Jasmine Crockett says GOP has lost minds over ‘locked doors’, ‘permission slips’, and ‘police escorts’

Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, a former Texas State Representative, has condemned Texas Republicans for imposing restrictive measures on Democratic lawmakers. She described the situation as reminiscent of Jim Crow-era tactics.

Congresswoman Crockett expressed her outrage on X, stating, “LOCKING Rep. Nicole Collier inside the chamber is beyond outrageous. Forcing elected officials to sign ‘permission slips’ and take police escorts to leave? That’s not procedure. That’s some old Jim Crow playbook. Texas Republicans have lost their damn minds.”

The Texas Dem walkout

According to the Austin American-Statesman, the controversy Crockett refers to began when Texas House Democrats, including Texas State Representative Nicole Collier of Fort Worth, returned to the state Capitol after a two-week walkout aimed at blocking a GOP-led redistricting plan.

Upon their return, Republican leadership mandated that each Democrat sign a form agreeing to be escorted by a Department of Public Safety (DPS) officer to ensure attendance at the next session.

Collier refused to sign the agreement, citing concerns over dignity and autonomy as an elected official. As a result, she was effectively locked inside the House chamber late Monday and remained overnight in protest, joined later by Texas Representative Vincent Perez.

Protests ensued outside the chamber, leading to arrests before the Capitol shut down at 10:30 p.m.

Collier’s response

Responding to her confinement, Collier filed a habeas corpus petition, challenging what she deemed “illegal confinement.” She criticized the redistricting efforts as discriminatory toward her minority-majority district. The imposition of personal DPS escorts on legislators drew criticism, as many saw it as an infringement on their rights and representation, particularly for minority-majority districts like Collier’s.

The incident has garnered national attention, with commentators drawing parallels to historical instances of voter suppression and authoritarian control. Critics argued that such actions undermine democratic principles and the autonomy of elected officials.

Crockett’s reference to a “Jim Crow playbook” parallels historical tactics used to suppress Black political power and the recent actions by Texas Republicans. During the Jim Crow era, voter suppression through poll taxes, literacy tests, and grandfather clauses, along with intimidation, harassment, and systemic disenfranchisement of elected officials, were common methods to control political participation.

Segregation and unequal treatment in public spaces also reinforced this control. Crockett likens the GOP’s measures—forcing Democratic lawmakers to sign “permission slips” and requiring police escorts—to these oppressive tactics, as they effectively restrict legislators’ autonomy and access, much like the historic use of procedural and physical control to limit political power.