By Nisie
An Opinion
The title of this article is a popular phrase for those who support the mid-decade Tarrant County district map change. A loaded phrase like, “Don’t Dallas My Tarrant County” is up for interpretation, but from my perspective – all signs point to racism. With the help of Judge Tim O’Hare, Commissioners Matt Krause, and Manny Ramirez the voices of minority voters have been effectively silenced. Tuesday, after a 5-hour debate between Judge O’Hare and the over 200 attendees, maps 6 and 7 were approved with a 3-2 vote. Commissioner Miles attempted to delay the vote for map seven but was out-voted again. Unlike Farmers Branch, Tim O’ Hare has found a haven in Tarrant County.
A History of Hate
In 2006, Tim O’Hare laid the foundation for his anti-immigrant platform as a city council member for Farmer’s Branch. In a now resurfaced interview with the MY Plainview publication, he expressed his disdain for immigration, “…When that happens, people move out of our neighborhoods, and what I would call less desirable people move into the neighborhoods, people who don’t value education, people who don’t value taking care of their properties.”. During his time on the Farmer’s Branch city council, he pushed to declare English as the official language and to make it illegal for landlords to rent to people who don’t have proof of citizenship. If that’s not indicative of O’Hare’s racist inclinations, he also pushed to erase the Spanish language altogether by trying to ban publishing public materials in Spanish.
O ‘Hare didn’t let up on his obsession with criminalizing renting to non-citizens. His obsession knew no end. By the time he became mayor in 2008, a federal judge had ruled that his position was unconstitutional twice. And for him, the third time was not the charm. The same year he became mayor of Farmer’s Branch, the ACLU, and MADLIF filed a complaint in federal court charging that Farmers Branch Ordinance 2952 violates the U.S. Constitution and federal and state statutes. Ordinance 2952 simplified his plot by requiring all renters in Farmers Branch to register their residence with the city and obtain an occupancy license. The ordnance would continue to be shot down by the Supreme Court, but O’Hare kept fighting. That fight wasn’t cheap. The court battles continued for the next seven years, costing the small town nearly a million dollars every year. Eventually, the town’s budget was depleted, and at least 23 city employees were laid off. In 2011, O’Hare stepped down as mayor and stepped into Tarrant County.
O’Hare in Tarrant County
Earlier this year, on April 2, in a 3-2 vote, a 30k budget was approved to retain the Public Interest Legal Foundation to help redraw district lines. That 30k was a small down payment on what is already becoming a costly battle for Tarrant County. According to court documents, Winnie Jackson, Jarrett “Jay” Jackson, Celina Vasquez, Duane Braxton, and Nadia Bhular filed a civil rights lawsuit against Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County Commissioners Court, and Tim O’Hare. Since this lawsuit was just filed Wednesday, we can only speculate on what this new civil rights lawsuit will cost Tarrant County, but if the mess he left behind at Farmer’s Brach is any indication, it won’t be cheap.
References
- BY ROBERT DOWNEN, THE TEXAS TRIBUNE, AND JEREMY SCHWARTZ, THE TEXAS TRIBUNE AND PROPUBLICA
OCT. 11, 2024
Case: Villas at Parkside Partners v. City of Farmers Branch
Affiliate: ACLU of Texas
September 15, 2008 12:00 am