Apparently, the Texas GOP’s plan to redraw its congressional map to reduce Democratic districts and dilute Black voting power is only popular with MAGA Republicans who don’t mind a little systemic racism so long as it affords them a political advantage.
Also, Texas Republicans would really love it if they could carry out their call-back to Jim Crow in peace without all of the pesky protesting.
On Thursday, District 18 congressional candidate Isaiah Martin, a Black Democrat, was forcibly removed from the Texas Capitol, and now he faces misdemeanor charges of criminal trespassing, resisting arrest, and disrupting an official meeting, according to CBS Austin.
It’s difficult to make out what Martin is saying when Capitol security sprang into action to remove him, but while Chairman Cody Vasut commanded the “sergeants” to “remove the gentleman from the room,” Martin could be heard shouting, “History will not remember you for what you have done!”
Officially, Martin was removed and later arrested for refusing to yield the microphone when his two-minute time limit expired.
Or, you know, maybe congressional Republicans were just mad because, as CBS noted, out of dozens of speakers who came to the state Capitol to share their thoughts, not a single one of them spoke in favor of a new MAGA-friendly map.
From CBS:
While Gov. Greg Abbott has said the mid-cycle redistricting effort is necessary due to constitutional concerns raised by the U.S. Department of Justice, particularly surrounding four Democratic-controlled, majority-minority districts, many testifiers rejected that explanation.
“We deserve representation,” said Gabriel Rosales, Texas director of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC).
“It is your responsibility to allow for diversity to be a part of the representation that we have going to Congress.”
The committee’s Republican members rarely engaged with those testifying. At times, lawmakers were seen checking phones or talking amongst themselves, prompting frustration from several Democrats on the panel.
“I guess we’ll see at the end of this process whether the people sitting around these dioses are listening to this,” said Rep. Jolanda Jones (D-Houston), “or whether it’s a kangaroo court.”
The hearing ended without any proposed maps released by the House or an official explanation of which districts could be affected.
Texas’ last congressional map was finalized just four years ago, which is among a number of reasons the timing of this new plan feels especially dubious. Still, Abbot’s office maintains that the pending change is happening in response to a letter from the Department of Justice, claiming four specific districts are unconstitutional due to racial gerrymandering. This is the same DOJ that has made it a top priority to undermine and reverse virtually every federal policy and settlement aimed at Black progress, while pressuring local governments and private institutions to do the same. The allegation of “racial gerrymandering” is also rich, not only because redistricting congressional maps with the expressed purpose of breaking up minority districts has demonstrably become a common GOP tactic, but because this Justice Department serves President Donald Trump, who targeted predominately Black and Latino voting districts and only predominately Black and Latino voting districts with his thoroughly debunked 2020 election fraud propaganda (which he is still clinging to.)
Anyway, Martin’s brother, Josh Martin, provided an update on his older brother’s circumstances, saying Isaiah may be in jail for up to three days.
“What’s happening right now is that these people are trying to make an example out of my brother, so that whenever you go and speak out against the craziness that they’re doing, they go out of their way to silence anyone who dares speak against them,” he said.
He’s right, of course. The MAGA-fied Republican Party has become the epitome of the “big government tyranny” they fearmongered about for years before ushering in the most authoritarian (and arguably the most racist) administration in modern history.
Sad.
SEE ALSO:
Rep. Jasmine Crockett Calls Trump ‘Temu Hitler’ While Discussing Rep. Al Green And Texas Gerrymandering
Texas Democrats Fight Redistricting Effort Through Filibusters, Quorum Breaks
Video: Black Congressional Candidate Arrested For Protesting Against Racist Gerrymandering In Texas
was originally published on
newsone.com
