Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare is getting the side-eye from Texas residents, county commissioners, and social media users for a video where he aggressively removed constituents for making open comments and attempted to put a fellow leader in her place.
The video shows O’Hare, who is white, trying to push his power against Democratic Commissioner Alisa Simmons, who is Black, during a hearing that would potentially approve a controversial redistricting map of new commissioners’ precincts. When he asked if anyone wanted to speak on the matter, Simmons said yes, but was cut off by O’Hare.
“Hang on, I will recognize who the speakers are. So, you may go,” he said as Simmons, who giggled.
Before concerned residents came to the podium to speak, the judge pushed his chest out a little more and said any outburst, referring to Simmons’s comment, would result in the chamber being cleared—and he meant what he said with “no more warnings.”
One Black man started to speak, seemingly going recalling slavery history; O’Hare interrupted, telling security to have him removed immediately, claiming the man called the leaders racist and he was following the “decorum policy.” That’s when Simmons stepped in to inquire if “racist” was in the so-called policy. The judge responded, telling her to read it and “figure it out.”
Residents and onlookers were specifically pointed out and kicked out left and right for a number of reasons, including clapping. One woman who just asked for the leaders to listen to their concerns over the map was interrupted mid-thought and removed.
Right before O’Hare called for the vote, Simmons let him know that she had an additional comment. Like the others, he tried to stop her, claiming her “time is done.” But she didn’t back down, pushing the judge to take a look at a newly revised version of Robert’s Rules of Order.
And it worked. Simmons delayed the vote by demanding redistricting advisers from the Public Interest Legal Foundation answer questions in front of the commissioners’ courtroom, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
O’Hare claimed Simmons didn’t have “subpoena power” to make them come into the room, but since her precinct would be affected by the proposed maps, flipping to Republican, Simmons said residents deserve real answers. “They have got to answer to the taxpayers who are paying this bill, and they are going to answer to me out here in public,” she said.
The judge isn’t shy about admitting to his desire for a Republican takeover to increase conservative leadership in Tarrant County and decrease the number of Democrats in the commissioners’ court. The map has received severe criticism for being anti-Black as the county’s 367,000 Black residents represent 18.4% of the population.
“I don’t look at it in terms of race; I look at it in terms of policy. I look at it in terms of results,” O’Hare told Fox 4 News. “The mission is to get three Republican commissioners on the commissioners court.”
