http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/met ... 20319.html

Sept. 28, 2006, 12:11AM
Some on council leave after remark by Sekula-Gibbs
Comment about immigration after officer's funeral sparks criticism


By ALEXIS GRANT and MATT STILES
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle

Several City Council members walked out on Councilwoman Shelley Sekula-Gibbs Wednesday, saying her rhetoric against a police policy on illegal immigrants exploited for political gain the death of an officer whose funeral they had just attended.

The symbolic move was the only time in recent memory that a group of council members left the chambers to protest a colleague's comments.

"It's disrespectful that she has used this tragic event to make a political statement," said Councilwoman Carol Alvarado, one of the nine members who walked out.

Sekula-Gibbs is running as a write-in Republican candidate to succeed U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Sugar Land, as illegal immigration has emerged as a hot-button political issue nationwide.

Wednesday's walkout occurred near the end of the weekly council meeting, when members get time to talk about issues of their choice.

Dressed in black after attending the morning funeral, most members offered condolences to the family of Rodney Johnson, who police allege was killed by an illegal immigrant he took into custody last week.

Johnson's death has reignited debate about whether police should be able to ask people about their immigration status, an inquiry now prohibited by police policy unless the person has already been arrested on a serious misdemeanor or felony.

Several council members said they were proud that Houstonians had put that debate aside for the day as the city joined Johnson's family in mourning his death.

When it was Sekula-Gibbs' turn to speak, she said Mayor Bill White now had the chance to repeal what she calls the department's "sanctuary" policy.

"I hope that you will use this opportunity to make this change that has been needed for many, many years," she said.


Several returned later
At that, members of varying political stripes rose from their chairs and left the chambers. They returned after Sekula-Gibbs finished speaking.


"I was embarrassed to be in the room with somebody talking like that," said Councilwoman Toni Lawrence, a Republican and one of the first to leave.

"There's a lot of things I disagree with, maybe the way immigration is handled, federally, and this is not the time to make a comparison."

Alvarado, a Democrat who has been on council since 2002, said she couldn't remember another time when council members walked out on a colleague because of a comment. Some members left a meeting with former Mayor Lee Brown, but that move was a parliamentary tactic to keep the panel from voting on a contentious issue, she said.

Sekula-Gibbs later defended her statement, saying such an important issue cannot be ignored. "The sanctuary city policy may or may not have contributed to this officer's death, but it certainly needs to be addressed," she said amid a flurry of reporters' questions after the meeting.

The debate centers on a 14-year-old police general order that says officers can't detain people solely on the suspicion that they're in the country illegally. Police and White say the policy is critical to maintaining trust between officers and immigrant communities, and the department doesn't have the resources or training to support what they believe is a federal responsibility.

Critics, though, say the policy gives illegal immigrants a haven in the city.

White reiterated Wednesday that Houston doesn't offer sanctuary to illegal immigrants.

"Every single day we arrest people who are undocumented who engage in illegal conduct," he said. "And we have lost an officer who was doing just that."


White did not exit
White did not join the other council members when they exited the room during Sekula-Gibbs' comments. When asked why, he said he was presiding over the meeting and filling out paperwork at the time.


"I'll let other people judge whether they should make death a political issue," he said.

Councilman Ronald Green, who spoke after Sekula-Gibbs, was applauded by his colleagues for denouncing her comments.

''You wouldn't stoop so low to use this man's memory to advance a political career that may or may not be going anywhere," he said.

alexis.grant@chron.com matt.stiles@chron.com