Patti and guest co-host Carmen Navarro Gercone are joined by Laura Tenneson, a resident of Idaho who talked about a recent incident at a legislative town hall, where an attendee, Teresa Borrenpohl, was forcibly removed by three employees of the private security firm LEAR Asset Management. The incident occurred after attendees, including Tenneson, began heckling Kootenai County Republican lawmakers, expressing their frustration about "having no voice in our local political system,"Tenneson said. She documented the incident on video, capturing Borrenpohl being dragged out of the meeting. Borrenpohl was initially charged with misdemeanor battery but charges were later dropped.

In the conversation Tenneson emphasized the importance of documenting such events to protect First Amendment rights. 

"We have been bombarded with messages from local community and support on both sides of the aisle, because this is a First Amendment rights issue and that's a huge thing in our country," she told WCPT. "And there are just as many Republicans who support the First Amendment as there are Democrats. And so I think this really has been almost a uniting incident, even though it was so awful. I think it is bringing people together in our community over a common, shared value." 

Photo credit: The Coeur d’Alene Press

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