Some residents have been temporarily banned from attending Tarrant County Commissioners Court meetings after apparent disruptions during public comment.
On July 2, rule violations led to the removal of several individuals from the meeting. At least two of them, including Broadway Baptist Church pastor Ryon Price, who continued to talk past the three-minute limit, were handed pink trespass slips banning them from attending meetings for one year.
“People exceed their allotted minutes by a few seconds all the time,” Price said in response, per KERA News. “I am not aware of anyone else having been banned over such a minor infraction.”
However, County Judge Tim O’Hare warned Price twice to stop speaking before ordering the deputy sheriffs to escort him from the room.
“And he is now in contempt, remove him,” O’Hare said at the meeting.
On July 16 O’Hare established new rules for public comment as a result of the disruptions.
“Disagreement is part of politics. Disagreement is one of the freedoms that we have in this country,” O’Hare said at the beginning of the July 16 commissioners court meeting, per Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “There has been a lack of civility in multiple places, nationally, locally, here in this courtroom. There are some changes that I’m going to make to how we do public comments.”
O’Hare said at the meeting that he will begin reading the courtroom decorum rules before public comment starts and speakers will be required to sign a form agreeing to follow the rules, reported Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
“This is not in any way, shape, or form attempted to stifle free speech. This is to make sure there is stability in the courtroom. As the presiding officer, statutorily, it is my duty to make sure we have decorum,” O’Hare said, per the Star-Telegram.
Last month, another resident named Janell Johnson was removed for disrupting a Tarrant County Commissioners Court meeting.
“No, no, you need to listen,” Johnson yelled to the commissioners as deputy sheriffs removed her from the podium.
Johnson’s brother, Anthony Johnson Jr., was one of two inmates who died while in Tarrant County Jail earlier this year, as covered in The Dallas Express. Two jailers, who have already been terminated in light of the incidents, now face murder charges.
Johnson was not banned from attending future meetings, which she did shortly thereafter without incident, per KERA News. When Price went over his allotted time, he was also speaking about the recent inmate deaths.
Commissioners court rules state that residents who sign up to make public comments must follow the rules, including adhering to time limits, or face expulsion or even arrest.
“[A]ll members of the public in attendance … shall conduct themselves with proper respect and decorum in speaking to, or addressing the Court; participating in public discussions before the Court; and in all actions in the presence of the Court,” the Required Courtroom Decorum document states.
Speech considered to be a violation of this agreement includes those aimed at “demeaning any individual or group,” insulting “the honesty and integrity of the Commissioners Court,” and using “profane, insulting or threatening language” or “racial, ethnic, or gender slurs or epithets.”
Disruptions have occurred at several government meetings across the DFW metroplex.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, anti-Israel agitators attended a Dallas City Council meeting last year en masse. Multiple public speakers requested that council members call for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
However, several others from the anti-Israel crowd who had not signed up to speak reportedly disrupted the city council meeting with chants of “Free, Free Palestine.” Mayor Eric Johnson issued them warnings and ultimately ordered several individuals escorted out due to the disruptions.
