7 June 5 -11, 2025 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents of protestors gathered in the courtyard out- side, led by Deb Arminter, the other chair of Decriminalize Denton. Following a rendi- tion of a parodied version of Afroman’s “Be- cause I Got High,” Arminter led about a dozen upset Dentonites into City Hall. There, the council listened to locals disap- pointed by their unexpected choice to vote on the mandate. “I just want to say in solidarity with ev- eryone else who has spoken, we had barely a weekend to localize on this,” Arminter said to the council. “There has been no public engagement, and that is a scandal on the matter. That was a popular vote.” A number of concerned individuals ex- pressed a common argument made in favor of decriminalizing low-level possession of marijuana: Prosecuting individuals for the non-addictive substance makes criminals out of non-violent individuals and increases police and prison costs for cities. “[There’s a] myth that defending [Propo- sition B] is a waste of money,” said Arminter. “The truth is, it’s a waste of money to allow a city manager or police chief to not imple- ment. If we were implementing that ordi- nance, you would be saving so much money, hundreds of thousands each year on cita- tions, arrest, THC testing, jail time, and highly paid police work, both on the streets and also behind the desk, with desk work, all to document a victim’s non-violent crime.” Councilman Brandon Chase McGee echoed this sentiment, urging his fellow councilmembers to oppose repealing Propo- sition B. “How much is somebody in the city’s life worth?” Chase McGee rhetorically asked. “We’re approaching $200,000. How much is someone in the city’s life worth? I don’t want people in this city to continue to have arrests on their record for low levels of mari- juana. I don’t want people to start, particu- larly younger [people], to start out their life behind the eight ball with a charge. That’s very important to me.” But ultimately, the city council still voted to repeal. “They are anticipating something like $500,000 in future attorneys’ fees, but that’s not the only reason… It’s out of our hands. It is a state issue and not a local is- sue,” Council member Jill Jester ex- plained before voting to repeal. “I am not shirking my responsibility, as some up here might say, by voting the way I’m vot- ing tonight. I’m taking my responsibility very seriously, knowing that many of you will be angry at me. It’s not something that I do lightly. It’s not even something I wanted to do.” While it would seem the city council’s choice is guided by the mounting legal pres- sure enacted by Paxton, Stevens says the blame still lies within the locality. “It’s been framed as this is on Ken Pax- ton, and I understand that because, I mean, I can’t stand the guy,” said Stephens. “He’s a terrible person, but I don’t know that I really put the blame on him as much as I put the blame on feckless leadership in Denton. The reason I say that is because all you have to do is look around at every other city, you just have to drive 30 miles south to Dallas. They’re in a lawsuit too, but at least their counselors have the spine to enforce it.”
