Update: Nixon was arrested after refusing to leave after warnings from law enforcement. She posted to Facebook Friday night after being released from the Leon County Jail that “they released us after we were arrested for protesting illegally gerrymandered maps being drawn by Republicans,” though it was unclear how many people were arrested as a result of the demonstration.
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Rep. Angie Nixon, a Jacksonville Democrat, joined a sit-in at Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office with at least two dozen other protesters.
The group was protesting recently approved congressional maps, implemented as part of DeSantis’ priority mid-decade redistricting and a broader national push among GOP leaders to redraw maps to create more favorable seats, a strategy Democrats have attempted to replicate in blue states with varying degrees of success.
For the most part, Nixon sat quietly on the floor, wearing what has become her token hot pink after she drew ire from Republican colleagues for disrupting redistricting proceedings in late April by speaking out against the process on the House floor using a bullhorn. On Thursday, Nixon was officially reprimanded.
Protesters, including Nixon, were warned at 12:30 p.m. that they were in violation of Capitol Complex rules, specifically a rule prohibiting parading, picketing, speechmaking, vigils and sit-ins.
At about 1:05 p.m., a loudspeaker announcement blared through the corridor where protesters were staged warning them that if they did not disperse, they would be issued trespass warnings and would risk arrest.
The crowd began to disperse as law enforcement arrived, but some remained, including Nixon. As of 1:30 p.m., Nixon and a handful of others were still in the corridor near the Governor’s office.
Nixon did speak briefly before law enforcement dispersed the demonstration.
“It doesn’t stop here,” she warned of redrawing maps. “I wouldn’t be surprised if the state of Florida decides to redraw the House and Senate maps and dilute representation. It is not going to end. We have to stop this now. We can’t embolden them anymore.”
She then quoted former First Lady Michelle Obama’s now famous saying that “when they go low, we go high,” instead urging those frustrated with the current system that “when they go low, get loud.”
The sit-in sources told Florida Politics was a precursor to a national day of action on Saturday called “The March is Not Over,” also called “All Roads Lead to the South,” which is planned to advocate for voting rights after the U.S. Supreme Court decision dismantling a portion of the Voting Rights Act that allowed some of the redistricting across the nation benefitting the GOP.
During the protest at DeSantis’ office, protesters chanted several usual slogans, including “stand up, fight back,” “show me what democracy looks like; this is what democracy looks like,” and “I believe that we will win.”
One protester could be heard on the live feed saying the event was about “liberation.”
The same protesters said it was not just about redistricting, but about the Legislature’s inaction on issues that matter most to Floridians, such as affordability issues.
Nixon, at one point, concurred, lamenting the price of gas, groceries, housing and healthcare that many Floridians cannot afford.
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