DENTON, Texas — The deed says Black people cannot be buried in the city-owned IOOF cemetery in Denton.
So, Denton Mayor Gerard Hudspeth, the city’s first Black mayor, tried to pass a measure that would allow city attorneys to explore ways to change the language in the deed.
The final vote was six for… and one against.
Hudspeth says he was incensed the vote wasn’t unanimous, as it wasn’t even a vote to take action, it was a vote to explore possible action.
“I thought we could all get on board with just trying. No action. No required outcome. No outlay of city dollars. Just a little extra time to try to remove racist language from a deed on city-owned property,” Hudspeth told us on Inside Texas Politics. “I thought that was a no-brainer. I just truly am shocked that personal conflict would rise above just good policy, good discussion, good use of staff time.”
He says if city staff needs more than two hours to work on a project, it needs council approval, and that’s all they did here.
The lone no vote belonged to council member Brian Beck.
Beck told us that while he agrees the language in the deed is reprehensible, the city already took care of this issue with a 2016 ordinance that called the cemetery deed illegal, unenforceable and repugnant.
In addition, Black residents are regularly buried at the cemetery.
Beck says this is nothing more than re-litigating a solved case and there are more effective ways to spend the city’s money and for the legal staff to spend their time.
“Let’s go with facts versus optics,” Beck told us over the phone.
Beck says he’s one of the most progressive members of the council who even backs Medicare for all, but wonders where this latest effort would stop, as there are likely countless documents that contain offensive language.
And he asks if it would go as far as having to Photoshop out confederate statues from old photos at the courthouse.
Hudspeth argues it’s about helping future generations avoid harmful language from our racist past, by removing it from city documents.
“I read a resolution every week and they have no action associated with them. You know, the Heart Association, or walk a park, so we do a number of things to just raise awareness. This is that same thing,” he said.
Since the measure did pass 6 – 1, legal staff began determining how to remove the language.
The language they settled on is in a proposed ordinance that the council will consider on the consent agenda at Tuesday night's meeting.
Beck said he will vote yes and won’t stand in the way after his initial objection.
Hudspeth is hoping it’s all resolved by June 19, Juneteenth, which commemorates the end of slavery in the United States.
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