Civil rights groups are going after the Tarrant County judge over what happened during Commissioners Court this week.
On Tuesday, Judge Tim O'Hare got into a pair of heated arguments with Precinct 2 Commissioner Alisa Simmons, telling her in one of them to "sit there and be quiet and listen."
The Republican O'Hare is white, and the Democrat Simmons is Black.
Members of the NAACP and United Fort Worth held a news conference Thursday morning in front of the Tarrant County Administration Building to denounce O'Hare's actions towards Simmons.
"For anyone, even the judge, to come to a meeting as such and expect for himself to be told to 'take a seat and be quiet,' that is ludicrous," said Estella Williams, president of the Fort Worth/Tarrant County chapter of the NAACP.
"It was like being transported back to the 1960s when women had no voice," added Kennedy Jones, president of the Arlington chapter of the NAACP. "Because of what he said, and because I know the attitude of Commissioner Simmons, I felt that if she could not respond, I had to respond."
Michael Bell with the Unity in the Community Coalition of Tarrant County, said O'Hare's remarks contained "words and phrases that are permeated with racial overtones."
"Judge O'Hare's misogynistic and racialistic actions towards Commissioner Simmons demonstrates a level of disrespect that does not bode well for the future of court proceedings," Bell said.
After the news conference, Simmons said while she does not expect an apology from O'Hare, she expects professionalism and respect.
KRLD reached out to O'Hare's office, offering him a chance to respond to the criticisms levied by the civil rights organizations.
Instead, we got an emailed statement from his spokeswoman, Ruth Ray, who asked us to print it in its entirety:
The Commissioner of Precinct 2 has a history of alleging unfounded racism. Recently, she chose to withhold funding from a road project in the City of Kennedale, over what she claims are racist hiring practices. Last September, she claimed Court members were racist for choosing a County Administrator with an exemplary seven-year service record with Tarrant County over someone with no county government experience. This Commissioner also alleged racism when she unsuccessfully sued the Tarrant County 911 District in 2014, where her claims were thrown out of court by a federal judge.
This Commissioner regularly uses foul language in meetings, including cussing and yelling at the County Administrator during the April 2nd public meeting.
This is a sideshow instigated by a Commissioner who repeatedly votes against public safety initiatives, including a recent vote against providing bullet proof vests for our dedicated law enforcement professionals.
The focus should be on important issues facing the people of Tarrant County. Judge O’Hare will continue to focus on providing property tax relief to everyone in Tarrant County, maintaining law and order for everyone in Tarrant County, running an efficient responsible government, and promoting Tarrant County as the best place to live in America for all.
The next Commissioners Court meeting is Tuesday, May 7th.
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