Porter on melee at town hall: ‘Hard to feel safe’

Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) on Tuesday spoke out against the fighting that occurred during her town hall meeting this weekend, calling it “disappointing” and adding that it made it “hard to feel safe.”

During Porter’s town hall over the weekend, protesters in support of former President Trump disrupted the event, leading to a clash between them and Porter’s supporters. The congresswoman also ran into the fighting to help an elderly woman.

Minor injuries were reported and one person was arrested, though they were later released on a citation.

“It was really disappointing and scary, especially for families and seniors and others who were there, and I think we need to hear from every single elected official, regardless of party, that this is not democracy,” Porter said while appearing on MSNBC’s “The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell.”

Regarding her decision to walk into the fighting, Porter explained that there were attendees at the event who had disabilities or relied on walkers and could not move out of the way of the melee.

“I was very afraid they were going to get knocked over, so I simply put my arm around them, told her to stand there and I was gonna stand there with her until the police were able to disperse the situation,” Porter said.

“This is my home, so it’s incredibly disappointing to have it happen here; Irvine has been the safest city of its size for 15 years running,” Porter added. “I made very clear at the beginning, everyone is welcome here, but we need to be civil and listen to each other. And it was incredibly heartbreaking when that happened.”

“After Jan. 6, it’s hard to feel safe in Washington right now,” she continued, “and now it’s hard to feel safe in Irvine.”

Porter lamented that the fighting had prevented questions from being asked by her constituents and her opposers were unable to hear her words, as well.