Summary

A GOP town hall in Idaho turned violent when private security, LEAR Asset Management, forcibly removed Teresa Borrenpohl for speaking out.

The incident escalated after Borrenpohl questioned a panelist’s anti-abortion stance, leading to her being dragged out by unmarked security. Sheriff Norris, present but in plainclothes, did not intervene initially.

LEAR, known for aggressive tactics, was revealed to have been hired by the town hall organizers. Police later revoked LEAR’s city license and clarified that removing someone for speaking out is unlawful.

The incident shows rising tensions and the blurring lines between political events and private security enforcement in conservative areas.

  • Boddhisatva@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    The unmarked security force were from a private security firm called LEAR Asset Management, the Press reported, but Sheriff Norris “claimed no knowledge of the security personnel or who hired them.”

    Wait, so the sheriff, admits that he just watched three unidentified men assault a woman in front of him, and that he has no knowledge of who they are or who hired them, and he took no action at all. If he knows nothing about them or who hired them, how would he know that they were providing security? This is brown shirts in action and the sheriff is clearly one of them. Terrifying.

    • sartalon@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      Not just watched, he’s the one in the video telling her she needs to leave and then had the “private security” remove her.

      • Boddhisatva@lemmy.world
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        But he doesn’t know who hired them? Who was in charge of security for the event. How would the local sheriff no know that?

        • Cethin@lemmy.zip
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          29 days ago

          Not saying he isn’t complicit, but security I think is usually handled by event organizers. That’d be the state GOP or the representative’s campaign. It probably wouldn’t be handled by the shariff and they likely don’t know who’s handling security for most events in the area.

          With that said, it’s my understanding that a lot of private security are off-duty cops, so he probably knows them. In addition to being there so clearly having an interest in the event, he should have been more aware at minimum. Best case, this is incompetence.

      • corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca
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        1 month ago

        So he gave the illegal order to remove her to vigilantes he didn’t know as law enforcement, and he’s not in trouble?

      • kreskin@lemmy.world
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        1 month ago

        or to be truthful in their interactions.

        And except for when you’re driving, you have no responsibility to talk with them unless you’re in a stop and identify state: Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Utah, and Wisconsin.

        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop_and_identify_statutes

        You’re not required to identify yourself or talk with them unless you are formally being detained, which is about the only thing they have to tell the truth about. They are not worth talking to in any situatuion, and they are never “off duty” So they are never worth talking to after work either. They should always be ignored and interacted with as little as possible.

      • Furbag@lemmy.world
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        30 days ago

        Police in America exist to protect the wealthy. You can trace back their origins to the bounty hunters who caught and returned escaped slaves to their masters.

        If you are not wealthy, the police are not your friends.

    • P1k1e@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      Sheriffs are known for being gangsters, probably just another day in the park for him

    • NotLemming@lemm.ee
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      1 month ago

      Wasn’t he the guy who mocked and belittled her as she was assaulted? The only who called her a little girl?

      • Boddhisatva@lemmy.world
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        1 month ago

        According to the article that was the moderator of the town hall who said that. Some website developer named, Ed Bejarana. No clue if he was involved with security, but he certainly seemed to be getting off on watching a woman get abused.

  • technocrit@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    1 month ago

    Support. But there’s nothing shocking here unless you just woke up in January. The state has been dragging anti-genocide protesters out of everywhere for more than a year. Trying to kick them out of school, deport them, etc. LA wanted to hire mercenaries. Nothing new at all.

  • BassTurd@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    If you’re anywhere, and someone in plain clothes tries to force you to do anything and they haven’t identified as police, start fucking swinging, especially if it’s somewhere like this where it’s clear that they don’t have authority. They committed assault and it’s perfectly legal to defend yourself if you feel threatened. In the end, you probably still end up getting dragged out, but maybe you can break a Nazi’s nose, or if your lucky and hit them in the right spot hard enough, you could kill a Nazi.

    At the very least, Teresa needs to sue everyone involved. Make being a fascist at least hurt.

