A larger-than-usual crowd of people piled into the Auburn Chamber of Commerce last week to hear State Rep. Pebblin Warren, D-Tuskegee, speak about the upcoming legislative agenda and future of the Democratic Party in Alabama.
Warren addressed the redistricting of Alabama’s legislative districts.
Last week, the U.S. District Court ruled that nine Alabama house districts and three senate districts were racially gerrymandered and would have to be redrawn before the next election in 2018.
Warren traced a map of Alabama’s legislative districts posted on the wall with her fingers to show the outlines of the gerrymandered districts. Warren explained that her home district, a majority-minority one, had been redrawn along with to pack it full of even more minority constituents, compacting mostly Democratic voters into a small number of districts.
Warren's district encompasses areas of Lee County, Macon County and Tallapoosa County. She noted its boundaries crept into the City of Auburn only in areas with predominantly black populations.
Soon, Warren said, legislators from around the state will meet to discuss redrawing the boundaries.
“It’s ridiculous. We should be not faced with things like this,” she said. “We’re better people in the state of Alabama.”
Warren addressed the Lee County Democrat Club during a time when the Republican Party controls all three branches of the government, at both the state and national level.
Democrats lost most control of the legislative agenda in Alabama after Republicans gained a super-majority in the house in 2010, she said.
However, she encouraged the club not to give up on the party and to call their local lawmakers. Warren also warned that a mass flood of coordinated letters and emails from groups could often be counterproductive to their cause.
“We want to hear your real feelings,” she said.
She went on to say she hoped legislators would see the “seriousness” of the issues facing Alabama in the upcoming session.
“I was so just thrilled with the march on Saturday,” Warren said referring to the Women’s March on Washington.
“They sent a message," she said. "In Alabama, we’ve got to send a message that we’re not going to sit up and let politics play the game of the survival of Alabama.”
When Warren began to take questions from the crowd, one person asked where they could begin to reform as a party.
“The leadership is right here,” she responded. “I’m so impressed to see so many people here tonight that own up to being a Democrat.”
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