The Texas Capitol in Austin shut their doors to the public at the end of May. And while the State Preservation Board announced in December the opening of the Capitol Grounds and the Visitor’s Center, the Texas State Capitol remains closed to the public. The move came after a very public rebuke from The Texas Freedom Caucus and an outcry from residents across the State of Texas.

The Texas Freedom Caucus describes themselves as “liberty-minded, grassroots Texans in Texas House of Representatives, amplifying their voice to protect life, strengthen families, defend the Bill of Rights, restrain government, and revitalize personal and economic freedoms in Texas.”

On December 9th the group posted a message and a video on Facebook demanding the opening of the Texas Capitol. The message read, “Open government demands an open Capitol, and everyone in this great state deserves the right to make their voice heard in person. Government does not own the Capitol building—29 million Texans do!”

Texas Representative Mayes Middleton (House District 23 - Wallisville) opens up the video in front of the State Capitol in Austin, Texas. “Here we are in front of your state capitol and as you can see there are locks on the gates, there are chains on the fences. So unfortunately your voice is locked out of this building right now,” shared Middleton. Texas Representative Matt Schaefer (House District 6 - Tyler) also chimed in, “Chains on the capitol are a symbol that has to be taken down.”

At the close of the video Middleton shared, “Because you deserve your voice to be heard it is time for committees to meet in person, it is time for the Legislature to meet and vote in person, and it is time for all Texans to get their voice heard in person for next session.”

Outside of Middleton and Schaefer, who serve as the Chairman and Vice-Chairman for Texas Freedom Caucus, the other State Representatives who signed on in support of the video’s message included the video included Briscoe Cain (House District 128 - Deer Park), Mike Lang (House District 60 - Granbury), Matt Shaheen (House District 66 - Plano), Matt Krause (House District 93 - Fort Worth), Cody Vasut (House District 25 - Angleton), Steve Toth (House District 15 - The Woodlands), Valoree Swanson (House District 150 - Spring), and Bill Zedler (House District 96 - Arlington). 

Stacy McMahan, who serves as Executive Director of East Texas For Liberty based in Gilmer, is one of many Texans who wants to see the Texas Capitol open up. “The Texas Capitol is the people’s house and is essential. Our legislators need to get to work and the voice of Texans must be heard. Yet, the Capitol gates are locked with chains. Why?” McMahan continued, “Teachers were sent back to work. Walmart, Home Depot, and the like can be open while taking precautions, but not the Capitol? The Texas Capitol should be open now.”

Longview resident Keith Rothra was also concerned about the status of the State Capitol. “The Capitol is no different from other public places. If responsible personal behavior is employed, there is no real reason why it should not be open like any other facilities,” shared Rothra.

Katie Bug, a resident of Austin and organizer of the Constitutional Rights Summit, shared her concerns about how the Capitol needs to open in order for the people to truly connect with their elected officials. “Constituents deserve to be able to sit down, face to face, with their elected officials who are supposed to be taking their constituents’ concerns into consideration when shaping our law books,” shared Bug. “There is no true substitute for face-to-face interaction. Empathy and understanding are lost, even through Zoom.”

Like residents in many other cities across the State, Slaton resident Chalon Goodley’s heart goes out for all of the lives which have been lost due to Covid-19 but she too believes the Capitol must open up. “I believe we need to be mindful and respectful of Covid-19, but not fearful,” shared Goodley. “We can’t lock down our world and expect people to survive. The consequences of Covid-19 can’t be worse than the virus itself.”

Mark Lee Dickson, Director with Right To Life of East Texas based in Longview, expressed gratitude for Representative Schaefer and every member of the Texas Freedom Caucus. “Because of their efforts in making us aware of the problem, we were able to join them in voicing our concerns.”

For those who want to see the Texas Capitol open up the battle is not over yet, but there is progress.