Barrett constituents deliver petition to Lansing office, demand in-person town hall meeting

BY ANDREW ROTH, MICHIGAN ADVANCE

MICHIGAN—Grassroots organizers delivered more than 2,000 petition signatures to the Lansing office of US Rep. Tom Barrett (R-Charlotte) demanding that the first-term congressman hold an in-person town hall meeting.

Barrett held a telephone town hall earlier in the month, following guidance from the House GOP’s campaign arm to avoid backlash at in-person meetings.

But the information to call in for that meeting didn’t reach everyone who registered for the event, and some Democrats have expressed concern that the only participants allowed to ask questions during virtual events would be Republican supporters.

Curtis Hamilton, one of the organizers who delivered the petitions Friday, said that the protesters “feel that he is not listening and that he is going through filters, and we just want to talk to him unfiltered.”

Petitions were also delivered to the office of US Rep. John James (R-Shelby Twp.) earlier in the week.

Reporters and several constituents were blocked from following the organizers into Barrett’s office, as the doors were locked and district director Ron Kendall said it is not a public office. Signs warning that photography is not allowed inside without permission have been added to the door after a previous protest at Barrett’s office.

Barrett spokesperson Michael Gordon did not immediately respond to a request for comment about who is allowed to visit the freshman representative’s district office. However, Barrett himself took to social media Saturday to say he and his staff have “responded to more than 20,000 phone calls, letters, and emails while meeting with dozens of people from mid-Michigan every single week.” He noted the telephone town hall he recently hosted and said he looked forward to hosting another event again in April, although he ended with a caveat.

“While we have seen organized agitators try to disrupt and plunge public events across the country into chaos, I’m focused on getting results and will continue looking for meaningful ways to engage everyone in our community—even those who disagree with me,” Barrett said.

Hamilton said Kendall assured the organizers who made an appointment to visit the office that their message would be delivered, even if he could not commit to Barrett’s attendance at an April 22 town hall sponsored by the NAACP.

“We said we’ll have a chair on stage for him whether he shows up or not,” Hamilton said over chants of “we can’t bear it” and “one term Tom” from the crowd gathered outside the office.

This coverage was republished from Michigan Advance pursuant to a Creative Commons license.