(AUSTIN, Texas) — A trio of Texas Democrats slept overnight in the state house instead of traveling home with a mandated law enforcement escort ordered by the Republican leadership as they continued their peaceful resistance against the state leadership and their controversial redistricting plan.
State Representatives Nicole Collier and Gene Wu posted a video on X on Tuesday chronicling how they and their colleague, state Rep. Vince Perez, slept in the chambers after Collier refused to sign a waiver mandated by State House Speaker Dustin Burrows.
Although the Democrats returned to the statehouse Monday, those who denied quorum were allowed to leave the Capitol only if they signed a form agreeing to be under the custody of Texas Department of Public Safety officers.
Texas Democrats fled the state in protest of the Republicans’ plan to redraw congressional maps. Some Democrats returned to the statehouse on Monday and allowed the legislature to reach a quorum, but they continued to speak out against the controversial redistricting.
It is likely that the redistricting plan will pass.
Collier and Wu talked about how they had to make do with their surroundings as they slept in the chambers.
“We had two chairs that we put together. [Wu] slept in two chairs. I slept in two chairs. Our other colleague, Vince Perez, he slept in a couple of chairs,” Collier said in the X video.
Wu, who did sign the waiver, said in his post that he joined Perez and Collier in support of “#goodtrouble”, referencing the late Rep. John Lewis.
“We know this is a #riggedredistricting process. Democrats are not giving up!” he posted.
Collier echoed that statement.
“I think they need to find their resistance,” she said of her supporters. ” Finding your voice and your resistance — that will make a change in America.”
It was not immediately known if Perez signed the waiver.
Burrows responded to Collier’s actions on Tuesday in a statement, “Rep. Collier’s choice to stay and not sign the permission slip is well within her rights under the House Rules.”
“I am choosing to spend my time focused on moving the important legislation on the call to overhaul camp safety, provide property tax reform and eliminate the STAAR test — the results Texans care about,” he added.
A spokesperson for the Texas House Democratic Caucus told ABC News that Collier is effectively stuck until Wednesday in the state House at the earliest if she doesn’t sign the form, because that is the earliest the House could do a rules change.
Collier told ABC News on Monday that she was taking a stand for herself and her constituents.
“Look, I’m not a criminal. I’ve exercised my right, and I am tired of the government controlling our movement, and so this is nothing more than the government exercising its control over people who exercise their constitutional rights to resist,” she said.
Collier said she had no issue with the DPS officers themselves since they were ordered by the state Republican leadership to escort the selected Democrats; however, she was angry that the directive was made in the first place.
“I’m tired of being pushed around and told what to do when I disagree with the actions of our government,” she said.
“You don’t have to do this. You don’t have to dig in deeper into the harm that you’re doing. You are going to get what you want,” Collier said of the Republican leadership. “This is just petty and unnecessary, and I don’t think that it is fair. It’s demeaning to me as a person and to my community, and I just won’t take it.”
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