Houstonian Corner (V9-I7)

Islamic Radio on Societal Issues – Broadcast also on the Web

All communities, including Muslims, in America are affected by several societal issues like poverty, homelessness, domestic abuse, an increasing divorce rate – high-school drop-outs – drug abuse, and so on.

In order to tackle these issues, the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) Houston Chapter will be facilitating a weekly one-hour radio show called “Elements of Faith” on Houston Radio Frequency 1560AM KILE and Worldwide Live at www.KILE1560.com.

One can be anywhere on the globe and will able to listen to the program live on the Internet and program will be aired every Sunday 4PM.-5PM. U.S. Central Time. It will be mostly a Talk Show Style program and studios call-in number is 281-983-9292. The program will be mostly conducted by Samid Al-Khatib, an American revert to Islam.

For more information and participation in the program, call Samid AL-Khatib at 713.647.1369.

City Wins Legal Battle Over Sexually Oriented Businesses
Ruling means city can finally enforce 1997 ordinance

The city will now be able to enforce a rule keeping strip clubs and adult bookstores at least 1,500 feet away from schools and churches. The ordinance has been on the books for a while, but the city hasn’t been able to do much. The ordinance has been tied up in the legal system until last week when a judge sent out a ruling, basically allowing the city to enforce the ordinance. It’s an ordinance which could affect up to 100 sexually oriented businesses.

The ordinance is not new. It was originally drafted in 1997, changing the distance a sexually oriented business could be from a school or church from 750 feet to 1,500 feet. It added city parks to the ordinance as well.

Several establishments at the time sued the city, saying that ordinance was an attack on such businesses. A judge agreed, and the case went to the state appellate court, which overturned that judge’s ruling. A new trial was held in December, and last week that ruling was issued allowing the ordinance to be enforced.

Attorneys for the city say the ordinance will apply to all sexually oriented businesses, even if they were in past compliance.

The city will not enforce this ordinance right away. They plan to give the other side an opportunity to go to a judge and stay in business, while they appeal this decision.

City Council Looking Into Anti-Clustering Ordinance for Sex Offenders

Technology is out there through which one can search by zip code to find out if a registered sex offender lives near ones’ home. Registered sex offenders in Houston may soon be forced to move. The city is once again considering an anti-clustering ordinance. If approved by city council, the ordinance would limit the number of registered sex offenders who can live at one house or apartment complex.

It would also require future homes for sex offenders to be located at least 1000 feet from where children may gather. The first version of the ordinance surfaced last fall, but is finally expected in front of city council in about two weeks.

Daughter of Mayor of a US City Can Not Avoid Court Trial

The trial started an hour late because prosecutors spent much of the morning removing the word, hookah, from the police video tape of Elena White’s field sobriety test. Hookah is a word being used to describe a water pipe. It is a word that the defense attorney argued to use in open court and the judge agreed.

Elena White, 17, daughter of Houston mayor Bill White, is accused of driving while intoxicated last summer. She was arrested a mile from her parents’ home.

It was after 11am when the jury was brought into the courtroom. The jury heard from a second deputy who was there on the night of July 31, 2006. A Harris County Constable Precinct 5 deputy testified that he noticed the smell of alcohol on Elena’s breath. He also testified that he noticed she had bloodshot eyes and slurred speech.

Elena was in the courtroom with her mother, Andrea White. She has pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors are expected to call two more witnesses. The defense said they expect to wrap up their case in two days.

The six member jury hearing the case is comprised of three men and three women. If convicted of the misdemeanor charge, Elena faces a sentence of anything from probation to 180 days in jail and a fine of up to $2,000.

Melt the ICE: Protest against the Raids

The recent protest at the Greens Road U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Detention Center on Aldine was something of a three way fight. The target of protest, a giant creepy building with an exertion iron bar fence and an interior fence of concertina wire loomed in the background as several human rights activists joined the anti-deportation protest. It was learnt that the US Border-Watch supporting the raids to deport were on the other side of the building, at the entrance, out of sight.

Protesting folks stretched out along the road on both sides with signs and banners protesting the raids and repressive immigration policy, getting honks of support form the cars flying by. People mostly just held signs and talked, periodically chanting especially when the corporate media showed up.

After a little while, some folks were planning to walk to the other side to heckle the US Border-Watch, while others thought of staying course and focus the message towards the role of ICE and the federal government in breaking up families and repressing workers. This was settled by the cops informing the protestors and the Border-Watch people to stay on the respective sides of the road.

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