Stop the Surveillance & Release Rep. Nicole Collier
Texas House Representative Nicole Collier is being confined to the House floor. House Democrats were held in the chamber until they signed a “permission slip”, entailing a 24-hour police escort and surveillance team, which Collier refused to sign. She spent the night of August 18 on the House floor, and she has filed a habeas corpus petition to challenge her confinement.
House Democrats broke quorum during the last special session in order to block a Republican attempt at gerrymandering Congressional districts. Though quorum-breaking is a time-honored strategy in Texas, the House leadership has retaliated with round-the-clock surveillance and law enforcement escorts, an unprecedented assault on the freedom of our legislators. Activists who remained in the House in solidarity with Collier were arrested.
Police escorts and surveillance teams are an indignity and a waste of resources and taxpayer dollars. The detention of Collier is autocratic and unprecedented. Demand that your representatives pressure House leadership to release Collier and stop restricting the movement and dignity of lawmakers.
Contacts for this topic:
Hi, my name is [NAME] and I’m a constituent from [CITY, ZIP].
I’m calling to demand that [REP/SEN NAME] pressure the House leadership to release Representative Nicole Collier, drop the police escorts for House Democrats, and stop requiring “permission slips” for lawmakers. This level of surveillance is autocratic and a waste of taxpayer money.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
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