Commissioners Court trial commences for woman charged with profane outburst
Revamped version:
Hey there, let's dive into the drama unfolding in Tarrant County, Texas, where six jurors are tasked with deciding whether a woman, dubbed Carolina, committed a crime for swearing and raising a ruckus at a county commissioners meeting.
Carolina, known for her activism and recording police interactions on her popular YouTube channel, Carolina in Fort Worth, has pleaded not guilty to disturbing the peace. The charges, if convicted, could land her a year in jail and a fine of up to $4,000.
The ruckus started when Carolina took the podium, arguing that commissioners couldn't ban people from swearing, and proceeded to rattle off a string of expletives. County Judge Tim O'Hare promptly ordered her removal, and as she left, she dropped an f-bomb and shouted, "It's not against the law!"
The jury selection for her trial commenced on Friday, with both defense and prosecution grilling potential jurors to weed out any biases. Tarrant County prosecutor Lloyd Whelchel put forward questions about the government's right to regulate behavior at meetings and the fairness of kicking out disruptive individuals.
Defense attorney, Mark Streiff, inquisitively probed potential jurors' perceptions of the First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of speech (with some limitations). He asserted in a court filing that Carolina's arrest violated her constitutional rights.
While governments can set rules for conduct at meetings, high-level misdemeanor charges for these infractions are deemed excessive by experts, like Travis Fife, attorney at Texas Civil Rights Project. Fife previously told KERA News, "I think it's a gross misuse of criminal law to silence public participation in government."
Streiff has subpoenaed Judge O'Hare and Democratic County Commissioner Alisa Simmons, compelling them to testify in court. Whelchel filed a motion to scrap these subpoenas, claiming that all commissioners court meetings are livestreamed on YouTube, making O'Hare's testimony superfluous. However, Streiff contends that the video angle does not capture the entire incident, leaving gaps in the recording.
Judge Brian Bolton will decide by Monday whether Judge O'Hare should testify. Commissioner Simmons, eager to testify regardless of a subpoena, defended the right to cuss at the meeting where Carolina was arrested.
Interestingly, the discussion revolving around decorum at Tarrant County Commissioners Court meetings has been a point of contention. Last year, a local pastor was permanently banned from the building after Judge O'Hare ordered him out for exceeding his allotted public comment time by eight seconds. O'Hare, however, insists he's committed to fostering fair and civil meetings, not suppressing free speech by enforcing rules.
Commissioners unanimously approved a new decorum policy in January, detailing when and under what circumstances individuals can be expelled from meetings. The policy faced criticism for perceived viewpoint discrimination, with opponents asserting that it attempts to silence dissenting voices.
Stay tuned for updates on Carolina's trial, as well as the potential trial of fellow activist, Charles Hermes, facing the same charges for clapping out of turn at the same meeting. It's all a part of the ongoing debate about free speech and decorum at Tarrant County Commissioners Court meetings.
- The trial for activist Carolina, who is facing high-level misdemeanor charges for disturbing the peace at a Tarrant County Commissioners meeting, is generating intense debate about freedom of speech and decorum, with the news featuring discussions on the government's right to regulate behavior and the implications of criminalizing public participation in government.
- As the general-news story unfolds, key figures like Tarrant County prosecutor Lloyd Whelchel and defense attorney Mark Streiff are expected to address crime-and-justice issues in relation to Carolina's case, as well as the broader implications for free speech and the role of politics in setting decorum rules at government meetings.
