On Tuesday, Piñon Post editor John Block filed complaints with both the New Mexico Attorney General’s Office and the State Ethics Commission against state Rep. Gail Chasey over likely violations of the state’s Open Meetings Act.
The following letter was sent to both state agencies:
On March 1, 2021, I attempted to testify in the New Mexico House Judiciary Committee via Zoom against a bill, House Bill 156, sponsored by Rep. Brittany Barreras (D-Bernalillo), which demonizes law enforcement officials, in my opinion. During the hearing, the chairwoman, Rep. Gail Chasey (D-Bernalillo), cut me off from speaking, claiming my respectful comments “impugned” on the “motives” of the bill’s sponsors. In the links below, you will find my written testimony (Exhibit A), and the video of Rep. Chasey cutting me off from speaking (Exhibit B).
In a previous February 16, 2021 hearing in the House Judiciary Committee, I attempted to testify against another bill, Senate Bill 10 and was interrupted halfway through my testimony by Rep. Chasey, who claimed I was going after the bill sponsor.
This silencing by Rep. Chasey is an infringement on my First Amendment right to testify in a public forum. You can find the infringement via Exhibit C. My written testimony can be found via Exhibit D.
According to the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government (NMFOG), "When a forum is made available for public speech, citizens have a First Amendment right to speak freely. Public bodies risk running afoul of the First Amendment if they attempt to regulate citizens' speech based on its content or the identity of the speaker" (Exhibit E).
I humbly request you to investigate this matter and take the proper steps to ensure no future New Mexicans are banned from speaking, especially now, where we are already barred from physically entering the Capitol to testify in-person. Our right to speak on issues that impact all of us in New Mexico requires public input, whether Chairwoman Chasey agrees with those perspectives or not.
"The people of New Mexico will not just sit down and take it from people who assault our First Amendment freedoms. Rep. Chasey and every single legislator works for us, and it is unacceptable for them to treat their bosses (the people) like we do not deserve to have a voice in the People's House. They cannot silence us whether they build a fence around the Capitol to keep us out or use their mute buttons to feed their egos," said John Block.
"Chasey, who has clung to unchecked power for over 24 years, is out-of-touch with the people of New Mexico. It is high time people like her are held accountable for using their positions of power to silence the voices of everyday New Mexicans. I am fighting not just on my behalf but on behalf of the countless citizens who have been deprived a voice this legislative session."