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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Johnny Mata, a longtime advocate for police reform |
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in the Houston area, has dedicated his life to standing up for the |
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civil rights and civil liberties of all members of society; and |
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WHEREAS, The son of Mexican immigrants, Mr. Mata was raised |
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by his father in Houston's Second Ward after his mother passed away; |
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he held various jobs in his youth, and after serving in the U.S. |
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Army, he took a job that involved conducting surveys to help |
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residents of disadvantaged neighborhoods to find employment; the |
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job served as his introduction to community work, and he ultimately |
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spent more than three decades as a staff member with the Gulf Coast |
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Community Services Association; he also joined the League of United |
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Latin American Citizens and became involved in civil rights issues; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, In the course of his responsibilities with LULAC, |
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Mr. Mata sought justice for Joe Campos Torres, a Vietnam veteran |
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who was killed by Houston police officers in 1977; after the |
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officers received light sentences for the crime, a series of |
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protests took place, and the widespread outrage in the community |
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ultimately sparked the Moody Park Riot the following year; and |
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WHEREAS, Although frustrated by the lack of accountability |
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over the murder of Joe Campos Torres, Mr. Mata resolved to continue |
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fighting for justice; over the years, he sought to focus attention |
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on civil rights violations, especially those committed by law |
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enforcement, and he has continued his involvement with LULAC for |
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some 40 years, serving as the organization's state director and |
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holding several local positions; he currently leads the Greater |
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Houston Coalition for Justice, and he worked with lawmakers to |
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achieve passage of House Bill 2150 during the 84th Texas |
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Legislature in 2015, which helped reform the process of selecting |
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grand jurors; in 2020, he was appointed as a special advisor to the |
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Mayor's Task Force on Policing Reform; and |
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WHEREAS, Johnny Mata has made a profound impact through his |
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decades-long engagement in the struggle for equal justice, and he |
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is indeed deserving of recognition for all that he has done to |
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protect civil rights and advance progressive reforms; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas |
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Legislature hereby honor Johnny Mata for his many years of service |
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to the Houston community and extend to him sincere best wishes for |
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the future; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for Mr. Mata as an expression of high regard by the Texas |
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House of Representatives. |