
General runoff election
General runoff election for Mayor of Houston
Incumbent Sylvester Turner defeated Tony Buzbee in the general runoff election for Mayor of Houston on December 14, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Sylvester Turner (Nonpartisan) | 56.0 | 113,262 |
 | Tony Buzbee (Nonpartisan) | 44.0 | 88,844 | |
| Total votes: 202,106 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
General election
General election for Mayor of Houston
The following candidates ran in the general election for Mayor of Houston on November 5, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Sylvester Turner (Nonpartisan) | 46.4 | 111,789 |
| ✔ | | Tony Buzbee (Nonpartisan) | 28.8 | 69,361 |
 | Bill King (Nonpartisan) | 14.0 | 33,772 | |
 | Dwight Boykins (Nonpartisan) | 5.9 | 14,212 | |
| Victoria Romero (Nonpartisan) | 1.2 | 2,933 | ||
 | Sue Lovell (Nonpartisan) | 1.2 | 2,932 | |
 | Demetria Smith (Nonpartisan) | 0.7 | 1,694 | |
 | Roy Vasquez (Nonpartisan) | 0.6 | 1,556 | |
 | Kendall Baker (Nonpartisan) | 0.4 | 982 | |
| Derrick Broze (Nonpartisan) | 0.3 | 686 | ||
 | Naoufal Houjami (Nonpartisan) | 0.2 | 560 | |
| Johnny Taylor (Nonpartisan) | 0.2 | 555 | ||
| Total votes: 241,032 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Campaign themes
2019
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Derrick Broze completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Broze's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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- Exposing Corruption
- Amplifying the Voices of Houstonians
- Decentralizing and Localizing Houston
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Campaign website
Broze's campaign website stated the following:
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1. LIMIT THE POWER OF THE MAYOR Currently the City of Houston is what is known as a “Strong Mayor” City. This gives the Mayor Houston an immense amount of power over city affairs. For example, the Mayor of Houston has the power to decide what issues make it on the official City Council Agenda. This allows the Mayor to dictate what issues will be discussed and voted on. Ideally, amending the City Charter to take away the Mayor’s power would incentivize City Council members to listen to the concerns of their constituents and bring those issues to discussion at council meetings. The goal of this amendment is to turn the Mayor’s power back to the council and further empower the people of Houston. SOLUTION: If elected, I will change the City Charter and transform the Mayoral position from one with near control of the City Council agenda, to a position that is equal to City Council members. The Charter change will also make it so any issue which has the support of one third of City Council will be placed on the agenda for debate and potential vote. From there, I will focus on removing roadblocks that stand in the way of a successful Houston. 2. END THE DRUG WAR IN HOUSTON In 2016, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg implemented a “pre-charge diversion program” for Houstonians found in possession of Cannabis. After two years of this initiative, the DA’s Office estimated that $35 million had been saved and cannabis related convictions are down 80 percent. This program is an important first step towards ending the Drug War in Houston and recognizing Houstonians individual sovereignty. However, we can do better. SOLUTION: As Mayor, I would instruct the Houston Police Department to cease Cannabis related arrests. Combined with the DA’s diversion program, this would effectively end the War on Cannabis in the City of Houston, saving millions of dollars and also help keep Houstonians out of the Texas Criminal Justice System. With this change Houston Police can stop wasting time pursuing non-violent actors who are committing no crime. In addition, I will actively encourage Cannabis businesses to move to Houston. Cannabis is both a medicine and a recreational activity. Houston should welcome medicinal practices, cannabis entrepreneurs, or simple recreational use. I would also encourage Houstonians to support diverting some of the funds saved from decriminalization towards new programs for addiction treatment and recovery. As an addict of a variety of drugs, I know full well the medicinal power of Cannabis, as well as the havoc reached by dangerous drugs. I fully support efforts to decrease the amount of addicts in our city. 3. MORATORIUM ON 5G ROLL OUT The 5th Generation, or 5g, Cellular technology roll out is currently taking place around the United States and around the world. Houston was one of the fist city’s to receive Verizon’s 5g service after Mayor Sylvester Turner partnered with the telecom corporation. Mayor Turner was also awarded the “5g Wireless Champion Award” by the CTIA, the telecom/wireless lobby. Mayor Turner has created a “Smart City” Council to help enact his vision of turning Houston into a Smart Grid City running on 5g technology and the so-called “Internet of Things”. Turner promises that this technology will make Houston a safer, cleaner, more efficient city. However, a growing number of scientists, health professionals, journalists, activists, and political leaders are raising questions regarding the potential health and privacy concerns related to 5g. Despite concerned Houstonians bringing these issues to the attention of the Mayor and City Council, nothing has been done. SOLUTION: If elected, I will issue a moratorium on 5g until the people of Houston have a chance to express their concerns as part of a public comment period. I will also call for an independent health study and environmental impact assessment on how exactly the 5g roll out will affect Houston. Finally, I will call for a vote to allow the people of Houston to decide whether or not they want to live in a Smart City. 4. END THE SURVEILLANCE STATE IN HOUSTON Over the last decade, the City of Houston and the Houston Police Department have installed thousands of surveillance cameras in and around the downtown Houston area. In addition, the HPD has partnered with the Harris Corporation to use so-callled “Stingrays”, devices with the capability of gathering data from innocent Houstonians’ cell phones. HPD also operates a “Real Time Crime Center”, a command center where Houston Police can continuously monitor cameras and feeds from around the City. Altogether, this surveillance apparatus represents an extremely grave threat to the privacy of Houstonians. It is also another area where the people of Houston have not had an opportunity to voice their support or opposition for such programs. SOLUTION: If elected to Mayor, I will call for these programs to be placed on the ballot and let the people of Houston decide whether or not they want to continue to fund this invasive technology. 