Gulf Coast Leadership Council

Houston Chronicle Op-Ed by Bishop John Ogletree, Jr., senior pastor of First Metropolitan Church, and Rabbi David Lyon, senior rabbi of Congregation Beth Israel

Lorenzo Salgado Araujo left home Tuesday before dawn to spend another day building homes for future Houstonians. Instead, during what U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement described as a “targeted enforcement action” on Houston’s east side, the 35-year Houston resident and small business owner was killed.

We are Houston faith leaders, and our congregations belong to The Metropolitan Organization, a nonpartisan group [trained by GCLC] that seeks the justice that so many of our faith traditions demand. We mourn Salgado’s death. And we demand an independent investigation into the enforcement strategy that led to it.

[Excerpts:]

A priest from the Vatican visited Houston to gather information for Pope Leo XIV on community organizations like The Metropolitan Organization (TMO) on July 7, the same day that ICE fatally shot a local immigrant on his way to work.

115 GCLC-trained leaders from five TMO institutions in Houston's Third Ward -- St. Mary's Catholic, Pilgrim UCC, St. James Episcopal, Good Hope Baptist, and Friends of Columbia Tap -- convened in early February to celebrate the history and future of the Columbia Tap Rail-Trail, a 4-mile walking and biking trail that runs the length of the neighborhood and holds deep, historical significance.

The meeting comes after half year of relationship-building amongst the congregations and multiple trips to City Hall to follow up on past promises to invest in this important element of recreation and transportation infrastructure.

Over a year after Hurricane Beryl and a derecho windstorm made thousands of homes uninhabitable, GCLC-trained leaders from TMO institutions and allies persuaded the City of Houston to boost funding for home repair from zero to $100 Million, using federal disaster recovery dollars. 

This week, Harris Health approved a proposal to name the chapel at the new LBJ Hospital The Metropolitan Organization (TMO) Chapel—recognizing the role GCLC-trained leaders played in advancing the $2.5 billion bond that made the new facility possible.

After nearly three years of organizing, the Gulf Coast Leadership Council (GCLC) and The Metopolitan Organization (TMO) leaders are celebrating a major victory for access to life-saving healthcare. The Harris County Commissioners Court voted unanimously to acquire 8.9 acres in Hermann Park to expand Ben Taub Hospital and address dangerous overcrowding at one of Houston’s most critical trauma centers.

GCLC recognizes the County Commissioners for their vote to help meet the increasing demand for inpatient care in Harris County.

This win follows sustained leadership development and organizing by TMO leaders, including educating their communities, holding a press conference, delivering public testimony, and conducting behind-the-scenes negotiations and meetings with county commissioners to move the project forward.

On February 2nd, nearly 120 Gulf Coast Leadership Council (GCLC) leaders and community members gathered at St. James Episcopal Church for a community event celebrating both the history and future of the Columbia Tap Trail— the historic four-mile walking and biking trail that stretches through the heart of Third Ward. Participants represented St. Mary of the Purification Catholic, Pilgrim UCC, Good Hope Baptist, Friends of Columbia Tap, and several other local groups.

GCLC leaders, members of TMO institutions, and Houston residents have been detained and deported while at work, after dropping their children off at school, and upon calling the police for help after experiencing domestic violence. In response, GCLC organized 27 Know Your Rights and Family Safety Workshops and Immigration Civic Academies with over 2,000 community members from 21 congregations in Brazoria, Fort Bend, and Harris Counties.