Once More Unto the Village, Dear Friends, Once More!

Another participant, University of Houston social-work professor Robert Fisher, characterized Cisneros's pledge to retain all the Allen Parkway Village land for public housing -- if the pledge holds -- as a "major, major victory" for residents and their supporters. "If Lenwood Johnson was in eastern Europe -- if he was called "Lechwood Johnson" or "Boris Johnson," he would be a national hero. Because he's advocating grassroots democracy, because he wasn't giving in, he was struggling against the powers that be. We don't recognize him as a local hero. They've portrayed him as quite the opposite. But he was able here, with Henry Gonzalez's support and others' support, to hold on...."

Most notable in his absence from the Gonzalez hearing was the nominal representative of the Allen Parkway (18th congressional) district, Representative Craig Washington -- who has in the past said he no longer supports the Leland Amendment. Maybe Henry G. will change his mind too, as he appears to have changed, at least for the moment, that of Henry