Town hall disruption questions what defending democracy looks like

Charlie Trumbull

Staff Writer 

On Sept. 26, the Defending Democracy Town Hall was held at the new Ann Arbor Election Headquarters, featuring Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, Deputy Secretary of State Aghogho Edevbie and Attorney General Dana Nessel. 

In the first minutes of the town hall, County Clerk Lawrence Kestenbaum advertised the big changes coming in the 2024 presidential election. Now, postage will be paid on absentee ballots, voters can register on the day of the election and early voting has been expanded to a nine day period before Nov. 5. 

Suddenly, a young hijabi woman stood up and yelled toward the Attorney General, “Dana Nessel! How do you call your event Defending Democracy as you’re pursuing 11 baseless charges, some of which are felonies, against peaceful Palestine protesters?” Behind her, a large group of University of Michigan students rose from their seats with fabric signs that had been hidden under their clothes. 

According to MLive, the Attorney General charged 11 pro-Palestine protesters at the Gaza encampment on the University of Michigan campus last May. During the protests, the Tahrir Coalition, the student organization pushing for the university to divest from Israel, erected an encampment on the Diag, which lasted for a month. Several students face felony charges, accused of obstructing justice and property damage.

In a September statement, Nessel said, “I hope the charges are a reminder to everyone who chooses to assemble, regardless of the cause, that the First Amendment does not provide a cover for illegal activity.” 

While Nessel and the other officials attempted to silence the protesters and continue the town hall, students began chanting 

“This is the first time this has happened,” Nessel said when asked. When the protest continued outside, the few remaining attendees continued the town hall as planned.

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