U.S. News
The video has been shown over and over on television news. An altercation at a town hall meeting presided over by Claire McCaskill resulting in a woman being escorted from the meeting by a group of police. But what wasn't widely reported is that the incident involved two black women who showed up at the town hall meeting with a poster of Rosa Parks and the incident was precipitated by a man who, obviously enraged at the poster, went over and tore it up.
Watching the video, you will see a white man with white hair and a blue shirt at the bottom of the screen, go over to the women and grab the poster and tear it up. Police quickly intervened and the white man was also taken out of the hall by the police but in the opposite direction.
McCaskill then apologized to the crowd for the interruption and acknowledged that there was an agreement that signs and posters would not be allowed. But one has to wonder if the sign had called Obama a communist or showed him as Hitler as some have, if the man in the blue shirt would have torn it up.
Watching McCaskill try and mollify a crowd of angry, mean spirited, and, for anyone watching the entire meeting, entirely ignorant crowd of Republican and conservative inspired attendees opposed to health care reform, she looked more like a substitute teacher unable to get the attention of a bunch of lousy students but still trying. The meeting continued with McCaskill sounding more like a baby sitter than a Senator trying to explain a health care reform bill and as evidenced by the man in the blue shirt and most of the crowd, a babysitter is exactly what she was.
Comments
Hard to judge from a short video. All I see is theft and vandalism and possible assault. There was no reason for him to do that to her poster, no matter what was on it. Then again, it's possible that they know each other. People tend to be less inhibited around people they know. Heck, they might even be members of the same family (through marriage) or maybe they go back a long time, idk. If not then, that dude is way out of touch with reality.
That person who tore it up shouldn't have done that....thats just dumb. Lets have some civility!
On the other hand I dont know why the lady would bring a rosa parks poster to a health care rally. What does Rosa Parks have to do with health care? That just proves that for many blacks, its all about race. If I disagree or dislike a black person, it isn't because they are a jerk or an idiot, or stupid or I dont agree with what they are saying, it is simply because they are black. It all boils down to race with them.
It is a learned behavior with them...that if you aren't black, then you are white, and white people are racist if they disagree with you. Stop leaning on the racism crutch..Mexican illegals are the new negroes....you have nothing to complain about
That is a lopsided version of what happened. I was there. While the man did not have the right to take her poster she was also antagonizing the crowd. She was not just sitting and minding her own business. She walked in 1 1/2 hours into the meeting so that all attention would be focused on her. She had a Rosa Parks poster and some of her friends had Obama posters. They walked in showing these posters to everyone and were obviously trying to get something started. While I have no problem with someone having signs it very clearly said NO SIGNS ALLOWED and I could not bring mine in. Hence, the anger of people that they had signs. Also, by the way, it was not all Republicans or rightwingers. Many Democrats there. that was one man who did that, please don't characterize everyone there as mean spirited.
Cali Rules you are the very reason that America is so screwed up. People like you still exist and it shameful we have to put up with your ignorance. Maybe one day you will wake up on the other side and I hope no one shows you mercy. You deserve no respect
Was the white guy who tore up the poster also arrested? What rigtdid he have to take the poster and rip it up? If poster were not allowed, there were many policee/security officers he should have asked to deal with the woman and her poster.
Big Bob: My black wife doesn't boil everything down to race. We are teaching our mixed race daughter to view the world in the same way.
There is prejudice on both sides, but only one side is being reported on.
You are an idiot.
I was there, sitting right behind the four (not two) African American. What does not show up in the video is the loud, heckling, and shouts of "make them leave" and other racial vitrol that accompanied the four women as they came into the auditorium to sit down. Many people were shouting that they were not allowed to come in, make them leave, etc. The women had not been told they couldn't bring in signs until that point. It was so hard to hear that it was unclear why everyone was shouting. The women were shaking and I and my two children were shaking from the hate and anger of the crowd directed towards them. Then Claire McCaskill told them they were not allowed to have the signs and the women apologized and put them under their chair. Then, a woman who appeared to be a "staffer" came by and asked to see the sign so the woman unfurled it. That is when the man with the blue shirt came up and grabbed it and tore it up.
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