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McKinney votes to recall Black councilmember
Voters in McKinney overwhelmingly decided to recall the only Black city council member.
McKINNEY, Texas - Voters in McKinney overwhelmingly decided to recall the only Black city council member.
There is a special meeting Friday to certify the results. This is McKinney’s first time to remove a member of council.
A petition to remove La’Shadion Shemwell from office drew thousands of signatures. He declared a “Black State of Emergency” after a Fort Worth police officer was charged with murder for shooting a Black woman in her own home.
There was also outrage after Shemwell accused McKinney police of racial profiling in 2018 when he was arrested for refusing to sign a ticket.
Shemwell compared McKinney to the Jim Crow South, warning Black people to avoid North Texas.
“Ultimately the public made the decision that every situation he put himself in, it wasn’t good for this city,” said McKinney City Councilmember Frederick Frazier. “And that’s a shame because his aptitude was there for the job.”
In a statement, the District 1 councilman said the results of the election “proved exactly why” he is suing the city “for violating the Voting Rights Act and racial discrimination,” saying that the other council members said he “didn’t belong” and “didn’t deserve” his seat.
Shemwell believes the recall was unfair because it was a citywide vote rather than a vote of his district. But Shemwell himself voted on that.
“He voted on that. He voted yes to change that,” Frazier said. “So he’s part of the same process that basically got him recalled.”
McKinney Mayor George Fuller told FOX 4 that Shemwell’s district was not silenced, rather 20% of the 3,000 voters who signed the petition for the recall were from his district.
Earlier this year during the recall effort, Shemwell related his experience to that of Martin Luther King Jr.
“He was assassinated for the very reasons and things that they call me today: an agitator, an activist, someone who stands against the status quo for equality of our people,” he said in a previous interview.
In a twist on Martin Luther King Jr.’s words, the mayor says Shemwell was judged on the content of his character — not his color.
A new councilman could be appointed, but there is talk instead of a new District 1 councilman being elected in May.
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