KATY, Texas (Covering Katy News) – Katy ISD school board candidates James Cross and Tammy Reed recently posed for a photo celebrating the endorsement of their campaigns by the progressive group Indivisible Katy Huddle, a local affiliate of the national Indivisible organization, which is known for its controversial views and tactics.
"Our democracy was rigged from the start in favor of the white and wealthy," the Indivisible organization's About page says. "In the last few decades, an alliance of white nationalists and the ultra-rich has been actively working to further undermine democracy and cement their hold on power permanently."
The national Indivisible organization is almost entirely funded by billionaire George Soros's Open Society Foundation according to a New York Post article titled Here are the five radical leftist groups protesting Elon Musk – one of which received $7.6M from George Soros.
An investigation by the New York Post revealed Indivisible received $7.6 million from Soros's Open Society Foundation between 2017 and 2023.
Initially set up in 2016 to protest the election of Donald Trump, Indivisible provides "toolkits" on its website with graphics that grassroots groups can use to protest against Elon Musk nationwide. Musk is drawing intense fire for leading the Department of Government Efficiency, which seeks to uncover wasteful spending by the federal government and slash it from the budget.
However, the national Indivisible organization has publicly distanced itself from those who are burning and vandalizing Tesla cars and charging stations across the country. Musk is the CEO of Tesla.
Indivisible says it "explicitly encourages peaceful protest and condemns any acts of violence or vandalism." But, its Katy affiliate is still organizing protests against Tesla, in places like Houston, and to date those protests have not turned violent.
Indivisible Katy Huddle/Facebook
A facebook post from Indivisible Katy Huddle.
Where did Indivisible Katy Huddle Originate?
Indivisible Katy Huddle says it began at the a protest in Washington where thousands of women wore pink knit hats, the day after Donald Trump was sworn in for his first term.
"Indivisible Katy Huddle is a group that blends the Women's March (where many of us met) with the Indivisible movement, which teaches us how to become politically active," the group's members-only Facebook page says. The organization's Facebook page has about 770 members.
Candidate Cross seeks to defeat Katy ISD board president Victor Perez, who holds the school board's Position 1 seat. Mayde Creek High School educator Tammy Reed is running against Lance Redmon and write-in candidate Kris Fields for the Position 2 seat in the upcoming May 3 general election.
Katy Chamber of Commerce
James Cross and Tammy Reed at a recent candidate forum sponsored by the Katy Chamber of Commerce
Perez issues warning
Perez is perhaps more attuned than most to far-left attempts to take control of local government because he's lived that reality. At the age of seven, he and his family fled communist Cuba following the coup d'état that placed dictator Fidel Castro in power.
Perez recently called attention to the connection between Cross and Reed and the Indivisible organization.
"I am running for reelection to stop a liberal takeover of our board and district," Perez said at a recent candidate's forum. "Two people on this stage, including my opponent (Cross), have been endorsed by a leftwing activist group; one who has aligned herself with my opponent is a self-described democratic socialist," Perez said.
Reed, who posts on Facebook as TamanthaJayne, identified herself on the social media platform as a Democratic Socialist. She is the technical director and Performing Arts Center Manager at Mayde Creek High School.
A social media post by school board member Tammy Reed, who posts as TamanthaJane, identifying herself as a Democratic Socialist.
Cross says he's not a radical. He says he's a middle-of-the-road, non-partisan candidate.
"For the last two years, I've been working in public school advocacy – non-partisan public school advocacy work," Cross said in his response to Perez. "We work with Republicans; we work with Democrats only to get money for public schools because they need it."
Cross is the executive director of the Southeast Texas Education Coalition, which, according to an article published by Onward Texas, works with longtime seasoned professional political strategist Mustafa Tameez of Houston, who is well-known in political circles for getting Democrats elected to public office in Texas. There has been no public indication that Tameez works on Cross' campaign but it has some people questioning whether Cross is as non-partisan as he claims.
"That whole group is bizarre, and the community deserves to know who they are, who they support, and why," said a Katy parent, who asked not to be identified. "What did Cross and Reed promise them for their endorsement? What issues and ideologies do they agree on?"