Dozens gathered Monday afternoon for a “Not My President’s Day” rally outside Dallas City Hall — including U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett.
Crockett, a Democrat fighting to unseat Republican John Cornyn in the U.S. Senate, arrived an hour into the rally and stood in the organizers tent talking to and taking pictures with onlookers.
She wiped tears from her eyes as she hugged Reverend Frederick D. Haynes III, who is running for Crockett’s seat, before walking on stage and addressing the crowd.
“This is about delivering. I’m here to tell you that this majority minority state can make a difference not just for Texas, but for the entire country,” Crockett said to a crowd of about 100 people.
Breaking News
Two organizers walked around handing out Crockett “Texas Tough” posters to those who stood around the stage. Others held American and Mexican flags and signs reading “It’s a good day to protect democracy” and “Fight for those who can’t.”
Between speakers, people chanted “No justice, no peace.”
Crockett emphasized that people need to play their part in enacting change.
“It is time to recognize that the power belongs to the people, and it never left us,” she said.
“We’ve got to show up and show them who’s boss,” Crockett said. “We gotta tell them that we will not continue to accept the mediocrity and the hate and the flat out corruption that is coming out of D.C. We deserve better. We can have better.”
Haynes announced he would be running for Congress in December and mirrored Crockett’s call for unification in his own speech.
“We’re here because we recognize democracy is on the line,” Haynes said. “Go ahead and make some noise and make sure that all of America experiences liberty and justice for all. It’s our time to move this country forward and in a direction of healing, justice and peace.”
Other speakers included Dallas ISD District 5 trustee Byron Sanders and Texas Democratic Party chair Kendall Scudder.
Crockett will go up against state Rep. James Talarico of Austin in the March 3 Democratic primary. Early voting for the primary begins Tuesday.
Last month, in an interview with The Dallas Morning News editorial board, Crockett said she pairs a hard-charging style with firm positions on immigration, taxes and bipartisan work. And she’s working to show voters there’s more to her than the headlines about her viral clapbacks and confrontations.
“They know my brand. They know that I’m a fighter,” she said. “They’re just getting to know the substance side of me.”
Monday’s event was the latest of several to protest the actions of President Donald Trump’s administration in recent weeks, with most focused on the federal immigration crackdown.
According to a flyer from the Next Generation Action Network, a nonprofit activist group in North Texas who organized the rally, the focus of the rally was “rejecting tyranny, rejecting dictatorship, and defending the values of justice, freedom, and accountability.”
Earlier this month, dozens lined State Highway 380 in response to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers killing two people in Minnesota.
The protesters came from all over Collin County, a historically Republican stronghold, and waved American flags while chanting slogans such as “Power to the people, no one is illegal” and “No Kings, No Crowns, No Thrones.”
Last week, hundreds of Dallas ISD students walked out of school, waving colorful signs that pronounced, “Abolish ICE” and “No human is illegal.” Students also did the same in Forney.
State education officials have threatened to punish districts where students stage walkouts, including investigations that could result in state takeovers, revoking teaching certificates and withholding daily attendance funding.