FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Wednesday, July 8th, 2020
RPT Chairman James Dickey Comments on Wednesday Morning’s Houston City Council Meeting
AUSTIN, TX – “This morning at the Houston City Council meeting, Mayor Sylvester Turner stated that he will do all he can to cancel the Republican Party of Texas State Convention.
“After allowing tens of thousands of protestors to peaceably assemble in the same city, in the same area, without any of the safety precautions and measures we have taken, he is seeking to deny a political Party’s critical electoral function that should be equally protected under the constitution.
“Mayor Turner had the authority to shut down the convention, until he actively took steps – as reported by the Houston Chronicle on June 30 – “removing his own authority to cancel it”. (https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Turner-rejects-calls-to-shut-down-GOP-convention-15377824.php)
“The Republican Party of Texas had already implemented many of the Mayor’s demands.
“We instituted numerous precautions for next week’s convention including:
- thermal scanning of each attendee when they enter the convention center,
- limited entryways,
- revised floor plans for the caucuses and general sessions to accommodate social distancing,
- established deep cleanings after every meeting,
- provided contactless registration,
- established one-way traffic in our exhibit hall,
- elevated curtain height to create further separation at exhibit booths,
- provided contactless hand sanitizer, and
- obtained masks for attendees use.
“With his words today, Mayor Turner is saying Houston does not want business. He does not want Houston to get back to work. He is not able to move forward and rise to these new challenges.
“Is the City of Houston never going to get back to work? Is the City of Houston never to hold another convention at their cavernous Convention Center? This is an opportunity to show how to get back to work safely and how to hold conventions safely with cutting edge technology.
“Our legal team is assessing the ability of the City to act at this time in this manner and weighing our legal options. We are prepared to take all necessary steps to proceed in the peaceable exercise of our constitutionally protected rights.
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