5. END HOUSTON'S WAR ON THE HOMELESS In 2012, former Mayor Annise Parker and Houston City Council passed an ordinance which made it illegal to share food with more than 5 people without permission from the property owner. This “anti-food sharing” ordinance (Chapter 20-19 of the Houston Code of Ordinances) was opposed by a massive coalition of organizations across Houston with more than 100,000 Houstonians signing petitions to overturn the ordinance. Parker ignored Houstonians and Mayor Turner has continued the agenda by passing additional anti-homeless laws. SOLUTION: As Mayor the easiest thing to do would be overturn the food sharing ordinance and step out of the way of groups like Food Not Bombs Houston who seek to support the growing number of Houstonians who find themselves without a home or a job. The homeless population has grown in Houston, but criminalizing this population simply for being without a home or in need of support is not the answer. I want to work with homeless advocates and directly with those living on the streets to find solutions. 6. END DANGEROUS "NO-KNOCK RAIDS" On January 28, Houston Police Department narcotics officers conducted a no-knock raid on the home of Dennis Tuttle and his wife Rhogena Nicholas at 7815 Harding Street after allegedly receiving reports that the couple was involved in selling black tar heroin. We now know the warrant approved by a municipal court judge contained false information about an informant that didn’t exist. In other words, at least one of the officer lied about what was happening at the house off Harding street. Even further, new independent forensic reports allege that HPD lied about who shot first. The officers also claimed the family dog attacked them as soon as they entered the door. The forensic report indicates that claim is lie. The apparent lies led to a gun battle that killed both Nicholas, Tuttle, and their dog dead, as well as four officers wounded. Shortly after the shooting, HPD Chief Art Acevedo announced that future no-knock warrants would only be carried out after approval from top police authorities, a signature from a district court judge, and with support from experienced SWAT teams. These raids are dangerous to the homeowners and the police officers. At least one court has ruled no-knock raids to be unconstitutional. Additionally, there are no statistics released to the public regarding the results of no-knock warrants and any injuries that take place. The injuries and deaths that resulted from the most recent Houston no-knock raid are also another disastrous result of the War on Drugs. The reality is that any Houstonian who lives in area of crime or is simply not expecting a guest, would likely do whatever is necessary to protect their home and their family from unidentified intruders. The Houston Police Department did not announce themselves to the couple. If the couple did actually shoot at the officers – as HPD claims – they did so in self-defense. SOLUTION: If elected to Mayor, I will call for an end of no-knock raids throughout Houston City limits by instructing the Chief of Police to end all no-knock warrants. I will also call on the Houston Police Department to produce all records related to No-Knock warrants. Regarding the apparent lies of the officers, this is an issue that is entrenched and can only be changed by rooting out corruption and the culture of covering up mistakes from the police department. I will call for initiating a new platform for regular dialogue between the Houston Police Department and the neighborhoods they patrol. 7. SUPPORT OF COMMUNITY GARDENS, URBAN FARMS, FOOD FORESTS Houston is a beautiful city filled with vacant lots that often end up as a dumping ground for trash and waste. Houston has a growing homeless population and thousands of Houstonians living in “food deserts” or living in “food insecure” regions. Additionally, while Houston has a growing number of farmers markets and community gardens, the city could do more to encourage this activity. SOLUTION: If elected, I would identify all vacant lots owned by the City of Houston and turn them over to interested neighborhoods and communities for the purpose of building urban farms, food forests, and community gardens. Houston should take steps to become a “Food Oasis”. To do this we must decentralize and localize food production so Houstonians are not dependent on food being shipped from thousands of miles away. Additionally, I would encourage the creation of community run programs that offer homeless or jobless Houstonians the opportunity to obtain organic produce and gardening related employment opportunities. 8. DEFEND FREEDOM OF SPEECH & CIVIL LIBERTIES No matter where you fall on the political spectrum, it should be obvious to any critically thinking person that censorship is on the rise. I have personally experienced this online as a journalist and an activist. Between attacks on press freedom from the U.S. government and censorship from social media/tech companies with close connection to that same government, freedom of speech and the right to self-ownership is under attack. Whether we are talking about invasive search and seizure of Americans laptops and phones while traveling, or abuses of political power on the federal, state, and local level, it is clear that the civil liberties owed to every free human being are not being respected by institutions of power. SOLUTION: As Mayor, I would always stand in defense of freedom of speech and civil liberties. No individual, group, or government should be allowed to violate the liberties of another person in our city. I will actively defend all Houstonians right to speak their truth and live their life as they choose so long as they are not initiating force, violence, or coercion on another person. 9. STAND AGAINST MANDATORY VACCINATIONS As concerns about a measles epidemic spread around the United States, some cities and states have started discussing removing philosophical, personal, and religious exemptions for vaccinations. Cities like New York have gone a step further by initiating mandatory vaccination orders. Parents who refuse the order are subjected to fines for not vaccinating their children. Although it is currently not happening, it’s not hard to imagine the next step being the government sending health and law enforcement officials door to door to make sure everyone has papers confirming their vaccination status. This would absolutely be a step in the wrong direction. SOLUTION: As Mayor I would encourage open dialogue about the concerns families have regarding vaccinations. I would also stand against any effort to pass an ordinance or law that requires any Houstonian to be vaccinated under the threat of fines, jail, or other punishments. I completely and fully support bodily autonomy. How Houstonians choose to medicate themselves (whether that be Cannabis, vaccines, or other treatments) is not the business of the City of Houston. If we are not free to choose what goes in our bodies, are we really free? [1] |
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| —Derrick Broze's campaign website (2019)[2] | ||
See also
2019 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Derrick Broze's campaign website, “The Issues,” accessed September 4, 2019
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