Hatcher comments on the House passage of Republicans’ gerrymandered map

Today, Dec. 5, Indiana House Republicans passed House Bill 1032, their congressional map, after months of pressure from Washington, D.C. The map cracks like-minded communities to give the Republican Party an advantage in Indiana’s congressional elections. Congressional District 1 stretches from Gary to Wabash. HB 1032 heads to the Senate for their consideration next week. 

“Northwest Indiana knows something about lines. We know about lines that separate, exclude and contain. We know about lines as tools of power, not justice. This isn’t new for our community. 

“For decades, the people of Northwest Indiana — Black, Brown, working-class, union families — have battled disinvestment. They’ve survived segregation, redlining, white flight and industrial abandonment, and now they're being asked to survive the erasure of their voice. Our ability to choose our own representation in Washington is on the chopping block.

“The majority’s not just drawing districts. They’re making a statement about who deserves a seat at the table, whose voices count and whose community matters. This is a clear attempt to erase a district where people of color have real power.  

“That’s what makes line-drawing in Indiana so consequential. It's not just a matter of geography. It's a measure of whose voices are valued, and whose are managed.

“As this map heads to the Senate, I urge them to reject it. Let the people of Northwest Indiana keep the one thing we’ve been fighting for all these years: a voice.”