I guess I just don’t understand WHY people were intimidated. What did they expect those guys to do? Beat somebody up right there in front of everyone?? They wouldn’t have stopped ME from walking in and voting - what was the problem, anyway?
Did you WATCH the original video? The guys WAS intimidating. Remember, there were no news cameras around at that time. Before the age of cell phone video, the incident would never have seen the light of day, the media would dismiss it as an urban legend generated by racist right wingers.
I could see how a group of men, one with a nightstick, might intimidate some women, especially seniors, young women and/or women with children, perhaps even some senior men. Add the aggressive things the men were saying, and it definitely could scare some people.
And, yes, considering the black man selling Tea Party stuff who was beat up by SIEU members, I’d say being harmed IS a possibility.