Kerr County court approves ‘Hands Off’ protest on courthouse grounds after split vote and further review

Kerr County Commissioners Court voted to allow the Hands Off Kerr County Democrats organization to use the courthouse grounds on Saturday, April 19, 2025, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., after an initial split vote was taken under advisement and the court revisited the item later in the meeting.

The group’s organizers, Carol Calkins (citizen) and Kathy Turner (identified as a resident of Precinct 4), told the court they intended a “peaceful” demonstration using sidewalks and the courthouse grounds and that they would conduct pre-event safety briefings and “buddy up” stewards to keep participants orderly. “We meant no disrespect. The operative word is peaceful,” Calkins said during the request for permission.

Why it mattered: Commissioners spent more than an hour on the request because of complaints that a prior gathering connected to the same organizers on April 6 disrupted a…