Tarrant County Judge Tim O鈥橦are directed meeting attendees to leave the commissioners courtroom Tuesday when some audience members clapped after he instructed them not to.
Lon Burnam, a former state lawmaker representing Tarrant County from 1997 to 2015, was carried out of the courtroom by four sheriff deputies, who held him by his hands and feet.
The removals came more than two hours into Tuesday鈥檚 commissioners court meeting, where the majority of speakers were signed up to address the court about a proposed in voting site locations for the November midterm elections.
Before his removal, Burnam had picked up the microphone and turned around to address the audience during his allotted speaking time. When O鈥橦are told him to set the microphone down, the former state representative who is a frequent speaker at commissioners court meetings, continued speaking, then lay down on the floor when deputies attempted to remove him. Deputies told him he was under arrest.
Less than half an hour before Burnam鈥檚 arrest, O鈥橦are ordered sheriff deputies to remove everyone from the courtroom except for county staff and reporters.
Several meeting attendees had clapped after one speaker criticized how O鈥橦are runs the commissioners court, the county鈥檚 governing body. O鈥橦are instructed sheriff deputies, who provide security in the courtroom, to 鈥渃lear the entire chambers now.鈥�
Earlier in the meeting, O鈥橦are had a speaker removed after he yelled and used profanity during his scheduled time to speak.
鈥淚 told you how it was going to go, so we鈥檙e in recess until the chambers are clear,鈥� O鈥橦are said after ordering attendees to exit the room.
Residents loudly protested O鈥橦are鈥檚 orders, standing up and chanting 鈥渟hame.鈥� As deputies herded people out of the room, they continued chanting, 鈥淰ote them out,鈥� referring to the court鈥檚 GOP members, O鈥橦are and commissioners Matt Krause and Manny Ramirez.
The proposal to reduce voting sites that commissioners are considering would cut the number of Election Day sites to 176 鈥� about a 45% decrease from 316 day-of voting sites available in the 2022 midterms. For early voting, there would be 42 polling sites instead of the 50 available in 2022.
Before attendees were removed, several speakers criticized the proposed reduction, saying it would disenfranchise voters by making it harder to cast a ballot.
Patrice Jones, vice chair of the Tarrant County Democratic Party, told the Fort Worth Report she wasn鈥檛 concerned about the demonstration having an impact on the outcome of the commissioners鈥� vote on polling sites. If anything, she said, she felt encouraged by the show of opposition and solidarity from the other attendees and speakers.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 come here today and think I was going to change anybody sitting to the right of Tim O鈥橦are,鈥� Jones said. 鈥淏ut we came back to let them know we鈥檙e still going to be willing to put up a fight.鈥�
Outside the courtroom, meeting attendees shouted chants such as, 鈥淭iny Tim has got to go鈥� and 鈥淰ote for Alisa.鈥� O鈥橦are is on the in November, and his opponent is Democratic Commissioner Alisa Simmons.
After the recess to remove attendees, O鈥橦are resumed the meeting by announcing that speakers would be brought into the courtroom one at a time when it was their turn to address the court. Speakers were allowed to sit in the audience again after their remarks. O鈥橦are warned that if there were 鈥渕ore disruptions,鈥� he would clear the courtroom again, adding that sheriff deputies would arrest anyone who disrupted the meeting.
鈥淢y hope is that no one is arrested the rest of this day,鈥� O鈥橦are said. 鈥淢y hope is we do this in a peaceful, orderly, civil fashion. But again, that will be up to the people that are coming into the room.鈥�
Following that, O鈥橦are had another speaker removed in addition to Burnam.
This is a developing story.
Cecilia Lenzen is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at cecilia.lenzen@fortworthreport.org.
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