Congressman Shouted Down At Darien Town Hall
DARIEN, IL – The congressman for the western suburbs planned to take the public's questions Thursday at a town hall in Darien.
It didn't happen.
Instead, U.S. Rep. Sean Casten, a Downers Grove Democrat, was shouted down by opponents of the U.S. policy on Israel.
In response, Casten stepped out of the room, saying he wanted things to cool down. A little while later, a Darien officer told the crowd the meeting was over.
About 100 people attended the town hall at Indian Prairie Public Library.
Minutes into the town hall, a woman began shouting at Casten, who took office in 2019.
She accused Casten of being complicit in Israel's war in Gaza, which started after last October's Hamas attack in Israel. She noted Casten voted for the $8.7 billion for Israel, which she said was used "to kill people like my husband's family."
While she yelled, Casten asked whether she would like for him to respond.
She said she would, but kept talking. Casten then asked her to sit down and that he would answer her question.
"I always admire people's ability to raise questions and ask them respectfully, but yelling so no one else can hear is disrespectful," Casten said.
The woman shouted back, "Over a year of genocide on our dime, there's nothing to be respectful about."
"People have come with a whole range of issues they would like to raise," the congressman said.
"What's more important than genocide?" the woman said.
Another woman told the protester, "We're not going to be hijacked by your one situation."
Casten then asked the heckler to leave if she wouldn't be respectful.
Officers approached the woman. She asked whether she would be arrested, to which an officer said she would be if she didn't leave.
"Free speech in America," the protester said. "That is our representative of the largest Palestinian community in the country," referring to Casten.
Once she was escorted out, other protesters, one at a time, took their turn to shout at the congressman.
One woman presented photos of casualties in Gaza. A man blocked her path down the aisle and pointed to the door. An officer told her, "Let's go."
When being escorted out, yet another woman said, "When you're against apartheid, you have to leave."
The protesters did not give the congressman a chance to speak. That's when Casten announced he would step out.
About 10 minutes later, a Darien police officer, Tony Hruby, announced the town hall had ended.
"We have nothing really to discuss right now. I appreciate you guys coming out. There's nothing more that I can do," Casten said. "Unfortunately, things happened. It is what it is, so I guess I say the meeting's over."
By that time, a half dozen officers were on hand.
Leaving the building, attendees still argued, with officers following them. One woman told the protesters that she opposed the disruption, but agreed that Israel "needs to stop occupying" Gaza.
One of the protesters took exception to her criticism of the shouting, referring to the fact that she was a white woman.
A man wearing a face mask shouted at her and others, "You're a white supremacist, all of you!"
And then he asked the woman who opposed Israel's actions, "Are you proud to be a white supremacist, ma'am? Maybe it's because your heart is dead."
As she approached her car, the masked man said that he had seen her before and labeled her as "disgusting."
An officer told the crowd, "Keep it moving."
The man continued to shout at the woman, referring to the people killed by Israel.
"You don't give a f– about them," he said.
"I do actually," the woman said.
The man shot back, "Then why don't you act like it?"
U.S. Rep. Sean Casten speaks with staffers shortly before deciding to leave his town hall early Thursday at Indian Prairie Public Library in Darien. (David Giuliani/Patch)
A woman shows photos of casualties in Gaza on Thursday during U.S. Rep. Sean Casten's town hall at Indian Prairie Library in Darien. She was among those disrupting the meeting. (David Giuliani/Patch)
