Parade permits -
Looks like the Midland, Texas, city council is going to "OK" the Juneteenth parade this year, a parade that has taken place along the same route for many, many years, perhaps decades. But this time is different.
Last year a train hit a different parade, and the shifting into high gear of the city council's instinct to exert control follows tragedy like a caboose follows a train. There just had to be a new law. Now no parade can cross the tracks unless city council grants an exception. But to their credit, train/parade collisions have dropped 100% since they passed the new law. Never mind that the one collision was a once in a millennium event, you can't argue with statistics.
So along came the Juneteenth organizers following the new rules and seeking the council's permission to cross the railroad tracks. All but one of the council members said "OK," which leaves us to speculate that the one dissenter must think the trains are hiding in the weeds, waiting for some unsuspecting parade to cross the track or that parade participants are incapable of stopping on their own. Maybe that's a good example of the bigotry of low expectations.
Typically, city police officers man the parade route, so one has to assume that one of them will be posted at the RR crossing to watch for trains. The officer could stop the parade if a train comes along. But the city council had the opportunity to make an imprint, and so they did.
Previously on these pages: New parade permit rule - minorities hit hardest.
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