One Texas State Representative is planning to urge his colleagues to investigate the incident which occurred at Amarillo City Hall a week ago when a man was arrested after clapping in a City Council meeting
Representative Tony Tinderholt (R-Arlington) wrote a letter to Mayor Ginger Nelson this week in which he condemned her actions at a City Council meeting on Tuesday, April 3rd, in which Amarillo resident Kip Billups was arrested after applauding a speaker during the public forum section of the meeting. Video from the meeting shows that Nelson ordered Billups to stand and leave, to which he refused, causing officers to arrest him. Billups was charged with Disrupting a Meeting and was booked in the Potter County Jail.
In the letter, Tinderholt tells Nelson that he feels "astonished" that the City Council would enforce such a policy during a public meeting.
"First, I was astonished to learn that a governmental entity in the State of Texas has a policy prohibiting even limited spontaneous reaction to public commentary," Tinderholt wrote. "For that policy to be expounded to the point of arresting a citizen of the public for clapping and failing to stand at the request of the presiding officer causes grave concerns for the constitutional protections guaranteed to the public."
Tinderholt also went on to tell Nelson that the presiding officer of a public meeting has a right to maintain order, but that Nelson regulated speech by allowing applause earlier in the meeting, while condemning it when it came from Billups.
Finally, Tinderholt said that he serves on the Legislative committee responsible for policy regarding the Texas Open Meetings Act. In the letter, Tinderholt said that he will urge his fellow committee members on the Government Transparency and Operation Committee to investigate the incident and that he will consider filing new policy because of Nelson's actions.
"I will encourage my fellow committee members to look into this matter and determine if any violations have occurred. I will also be exploring the idea of whether any legislation needs to be filed to prevent so-called 'clapping policies' in local government meetings in the future," Tinderholt wrote.
Tinderholt finished the letter by requesting that Nelson and the City Council reconsider their policy banning clapping.
"In the meantime, I simply ask you to consider your actions and the unintentional consequences they may have on public political discourse in our state," Tinderholt said. "I would also encourage you and the Amarillo City Council to reconsider policies that greatly reduce harmless expression."
Mayor Ginger Nelson did not comment on this article as she has refused to comment on all articles by the Amarillo Pioneer.
Tinderholt is a State Representative for Texas District 94. District 94 includes Arlington and is located in central Texas.
For more information, please visit https://www.facebook.com/tonytinderholtfortexas/videos/913114308866702/.
Ginger Nelson
Tony Tinderholt
Photo by Tinderholt Campaign