The Police State Of Texas
Greg Abbott's embrace of authoritarianism paints a picture where no one in Texas is safe.
By now, I’m sure you’ve heard about what happened yesterday on the UT Austin campus. There are plenty of clips of police brutality floating around, including their brutalization and arrest of the Austin Fox affiliate’s reporters. So, I’ll spare you the trauma of reposting them, but we all must understand what happened yesterday and why.
First, it’s essential to know that the protest being held at UT Austin was to feature speakers and would have included a pizza party and arts and crafts tables.
These students were protesting the ongoing genocide in Palestine.
Over the six months, many of these students, just like me, have seen both photographs and videos of hundreds of dead babies and children on Instagram and Twitter. Perhaps thousands of bodies killed in media are being blasted to the world from the rubble of Gaza.
However, unfortunately, both Conservative Republicans and older Democrats are denying that this is happening, calling protests for peace “antisemitic” and accusing protesters of being Nazis. While sharing what happened at UT Austin yesterday, I received a surprising and aggressive pushback from some fellow Dems.
CNN: Polling shows a huge age gap divides the Democratic Party on Israel
The Hill: Democrats are badly divided on Israel, and GOP isn’t making it easier
Protesting genocide is not antisemitic.
That being said, even if you take the Conservative approach in looking at the war in Gaza and feel like murdering thousands of babies and children is justified, it doesn’t change the fact that the right to free speech and protest doesn’t end because you disagree with what’s being said.
Before we get to the details of yesterday, I also want to add this statement from Senator Bernie Sanders, who is Jewish.
However, Greg Abbott disagrees, so he sent his brown shirts in yesterday.
According to Texas DPS, they were sent to UT Austin at the request of Governor Greg Abbott.
Here is how they showed up, fully armed and in riot gear, to stop college students’ free speech and pizza party, all at Greg Abbott’s request.
And they did. Dozens of videos are now floating around social media showing DPS brutalizing terrified 20-year-olds who only wanted to make their voices heard. One video also making the rounds shows these troopers brutalizing and arresting a journalist for the Austin Fox affiliate.
(I’m not reposting them because they are violent and triggering. But if you want to see the videos, they are out there. You just have to look.)
Here is what Abbott had to say as this incident was unfolding:
“These protesters belong in jail.”
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
The First Amendment
The right of the people peaceably to assemble is engrained into the Constitution of the United States of America. Yesterday, at UT Austin, there were no credible reports of actual antisemitic incidents at the protest.
However, in recent years in Texas, we’ve seen numerous neo-Nazi events, and Greg Abbott never once tried to put any of them in jail. Like this one last year outside of San Antonio:
It should also be noted that when Republican leaders Jonathan Stickland and Matt Rinaldi met with the known Neo-Nazi, Nick Fuentes, Abbott never even put out a statement regarding the Texas GOP’s Nazi alignment.
Students were protesting the non-stop bombing of Palestinian people. This isn’t antisemitic. One can support peace for Israel and Palestine at the same time. Even if you disagree with students’ opinions, free speech is protected.
Greg Abbott’s authoritarianism is flat-out un-American.
Abbott has chosen sides, and it isn’t the side of the people of Texas, and it isn’t the side of the American Constitution.
As this was unfolding yesterday, we heard a lot of excuses from the Conservatives on why college students were brutalized at a pizza party with arts and crafts tables. Some of those included:
They were threatening Jewish students.
They were calling for violence.
They support antisemitism.
The protest was full of outsiders.
None of that was true. In fact, here is a short video from UT Austin explaining why their campus is open to the public under state law.
Those students had a First Amendment right to protest peacefully, yet they were brutalized and subjected to mass arrests.
Fifty-seven people were arrested yesterday, and the Travis County attorney dropped 46 charges this morning. What Greg Abbott did was textbook authoritarianism.
Governor Abbott said student protestors at UT Austin should be expelled and accused the pro-Palestine group of being antisemitic. However, in 2019, he signed a law protecting free speech on college campuses.
Here is a video of Abbott discussing how free speech is guaranteed on Texas college campuses.
The fucking irony of this 2019 free speech law and Abbott’s about-face is so absurd you wouldn’t believe it if there wasn’t proof.
This law, from 2019, forced campuses to allow Charlie Kirk’s group, Turning Point USA, on universities after they banned him.
Further reading on Charlie Kirk and his racism:
ADL: Extremism, Terrorism, and Bigotry: Turning Point USA
SPLC: Turning Point USA’s blooming romance with the alt-right
Mother Jones: Charlie Kirk Doesn’t Really Seem to Mind White Nationalism
To put this in context, universities were saying that Charlie Kirk was a Nazi and didn’t want him on their campuses. Abbott and Texas Republicans pass a bill, calling it “free speech,” to force Texas colleges to allow Nazis on their campuses.
Then, yesterday Abbott accused pro-Palestine protestors of basically being Nazis and had the state troopers beat them up and commit mass arrests.
Free speech for me, but not for thee.
Greg Abbott is a well-paid fascist dictator who doesn’t care about human rights, civil rights, or the Constitution of the United States of America. There is a dark and ominous cloud hanging over the state of Texas, and until we can shut Republicans down, no one is safe.
The quickest way to shut Abbott down is to flip the Texas House. We can do that this year. And we might have the momentum it takes (we’ll see). Until then, fight for others as you would want others to fight for you. Vote often, vote early, just vote.
Important 2024 primary RUNOFF election days:
April 29, 2024: Last day to register to vote.
May 17, 2024: Last day to apply by mail
May 20, 2024: First day of early voting.
May 24, 2024: Last day of early voting.
May 28, 2024: Last day to receive a ballot by mail.
May 28, 2024: Election day.
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In this instance FTW and Tarrant County are at the epicenter of racism and voter suppression:
If this ain't intimidation of black voters show me what is!
This suggestion by me to County Chair Crystal Gayden , a black women and attorney, and the entire EC fell on deaf ears.
To wit:
"I dunno gang, organize a protest...
Let the world know you care
Which is not apparent BTW"
https://www.texastribune.org/2024/04/25/crystal-mason-illegal-voting-texas-tarrant-county/
Dear Mr. Abbott....you can usually depend on student apathy to ameliorate the large numbers of votes possible.......u just nudged that number up.
At the same time Abbott is putting on his jack boots, Trump sleazeoids publish a plan to eviscerate the Fed and put Trump on the Board. OMFG ..Trump's finger on the interest rate trigger.
To what extent Abbott participates in the background schemes to turn America into Hungary or worse is a subject of concern. He may be just a coycat. In his seemingly 50 year reign i don't recall him proposing anything innovative. He must want to be Gov for some reason! Maybe he only wants to be King of Texas ...........i suspect he has bigger designs.