Protests taking dangerous turn
Public protests are American to the core. The right to speak out against the government, specifically, aligns perfectly with the spirit of the founding of this nation. In these times, though, we must be careful to ensure that free speech does not morph into mob harassment.
Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson is the latest public figure to be targeted for protest. A Rhode Island group, FANG Collective, demonstrated outside Hodgson’s home Thursday morning to oppose his cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, with an agreement that lets his deputies carry out immigration-related functions that are normally reserved for ICE agents.
FANG collective member Nick Katkevich said the group read a letter written by ICE detainees over a bullhorn outside Hodgson’s home. He said FANG Collective wants Bristol County to cancel its agreement with ICE.
Katkevich was straightforward about his mission. “I think to interrupt his holiday for 30 minutes is definitely appropriate because he is disrupting people’s lives every day.” He added Hodgson is “violating human rights” by “separating families every day.”
“They have a right to protest,” Hodgson said. But he said he is concerned about other targeted demonstrations across the nation that he said could become “dangerous.”
“Any time you get groups of people together things can quickly shift into a mob mentality,” Hodgson said.
The FANG Collective seemed to have behaved themselves last week, but intimidating someone at their own home is crossing a line and Hodgson is right to be concerned — Republican lawmakers were actually shot last year while practicing for a baseball game. Last month, high profile Democrats and CNN were sent explosive devices.
And then there is the harassment of public figures in restaurants. Sen. Ted Cruz, Sen. Mitch McConnell, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and White House senior policy adviser Stephen Miller have all been the target of protesters.
Last month, Fox News host Tucker Carlson’s family was besieged by protesters who chanted threats outside his home in Washington, D.C.
This summer a man was indicted for threatening to kill Republican Rep. Diane Black and the daughters of GOP Congressman Jason Lewis were threatened. Rand Paul’s family was also threatened. This summer Brandon Ziobrowski of Cambridge allegedly threatened Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Last April, Robert Chain was arrested by the FBI after threatening to shoot employees of the Boston Globe.
Protestors too often feel entitled to do anything they want to disrupt the lives of those they feel are fundamentally evil. They are high on self-righteousness and are so bent on their crusade that lawlessness and harassment are justifiable means to an end, in their minds.
Yes, we should police the fiery rhetoric that influential politicians use in public but also we must improve communication amongst ourselves and personify civil discourse. Political differences are just that and should not inflame blind hatred. The mechanisms to affect change in our democracy are at our disposal — men with bigger differences than we could imagine made sure of it.