Lauren Ashcraft  🌹Compte certifié

standing within two inches of my face. At that moment my husband stood up and stepped in front of me to prevent any further violence. A kerfuffle ensued, with other men getting involved.

As terrified as I was, I knew I had to finish what I came to do, so I stepped back and continued to read my question. As I was returning to my seat, several of the men in the audience started shouting comments such as “WRITE HIM A LETTER!” and others, in efforts to silence me.

I am outraged that my Congressman, who knows me, did absolutely nothing to stop this sexist and violent attack. Instead, he stood smirking during the incident and even joked afterwards, resulting in collective laughter from those in the room.

It is perplexing to me what exactly the Congressman and his supporters considered funny about a man attacking a woman at a United States Congressional Townhall. That a U.S. Congressman would normalize this episode clearly demonstrates the pervasiveness of men silencing women ...

and women of color in our society. It is unacceptable and truly deplorable. In good faith, I cannot tell other women that they can safely ask challenging questions of Congressman Suozzi at his Town Halls...

Congressman Suozzi’s inaction signaled to the room that this aggressive, hostile and threatening behavior is tolerated at his events. -Alethea, Constituent, NY CD-3

Please share and use the #suozzitownhall and tag me @women2dc. Thank you so much for your support END THREAD