A Fort Worth activist was arrested in the middle of the night, eight days after he was ejected from a Tarrant County Commissioners Court meeting for a profane tirade against a Republican-backed plan to sharply reduce polling locations.

Efrin "EJ" Carrion, an activist and host of the 817 Podcast, was booked into Tarrant County Jail early Wednesday on a charge of disrupting a meeting, a Class B misdemeanor. His bond was set at $600, KERA News reported.

The arrest stemmed from Carrion's conduct at the Aug. 4 Commissioners Court session, where officials were weighing a proposal to reduce Election Day polling sites from 316 to 176 — a nearly 45% cut — ahead of the November midterms, The Shorthorn reported. The commissioners ultimately voted to defer the decision on the possible reductions to September. The plan would also have scaled back early voting locations from 50 to 42. Tarrant County, Texas's third-most-populous county and home to more than 2.1 million residents, has emerged as a closely watched political battleground in recent election cycles, making local voting administration decisions a focus of both major parties.

Carrion had registered for public comment and addressed the court during the debate, framing the situation as advantageous regardless of the outcome.

"So I wanna let everyone know this is a win-win. Alright? A win if they don't vote for this, so we make our lives easier to vote. A win? We still have a historic November election," Carrion told the court.

He then criticized Commissioner Matt Krause, a Republican, accusing him of rallying supporters online.

"You guys are so desperate that Matt Krause is picking in his bucket down Truth Social, Rumble and just saying, socialism, authoritarianism. Y'all come and help us, please," Carrion said.

Carrion then turned to Commissioner Manny Ramirez, also a Republican, saying: "And Manny [Ramirez], you said you're all about cooling the temperature, and yet you vote for this extremist b——. All of your b——."

Tarrant County Judge Tim O'Hare, a Republican, ordered Carrion's removal: "Remove him immediately from the room."

"I'm walking out, you small man," Carrion responded.

"You have disrupted this meeting. We are now in recess," O'Hare declared.

Carrion was the first of five individuals ejected from the meeting that day, the Star-Telegram reported. Former Texas state Rep. Lon Burnam was also arrested after he picked up a microphone despite being instructed to set it down, according to KERA News.

In January 2025, the Republican-majority Commissioners Court approved a decorum policy along party lines that granted sheriff's deputies authority to issue trespass warnings to anyone violating meeting rules, the Star-Telegram reported. The policy and its enforcement have drawn attention from free-speech advocates who argue that punishing public-comment speech, even profane speech, at government meetings raises First Amendment questions. Class B misdemeanors in Texas carry penalties of up to 180 days in jail and a $2,000 fine.

"Free speech does not mean anyone can cause whatever chaos, say whatever foul-mouth thing, do whatever agitation, do whatever disrupting or campaign at a government business meeting," O'Hare said at a February meeting, according to the Star-Telegram.

An arrest warrant for Carrion was issued Monday, Aug. 11 — one week after the meeting. Fort Worth police discovered the outstanding warrant during a traffic stop conducted around 2:15 a.m. Wednesday, KERA News reported.