Houston starts enforcing rule that speakers at city council have to provide home addresses

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- City officials have suddenly started enforcing a policy for those who wish to address city council, and some Houstonians are now questioning the timing of the change.

If you live in the city of Houston, you are entitled to sign up and share your concerns with council members every week.

You've always been required to provide your address and phone numbers, but that hasn't been enforced, until now.

After several pro-Palestinian protests outside of his home, Mayor John Whitmire has been pushing for a ban on protests within 200 feet of private residences.

At the Aug. 13 council meeting, members decided to send the controversial proposal to the city's public safety committee for review.

Rose Al-Nashaar was one of several residents to speak out against the proposal.

"You will be on record in history restricting the people's right to protest and our freedom of speech," she said at the time.

ABC13 looked up the records. At the Aug.13 meeting, 81 speakers signed up and 44 of them -- so more than half -- didn't provide their addresses. Other meetings show similar numbers.

However, on Monday, Oct. 7, Houstonians who signed up to speak learned they will now have to provide addresses.

"I think it was the mayor's way of discouraging us from going to city hall," said Al-Nashaar. "Especially given that it was Oct. 8. He knew several of us would be coming up."

The mayor's chief of communications said addresses are required to make sure speakers are residents of the city of Houston.

She acknowledged the city secretary's office has not been consistent with enforcement and said the change is simply about following policy, and those are who are concerned about safety can take their concerns to the city secretary's office.

"They have to check our drivers license when we go to check in. Our address is right there. That is one way they could verify it. They could take our addresses, but they don't need to publicly disclose it for anybody in the world to have access to," said Al-Nashaar. "I will be giving an address that is not mine. Not because I'm a dishonest person, but because I value my safety and I value my family's safety and I will continue to speak and the mayor will not stop me."

Pro-Palestinian group HTX4PalestinianLiberation sent ABC13 the following statement:

"Mayor Whitmire's decision to require anyone testifying at City Hall to provide their full address, which will be publicly printed, is not only unsafe but also a clear attempt to intimidate those who have been speaking out against genocide and other injustices over the past year. This is especially concerning given the rise in hate crimes against Arab and Muslim Americans, as well as Pro-Palestinian activists. Publicizing our addresses puts us at even greater risk. This is not the first time the mayor has tried to restrict first amendment rights - He previously attempted to push a protest ordinance aimed at preventing demonstrators from holding him accountable outside his home. These tactics are dangerous efforts to silence dissent and threaten our rights to free speech."

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