    • vinyl@lemmy.world
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      Don’t think it’s a good idea to start swinging if the event is full of numb nuts with guns.

    • CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world
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      29 days ago

      Yeah, it would have been nice to see them trying this shit on a woman that was well-versed in self-defense and knew their rights - maybe a few knees straight to the groin at top speed, some throat punches and some eye gouging.

      I mean, it’s possible it could have escalated even further, but seriously - if you have no idea who the hell is attacking you and trying to restrain you for…checks notes…speaking your mind, what other recourse do you have?

  • jaybone@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    It’s interesting, the tv news i saw about this said that the organizers said that this wasn’t a “town hall” it was a private Republican Party event, and therefore people were not allowed to interrupt and they were allowed to hire their own private security.

    This article makes it sound like they are walking that initial stance back a bit.

    • conditional_soup@lemm.ee
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      30 days ago

      This is the way, at least until Trump squashes it by some new bullshit dictatorial power or the SCOTUS goes digging for what 1600s witch hunters thought about freedom of speech. Until then, however, we still at least nominally have a constitution that says she had a right to be there and speak.

      • DogPeePoo@lemm.ee
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        30 days ago

        You got it! Make them put all their cards on the table. How far and fast are the $upremes willing to take this because they are creating a lot of Super Mario Brothers fans.

      • KillingTimeItself@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        28 days ago

        that’s great, i didn’t ask what the shitty name of the shitty article was. I want to know what fucking happened.

        (also, as of right now it appears to be identical to when i first made the comment)

        This shocking moment at a GOP town hall in Idaho is a foreboding sign

  • kreskin@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    I think we’d all like to assume that law enforcement wouldnt let their political opinions influence the performance of their sworn duties but time and again we see this sort of thing, and theres no real way to hold them to any account or standard of professionalism at all. They are a clear danger to everyone they come into contact with, and they even have state sponsored permission to lie and deceive in their interactions with you.

    • GaMEChld@lemmy.world
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      Not that I disagree law enforcement needs a lot of fixing, but in this case I have to clarify the facts.

      This was not law enforcement, this was private security. Actual law enforcement pulled the private group’s license because of this.

      • Darkassassin07@lemmy.ca
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        1 month ago

        An interesting note though; It was the town county sheriff that made first contact with her and he ordered the private security to remove her.

        The sheriff so far is facing no punishment.

      • CileTheSane@lemmy.ca
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        29 days ago

        Actual law enforcement pulled the private group’s license because of this.

        Long after she was already removed, the damage done, and with no one from the “security” company being charged with a crime.

  • Bytemeister@lemmy.world
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    Burn stuff. You’ve got a constitutional and legal right to assembly and speech. If they don’t recognize that, then you don’t have to recognize their position of power and authority laid out by the same constitutional and legal framework.

    • DrFistington@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      Yup. Get good smoke bombs, photo realistic sheer face mask, flare gun, and gasoline. Move under cover of smoke, don’t show your face, avoid cameras, or sabotage them days/weeks prior.

  • peoplebeproblems@midwest.social
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    Ah, PMCs. PMCs are probably just as bad if not worse than brown-shirt like paramilitary, because they get paid to not have morals, and are usually far more coordinated and dangerous.

    They’re still soulless, brainless thugs, but motivated by easy money rather than pure ideology.

    It’s quite possible that the tech bro brought them with. The sheriff not doing shit though? That’s a concern.

  • Laser@lemmy.ca
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    1 month ago

    Murica and israel are the new nazis! Wild timeline!

  • Rentlar@lemmy.ca
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    A town hall is where a politician declares his edict and participants silently accept them /s

  • CileTheSane@lemmy.ca
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    29 days ago

    Teresa Borrenpohl later told the Coeur d’Alene/Post Falls Press that, as it happened, she didn’t know if it was an arrest or a kidnapping.

    Well it’s good to know that if you get kidnapped plenty of people will film it happening to put online after the fact.

    The general public outnumber these fascist assholes. If you see someone possibly being kidnapped by unknown assailants you look at someone beside you and say “we need to help them” and you fucking interfere.