This Shocking Moment at a GOP Town Hall in Idaho Is a Foreboding Sign
newrepublic.com
Private, unidentified security personnel dragged a woman out of the event. It raises questions not just about tolerance for dissent but about who gets deputized to do what.

Summary

A GOP town hall in Idaho turned violent when private security, LEAR Asset Management, forcibly removed Teresa Borrenpohl for speaking out.

The incident escalated after Borrenpohl questioned a panelist’s anti-abortion stance, leading to her being dragged out by unmarked security. Sheriff Norris, present but in plainclothes, did not intervene initially.

LEAR, known for aggressive tactics, was revealed to have been hired by the town hall organizers. Police later revoked LEAR’s city license and clarified that removing someone for speaking out is unlawful.

The incident shows rising tensions and the blurring lines between political events and private security enforcement in conservative areas.

  • BassTurd@lemmy.world
    561·
    3 days ago

    If you’re anywhere, and someone in plain clothes tries to force you to do anything and they haven’t identified as police, start fucking swinging, especially if it’s somewhere like this where it’s clear that they don’t have authority. They committed assault and it’s perfectly legal to defend yourself if you feel threatened. In the end, you probably still end up getting dragged out, but maybe you can break a Nazi’s nose, or if your lucky and hit them in the right spot hard enough, you could kill a Nazi.

    At the very least, Teresa needs to sue everyone involved. Make being a fascist at least hurt.

    • CharlesDarwin@lemmy.worldEnglish
      3·
      2 days ago

      Yeah, it would have been nice to see them trying this shit on a woman that was well-versed in self-defense and knew their rights - maybe a few knees straight to the groin at top speed, some throat punches and some eye gouging.

      I mean, it’s possible it could have escalated even further, but seriously - if you have no idea who the hell is attacking you and trying to restrain you for…checks notes…speaking your mind, what other recourse do you have?

    • queermunist she/her@lemmy.ml
      213·
      3 days ago

      Sounds like a good way to end up sitting in jail for assaulting an officer. Yeah, you’re within your rights to defend yourself. Your day is still fucked and your foreseeable future is probably fucked too until you win the court battle in a few years.

      • BassTurd@lemmy.world
        14·
        3 days ago

        I’m this particular circumstance, they weren’t lawfully allowed to touch her let alone remove her to my understanding. If I misinterpreted, then yea don’t hit cops, they will shoot hit back and then take you to jail. Obviously if it’s an office in plain clothes, they are still cops, but if not, swing away like your life depends on it, because it just may.

        Mostly just an emotional response to a shitty situation, but one of these days, regardless of who it is and their authority, swinging might be the last option.

        • queermunist she/her@lemmy.ml
          141·
          3 days ago

          The problem with plain clothes is it’s kinda hard to tell if they’re a cop or just security,. especially in the heat of the moment.

          • BassTurd@lemmy.world
            11·
            3 days ago

            Yea I get it. I’m unfortunately reaching the point where to me it doesn’t matter because something/someone needs to be the Luigi for this movement. Punching a plain clothes cop in the mouth isn’t shooting a CEO, but on the news, it could be an inspiration for a movement.

            10+ years ago, the rhetoric that the GOP uses in normal conversation today would have been a career ender. Trump being the piece of shit he is, said it all out loud and that made it acceptable for other cunts to do the same. Racism, Bigotry, Antisemitism, they’re all acceptable now because someone broke through that barrier. Maybe defending one’s freedom with violence against the cross burners could have the same normalizing effect.

            • CharlesDarwin@lemmy.worldEnglish
              2·
              2 days ago

              Don’t forget that they are now throwing seig heils now.

              Thanks to Bronzo the Clown specifically, but they’ve been on this path for decades, so if it wasn’t Bronzo, it would have been some other POS Republican. As long as they could get just enough votes for this shit, given the way demographics are changing, you could almost predict how reactionary these fucks were going to get.

              They looked around and see how many non-whites there are. They see how many non-xtians there are. They see gays getting married and being accepted, and now they are further freaked out to find out that trans exist and are not closeted like they once were…

      • Sylvartas@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
        31·
        2 days ago

        Almost happened to a friend of mine. Good thing he was on his way to babysit the commissioner’s kids when the “goons” (who were actually plainclothes officers looking for drugs traffickers, but never identified themselves before they caught him) attacked him.

    • vinyl@lemmy.world
      112·
      3 days ago

      Don’t think it’s a good idea to start swinging if the event is full of numb nuts with guns.