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Political town hall meetings are increasingly becoming hotly contested affairs, as some constituents voice their displeasure with representatives. The exchanges have led some Republican lawmakers to avoid them altogether.
The disagreements were on display at a recent town hall held by Rep. Mike Lawler in Somers, Westchester County, located in the Hudson Valley swing district that elected the Republican to Congress in 2022.
It was at that meeting in which multiple New York State Police troopers carried 64-year-old Nyack resident and social worker Emily Feiner from her seat and removed her from the event after she asked Lawler what his red line was in terms of President Donald Trump violating court orders.
Feiner said she was unhappy with Lawler’s answer, stood up and asked that he answer it. She was asked to leave the auditorium and refused.
As law enforcement picked her up and carried her away, people in attendance chanted “let her stay, let her stay," according to a report by The Associated Press. It was unclear what exactly led to her removal.
“Shame! Shame! Shame!,” the audience yelled.
In an interview from her home on Wednesday, Feiner said police did not charge her after forcing her out.
"I think I was really shocked it happened," Feiner said, adding she couldn't believe a Lawler aide who said she had to leave could have the power to direct police to remove her.
"And I think that that's a page right out of Trump's authoritarian playbook, where no dissent is tolerated," she said.
In an interview with Spectrum News 1 on Wednesday, Lawler said town halls are something he has done from the start of his time in Congress and something he plans to continue doing.
"I think it's important for constituents to engage with their representatives and hear directly from them. Obviously, there are many people who show up who do want to engage in a civil dialogue and then, of course, you have folks whose sole purpose is to come and disrupt," Lawler said.
The potential New York gubernatorial candidate has laid out ground rules he believes can help maintain a civil discussion during the events.
He said he will keep those in place and will not be making changes to upcoming events.
Feiner described the process for attending the town hall: Show a QR code to get access and identification to prove you're a resident of the NY-17 Congressional District; get wanded through for potential weapons; get read the rules of the town hall and have to verbally agree; and sit in an assigned a seat.
"I've never seen any of this ever before in any other public officials' event, and I've been to many over the years. This was over the top," she said.