After attending an incredibly raucous town hall meeting in Arroyo Grande with Congressional Representative Carbajal, I have to wonder exactly what the First Amendment guaranteeing freedom of speech really means in today’s political environment.
When I arrived, there were about 40 pro-Palestinian protesters outside with placards and bull horns, protesting U.S. support of Israel’s military invasion and bombing of Gaza. “Well, good,” I thought. I am not in favor of our tax dollars being spent on more bombs and drones, etc., for Israel to drop on hospitals, homes, and refugee camps killing innocent civilians, although I do support Israel’s aim of defeating the terrorist groups who are aligned against them.
As it happens, there were people in the audience who did put the Israel-U.S.-Gaza question to the congressman and listened to his answers. But there were shouters outside and inside the meeting room who drowned out most of the responses he tried to make. Matters got worse when one man barged up to the front and ranted for about five minutes until several members of his group got him temporarily quieted down. Others continued shouting the same message: Any U.S. aid to Israel is abetting genocide. By not calling for a cease-fire, the U.S. and the congressman were now also complicit in genocide.
At the end, there were good questions about our lack of access to medical care on the Central Coast, homelessness, addressing the climate crisis, etc. But I had to wonder exactly what I had been a part of. Those shouters managed to take away my First Amendment rights. By taking over the floor, they deprived the rest of us the chance to ask our questions and to exercise our freedom of speech.
I left feeling that my rights had been taken away. The boorish behavior, rudeness to a congressional representative, and ear-splitting commentary was bad enough. But if this lack of regard for others continues, who in their right mind is going to subject themselves to one of America’s earliest forms of democracy, the town hall meeting?
Judith Amber
Arroyo Grande
This article appears in Jan 25 – Feb 4, 2024.
Completely agree. At some point, the denizens of the world of the rabidly partisan came to believe that their freedom of speech not only allows them to shout down anyone who disagrees with them, but to physically restrain others by blocking freeways and the like.
Unruly behavior should not be tolerated, ever.
Individuals gathered outside the meeting hall should have been moved across the street and far enough away so their shouts could not prevent those in the meeting from speaking and listening.
Those inside the meeting hall should have been escorted out in the same manner preventing them from interfering in the meeting. If there is no authority able to remove any unruly individuals, those present should refuse to listen. Perhaps by turning their backs to the speaker and asking that the rude person leave quietly. If there is no authority to remove, stop the meeting until they leave or some authority can escort them out of the meeting.
If We The People, tolerate bad behavior, it only happens more often.