Michelle Pitcher
The Texas Observer
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Past articles by Michelle:
‘One of the Most Mentally Ill’ Inmates in Texas Is About to Be Executed
Andre Thomas is scheduled to be executed in April. → Read More
Mapping the Legacy of Prison Hunger Strikes in Texas
"I'm willing to die for the cause, because I can't live." → Read More
Students Taking Back 'Ownership' of Education
“We defended these books, which remained in the library ... We saw book banning slow down, and that was really phenomenal to see.” → Read More
Naked Man Shot In Hospital By Houston Cop Gets $900K Settlement
The city quietly paid off Alan Pean, a man injured by an off-duty Bayou City police officer during a mental health crisis. → Read More
Texas Cities Prioritize Police over People
Fort Worth spends six times more on criminal justice than community services, according to a study by Social Movement Support Lab. → Read More
Roland Gutierrez Won't Let Greg Abbott Forget Uvalde
While he's not a "singular-issue" politician, "for these parents … there’s no issue out there that matters if you don’t have your kid.” → Read More
Despite Racist Jurors, Andre Thomas Remains on Texas’ Death Row
The convicted man’s lawyer called the prospect of his execution “an ugly spectacle.” → Read More
Upcoming Execution Based on Discredited Forensic Science
Kosoul Chanthakoummane is set to be executed August 17 for the murder of a Dallas realtor in a case built on hypnosis and faulty evidence. → Read More
Texas’ Eviction Craze
Amid record heat and a new COVID wave, state residents are being threatened with homelessness in rising numbers. → Read More
Before ‘Roe’—and After
A look back at criminalized abortion in Texas before 1973, and forward towards what it may look like after 2022. → Read More
Immigrant Moms Get Rare Win in Long-fought Family Detention Case
The state Supreme Court weighed in on a fight to stop the state from licensing detention centers as childcare facilities. → Read More
How Much Power Do Police Oversight Offices Really Have?
In 2018, Austin created the Office of Police Oversight to try to increase police accountability. But has it really worked? → Read More
How Are Texas Officials Responding to the End of ‘Roe’?
“Austin will, to the best of its ability, do all we can to protect our values and our people.” → Read More
Teachers Don’t Want Guns in Their Classrooms
In 1997, Joel Myrick, then an assistant principal at a Mississippi high school, used his personal pistol, which he kept in his truck, to stop a 16-year-old school shooter with a rifle. Even Myrick—one of the extremely rare cases of an armed teacher intervening in a school shooting—says that arming teachers is a terrible idea. […] → Read More
Record Highs: Springtime Heat a Dangerous New Threat to Homeless Texans
Sweltering temperatures imperil unsheltered residents, and community resources aren’t a given. → Read More
Texas Supreme Court Throws Out Protections for Trans Youth
The decision reaffirms the state child welfare agency’s ability to investigate families who seek gender-affirming care for their kids. → Read More
For richer or poorer, couples should be on the same page financially before saying ‘I do’
Just as there is no standard mold for couples, there is no standard checklist for newlyweds when it comes to tackling financial responsibilities. → Read More
Rainstorm led to brainstorm for inflatable bike rack
TrunkMonkey is going places with Kickstarter, venture capital firm → Read More
What makes a video go viral (besides cats)?
VizSense, a data analysis platform out of Dallas, uses Twitter data to show users and businesses who is driving Web traffic to their videos. → Read More
On-demand economy spreading beyond Uber to lawn mowing and more
Any industry that would benefit from increased efficiency and decreased labor costs has something to gain from the sharing economy. → Read More