Today, the local chapter of the Council on American-Islamic relations (CAIR-DFW) is calling for change after an incident at the Haltom City Municipal Court.
"I'm trying to pay my ticket, and they wouldn't let me in," says Kendra Montemayor in a Facebook Live video taken Tuesday outside the Haltom City Municipal Court. "They wouldn't let me in because I'm Muslim. He told me I can't come in because I got my headwrap on."
Montemayor says a judge would not let her inside the courtroom while wearing a hijab. She says she explained that the garment is part of her religion, and was still told she would need to take it off.
Haltom City officials say the judge that Montemayor spoke with had a blanket policy against any kind of headwear. When she recognized it as a hijab, officials say she tried to accommodate Montemayor. Since the incident, she has also changed her policy to make religious exceptions.
The incident is prompting CAIR-DFW to meet today in Haltom City. Officials with the organization are calling on the Haltom City Municipal Court to allow religious head coverings inside the courtroom.