Eight protesters were arrested Monday during a climate change demonstration outside the Houston, Texas, home of Republican Sen. Ted Cruz. About 60 to 70 people in total were there, Assistant Chief Ban Tien of the Houston Police Department told reporters. After a “small group” of people trespassed onto Cruz’s property, they were given “multiple warnings” and an “ample amount of opportunities to leave the location,” said Tien. Finally, eight protesters “chose to be arrested” after cops gave them “one final warning,” according to Tien, who said the arrests took place only after police “exhausted all our options.” “I just want to take a moment to remind everyone the Houston Police Department supports First Amendment rights and supports public assembly, but it has to be done in a safe manner,” he said. “And it has to be done within the confines, and within the scope, of the law.”
In April, busloads of protesters gathered outside Cruz’s home to “demand action” from the senator in helping the community get back on its feet during the fledgling post-COVID economic recovery. In February, demonstrators—complete with mariachi band—took to the sidewalk outside Cruz’s house in calling for his resignation after it emerged that he had decided to vacation in Cancun during a massive blackout that left thousands of his constituents without power or water.
