A Texas congressional candidate was wrestled to the floor at a contentious redistricting hearing, dragged out of the meeting and arrested after speaking out against Republicans’ plans to redraw the state’s congressional districts.
It happened Thursday in Austin at the Texas Committee on Congressional Redistricting hearing when Isaiah Martin, a University of Houston graduate and Democratic candidate for the seat left vacant by the March 5 death of Rep. Sylvester Turner in the state’s 18th Congressional District, spoke out against President Donald Trump’s call to add more Republicans in Congress through redistricting.
“The game is rigged. We already know this is the way the situation is going to be,” Martin told the lawmakers during his time at the microphone.
“Many of you that are Republicans … You guys understand the game. You got to get Trump’s endorsement. That’s the name of the game to be a Republican nowadays,” he continued.
“And you know very clearly that Trump told every single one of you that he needs five seats. But there will be a retaliation for that,” Martin added.
He went on to point out that as Republican states gerrymander out Democrats in new congressional maps ahead of the 2026 mid-term elections, states controlled by Democrats are vowing to do the same to Republicans.
“So for all of the work that you guys see, that you guys claim to be doing, when we should be talking about the fact that we live in a state that is unaffordable for people. Our economy is wrecked. People cannot find good jobs. We literally have property taxes going up every single year, despite the fact that you Republicans have been in office for nearly 30 straight years,” he hammered them.
“I mean, this is the game that we live in right here, and you choose after we literally got after one of the worst mass casualty events in our state’s history, to go and gerrymander people out of their seats. That’s what you have chosen to do with your time because you’re scared of Donald Trump.”
Martin was referring to severe flooding in north central Texas over the Fourth of July holiday that killed almost 140 people and caused widespread devastation.
He went on to accuse the Republicans of being “scared” of Donald Trump. “You are scared and terrified because you’re seeking an endorsement,” he alleged.
“He runs our vote because you guys know that you cannot dare cross him,” Martin continued.
He called out for people to have “the cojones” to “call this stuff out.”
That’s when the chairman of the hearing began trying to shut him down, telling him his time had expired.
But Martin wasn’t through. He ignored the order and began yelling that Republican lawmakers had “no shame.” “No shame for what you’ve done,” he yelled as lawmakers started calling for the sergeant to remove him and ordered Martin’s mic cut off.
Martin repeated that they had “no shame” as two burly white guys began dragging him from the room. They wrestled the Democrat to the floor and then arrested him.
Attendees gasped as one yelled “Get off of him!”
Martin continued yelling, “You should all be ashamed,” as he was dragged out of the room.
“History will not remember you kindly! You should all be ashamed!”
Social media lit up as MAGA voters and opponents voiced their two cents on the wild hearing.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom responded to Martin’s post on the episode.
“In Donald Trump’s America, if you disagree — you are silenced. Shameful,” the governor wrote.
“This is what a violation of freedom of speech looks like,” Just a news boy posted on X.
Another X user was blunt in responding to the altercation. “Donald is a coward that doesnt like when voices oppose him. He doesn’t understand what America is about at all. He is anti American.”
X user Bonita Applebaum wants people to take action. “Why the f$%k do people just sit there and let people get dragged out and harmed? Get your asses up and DO something!” she demanded.
Other critics of the plan, accuse the Texas GOP of trying to weaken the state’s Black and Latino voting blocks, similar to a successful redistricting move by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, which the state supreme court just upheld.
DeSantis drew up a new map in 2022 eliminating a longtime majority-Black district. The gerrymandered map removed the state’s 5th Congressional District, which had been held by a Black representative for almost 30 years.
The decision, according to The Associated Press, means the current districts, which give Republicans a 20 to 8 advantage over Democrats, will remain in place for next year’s midterms and beyond.
Great Job Shelby E. & the Team @ Atlanta Black Star Source link for sharing this story.
