Emily Feiner is not a Radical Far-Left Activist. She has voted for Democrats and Republicans. She is not even registered with either major party. During the last presidential election, she wrote in Hind Rajab’s name.
She is a 63-year-old, mostly retired white woman. She isn’t what most people imagine when they imagine the radical left, yet, after having her removed, the spokesperson for the Republican town hall accused her of being just that.
She was a radical far-left activist who “persistently interrupted the event, disrespecting attendees, berating staff, and ignoring orders by state police.”-source.
Hmm, maybe Feiner isn’t as innocent as she seems.
What happened?
Feiner decided to attend her Republican representative’s town hall. This is what one does when one wants to engage with their elected officials. This was supposed to be business as usual, but Feiner realized something was different.
The representative, Mike Lawler, had a list of rules for attendees. They were asked for proof of residence and identification and told they could not film or take pictures.
These actions already hint that Lawler did not plan to have an open conversation. He was already trying to scare away opposition. Although town halls are supposed to be about open dialogue, this was meant to be a show for Lawler.
Feiner was not deterred. She asked Lawler about the current administration’s unconstitutional acts and if there was a red line for him. This is a fair question. Trump’s administration is completely ignoring the Constitution, and people on both sides of the political spectrum should be concerned.
Lawler attempted to move on without answering the question. Feiner wouldn’t let him slide so easily and called out for him to “answer the question! Answer the question!”
Feiner didn’t disrespect anyone, berate staff, or ignore the police, but the staff was immediately on her, asking her to leave. Being that this is a town hall and the purpose is to ask questions, she rightfully felt she did not need to leave.
So, the police came in and carried her out while she held up the peace sign.
They can try to change the narrative, but we have it on camera. Feiner was carried out because she wanted an answer to a question that a representative didn’t want to answer.
We’ve been seeing a lot of this lately, arrests and deportations just for speaking out and asking questions.
For some people, it is easy to ignore when it is a person of color or someone young.
This is a 63-year-old white woman at a town hall for a politician who claims to be a moderate. This isn’t about political parties. Don’t fall for that game. You know the difference between right and wrong.
We should all stand up and speak out. Demand that your representatives answer questions. This is the responsibility they decided to shoulder. They can’t carry us all out.
This post originally appeared on Medium and is edited and republished with author's permission. Read more of LG Ware's work on Medium.