Did the Harris County DA's Office Try to Bribe Me?

You be the judge

Photo by Blogging Guide on Unsplash

*This post is based on a tweet thread that can be found here.

One of the strangest things that happened to me while investigating the Harris County Jail was when someone from District Attorney Kim Ogg's office called me about a job opportunity for a local magazine.

I was taken aback when I first received an email from an official email address. The email asked me to call them, which I did. The job was writing short pieces about local restaurants. It's good money and everyone knows I'm poor. I feel like they were trying to exploit that.

It happened after I had spoken to Kim Ogg's office about the jail. The person that called me seemed genuine. The job offer was definitely legit. But I never followed up on it because it could (and would) be construed as collusion.

That's the part that bothers me the most. People in positions of power know that and yet, they approached me with it anyway. Were they trying to set me up? It definitely would have given them an angle to try and discredit me.

While I entertained the call, I knew right away that it was unethical. It's akin to taking payment from someone which I DO NOT do. I may be relatively new to journalism and my journalism education may be unorthodox, but I was a government contractor for two decades.

In the contracting world, that constitutes a bribe. It can also be considered a bribe in many other industries. My training in both fields told me that I was being set up. Even if I wasn't and the caller was genuine, it's still unethical in myriad ways.

Do I think they were setting me up?
- Yes, I do.

Why am I posting this now?
- Because my article on the Harris County Jail is getting close to being published and there's no better time to point this out before they try to use it against me.

I've been very public about this investigation in order to protect myself by making my readers and the public aware of what's happening. I know how this works. I've watched law enforcement demonize and try to discredit (as you have) after they're dead.

If they're willing to do that to cover their asses, imagine what they'll do to people like me. We've seen journalists in this country die suspicious deaths or be incarcerated for menial bs making them political prisoners. Freedom of speech isn't free.

I was aware of the risks in doing this story before I started. I did it because it needs to be done. Local media and county leaders aren't doing enough. They're more concerned with presenting an out-of-control crime problem that doesn't exist.

This thread is here for accountability's sake. If they do try to discredit me with a bs quid-pro-quo narrative, you'll know the truth before they do.

To the lawyers, journalists, homies, readers, and my family who are watching my back, I appreciate all of you.

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Arturo is a writer, journalist, and publisher of The Antagonist Magazine and a regular contributor at Latino Rebels. You can find him on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Make sure to SUBSCRIBE.